This is a quick trip report (my first ever) on my parent's visit to NYC during the holidays. They have visited me a bunch of times before, so we had a pretty low-key, not so touristy trip. Here is a quick capsule of activities:

Day 1 (12/23)
Parents arrive after driving in from Chicago. I've never seen so much luggage in my entire life. My mom packed everything from a garlic press to their own bars of soap. My 600 square foot apartment looked as though a luggage bomb exploded, but I was relieved and happy that they made it safely.
After catching up for a few hours, we made a quick dinner in my kitched, and set out to Carnegie Hall. We had tickets to a performance of Handel's Messiah. My mom and I really enjoyed it, and my dad actually managed to stay awake.

Day 2 (12/24)
Woke up a little late and ate breakfast. My mom really wanted to go the Union Square Christmas Market, so we walked over from my apartment. After poking around for a few hours, I dragged them into Coffee Shop (15th St. & Union Square West) for some lunch. It can be an annoying place to eat (loud, bad service), but the food is reasonable and I like it!

On our walk back home, I took them to the Strand Book Shop (Broadway & 13th). The Strand is a NY institution - a massive used book store and great for browsing. We spent a good 90 minutes poking around, and then continued home. Collapsed on the couch, ordered Chinese, and watched Bad Santa. We're obviously suckers for Christmas tradition ;-)

Day 3 (12/25)
We decided to do a walking tour of the Lower East Side with Big Onion tours. They lead this tour annually on Christmas Day, and it covers the Jewish immigrant experience in the tenemants on the Lower East Side. $15 per person, www.bigonion.com.

After the tour, we were starving. A coworker had recommended Max Brenner, Chocolate By the Bald Man, so we popped in for a quick lunch. It was very crowded, and the food was super crappy. We enjoyed dessert, but I don't think I would go back.

Day 4 (12/26)
I had to work for a few hours, so my parents set out to explore the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum. Before they left, we grabbed a quick lunch near my apartment. The Hummus Place (St. Mark's b/t 1st & A) is a great little neighborhood restaurant that specializes in - wait for it - Hummus. It's also vegetarian, which we're not, but enjoyed anyway.

My parents returned that evening, and we headed out for dinner. We went to a sushi restaurant, Hiro, on 10th St. b/t 3rd and 4th Ave. Good, reasonable neighborhood sushi. On the way home, we stopped off at a dive bar so that my Dad and I could play each other at Skee-ball.

Day 5 (12/27)
My parents wanted to come downtown to see my office and also visit the TKTS booth at the Seaport. We stopped at the Seaport TKTS booth a bit after 11. There was a line, which my dad graciously waited in while I shopped the J. Crew sale. We got three mezzanine tickets for Grey Gardens at half price.

We jumped on the free shuttle over to the World Financial Center to check out my office. After touring my floor and taking lots of pictures of the Statue of Libery and WTC site, we went down to the Winter Garden to grab lunch at PJ Clarke's. I insisted on heading across the street to DSW b/c they were having a huge sale. After emerging with a pair of leopard print flats and some Charles David stilettos, I was extremely pleased.

On the way back to my aparment, we stopped off in Soho so that my mom could poke into a few stores. I really like Global Table (Sullivan b/t Spring & Prince), which has a great assortment of funky table wear and decorative objects.

Jumped into a cab home and rested for a bit before our play. We LOVED Grey Gardens! After the musical, we popped into Joe Allen's for a cheeseburger and way too many martinis and headed home.

Day 6 (12/28)
We were all hungover as hell and slept late this morning. My mom wanted to do some more shopping, so we headed down into Alphabet City to poke around. We love John Derian, who makes gorgeous decoupage platters and dishes (2nd b/t 2nd Ave & Bowery).

My boyfriend came over to my apartment for drinks, and then we headed back to Soho for dinner. First we popped into Vosges Chocolates (Spring b/t Greene & Wooster) to pick up some gifts for friends. Then on to Vintage NY, which is one of my favorite local restaurants. They specialize in all NY State food and wines. It's mostly small plates, and everything is delicious. We sent my parents home and went out for the evnening.

Day 7 (12/29)
My mom really wanted to go the Met to see the Vollard exhibit, so I escorted them uptown. It was a ZOO. I had to leave them and head into work, and they returned early evening.

We headed to Arturo's (Houston & Thompson) for some excellent pizza and live music. As we did the night before, my BF and I parted ways w/ them to go meet up with friends.

Day 8 (12/30)
My parents were leaving early afternoon, but my mom had read about a Beatles-themed brunch at BB King's. If you really like the Beatles, you would probably enjoy this. If you do not like them, or are unsure, run away screaming. It's a cover band dressed up like Sgt. Pepper blasting loud Beatle's covers. The service at BB King's sucked, but the food was actually pretty decent (highly overpriced).

My parents departed soon after brunch, and I set about cleaning my apartment and hunting for my sanity....just kidding! I love them, and it was a wonderful trip.

lots of smiles reading your report - esp about the luggage - memories of my mother in law had me laughing !

