Hello & thanks in advance!
I am going to search this forum to see what advice has already been given but we are leaving in a few short days.

I am taking my 9 year old daughter to NYC for her birthday...She is thrilled. I have books & maps. I have reserved a room at the Warwick Hotel after much searching Online.

Should this place/location be ok?

We wanted to be near Rockefeller Center & Central Park.

We will be in NYC for 3 days. We are planning on shopping & seeing the American Museum of Natural History (maybe IMAX while we're there) & taking a circle line boat tour.

Is there anything anyone can think of that we should definitely do?
Any places where we should definitely eat?

Thank You!
Leslie

nycbound, you and your daughter should have a great time. i love nyc. i'm a child of the 'burbs so for me the energy you feel in new york has always had a strong appeal. my kids thought so too when i took them there. as for activities, if you go to the natural history museum make sure you take in the planetarium show. we saw a couple years ago and it was incredible. hard to say what else to do...since i don't know what your daughter likes...but no matter what she enjoys you can find it there. spend some time just walking around...i don't know where you live but i'll wager she see some sights and sounds she hasn't seen before (and i mean that in a good way). do some window shopping at tiffany's. walk into st. patrick's cathedral or the cathedral of st. john the devine. as for food, make sure you have a couple bagels...simple i know, but so darn good in nyc. go to carnegie or stage deli and share a corned beef sandwich or a piece of cheese cake. let her experience the subway (plenty safe and much cleaner than it used to be) -- have her experience a cab ride (probably scarier than the subway).

have fun. i took a trip recently to boston just my 16 year old and myself. it was a special few days. enjoy your time together.

Thank you so much for your reply.
We live in New Hampshire; About as far away from city-life as it gets.

I am very comfortable in Boston & San Francisco as both cities are places I know well. I am quickly trying to read up on NYC.

We are excited & she really wants to see the Pokemon Center in Rockefeller Plaza. Are there many fast foods in that area? I have a feeling I will be getting my fill of burgers for a few days.

I think we'll take a carriage ride in Central park and we will be taking the train to NYC so we will have our first taxi ride from the station.

Wish me luck!

Thanks again!
Leslie

Your daughter would enjoy Belvedere Castle in Central Park, not far from the Museum of Natural History. Also FAO Schwartz on Fifth Avenue.

Also Canal Street in Chinatown and Mulberry Street in Little Italy (which intersect -- easy walk).

Enjoy NYC!

It's just a mile from Penn Station to the Warwick; if it's not during rush hour and you don't have tons of luggage, you could walk up Fifth Avenue and get introduced to the city then and there!

You all are very helpful & I'm very appreciative & have jotted all ideas down in my book "New York City With Kids."

We arrive around 3 pm this Thursday & we will be leaving around noon on Sunday. It may rain. Oh well. A small umbrella should do the trick, yes?

I want to have specific things planned along with time to just explore. I am planning on buying a MetroCard (I need to call the hotel to see if they sell them)

Thanks again & please keep any & all ideas coming!

P.S...Is the Empire State Building a must-see?

You don't buy Metrocards at hotels, you buy them from the Metro! Every subway station has them.

The Empire State Building is not a must-see, and the lines can get long even if you have prepaid tickets.

If your daughter likes the Eloise books she would enjoy having high tea at the Plaza Hotel just on the sounthern tip of Central Park...it's very little girl friendly. Also, having desert at Serendipity on 60th between 2nd and 3rd is great for kids. They have puppet shows in the park too. The big FAO Shwartz is right near the plaza and the Toys R Us in Times Sq. has a ferris wheel in the store. Have fun!

Also, the Central Park zoo is great...better than you might expect. I have lived in NYC for 5 years and took my niece to this zoo last year and she loved it. NYC is a lot different than Boston and SF but it is one of the safest cities I have been in. Some tips...carry a small pack around and only use a small umbrella...it is considered rude in NY to use a huge golf umbrella and take up the whole sidewalk. Also, carry some handi-wipes...many more germy things to touch here than in NH! If you get lost, most Nyers will be happy to point you in the right direction...or ask one of our friendly NYPD officers.

Boston and SF don't even begin to compare with New York City. For one thing, Boston and SF are more like suburbs compared to NYC. Also. NYC is much cleaner and safer than both Boston and SF.

One thing I would recommend doing is to take a Grayline double decker hop on/hop off bus tour to give your daughter an overview of the city. I highly recommend going to Ellis Island.

http://graylinenewyork.com/

There are quite a few food options in Rockefeller Center and they are better/easier to find than food along 5th Ave. Go into one of the buildings and head to the "concourse" level below. There are several food options there.

Also, there is a good court at Grand Central that is good. Not your typical mall food court with chain food, but locally owned restaurants like Two Boots pizza, Indian food, sushi, Junior's Deli, etc.

