When Lauren, our youngest turned 5 last October, we brought her to American Girl Place for the first time. After weeks of hearing her talk about Grace Thomas (2015’s doll of the year), my husband and I surprised Lauren with a visit to the American Girl flagship store in NYC for her birthday.

Let’s just say from the moment she brought her Grace Thomas doll home, Lauren has become a walking advertisement for the American Girl brand. She brings her doll everywhere!

Can you imagine how happy she was when the lovely folks at American Girl sent us the latest Doll of the Year, Lea Clark for review? When she opened the package, her exact words were, “Am I dreaming?” Lauren was so excited that Grace Thomas now had a friend to keep her company. 🙂 I’d like to thank American Girl for sponsoring today’s post.

Lauren also has 2 other close buddies who share a love for dolls and “play pretend.” Since the 3 of them have never been to the American Girl Place Cafe before, the other moms and I decided to plan a “Moms and Daughters Lunch Date” together.

If you’ve ever been curious of why there’s a big following of the American Girl brand, I think the photos in this post may provide some insight. As a former kid who loved dolls and the whole world of “play pretend” where you can make up your own little world and your own set of rules, I totally get “it.” I hope you enjoy the photos from our day trip.

1. Here’s Lauren getting Lea Clark all ready for her trip into the city.

Ready to Visit AG

2. Lauren with her buddies from Ballet. These girls took their first train ride into New York City!

Waiting for train to AG

3. We made it to the flagship store!

American Girl NY Store

4. Since our lunch appointment was at 11 a.m., we went straight to the Cafe upon entering the store.

This is a photo inside the cafe (located on 3rd floor). Isn’t it amazing that guests can choose a selection of dolls to join their table should they wish to do so? The kicker is that the dolls are given a “clip on” seat. 🙂

Dolls at American Girl Cafe

5. I love the chic and girly decor! Definitely love the black and white stripes.

American Girl Doll Cafe

6. Naturally there’s lots of pink in the decor. By the way, the napkin ties are actually hair ties. Guests can bring them home! The kids also got to keep a cup and saucer toy set for their dolls.

American Girl Cafe Table Setting

7. Loving this flower-covered hanging light!

American Girl Cafe Light

8. Here’s Lauren feeding Lea!

Lauren at lunch with Lea Clark

9. Our lunch came with a first course that included mini-cinnabons and a family-style platter featuring tomato-basil bruschetta, hummus, crisp veggies with ranch dressing, and homemade pigs-in-a-blanket.

AG Cafe Lunch Starters

10. All 3 moms ordered a salad (how typical). The cranberry salad with chicken is delicious!

Cranberry salad at AGD

11. Lauren enjoyed her pizza. Isn’t that a generous portion?

American Girl Cafe pizza

12. All 6 of us. I mean, all 9 of us. Can’t forget their dolls! 😉

Lunch at American Girl Cafe in NY

13. For dessert, we all got a chocolate mousse along with a vanilla cupcake. I love the portion size. Just right!

Our waiter was extremely attentive and friendly. He asked if we were celebrating a special occasion during this visit. We told him that the girls all recently turned five years old. When dessert was brought to our table, each of the cupcakes had a lit candle.

We all got to sing “Happy Birthday” to the girls. They were all smiles!

Dessert at American Girl Doll

After our lovely meal, the girls had appointments for their dolls at the Hair Salon. I know, I know. Too funny!

Lauren’s friend, Priscilla had her Lea Clark doll’s hair braided into a “fishtail” style. I need to learn how to do that!

All 3 girls had their dolls ears’ pierced at the salon. It seems a little ridiculous to have the dolls’ ears pierced but when you see those cute earrings on the dolls, you will “get it.” 😉

Hair Braiding at American Girl

Here’s a perfect example of the level of detail that you can expect from visiting the American Girl Place. They even have “doll holders” in the restrooms!

Doll Holder at AGD

How cute are these outfits for the dolls? Of course, I had to buy one for Lauren, our little ballerina. Lauren chose the outfit on the left.

Ballerina AG Dolls

No shortage of good “Photo Ops” at the flagship store! How adorable is that egg-shaped chair?

Lauren in Eggchair

With Lea Clark being 2016’s Girl of the Year, you can expect plenty of “Lea” themed sections throughout the store. Check out the cute “Lea’s Treat Shop” area. You can order up smoothies and treats during your visit!

Lea Clark Treat Shop

Here’s Lauren holding her new Lea doll and posing alongside of a large poster board of Lea Clark!

Lauren with Lea Clark

Everything is extremely organized in the store and shelves. Shopping is dangerously easy! Be prepared for your child to want to grab every box in the cubbies.

American Girl Packages

The girls had so much fun shopping together and checking out the dolls on display.

Shopping at American Girl Place

TIP: A good place to stop by for a little break is the “Personal Shopping” room directly next to the Doll Hair Salon area. This is where our girls changed their dolls into the new outfits that we just purchased that day.

The kids with their AG dolls

Great day spent with my “mini-me.”

Mommy and Daughter at AG

As if the day wasn’t adventurous enough for these girls, they were even interviewed by the CBS morning crew! The crew happened to be there that day for a special segment. It was so cute to see the girls answer questions asked by the reporter. Regardless if they appear on T.V. or not, it was such a sight to see them being interviewed.

IMG_7636

This wraps up our fun visit to the American Girl Place in New York City. I’d like to thank the wonderful folks at American Girl for treating us to a lovely lunch at the cafe. The attentive service and the delicious meal are big reasons why we are already planning another group visit together next year.

With Lauren’s love for the American Girl brand, it’s safe to say that there will be plenty of American Girl doll merchandise in our home for years to come. While American Girl items may not be light on the wallet, I know that we are paying for quality items.

Along with being impressed with the craftsmanship of the American Girl products, I am so impressed with American Girl’s philanthropic efforts. To date, American Girl has donated more than $100 million in dolls, clothes, books, and cash to numerous  charities nationwide. In support of last year’s Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas, American Girl helped raise $657,000 for No Kid Hungry, a non-profit organization. You can read more about American Girl’s commitment to charitable efforts by visiting link here.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s recap of my recent Moms and Daughters Lunch Outing! Celebrating childhood and making lasting memories are important things that I treasure.

If you’re new to Beauteeful Living, please subscribe here to receive future posts delivered directly to your inbox:

Thanks for stopping by the blog. Xoxo, Tee.