I too like the Coffee Shop even though it can be loud and I only visited Max Brenner once and didn't eat but did purchase lots of great sauces, hot chocolate, etc that we are still enjoying !

I took notes of some of your other great recs, as we are meeting 6 others in the city this weekend -
thanks Lizziea06!

I also wanted to add that on Day 6 we had lunch at Momofuku noodle bar (10th & 1st Ave.). It's one of my fave neighborhood places to get ramen noodles, and the steamed pork buns are excellent. It's a cool restaurant to eat in - seating on stools at the counter.

LOL lizzie! Loved your report especially Christmas Eve!

How do you top Chinese takeout, Strand Bookstore, and Bad Santa?

What bar has Skee-ball? I’m a fan of that AND dive bars!

The service at BB King’s is outrageous. It does have great sound but $36 for a bucket of beers seemed steep to me. If I ever go back I’ll take my chances with standing room.

GoT - I'm glad you like Bad Santa! Possibly one of the most innapropriate movies I've ever seen in my life.

Dohlice - There's a bar on the north side of 14th b/t 1st & 2nd Ave called Crocodile Lounge that has skee-ball & Big Buck Hunter in the back. They also (oddly) offer free pizza during happy hour.

Thank you - Crocodile Lounge here I come!

I saw Bad Santa for the first time this year and my mouth was open through most of it. I had no idea he was so, well, BAD. It was on tv and my husband wants to rent it so we can get the full effect.

Dohlice, if you ever want a run down of dive bars and their specific diversions (shuffle puck, skee-ball, darts, beirut, etc.), I'm your girl. I'm secretly a frat boy at heart

___ me, Santa; ___ me, Santa; ___ me, Santa!

Gawd, how did you ever watch this with your parents?! You're very brave!

With my head under a pillow. It helps too that my mom shares my ribald sense of humor.

Bummed that I didn't know about Strand before my trip to NYC. I guess on the next trip in! I also was hoping to stumble upon Global Table, but I seemed to have missed that one. Lastly, I saw John Derian's stuff at Bergdorf Goodman on my last day in the city. . . remember that I mentioned Kaas Glassworks?? Same sort of stuff, but I think she has more selection in terms of sizes and designs. You might like her website, too!

Never seen Bad Santa. . . obviously I'm missing something!!!

Ok, why did your mom pack her garlic press???????????????

She had this insane idea that we would cook dinner a few nights instead of going out, which clearly didn't happen. I had to explain to her that in order to operate my oven, I'd have to find another place to store my summer shoes

lizzie: carrie bradshaw would be so proud of you!
lol - good thing mom didn't turn on the oven first -

any recs you have for fun bars (but for 50 yr olds) with skee ball, darts, etc where we wouldn't be out of place would be gladly appreciated for the crew I am meeting in nyc this weekend. .... also any to visit after theater or later in the night, as well as earlier in evening. your recs for me have always been so good!

Lizzie - LOVED your report! Great to hear where a local takes her parents for unpretentious NYC dining and shopping these are the places I really like to hear about. Your Parents sounds like a lot of fun, glad you had such a great holiday

lizziea06 - We also visit NYC often to visit a son.

LOL about all the luggage but suppose driving had something to do with that.

Do your parents actually stay (sleep) in your 600 square foot apartment the entire visit? We only tried that one time and after the first night quickly booked at a hotel. What did they do with their car?

Made note of all the places that you did go with your parents and thanks for sharing. Always interesting to hear how other parents handle visits. Love NYC.

Sandy

It's a two bedroom apartment, so there is a modicum of privacy. There's a master bedroom (mine), which I surrendered to them. I slept in the smaller guest room. Not a lot of common space, but the sleeping situation was manageable.

Regarding their car, there is plenty of perfectly safe street parking in my neighborhood. Since they were able to move it twice during the week to accomadate the street cleaner, it wasn't a big deal.

lizziea06 - Your apartment sounds wonderful. Glad it works out so well for you and your parents.

Best regards,
Sandy

Lizzie??? You're my ... SISTER?!? LOL!! I think my mom always brings the same amount of stuff. LOL at the garlic press -- um, because she just might need one on the plane or because they don't have them in NYC or what?!?

I can't believe I also forgot to mention that they packed a cooler w/ all the food that was going to go bad while they were here. In theory, good idea, but I now have a 3 lb. bag on yellow onions and 36 eggs sitting in my kitchen that still haven't gone bad!

They are also convinced that a tube of Crest must cost $40 at the bodega downstairs. Same with soap.

Escargot - I missed your post yesterday. Bars in midtown and the theater district are admittedly not my area of expertise, but I did a quick search on sheckys.com for bars fitting your criteria (theater district & pool/darts):

The Mean Fiddler (47th b/t B'Way & 8th Ave.)
Garvey's (45th & 8th Ave)

I don't think this place has pool, but it's a great bar located in Murray Hill where adults of all ages would feel perfectly comfortable:

The Ginger Man (36th b/t 5th Ave. and Madison)