I would definitely say you'd want to visit Times Square (although hold her hand firmly -- it's very crowded!) to see all the lights and the theatres. There is a huge Toys-R-Us there with a ferris wheel that is supposed to be pretty cool.

Don't know if the Empire State Building is a "must-see" for a 9 year old, although I'd say Ellis Island is too mature for her. She might enjoy just going down to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. You can take the Staten Island Ferry or the Liberty Island Ferry for a closer look (the Liberty Island ferry will take you to the island where you can walk around), but you can't go up in the statue since 9/11.

You might take her to Chinatown one day. Lots of cool little shops with inexpensive items for her to buy. Treat yourselves to dim sum on a weekend if she's an adventurous eater.

I also like the ideas of Central Park zoo, Natural History museum. She might also like the Metropolitan museum -- especially the Egyptian wing -- if that's her thing. They have real mummies and a real temple.

Be sure to ride the carousel while in Central Park.

Have a GREAT time!

One last thought if you want to squeeze in a show -- Thoroughly Modern Millie. Lots of tap dancing, singing, wholesome fun. You might have to explain some of it to her, but I'll bet she'd get most of it.

I think you will love the location of the Warwick. DO take a cab from Penn Station. It's not fun dragging luggage through the street or up & down subway steps. You can buy a metro card at the subway station OR many small newstands/delis also sell them. (Frankly, for just 3 days, I'd recommend buses-they may take longer but you get to see more above ground).

If your daughter is into candy, you should stop at Dylan's Candy store near Bloomingdales. My 11 year old godson reviewed it as "awesome"-like Willy Wonka.

I agree with the Serendipity reco (also not far from Bloomingdales) even if just for an ice cream sundae.

Not sure whether the Empire State is a "must" but you can buy tickets online ahead of time which saves some waiting.

There's a Disney store on Fifth Ave she might like.

One fun idea for a Mother/daughter trip is a manicure/pedicure. There's a good,inexpensive place called Bloomies on 55th st between 5th & 6th-very near your hotel. Some may say she's too young-that's up to you. Have a great time!

I can't tell you all how much I appreciate all of the suggestions!
I am writing down both Serendipity & Dylan's & I am thinking we will definitely do the double decker bus tour.

Where are we able to buy the tickets once there? I did look it up Online but was a bit confused about pre-buying Online because we aren't positive which day we will take the bus; Friday or Saturday. I like the idea of getting off & on. I guess you can just look for any double decker bus to get back on?

We will use the buses as opposed to the subway which also take MetroCards, yes?

We are including at trip to the Central Park zoo and the Met.
I have nice weather plans and rain plans.

I bought a very small umbrella (can fit in my fanny pack).

I'm trying to decide between getting out the amount of cash I need each day or getting some travelers checks or a combo of both. Are inside ATM's readily available? Are travelers checks widely taken by merchants?

As for Rockefeller Center, can you get to the concourse from any area there? I know this will all make more sense to me once I get there...I am reading books & have maps as well.

We are so excited & my daughter thinks it's very cool that "strangers" are taking the time to give us ideas about our trip. So do I.

Thanks again,
Leslie

The double-decker buses, run by Grayline, are tourist-oriented and make 3 loops around the city; there are about 50 designated stops that they make, which are well-signed and are even staffed at the busier ones. Grayline also gives out very good maps.

If you decide to take the Grayline tours, do NOT buy your ticket online, this will get you a voucher which can only be redeemed at a couple of their stops; regular tickets are available at those stops and at others (hotels) as well. Their site is weak, but their brochures are clear and are available everywhere; this disconnect puzzles me!

MetroCards are good on the subways and on the regular city buses, which are not double-deckers.

Forget about travelers' checks, they are a primitive nuisance. Use your credit card or get cash from ATMs, which are everywhere -- this is the big city!

I'd say the EMPIRE STATE BUILDING's observatory deck IS a must-see for you & your daughter. On Friday evening I accompanied 2 youngsters (6 & 9 years) around sunset and they absolutely loved it. The line for the elevator was very very long, but it moves quickly and we only waited about 30 minutes. To save a few minutes, you can purchase and print your tickets on-line (but you still must wait in line for the elevator). Trust me, your daughter will love it.

re: Traveller's Checques: in my opinion there is no reason at all in the world to buy them ever. All they are is a way to reduce the amount of money you have very efficiently (via some kind of percentage for buying them, and if Amex is lucky, for trading them back in when you don't use them up) & complicate your life and all transactions you make.

I've never been anyplace in the last several years where I could not get money out of an ATM.

Thank you for that information on the Grayline, Anonymous. Glad to know about the availability of ATM's...I thought that would be the case but I had to ask.

The Empire State Building at sunset sounds great, Gekko!