Family trip to NY and other ideas please!
Sep 29th, 2015, 12:52 AM
#1
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Family trip to NY and other ideas please!
We are planning a family trip over Easter 2016 for 9 full days flying in and out of JFK, NY, from London. We are a British family of 4 (kids 9 and 11) and our children have never visited NY.
I would love some ideas for our stay to include possibly a visit to Boston and New Jersey. My son is a nature lover so anything that ticks that box would be welcome!
We are thinking 4-5 days in NY and this is also Easter and the balancing 4-5 days travelling elsewhere. This is the part where I have no idea where to even start!
On the 9th day we fly from JFK at 7.30PM so need to be at the airport no later than say 5PM.
Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer. THis is a surprise for the children so we wish to make it special but with some cost efficiency in mind too!
I would love some ideas for our stay to include possibly a visit to Boston and New Jersey. My son is a nature lover so anything that ticks that box would be welcome!
We are thinking 4-5 days in NY and this is also Easter and the balancing 4-5 days travelling elsewhere. This is the part where I have no idea where to even start!
On the 9th day we fly from JFK at 7.30PM so need to be at the airport no later than say 5PM.
Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer. THis is a surprise for the children so we wish to make it special but with some cost efficiency in mind too!
Sep 29th, 2015, 03:48 AM
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New Jersey is a state and includes all kinds of activities and sites. What kind of things are looking for there? Easter will be too early for the beach
You say your son is a nature lover so Boston wouldn't fit. It is a great place to visit, but it is a city.
Do you plan on renting a car or do you want something that is accessible by public transportation?
You say your son is a nature lover so Boston wouldn't fit. It is a great place to visit, but it is a city.
Do you plan on renting a car or do you want something that is accessible by public transportation?
Sep 29th, 2015, 04:25 AM
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Easter is in March next year and I think you may be surprised at how cold it can be in NYC. Winters are deeper and longer here and spring comes later than in the UK - and in March the outdoors is not at it's best.
If you get warmer weather you may find the earliest flowers starting to emerge, but trees are leafless (they don;t leaf until late April/first of May), grass still brown and crunchy and the outdoors not really pleasant. When you go outside of the city you can run into lots of mud or even snow if we get a late storm (the blizzard of '88 - more than 2 feet of snow - was the end of March).
So while you can certainly spend time outdoors it may be disappointing.
After you spend your time in NYC you might want to head south - perhaps Virginia or the Carolinas, where spring is earlier (even DC doesn't get spring until mid April when the cherry blossom festival occurs).
There is plenty to see both in NYC and in the outdoors nearby - esp the Hudson Valley - but not sure which things are open and when so early in the year (many things may be only on weekends). There are several state parks not far north of NYC if you are willing to cope with the weather - including Bear Mountain state park (yes, there are quite a few bears) or these others:
http://www.nysparks.com/parks/park-r...px?r=7,8&src=2
You can check out the parks listed which are closest to NYC. You will need to rent a car to get to most of them.
In the city there are a plethora of things to see and do, esp of interest to kids are:
Statue of Liberty
Staten Island Ferry
Intrepid Aircraft carrier/space shuttle
Central park with small zoo (check central park conservancy for sights and ranger walks)
Large zoo in the bronx (a whole day)
Am museum of natural history - great dinos and human evloution, gems and minerals and special exhibits as well as IMAX movies
Top of the Rock
Baseball game if they are interested (start of season) - or basketball
There are a ton of other things to do - if you provide info on special interests people can make recos.
If you get warmer weather you may find the earliest flowers starting to emerge, but trees are leafless (they don;t leaf until late April/first of May), grass still brown and crunchy and the outdoors not really pleasant. When you go outside of the city you can run into lots of mud or even snow if we get a late storm (the blizzard of '88 - more than 2 feet of snow - was the end of March).
So while you can certainly spend time outdoors it may be disappointing.
After you spend your time in NYC you might want to head south - perhaps Virginia or the Carolinas, where spring is earlier (even DC doesn't get spring until mid April when the cherry blossom festival occurs).
There is plenty to see both in NYC and in the outdoors nearby - esp the Hudson Valley - but not sure which things are open and when so early in the year (many things may be only on weekends). There are several state parks not far north of NYC if you are willing to cope with the weather - including Bear Mountain state park (yes, there are quite a few bears) or these others:
http://www.nysparks.com/parks/park-r...px?r=7,8&src=2
You can check out the parks listed which are closest to NYC. You will need to rent a car to get to most of them.
In the city there are a plethora of things to see and do, esp of interest to kids are:
Statue of Liberty
Staten Island Ferry
Intrepid Aircraft carrier/space shuttle
Central park with small zoo (check central park conservancy for sights and ranger walks)
Large zoo in the bronx (a whole day)
Am museum of natural history - great dinos and human evloution, gems and minerals and special exhibits as well as IMAX movies
Top of the Rock
Baseball game if they are interested (start of season) - or basketball
There are a ton of other things to do - if you provide info on special interests people can make recos.
Sep 29th, 2015, 05:39 AM
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The New York Botanical Gardens which is in the Bronx and near one of the great remaining bastions of NY Italian-American life Arthur Avenue.
The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is also a worthy destination.
The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is also a worthy destination.
Sep 29th, 2015, 07:46 AM
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>
No, you need to be at JFK around 430 pm. Don't mess around with US travel rules generally and especially not as foreigners.
>
Bronx Zoo. The other zoos in the city are not even close. You could try to go up to Bear Mountain park for hiking and other activities from the city too.
