tenthumbs

>Well I don't know if Adu is a gourmet or not, but there is no good reason to go to a Sbarro in NYC<

There is no good reason to eat at ANY chain restaurant in NYC. I had Angelo's pizza and loved it.

MonicaRichards

Oh, and one more bit of advice - get really good shoes (or a couple of pairs of different good shoes) because you will be walking a lot. We knew and planned for it but our feet were aching at the end of the day. Of course we did things like walk back from the Met to our hotel at 6th and 39th (with our 10 year old and 8 year old daughters and the eight year old as recently as last year balked at a few blocks' walk).

smetz

Hi Grants-

It's a great idea to stay in Manhattan since you'll only be in NY for four nights, even if you have to adjust your budget. We like to stay in the Mid-town area, just because we find it to be central to the things we like to do. But I would say that anywhere from the Upper West or Upper East Side all the way downtown would be fine. No matter what you're doing in the evening, you should find it easy to get back to your hotel via subway or taxi. If there are four of you, you can all squeeze into one taxi, and it's a lot quicker than the subway late at night.

Since it's a holiday weekend, business demand may be down, so staying downtown, particularly in the financial district, may give you a better bang for the buck. If you find a cancellable reservation for a two-bed room that you can live with, you could then try bidding for two rooms on Priceline at half of the rate from your reservation (with two rooms you don't have to worry about the number of beds). I did this many times when my kids were young, and having two rooms for the price of one, even if it doesn't save you any money, is really worth it.

I know there are many on this forum who suggest going to Top of the Rock rather than the Empire State Building, but if that's where you want to go, then by all means do it. It's great. Buying tickets on line ahead of time, and picking the right time of day will help with the lines.

On Pizza, you can't beat Aduchamp's advice, I've found. Lombardi's is excellent as he has said. If the weather is nice and you like to walk, it's great to combine a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge to Grimaldi's.

I would suggest strolling four abreast down the sidewalk, stopping to take pictures whenever you like, just to anger the NY'ers. In my experience, that's a fun way to pass the time. Believe me, if they came to Texas, they wouldn't change their driving habits just for you. Of course most sane people are afraid to drive as fast as Texans.

Have a great time.

Aduchamp1

One thing that I think that defines NYC and NY'ers is boldness. People come from all the world to try and make it here. And if someone comes for a few days or a week they should embrace that attitude and feel like they are part of the city. That does not mean rude or stupid, but when you realize the guy who just cleaned off your table came from Africa where there is war and torture and wants a new start or the young woman who just took your ticket is lving with nine friends and is trying to become a working actress, you should be imbued with the spirit and do and see things you would not ordinarily do.

MomDDTravel

Hi there!

As a fellow family traveler thought I would chime in. I am not a New Yorker - but have traveled there many times with my family over the years (my husband is from Brooklyn).

We have stayed at several different hotels in Manhattan area -

Marriott Marquis - My husband and kids love it - it gives me hives - it is RIGHT in the middle of time square and way too busy/over stimulating for me.

Waldorf - lovely but the rooms were beyond small - doubles.

and a few other Marriott properties...

but my favorite location and value and space was actually the Hilton Garden Inn

http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/promotio...inntimessquare

Sorry for the long link -

The rooms were the most spacious and the beds are two queens not doubles. Great service - and a great location - walking distance to the theater but not IN the crazy ... my daughter and I stayed there in the October a few years back and it was really great. Fall is such a beautiful time to be in the city!

One fun thing that my daughter LOVED that I do not think is mentioned above - do buy a program, bring a sharpie and wait next to the exit where the actors leaves after the theater - my daughter got photos with the Hairspray cast and had them sign her book and it was one of the best "memories" she has. She was also about 12 at the time we went.

My kids loved the Ellen Stardust diner

http://ellensstardustdiner.com/

Really a hoot for that age group.

We took the ferry past the Statue and that was plenty -

Do take the subway - I was a afraid for a while (don't laugh) and it was the wonderful posters here that convinced me to take it - and frankly I prefer it now over the cabs/traffic of NYC!

smetz

"One thing that I think that defines NYC and NY'ers is boldness."

On that note, one thing I would suggest is not concerning your self with the walk / don't walk lights at intersections, but rather cross according to whether there is any traffic coming. Whatever you do, don't walk out into traffic, but if there are no cars in the block approaching, you are more likely to get run over by the other pedestrians if you don't cross.

nytraveler

1) There is no reason to go to a Sbarro anywhere - it's worse- if anything - that what you can buy frozen in the local market

2) there is no reason to go to any of the popular chains - they have the same awful frozen and nuked food as at the local mall - but they charge about twice the price

You will be in the center of the land of fresh and authentic food - go for the things you might not have at home - real Greek, authentic Ethiopian, Peruvian - anything you can name.

Oh, and if you like pizza - this is the real stuff - nothing like Domino's ghastly red pasty mush.

LauraLF

We took our boys to NYC when they were 10 and 13 as well. I would recommend the Marriot Courtyard Mid-town East(someone mentioned it earlier.)It's at 3rd and 53rd. Great location, Azure market one block down(handy for a quick breakfast or late night snack), an easy walk to Times Square or Rockefeller center. Also, they have rooms with 2 queens and a pull out sofa. I've gotten rates around 250-300/night on Priceline.

Ditto everyones recommendation re: Empire State vs. Top of the Rock. We did TOR and did Empire State on a later trip. Our kids agreed that it wasn't worth lines, hassle for Empire State.

Pizza recommendation, Lombardies(Soho) or Kesti(Greenwich Village), both in very cool areas. Great neighborhood strolls in both areas(and some neat shops as well).

We did TKTS for Phantom but bought full price for Wicked, worth knowing we had tickets and decent seats.

Take time just to walk and enjoy the city. My boys especially loved Central Park. There are so many movies with scenes from Central Park that your kids will recognize, get a good map and
check out many famous scenes. (The Bow Bridge, Ice skating pond, Strawberry Fields)

We did the Statue of Liberty. We did not go up but walked around the base. Glad we've seen it but wouldn't do it again. Long lines to get on and off each ferry so allow time for all the boarding and disembarking. Ellis island is fascinating. Allow time to really enjoy the museum.

We did both the Met and Museum of Natural History. I got a map for both and plotted out the things we wanted to see(or that I wanted my boys to see That way we didn't waste time wandering about trying to figure out where a favorite artist or dinosaur was located. The boys really enjoyed both Museums.

There are lots of little cafes, quick sandwich shops where you can eat pretty reasonably. You won't have to step foot in a "chain" restaurant if you don't want to! I mapped out a few possibilities for each night and had those handy.

You might also check out who is playing at the Beacon theater or Radio City. We've caught some great shows while we've been in town.

Good Luck and enjoy your trip, it should be lovely mid-October!!

LauraLF

Forgot to mention the subway. This may have been our 10 yr olds favorite part of the trip. He loved swiping his card, figuring out which train to take etc. Part of the fun of travel!!!