9-year old triplet girls w.grndprnts
 

Are 9-year old girls too young to take to New York City? Where could my husband and I stay near Times Sq. with 3 nine-year old girls that would not cost us a fortune? Assume we would need adjoining rooms or an apartment. Any suggestions of must-sees? We will be there from Sun. afternoon to Tues. afternoon in July. Coming from Midwest. Help!!

Try the Salisbury - they have suites that might work well for you. Great location!

Bless you!

Must sees: the American Girl Store, Toys R Us Times Square (there is a ferris wheel inside the store) and that's just a start.

Be sure to take them for a ride on the Staten Island Ferry, just back and forth to see the Statue of Liberty. Your time there is very short so plan ahead and have a schedule.
I'm not sure if the Belvedere Hotel has rooms large enough for 2 adults & 3 children. Radio city Apartments is another place I've seen mentioned here.

I grew up in suburb of NYC, and as a girl, I loved:
Broadway shows
Chinatown
The Museum of Natural History
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Guggenheim (I wanted to roller skate from the top down)
The Bronx Zoo

My daughter loved all of the classic tourist destinations at that age:

Central Park Zoo (the best!)

Natural History Museum

Top of Empire State Building (but get there very early to avoid long lines).

Metropolitan Museum of Art (in small doses) -- Pick a theme and perhaps even resort to bribery; for example, in the American painting galleries, have a contest to see who can find the most dogs in paintings and offer a quarter for each dog found. Or focus on the Egyptians, or the Arms and Armor exhibitions.

If your budget allows for it, take them to a Broadway musical -- Lion King or Wicked would be great.

Take a ride on the subway.

Tea at the Plaza (although it is ridiculously expensive).

Ellis Island -- especially if you have relatives that passed through there.

Museum of the City of New York -- a great place.

Police Museum -- i haven't been here, but I've heard it is a great place to take kids.

Dim sum for lunch in Chinatown

Walk down Madison Avenue in midtown and point out the $5,000 purses in the windows.

Do a walking tour of the mid-town landmarks -- start at Central Park, check out Bergdorf Goodman's and Tiffany, hit Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and end up at the Public Library.

Sony Wonder Technology Lab -- it's a free interactive museum with lots of fun displays, like music recording studios, etc.

Lunch at a classic New York deli

Dinner at a classic New York pizza joint

Get a hot dog from a street vendor.

Grand Central station

Times Square -- of course you'll see that if you are staying there!

Take in a baseball game at Yankee stadium

Keep track of how many different languages you hear spoken on the street, and marvel in the city's wonderful diversity. If you take taxis, ask the drivers where they came from and what made them decide to come to New York and/or America.

Ask the girls what they want to see -- they probably have all sorts of ideas from books, movies and tv.

Okay, so this isn't a very original list, but your granddaughters will love it!

You can try Radio City Apartments - although they are probably booked solid. Don;t know why you want Times Square - to me way too loud, garish and tacky. I would go for the upper west side to be near the Park and Museum of Natural History.

You might try travelzoo.com to see who is having sales then.

O look at affini hotels which have all sort of room configurations.

You're not here long enought for an apartment rental.

Marie-Ellen,
Don't mean to be a wise-ass, but I think it's safe to say there are a few million kids LIVING in the city.

Anyway, there are some good suggestions here. They might like a trip to Coney Island, with the acquarium, Cyclone, the original Nathan's.

not to be a smart..., but many girls of all ages actually live in New York! One fun thing they might get a kick out of is going to the Today show to wave at their friend at home. Also a carriage ride in Central Park. A favorite of mine for all ages is to pick a side walk cafe and enjoy the passing "show". The list is almost endless.