I need help!! I traveling to NY from DC with my 10 year old. Taking Amtrak into Penn Station, trip is a Tues-Fri and we are going to do the NY Citi Pass. I'm concerned about where to stay. I was thinking about long island and either taking UBER or the Subway into town. I am used to the DC subway but for some reason extremely scared of the NY subway. Is long island a safe place to say with a 10 year old and is the travel from long island reasonable or should I fork out an extra $50 a night just to stay in the city? Any suggestions? Any and all help, suggestions, is welcome and appreciated.

Long Island is a suburb with no subway but with the LI railroad. You would need to find a hotel next to a railroad station and pay the cost of the ticket which is more than subway ticket. With just a few days in NY I highly suggest staying in Manhattan if it's only $50 difference- it will make things much more pleasant with less time wasted. The subway is pretty user friendly so definitely use it getting around NYC. New Yorkers are actually really helpful and will give assistance with reading subway maps and such.

OP might mean Long Island City which is in the boro of Queens just across the East River from Manhattan and easily accessible by subway.

What is a CitiPass and how much does it cost?

There is not a lot of difference between the New York and DC subway system except that New York is more extensive and complex than DC. As far as safety goes, it is fine. Assume that you are not riding the subway at midnight with a ten year old. Daytime travel is very busy, often packed, and safe.

I think you mean you are considering Long Island City (just 10 minutes from midtown bey subway) - not Long Island - which is a massive suburban area much further from the city - and expensive to get to and from by train (there is o subway toLong Island - nassau and Suffolk counties - only in NYC. (Whatever you do - do NOT stay at any hotel near the airport - will take yuo an hour to and fro the city and fares will not be cheap.)

As for the Citipass - these are generally a really bad idea. You need to rush around like a maniac to get to enough places to make it pay - and some sights listed are pay as you wish - so any saving in money or time is illusory.

With only a $50 per night difference (a tiny amount versus the whole cost of the trip) I would definitely stay in Manhattan. Tell us where you are looking and people can provide recos and perspective.

As for the subway - it is old - not fairly new like DC Metro - but perfectly safe unless you are traveling alone at 3 am into not great neighborhoods (which there is no reason for you to go to). Get a subway map now and plot out where you will be going so you have some idea of ho the system works before you get here. Also hopstop.com will give you the best options for getting from one place to another by subway or bus (or even cab if you have money to burn.

Staying in Long Island is a bit insane, to be honest, particularly with a 10-year-old. Do you realize that taking Uber into the city will cost at least $100 per TRIP? If you mean Long Island City, then no problem at all. It's close to Manhattan (1 to 3 subway stops depending on the line) and very convenient. And there are a lot of good hotel choices, almost all of which are well under $200 per night most times of the year (sometimes well under).

The subway is perfectly safe, but as everyone else has said, Citypass is a bad idea in NYC. Book the things you really want to see in advance to avoid lines, but I suspect your child won't be terribly interested in art museums or perhaps even the Intrepid.

IMHO kids seem to LOVE the Intrepid - as well as the Museum of Natural History. As for "art" museums - depends on the kid. The Met has a great arms & armor section as wlll as a large Egyptian department plus the Temple of Dendur - again things many kids enjoy. (Agree I would not do the Guggenheim, MoMA or Frick with a child - wouldn;t even do the Guggenheim myself.)

Top of the Rock - best views of NY

TKTS booth in Times Square - pickup some tickets - sometimes Blue Man Group has tickets there - check the TKTS phone app

Toys R US in Times Square - indoor Ferris wheel

Museum of Natural History - start in the dinosaur section

Jekyll & Hyde - so-so food but a fun show - my nephews always got a kick out of it - haven't been there in years - research it

Metropolitan Museum of Art - start in the Egyptian Wing to see the mummies

NBC tour

CitiPass- you will rush everywhere trying to make this pay off - better to get your tickets individually

Ellen's Stardust Diner - singing waitstaff

I believe Jekyll & Hyde is no longer, and thank god - it was horrible (food and experience, and yes, we had children with us). JMHO.

We stay upper west side and hop on the subway to everything. Quiet area with nice restaurants, and close to the Natural History Museum, and other interesting places. I am sure he would love walking thru the park, playground stuff, over to the Est side to the Met.Museum of Art. Statue of liberty? Ellis Island? Our grand kids enjoyed the Lower Eastside tenement museum to see how their ancestors lived. Best museum in NYC in my opinion. Tix in advance as it sells out....

No, Jekyll and Hyde hasn't closed. It has relocated closer to Times Square (probably where it belongs).

I notice the OP has never returned. We probably scared her off, but hopefully she'll read this thread at some point.