5 Spots to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth in NYC

When thinking about some of the great eats in New York City, delis and pizzerias most definitely come to mind. The problem is, you can only have so much pastrami and so many sloppy slices before you begin craving a change of pace. Here are some sweet suggestions for your NYC visit:

Magnolia Bakery
Magnolia has been the bakery hotspot since Carrie Bradshaw devoured one of their delicious pink buttercream icing cupcakes on an episode of Sex and the City. What people don't know is that the banana pudding is actually their showstopper. The creamy, puffy pudding, along with fresh bananas and vanilla wafers will have you saying "What cupcake?" Now with multiple locations around Manhattan, you shouldn't have to wait in line... for too long.

Dylan's Candy Bar
Walking into Dylan's Candy Bar will make you feel like you stepped right into a scene from Willy Wonka. Founded by Ralph Lauren's daughter, Dylan, this store featuring rows and rows of candy ranging from Swedish fish to hard tack to chocolate will certainly give you a sugar rush. If that's not reason enough to feel like "a kid in a candy store", pull out a dollar bill and head to the chocolate fountain where they'll give you your choice of fruit to dip in the velvety chocolate falls. 

Serendipity III
A young John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale come to mind when you think Serendipity. The restaurant where they filmed the romantic flick, actually known as Serendipity "III" or "3" was made famous by the sweet love story and is known for their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, which at one time drew celebs in like Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol and Jackie O. This popular location, its rich history and, of course, its dessert, makes the wait for a table worth it. They do not accept "dessert-only" reservations so to avoid waiting too long it's recommended to reserve a table for a full meal.

Ferrara's
Owned and operated by the same Italian family since 1892, this Little Italy gem will instantly have you in a cannoli craze. And if that doesn't suit your fancy, rows and rows of other delicate pastries displayed in their cases certainly will. Enjoy a savory sweet, sip their famous espresso and take in the old-world ambiance and you'll surely feel like you're in a scene from a classic movie.

Baked by Melissa
Cupcakes in New York City have become "a thing" much like pizza. One of the biggest problems when it comes to having one of those hearty cakes, however, is deciding on oh-so-many flavors! If only you could have one bite of each. With Baked by Melissa, you can. Her bite-sized cupcakes in flavors like Peanut Butter & Jelly, Mint Cookie and Chocolate Chip Pancake give you a taste of variety without feeling the guilt.

NYC Kids Learning and Fun Tour for the Whole Family!

Our last NYC Kids Learning and Fun Tour was for an entire family from Missouri.  They were such a pleasant group of people and their girls (5-and-a-half, 3 and 1) were super sweet and adorable!  Although the girls were a little young for the tour, they stayed very engaged and involved throughout the tour and asked a lot of questions. 

They were very interested in learning about the carousel in Bryant Park and took lots of pictures.  They were also very happy to know that Bryant Park was named after a poet (one of the little girls even enjoys writing songs. 

In Times Square, they were pretty mesmerized by the crystal ball that drops on TV in front of billions of people every New Years.  They also couldn't believe all of the advertisements on One Times Square today as opposed to how the building looked over a hundred years ago. 

One of their favorite stops was Central Park, where they took part in their scavenger hunt and had a great time doing it.  We climbed up the Overlook Rock with dad and waved to mom, grandma and grandpa from above.  The girls wrote their names on the rocks with our sidewalk chalk and enjoyed taking a picture of their accomplishment.  They also LOVED watching the ducks in Central Park and didn't understand why people were feeding them bread when we learned that the conservancy does not allow feeding of the wildlife.

Dylan's Candy Bar was a success, as usual.  We had an amazing time playing the OLOGY game while mom, grandma and grandpa took a break in the upstairs cafe with the one-year-old, who didn't take part much in the tour, except she did love throwing the penny into the wishing well at Bryant Park!

Our last stop was Balto and the 5-and-a-half-year-old told me about the movie, Balto, that she had seen.  The girls were both very excited to see the statue of him and take pictures of him. 

At this point, the tour was coming to an end.  We dropped the family off at the Gazillion Bubbles Show, where their dad told me they had an excellent time as well!  Here's what the dad had to say about the tour:

"Once again thank you for your tour. The girls really enjoyed it.  (My daughter) was wanting to go on the tour again and was asking when she could do that and (my other daughter) wanted to know where "Miss Tasha" was. They both have talked about the tour a lot. They also had a blast at the Gazillion Bubbles show too."

If you and your family would like to take a tour with us, visit www.nyckidstours.com for more information.  We look forward to touring with you!