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Mother's Day Ideas That Are Outside the Box

By Serena Solomon | May 5, 2011 2:30pm | Updated on May 5, 2011 2:29pm

By Serena Solomon

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

Mother’s Day is fast approaching and DNAinfo has scoured Manhattan to  find a host of experiences for every type of mom. Whether your mom is a visitor to the city, a foodie, a style-queen, a greenie or a culture-vulture, there's something here for her to enjoy. Instead of a gift that will gather dust, create a lasting memory with one of the ideas below.

The Tourist

If your mother is visiting the city, a history and dessert tour could be the perfect pairing.

The East Village and NoHo History and Dessert Tour at Twilight takes walkers past significant Manhattan landmarks such as Colonnade Row, once home of socialite Caroline Astor, Andy Warhol’s Factory and one of the city's oldest ale houses, McSorley’s. To sweeten the deal, you and mom will munch on patisseries from Italian bakery DeRobertis Pasticceria.

For $16, the NYC Discovery Walking Tours takes place Saturday, May 7 at 5:45 pm.

For the more ambitious visiting mom, circumnavigating the island in a three-hour tour with Circle Line Cruises sets sail from Pier 83 at West 42nd Street and takes mom past more than 25 world renowned landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty.

Cruises depart daily throughout the year. Adults pay $36, children $23 and seniors $31.

The Foodie

If your mom likes nothing better than a relaxing cup of tea, try a Mad Hatter's High Tea at one of three neighborhood locations for Alice’s Tea Cup. The tea service offers delicate sandwiches and cakes presented on a traditional tiered cake stand. However, it may take a while for mom to choose from their collection of over a hundred teas.

The three locations of Alice’s Tea Cup are 102 W. 73rd Street, 156 E. 64th Street and 220 E. 81st Street. High tea services start from $23.

For a more hands-on experience, try cooking with Karen Lee. Classes teach mom the secrets of how to shop, chop and prepare delicious meals for family and friends. While the special Mother’s Day class has sold out, gift certificates can still be purchased for a weekly array of classes at $110.

"One class can change their whole life in the kitchen," says Lee. Best of all — students get to eat what they cook.

The Style Queen

For a serious Mother’s Day experience, get together with siblings to give your mom a new look from head to toe.

"New York is an image-driven city and you don’t see what kind of a car or home people live in. How you look is your representation," says Amanda Sanders, a stylist from New York Image Consultant.

NYIC is offering its Wardrobe Edit for $550 (normally $750). Moms can expect a stylist to personally visit her wardrobe and assist with pairing new outfits, making recommendations for fashion black holes and getting rid of old styles.

Opening just in time for the style conscious mother, the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art celebrates the fashion genius of the late designer.

The director of the museum, Thomas P. Campbell, called the designer "an artist whose medium of expression was fashion." The exhibition, open until July 31st, brings together McQueen’s entire 19-year career in 170 pieces of clothing and accessories.

Admission to the MET is $20 for adults and $15 for seniors. Children are free.

The Greenie

Much to the delight of the eco-mom, Manhattan is teaming with birdlife. New York City Audubon leads you straight to them with a guided tour of Central Park’s spring warbler community. There are more than 30 species of the small but colorful creatures that uses the park as a truck stop for their annual migration south. The class of 15 people is almost full, but the organization offers a host of classes throughout the year.

A prairie warbler, one of the birds that could show up on Central Park's Spring Warbler Tour. Take your nature-loving mom to check out the birds.
A prairie warbler, one of the birds that could show up on Central Park's Spring Warbler Tour. Take your nature-loving mom to check out the birds.
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Steve Nanz

The Spring Warbler Tour costs $45 and lasts for two hours. All tours are listed on the NYC Audubon website.

The Culture Vulture

A range of reasonably priced classes are on offer from Art Students League of New York. Classes cover a range of disciplines, such as sculpture, drawing and printmaking. Single sessions for open drawing and painting classes run throughout the week and cost $12. 

MoMA is holding a special Mother’s Day celebration with a private breakfast and a guided tour of the galleries with an art historian. Tickets, are $70, which includes a gift-wrapped copy of "A Modern Garden: The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden at The Museum of Modern Art."