You’ve heard that having kids is really expensive, right? And if you have kids already, you pretty much knew that. More than you ever expected really, because diapers. and food. and clothes, toys, school supplies, sports, orthodontics, activities, childcare. Did I mention food? I knew that having a daughter was potentially even more expensive than when I had my son. Because clothes. But I never thought that I would be spending $25 to get a doll’s hair braided or $14 to puncture a doll’s plastic ears to insert metal “earrings”. Let alone the $120 for the doll herself. And the doll’s outfits cost more than I spend on my own clothes (but the resale on Ebay is much better…check it out).
Enter the American Girl Doll.
So here’s the thing. You may try to resist. Or you may have gotten off easy by having sons (the kind like mine, who don’t care about dolls, even though we tried not to push gender stereotypes), or daughters who don’t care about dolls (unlike mine, even though we tried not to push gender stereotypes). The truth is, my daughter LOVES American Girl dolls. The other truth is, she is spoiled (thanks Mom). So she has several AG dolls. In a pinch, I could sell them to pay my monthly mortgage, so I count them as investment property. That’s OK, right?
She started off life already having 2 American Girl dolls. One was a gift to me from one of my clients when I was a therapist back in the day. Weird gift for a grown woman with no kids? Yep. My name is also the same as that AG doll, so it was actually very thoughtful. I stuck it in the attic because I am not a woman who collects dolls. Then when my daughter was born, she got an AG doll as a gift because her name (coincidentally) is also one of the AG dolls. As years went by, she would ask for a new American Girl doll for Christmas or her birthday, and her collection expanded.
Enter the American Girl Doll Store.
American Girl Doll love + Family Travel = trip to the American Girl doll store in various cities nationwide.
Here is the list & I’m making it pink because girls must like pink AND dolls (or else):
STORE LOCATIONS
- Atlanta
- Los Angeles
- Boston
- Miami
- Chicago
- Minneapolis
- Columbus
- New York
- Dallas
- Seattle
- Denver
- St. Louis
- Houston
- San Francisco
- Kansas City
- Washington, D.C.
- Indigo Toronto / Chapters Vancouver
All of our American Girl Place visits have been in NYC because we avoid walking near them in other cities so as not to trigger an “I want it” kind of a meltdown. Because you (or at least we) cannot visit without incessant begging and negotiating to buy something. Pick your battles. Our first visit to the AG Place was a few years ago when we took the kids to New York City for the first (of several) times. Needless to say, my daughter was in heaven. She talked about that place for years afterward.
We have gone back since, for special occasions, and have had the lunch, purchased dolls, and admired the outfits (I just can’t bring myself to spend $50 on a doll’s outfit).
Our latest visit to American Girl Place in NYC
For my daughter’s birthday, my mom booked us a girls trip to NYC to visit the American Girl Doll store, have lunch, and buy stuff (of course). We don’t live all that far from New York, but my mom is fond of organized bus trips. I am NOT, but this was her rodeo, not mine. So we got on the bus early in the morning on a Sunday with a hundred other little girls, their moms, grandmothers, and dolls. The bus dropped us off in Rockefeller Center, close to the American Girl Place. Since we “only” had about 3 hours before our scheduled lunch with the dolls, we rushed into the store and started browsing.
American Girl Doll Store, New York City
My daughter had brought one of her dolls with her (Julie) so that she could have lunch with her doll. As she was trying to make up her mind about which new doll to choose for her birthday gift from my mom (I told you, spoiled), we decided that it would be a great idea to get Julie’s hair done & her ears pierced. Julie was in New York City now, so there was pressure for her to fit in and look stylish. Plus seeing all of her peers in their glass cases with their hair all smooth and their perfect outfits…Julie was starting to feel insecure.
