drewzilla652

We are a family with a 10 boy and 13 girl.
Which is better, the NBC tour or the Rockefeller Center tour??
Also, is the Lincoln Center tour "fun" for kids?? We're staying near ther.

We're also going to Blue Man Group and the Big Apple Circus. Also the Sony Wonderlab, and hopefully the Natural History Museum. They may also like the Guggenheim with the "cool" building.
Sound OK??
Also the ToysRUs store at Times Square.
Anything else that's worthwhile at Times Square besides video arcades??
I'm sure we'll want to get to the NBA store also.
Thanks for your help!

djkbooks

We've done both and would particularly recommend either one. You can tour Rockefeller Center on your own with a brochure you can pick up there. Our guide was so boring, we left before it concluded. There are fabulous descriptions in the Access Guide (more informative and more interesting than our guide).

The NBC tour was okay. Guides (several do various portions) were fantastic. Studios are much smaller than you would expect. The "green screen" room is sort of fun and a lot of time is spent in the SNL studio with great annecdotes. It was a bit disappointing to be rushed by studios and photos (all along all the walls) with no opportunity to slow down for a look.

Though a bit pricey and definitely touristy, we love Madame Tussaud's.

LadyOLeisure

My daughter lived in Queens for a while and used to take her students (from the So. Bronx) on field trips to the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. It is an easy subway trip and the museum has lots of interesting exhibits that kids recognize and also some hands-on/participation exhibits. Of course I never got there myself (argh!) but it does sound like it would be cool for tweens.

mclaurie

There have been very mixed reports on the Sony Wonderlab. Try a text search.

In Times Square, ESPPN zone is a favorite with sports minded teens (and adults).

You should go to Greenwich Village where NYU is located. Teens seem to like the area and it's very different from midtown.

I think whether they like the Lincoln Center tour is somewhat dependent on whether either have any interest in music or theater.

There has been lots written here on what teens like. Do a text search for teens AND nyc

karinw

Yes, of course do Times Sq. My kids always like to eat at Ellen's Stardust Diner. It's a kind of 50s place where the waitstaff sing. It is a lot of fun and the food is fine. http://ellenstardust.com/
Also, try Johns Pizza which is housed in a converted church and has great ny style pizza. It's a favorite with my kids. Check out the menu and reviews at http://www.menupages.com/restaurantd...taurantid=3759

We all really enjoyed madame tussauds wax museum. I never wanted to go there until my mother insisted the girls should be able to visit and so we went while on a visit to nyc with her. I must admit, it was great!

For something good downtown, try the lower east side tenement museum. My 14 yr old daughter really enjoyed it. http://www.tenement.org/ The gelato shop across the street is yummy too.

Consider walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. This has been a highlight for my kids. We took a water taxi (http://www.nywatertaxi.com)to Fulton Landing and walked around the Promenade and DUMBO and then walked over the bridge. This was in the Spring so I don't know when you are planning your trip.

Don't forget shopping on Canal St. I don't know about your son but I'm sure your 13 yr old daughter would love to pour over the "knockoff" handbags.

Make sure to check out Grand Central Terminal. It's a beautiful bldg and the food court there is actually quite good! It would be an easy and appealing place to go for lunch.

We are heading back to nyc in a few days and will go to the frick. It's a smaller museum on the upper east side that has an interesting collection and is small enough to "do" in a few hours.

Have fun. The city is amazing and there are never ending possibilities!!

4khansen

We took our girls to NYC about 4 years ago. Slightly older than your two, but probably the same mentality!

Anyway, I think they enjoyed the Radio City Music Hall tour the most (met a dancer, for photo op), as well as Madame Tussaud's. The NBC tour was OK but again it was rushed and didn't really get to see that much in action.

I would get the NY Pass because it really allowed you to hop around and see alot without feeling guilty if you left something early or wanted to go to something but didn't want to pay the exhorbitant price (i.e. Madame tussaud's).

I think the website is www.nypass.com?

We found it very useful.

elmom

Sony Wonderlab is great (and free! you have to get a timed, free ticket there) if your kids are at all into computers/electronic music, science.. you could spend hours. Try to go when not so busy, eg first thing when it opens.
The NBC tour was OK, but I thought a commercial rip-off - you see teh studios, the best was SNL, Drew Barrymore was rehersing when we went, but we were behind a glass wall and she was far far away on stage.

offlady

The kids would most likely enjoy the NBC tour over the Rockefeller Center tour. The NBC tour is more interactive and the kids would relate with what they've seen on TV. The Rockefeller would interest an older crowd with its history but you could walk it on your own. Your kids might enjoy the Nintendo Pokemon Center at Rockefeller Plaza. Also, take your kids to Dylan's Candy Store on 60th street. The owner Dylan Lauren (Ralph Lauren's daughter) has designed the store in fun decor with just about every kind of candy around.

travelgirl2

My boys are 10 and 12. We spent a weekend in NYC last year. They enjoyed the SONY museum. I thought we'd just pop in for 15 minutes, but we ended up staying for almost 2 hours. And free was good. We went to the Guggenheim, took the elevator to the top and walked down while looking at the art. I was glad we did it and they enjoyed it, but they had limited patience, so we made it quick and were out in 1 hour.

My favorite was a tour of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Check out www.tenement.org. We went on the Confino Family Apartment Tour. The web site says "This "living history" apartment is based on the Sephardic-Jewish Confino family from Kastoria, (once part of the Ottoman Empire, now in Greece). A costumed interpreter plays teenage Victoria Confino c. 1916. She welcomes visitors as though they were newly arrived immigrants, teaching them how to adapt to America. The Confino apartment is a hands-on experience: visitors can touch any items in the apartment, try on period clothing and fox trot to music played on an authentic wind-up Victrola. Please note that this tour is 1 hour long and suitable for children 5 years and older." It was educational but in a fun way.

This past weekend we journeyed again into NYC to go to the Metropolitan Museum. This is a favorite field trip destination for 6th graders from NJ, so we figured they would be the right age. They both enjoyed it very much. My 10 year old loved the children's gift shop.

One of our favorite things ever was taking a carriage ride after a Broadway show. The driver agreed to take us across town to our hotel. There was very little car traffic late at night. It was magical driving across town in a horse and buggy, bundled against the cold.

Have fun!

jgg

We just came back from a trip to NYC with our 10 year old son and 13 year old daughter. Our kids liked the NBC tour. Eva Longoria was practicing for Saturday Night Live while we were there, so that made my daughter's day.

We saw Blue Man Group and really liked it. We also saw Hairspray and that was fantastic! The whole family thought it was one of the highlights of our trip.

We also went to the tenement museum, and agree it is very interesting and informative. Definitely worth a visit.

My son loved the NBA store. Had $50 to spend from his birthday so spent a fair amount of time there.