Tuesday, March 25 (NYC Day 6)

Last day. After packing up and getting organized, we had breakfast at Tous Les Jours and tried a bunch of the pastries. All of us liked the coffee bun best except for Andrew. Greta had a cherry blossom latte. 

We squeezed one final event into our last day in NYC. Our destination was one I planned, and one you wouldn't expect from someone who lived in or near NYC for almost two decades: FAO Schwartz at Rockefeller Center. Our destination wasn't the store itself; it was the Jellycat Diner. I'd learned about the existence of the Jellycat Diner from social media, where the wise algorithm placed videos and pictures in front of me enough times for me to finally pay attention and make a reservation. This is not actually a diner; this is just a specific area in the store where food-themed Jellycats are sold, and if you pay an extra fee you can "order" a specific "food" from the "menu" and aspiring / out-of-work actors behind a "counter" "cook" the "food" and put on a fun show for you, then wrap up your "food" and put it in a "takeout container", which is passed over the "counter" to you when you ring a diner bell and the worker shouts "Order up!"

Lucia ordered a bagel and Greta ordered pancakes. The worker made the foods scream when he cooked them. He flipped them high in the air from the pan. He dramatically heckled Lucia as she added "cream cheese" to the bagel, and Greta as she sprinkled "sugar" on the pancakes. The kids loved it. The fee also gets you a Jellycat tote bag, an enamel pin that matches the food you ordered, and a sheet of stickers.

After that unhinged but fun event, we returned to the hotel to get our car. There was a long period when the valet couldn't actually find our car, and it was unclear whether it would be found, but then it was and the parking fee for our stay was refunded. And then we hit the road.

It was a great spring break vacation in NYC. Already can't wait to go back.