So I went to stand in line to make an appointment at the doll hair salon while my mom and daughter continued to browse. Yes, they have a doll hair salon. And it’s so popular that you have to stand in line to make an appointment for a specified time when your “stylist” is ready for you. There is a huge list of styles to choose from, and you have to pick when you make the appointment because costs vary ($20-25). For $10 they will comb the dolls hair. And I think it was $5 to get the face wiped with a cloth. They even have a facial with cucumbers for the eyes (true story, I would not lie to you). Thank God my daughter has no frame of reference for the cucumbers on the eyes thing & didn’t ask to get it. I may have had to say yes just for the comedic value and the photos to prove I wasn’t lying. We went with the “style of the day” and the ear piercing.
When it was our turn, we waited for our stylist to call Julie up to her spot among the row of doll salon chairs. The stylist was so nice, friendly, and did a great doll hairdo. It must be easier when you can just comb the hair as hard as you need to & spray water on the face and hair. My daughter tends to freak out when I try to do that to her, so her hair never looks as good as Julie’s did after her salon visit. Julie was taken into a back room her her ear piercing “so we didn’t have to hear her cry” (yes, I’m serious). She came out tear-free with brand new holes in her ears and earrings. Amazing.
In addition to the doll hair salon, the dolls, clothes, accessories, and pets, there are also tons of other ways to spend your money at the American Girl Place. In case your kids are even more spoiled than mine, here is the list:
- Photo Studio - Your favorite girl can pose for a picture at the Photo Studio and take home a souvenir issue of American Girl® magazine with her face on the cover.
- Enjoy the help of a personal shopper: Schedule an appointment today.
- Do you have a Doll Hospital?Yes—your girl can bring in her doll for everything from general cleaning to “major surgery.” She’ll visit our Doll Hospital, and once she’s feeling better (in about two weeks), we’ll send her home, safe and sound.
- Avenue AG - Explore mini-shops filled with adorable accessories, sweet and savory treats, design-it-yourself tees, and more surprises just for girls and their dolls.
- Creativi-Tees™ – Design a unique tee! Choosing from different styles, colors, and graphics, girls can create their own doll apparel—and tees for themselves, too. Plus, most styles include fun sayings that speak to all kinds of interests girls love.
The American Girl Cafe Experience
- Brunch is $20 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Seating time: 9:30 a.m.
- Lunch is $24 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Seating times: 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m.
- Afternoon Tea is $21 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Seating time: 4 p.m.
- Dinner is $26 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Seating times: 5:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
Dining is offered only at the seating times listed. Reservations are recommended to ensure the seating time is available. A lack of reservations may result in the cancellation of a seating time.
We had a 12:30 lunch seating, after spending 3 hours shopping and salon-ing in the store. We made our way up the escalator and waited for our appointed time. The seating is done in groups (not open seating). We had to wait quite a bit past our 12:30 time, but once we got in, things moved very quickly. Because we were part of a bus tour, we were seated with a group. I’m not a fan of this, but this was my daughter’s/mom’s day and they are social butterflies. They serve everyone the same first course (pretzels, fruit, cheese, etc).
American Girl Cafe NYC – First Course (lunch)
We chose our main courses from the lunch menu, which can be found here. The food is surprisingly decent, and the price is also surprisingly not outrageous. In fact, I think it’s the most reasonably priced thing in the entire store.
AG Cafe Lunch – Mini Hotdog, Mini Burger, Mac & Cheese – the kid trifecta
The dessert is also the same thing for everyone, and it is super cute.
AG Cafe Lunch – Dessert
They have little high chairs that attach to the tables so that your doll can eat lunch with you. They also have loaner dolls in case you forgot yours or are somehow doll deprived and decided to eat at the American Girl Cafe anyway. They give your doll a mini cup and plate that you can take home with you (which probably cost about $24 in the store, so maybe lunch is essentially free?).
Julie’s hair was appropriately styled for lunch in a NYC cafe…whew!
On the bus ride home, my daughter said it was one of the best days of her life. We had a great day, family bonding time, and I earned some points on my rewards-earning credit card. Except for the part where we almost missed the bus for the ride home because we walked way too far from Rockefeller Center to get to Dylan’s Candy Bar for overpriced gummy candy. And then my mom pretty much wanted to kill me. But that’s another story…..
