Hi Everyone; We are taking our two teens, 13 and 16, to NYC. I haven't spent much time on an itinerary, and it is down to the wire! We are staying at the Kimberly Hotel(on 50th between Lexington and 3rd), in a 2 BR suite. What should we definately not miss doing? We have tickets for Wicked , and plan on taking the Circle Line boat our around Manhatten when we first arrive--but what else?? There is so muchto do and see, but I need to make decisions and appreciate your input. The 16 year old is a girl who wants to vintage shop. The 13 year old is a boy, whose main interest these days is golf and music.

For starters, here's a previous thread on Vintage shops
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34836941

You will see fun areas if you go to the different neighborhoods where those shops are located.

Your hotel is not far from Bloomingdales (59th st.) and there are a number of other shops around Bloomies that your daughter would like. H & M (also has locations elsewhere including Rockefeller Center) has trendy but inexpensive clothes. Daffy's is a discount store on 57th st. b/w Lexington & Park. Also near Bloomies is Dylan's Candy bar that your son will like and ofcourse, Serendipity, famous for their frozen hot chocolate. There's always a long wait there, but if you eat a meal there, you can make a reservation. Or if you just want dessert, give your name in and have a walk around Bloomies and come back.

Most teens also like shopping for accessories on Canal St.

For golf, you can hit balls at Chelsea Piers and they'll rent you clubs so you don't need to bring them.
http://www.chelseapiers.com/gcSpecials.htm

There are lots of other activities at Chelsea Piers for the rest of the family, or have a walk in the area to the shops, art galleries. The Chelsea Market is fun, especially if you have a sweet tooth.
chelseamarket.com

There are lots of different boat options besides the Circle Line. The NY Water Taxi now offers hop on/off tickets which can be a fun way to get around. They also do "cruises."
nywatertaxi.com

There are also some sailing boats that do cruises and brunches.

http://www.shearwatersailing.com
http://www.sail-nyc.com


Cafe Wha is a family friendly club downtown that might have some music your son would like.
http://cafewha.com/

Chamber Magic is a popular show every Friday night at the Waldorf Astoria (not far from your hotel).
http://www.chambermagic.com/

If you want to see some other shows, broadwaybox.com has discounts for a lot of them. Altar Boyz has become a popular off Broadway show for families and there should be discounts for that. Blue Man Group, Drumstruck and Stomp are other off Broadway shows popular with teens.

Ofcourse you can also find discount tickets at the TKTS booths. The one downtown across from the South Street Seaport is much less crowded. You can find info on locations, hours and what's been available recently here
tdf.org/tkts

Speaking of the South Street Seaport, there's an Abercrombie & Fitch store there, popular with teens. The Bodies exhibit is also there.
http://www.newyorkcity.com/events/Bo...editorial.aspx
If you want to go, I think there should be discounts on broadwaybox.

You can also pick up the NY Water Taxi there, ride one stop to Fulton St. in Brooklyn and have a walk around Brooklyn Heights, visit the Promenade there (fabulous views), maybe eat pizza at Grimaldi's, ice cream at Brooklyn ice cream factory and THEN walk back to Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge. Don't do it in 100 degree heat though.

nycvisit.com has a calendar of events you should check for your travel dates.

gocitykids.com is a good site to check for age appropriate stuff (esp. for your son) that might be a bit off the beaten track.

There are some fun walking tours you can take. Foodsofny.com does some eating tours as does bigonion.com

Top of the Rock is the new observatory at Rockefeller Center and it's not far from your hotel. NBC studios are also there if they want a tour.

For breakfast near your hotel there are lots of options, but Ess-A-Bagel right there at 50th st. & 3rd ave. has some of the best bagels in town.

Spend some time in Central Park. Go to the zoo (if it's not brutally hot). Maybe even rent some bikes or row boats.
centralparknyc.org

Hope this helps.

You should spend some time wadnerig around the Greenwich VIllage area. There's always some for of street entertanment at Washington Square Park. It's very lively and filled with young people (kind of a college town feel beacsue of NYU). There are all kinds of little stores and places to eat. There are some vintage stores in the area, and also some in the E. Village. Union Square park is also lively. The green market is there Mno, Wed, Fri & Sat (the best day). Lots of high school ages kids hang out around there. There's some stores around the park (filene's, DSW, B&N, WHole Foods), and a few restaurants.

If you are walkers, after visiting the Union Sq/Village area, walk through soho (down Broadway) to Little Italy (make left on Spring street and right onto Mulberry). It's very festive there in the summer months.

If you are in the city on a weekend, there are street fairs in various locations.

Your hotel is also not too far from MOMA, which is worth seeing. It does get crowded though, especially on the weekends, so get there early.

Wow, we're staying in a 2br at the Kimberly the 4th-10th with our 11 and 15 year girls!

Maybe we'll run into you! (We're in the Diplomat Suite).

Oh, by the way, our 15 year old is a golfer, she plays on her high school team (sophomore)

Great NYC advice from mclaurie and MFNYC! Thanks much. Big question--do we take the time to do Ellis Island and go into Statue of Liberty? We're not fond of waiting and long lines...a good view of SOL might be enough!

To paulagold,
We are going to NYC over Thanksgiving with our 2 teenage children also and have booked the Kimberly Hotel, 1 bdrm. How did you like it and would you rec it? We are also holding a reserv at the Eastgate Towers and are deciding betw the 2. Thanks

Consider seeing the improv troupe "Chicago City Limits," which has shows Wed., Thurs., Fri. and Sat.nights. If your family watches "Whose Line is it Anyway," you will love this. It's in a nightclub type place, and totally interactive with the audience. If you go to Union Square, there's a Virgin megastore there to get cds, and the Strand is there, too (used books and new books at discount). There's a cool independent cd store somewhere in the West Village (sorry I can't remember the name or street). If you want to do the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, just get there early, and I think you'll be alright. It's definitely worth doing; even if you don't stop at the Statue, just getting close on the boat is great.