For Mackensie's birthday, we made the pigrimage to NYC to the American Girl store. It was a wonderful day. Our time in NY was marked by true joy and wonder. Things that could have been overheard on our trip: "I love you," "You're the best mom," "This is the best birthday ever," "This restaurant is even cooler than the American Girl cafe" and "I want to do this every year." Mackensie only offers praise when she means it, so I know she really enjoyed the day! I think it was one of my favorite birthdays, too!
We started with lunch at Bill's Bar and Burger. It was a stumble upon, in that we didn't plan to eat there, but it was delicious and reasonably priced. I'll admit that I started with a Sam Seasonal. I wasn't sure what the store would be like, and I felt like a little preparation couldn't hurt :)
One of Mac's dolls, Layla, joined us. She apparently won the contest that was running among Mac's AG dolls, which earned her the coveted trip to her place of origin. Her reward? Getting to watch us eat lunch, and the new bracelets that Mac made for her at lunch. The bands came with the kids meal.
Then, we were off to the store. It was big, but not quite as big as I had expected. However, the amount of accessories and details available all under one roof was amazing. There was the general store, the library/book store, the floor for the historical dolls, a salon for doll ear piercing and hair-dos, a pet store, and a hospital. On the floors we didn't visit, there was also a restaurant and the Bitty Baby nursery.
Although she isn't intersested in owning her, Mac also got acquainted with the new girl of the year.
I have a love/hate relationship with American Girl dolls. Or, at least, a love/not-love relationship with them. I feel like they carry with them an inherent sense of uncessary privilege. It's sort of like clothes for pets; they are super cute, but I kind of feel like no pet should have clothes until every human is adequately clothed. These dolls have privileges that most kids will never know. Their outfits cost more than mine. I don't know why that bothers me more than other toys/hobbies/past times, but it does. That said, I get the appeal, especially to young girls. The detail is exquisite, and the storyline that most of the dolls come with can really inspire imagination.
In keeping with these observations, I'm not sure if the below sign makes me optimistic for our economy, or pessimistic about our culture.
And we certainly did our part to help with the economy. Although, we did make Mac save her own money, and use birthday money, to fund her purchases.
And lest I come across as someone who is above the call of consumerism and branding, I made sure that we had our customary stop at Starbucks, where I had a near meltdown because they didn't have salt for a salted caramel mocha. Yes, I did reign it in, but I had to talk myself down a little. What was I saying about privilege and society??
But look how happy it made us...
It was a wonderful trip that brought out the best in all of us. We were blessed with good weather, an easy trip into the City, and a chance to give Mac some one-on-one time while we knew the boys were well taken care of. I can't think of a better way to mark the birthday of my special girl.
