On my granddaughter’s last full day, we started at the planetarium show inside the American Museum of Natural History, where we watched the awe-inspiring Worlds Beyond Earth, featuring scenes depicting the evolution of our solar system. The program told the story of the worlds that share our solar system and the unique conditions that make life on Earth possible.

Afterward, we headed to the Davis Family Butterfly Vivariuam, which has 80 species of butterflies among lush vegetation in tropical temperatures. Both exhibits are time-ticketed.

After leaving the museum, we walked down Columbus Avenue until we tripped over the Upper West Side Raku. It’s Japanese II, as they all wanted ramen. We began with Raku It’s Japanese II edamame ($7), unlike those we had at Mikado, as these were warm and salted. We also shared their Tatsuta Age — Japanese karaage —deep-fried chicken nuggets ($9) and the tasty wasabi shumai ($9 for 4).

Ramen was the main event for us, with each of us having different versions of broth (chicken or pork) and noodles (ramen or udon) with veggies ($16-$17) and chicken. The soup hit the spot.

I’d recommend Raku for a bite after visiting the American Museum of Natural History.

Raku It’s Japanese
57 West 76th Street
New York, NY 10023
212.873-1220
raku2itsjapanese.com