The American Girl Experience by Jane Bresloff

Little girls, all over the world dream of the day when they will be of age to have their own American Girl doll. For our granddaughters, the age we felt comfortable with is five and recently, we visited The American Girl in New York to celebrate Zoe’s fifth brithday. Zoe and her twin brother, Cooper ( who spent the day with us, but managed a side trip to the Lego store for his gift) reside in Connecticut and did not want to wait until they came to Chicago to celebrate with their “MIMI”, so off on the train to Manhattan!

The American Girl, is not really a store, but an adventure and experience for a young girl. From the moment we entered the store, I could see the magical effect take place. Zoe began to smile broadly and her eyes became the size of saucers as she gazed at the selection of “new friends” to choose from. After spending time searching for one that would look like her, auburn hair and fair skin, we found Princess Rebecca and were able to go to the cafe for a birthday lunch.

The cafe is an elegant room with a wait-staff that is geared to work with little girls ( I am sure some boys as well) and at each table with fresh flowers and beautiful china on a linen tablecloth, the magic of the moment continued. The room , filled with young giigling, happy young ladies and their American Girl dolls ( special booster chairs are set for them as well), one cannot help but think how this special memory will last for years to come. The kids dined on cinnamon buns first, then pretzels with dipping sauce. The entree, Chicken Fingers ( what else?) with fries and of course since it was their birthday, Zoe and Cooper were given crowns to wear and each had a small individual birthday cake. Talk about a wonderful memory.

The luncheon took about an hour and while the kids would have sat a bit longer, Zoe had to rush Rebecca to the salon for hair styling and ear piercing. Turns out that you have to make the appointments right away as the salon getsquite busy. Another trip to the store area as Zoe’s friends had given her gift cards for some outfits and to add to the mix and to make for a perfect family, two little puppies ( couldn’t leave Cooper out of the mix on this one) and then off to Lego and then the return trip home. The day was as perfect a birthday as a five year old could want and one that years from now, Zoe will remember as she takes her daughter on a trip for her American Girl Experience.

On a side note, the staff is amazing, the service spectacular and the food delicious. I guess you might say that the American Girl Experience is the American dream for every little girl To plan your viist, in Chicago or elsewhere, call 877-247-5223 or visit www.americangirl.com