Consider going to Philadelphia - it's closer than Boston, has a ton of early US history sites and the Franklin Museum, which I loved when I was a hobbit and it's probably better now. It's also right across the Delaware River from New Jersey (think: Washington crossing the Delaware to come upon the Hessians unexpected at Valley Forge). [NB - Philadelphia is also one of the most brilliant cities in the country - two of its suburbs are complete grease fires (Camden, Wilmington) and yet the taxpayers of Pennsylvania don't have to be burdened with those cities' issues because each is in another state.]
And if you go to the Delaware River at Philly, you can look at New Jersey - specifically Camden, which is one of the worst cities in the United States (how bad is it? there's a major concert venue on the NJ side of the river that overlooks the Philly skyline - transport to and from is easier from Philly by water taxi because no one wants to go to Camden). There are a lot of New Jersey cities that share that poor distinction (Newark, Trenton, Elizabeth). In the lone interest of balance, there are some habitable areas of Jersey too - Morristown and Princeton come to mind. But NJ as a destination other than just to check off a box of which states you've visited - wouldn't do it.
No, you need to be at JFK around 430 pm. Don't mess around with US travel rules generally and especially not as foreigners.
>
Bronx Zoo. The other zoos in the city are not even close. You could try to go up to Bear Mountain park for hiking and other activities from the city too.
Consider going to Philadelphia - it's closer than Boston, has a ton of early US history sites and the Franklin Museum, which I loved when I was a hobbit and it's probably better now. It's also right across the Delaware River from New Jersey (think: Washington crossing the Delaware to come upon the Hessians unexpected at Valley Forge). [NB - Philadelphia is also one of the most brilliant cities in the country - two of its suburbs are complete grease fires (Camden, Wilmington) and yet the taxpayers of Pennsylvania don't have to be burdened with those cities' issues because each is in another state.]
And if you go to the Delaware River at Philly, you can look at New Jersey - specifically Camden, which is one of the worst cities in the United States (how bad is it? there's a major concert venue on the NJ side of the river that overlooks the Philly skyline - transport to and from is easier from Philly by water taxi because no one wants to go to Camden). There are a lot of New Jersey cities that share that poor distinction (Newark, Trenton, Elizabeth). In the lone interest of balance, there are some habitable areas of Jersey too - Morristown and Princeton come to mind. But NJ as a destination other than just to check off a box of which states you've visited - wouldn't do it.
Sep 29th, 2015, 08:26 AM
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NJ - esp western Jersey has some lovely areas and there are some wonderful exclusive neighborhoods and cultural resources. But it does have the distinction of having some of the most dangerous and drug-ridden cities in the country - places that you do not want to go near.
I really can't think of any place to go that time of year since it's way too early for the shore (great from Memorial day on) and again, the wooded areas and large parks are not very pleasant in March.
I really can't think of any place to go that time of year since it's way too early for the shore (great from Memorial day on) and again, the wooded areas and large parks are not very pleasant in March.
Sep 29th, 2015, 09:25 AM
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Reasons to visit New Jersey:
Beautiful beaches – New Jersey shore
Proximity to the greatest city in the world, NYC, without having to deal with the expense and stress of actually living in the city
Several mountain ranges, countless hiking trails
Full serve gas stations
Least expensive gas in the country
New Jersey has the most diverse ecosystem of any state in the country with mountains, seashore, farmland, forests and wetlands.
Gorgeous state parks
89% of all high school students graduate in NJ. This is the highest graduation rate in the entire country.
1Hoboken – hip town in NJ right across the river from NYC – boasts the most bars per square mile in the entire country.
The Jets and Giants play home games in NJ
Highest rated “Six Flags” in the country
Rich regional history
Boasts some of the most valuable real estate in the country
Beautiful gardens
NJ has 800 lakes and ponds and 1400 miles of prime trout streams
2nd richest state in the nation, with a median household income of $55,146
Several ski areas, getting 3-4 feet of snow in the mountains
Pinelands National Preserve – the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi River, with more than 1 million acres of undisturbed forest
Delicious pizza, bagels, Italian, and Chinese food
Highly acclaimed fresh produce (sweet corn, tomatoes, blueberries, etc.)
Home to top notch universities, including Princeton and Rutgers
Great shopping malls There is no sales tax on clothing.
Beautiful beaches – New Jersey shore
Proximity to the greatest city in the world, NYC, without having to deal with the expense and stress of actually living in the city
Several mountain ranges, countless hiking trails
Full serve gas stations
Least expensive gas in the country
New Jersey has the most diverse ecosystem of any state in the country with mountains, seashore, farmland, forests and wetlands.
Gorgeous state parks
89% of all high school students graduate in NJ. This is the highest graduation rate in the entire country.
1Hoboken – hip town in NJ right across the river from NYC – boasts the most bars per square mile in the entire country.
The Jets and Giants play home games in NJ
Highest rated “Six Flags” in the country
Rich regional history
Boasts some of the most valuable real estate in the country
Beautiful gardens
NJ has 800 lakes and ponds and 1400 miles of prime trout streams
2nd richest state in the nation, with a median household income of $55,146
Several ski areas, getting 3-4 feet of snow in the mountains
Pinelands National Preserve – the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi River, with more than 1 million acres of undisturbed forest
Delicious pizza, bagels, Italian, and Chinese food
Highly acclaimed fresh produce (sweet corn, tomatoes, blueberries, etc.)
Home to top notch universities, including Princeton and Rutgers
Great shopping malls There is no sales tax on clothing.
Sep 29th, 2015, 09:25 AM
#9
For the nature lover: The NY-NJ Trail Conference http://www.nynjtc.org lists and describes many hikes easily accessible from the city, many of which do not require a car to reach. Personally, I prefer hiking in the fall, winter and early spring. It's cooler and biting insects are scarce. If you do have a car, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area http://www.nps.gov/dewa/planyourvisit/index.htm in the NW of NJ comes within range. Its perhaps the most beautiful part of the state.
