Help Mom with 3 Boys to NY June '03
 

I am going to NY with 3 boys 9-12 in early June '03. After visiting Ellis Island with extended family for the day, will be staying over in NY and doing another day or two of tourist activities. Want to do the WTC site, Met, Empire State building, china town, and other family things. Please help with the following:<BR>1. Coming from Phila. We have to return to Chicago after trip. Should I drive in to NYC and park car at hotel for duration then leave from NYC for Chicago OR drive from Phila. to Princeton Junction take train in from NJ and return to extended family in Phila. How bad ($$$ and driving hassles) is it to getin and park for a few days in NYC.<BR><BR>2. Where can I stay safely and conveniently to the tourists spots mentioned above?<BR><BR>3. Do I need to worry about security in taking the subway with three children?<BR><BR>4. Recommendations on a reasonable hotel for family. Need two beds plus rollaway in a room.<BR><BR>5. Any suggestions for boy oriented spots to visit. Boys are NOT big sports fans.

There have been several threads recently on places to leave a car outside the city. Try doing a search on New York AND parking. Parking lots in the city can be $20-35/day. One option discussed was leaving car at Newark airport in long term parking &amp; taking the shuttle bus from there into the city. This would be convenient from Phila.<BR>Most of the sights you mention (except for the Met) are downtown (34th ST &amp; below). Try doing a search on one of the discount hotel websites.<BR>I would try to avoid the subway at rush hour (8-9am &amp; 5-6pm) not for safety reasons but to avoid the crush of people. I prefer buses &amp; cabs at night.<BR>The museum of Natural History &amp; Hayden Planetarium sound like good bet for the boys.

BTW, everyone seems to like Quikbooks.com as a hotel website.

Since all three places you mention have good rail lines, take the train from Philly and then take the train to Chicago. I wouldn't ever bother with a car.<BR><BR>Sounds like Midtown would be a good area for you to stay in. Midtown West in the location of Times Square.<BR><BR>You will be perfectly safe on the subway with your boys.

Go Travel:<BR>Here we go again.<BR><BR>HAve you actually PRICED AMTRAK service? Adult fare 1 way tFRom Philly to NYC is $48, $24 for children.That would be $120 for bbkay just to get into Manhattan from Philly; never mind parking @ the Philly station. Can you imagine how much the train would be from NYC to Chicago???????????<BR><BR>bbkay, just drive into Manhttan and park the car at a lot on the outskirts of the city. You are only staying 2-3 days. The price differnce any othewr way will not be much different.

Anthony, I just checked Amtrak's website. Traveling from Philly (PHL) to New York Penn Station (NYP) with a 5 day layover then traveling from NYP to Chicago (CHI) the adult fare is $136 including tax. Children are half price.

Go TRavel:<BR>Exactly! And you suggest NOT driving?<BR>What's more, did you check out exactly how long it will take? TRain travel is not particularly cost effective.

Anthony, it is just under 2 hours from PHL to NYP and seven hours from NYP to CHI. The good thing about that trip is that they can leave at midnight and arrive CHI at 7AM cutting out the cost of a hotel room for that night.<BR><BR>I don't understand. Why are you so against train travel? I do this frequently and enjoy it.

OK - guys! I am not going to take the train from Chicago east &amp; back again. I need my car for several reasons which I won't explain here. Philly people drive to Princeton Junction, NJ and then take that train in to NYC because of much better price. That is what I would do or drive in and park at a hotel garage. Has anyone used a hotel in Midtown area that has a garage, what was the price for parking per day?

Instead of driving to Pricneton Junction to catch the train, just take the SEPTA R7 train from Philadelphia (either 30th Street, Suburban, or Market East Stations) and get off at Trenton. From there just walk across the platform to the New Jersey Transit Train to New York Penn Station.<BR><BR>SEPTA R7 ($7.00 each way)<BR>NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Train ($10.40 each way adult, $7.90 each way for children)<BR><BR>Total travel time about 2 hr. 20 min.<BR><BR>www.septa.org<BR>www.njtransit.com

You definitely should visit the American Musuem of Natural History (particularly if you have a dinosaur buff) and the Hayden Planetarium. Look into getting a tour of NBC studios at Rockefeller Center. Times Square should be fun too.

Thank you DavidDJ. Great advice! Anyone have a comment on the Algonquin Hotel in Midtown?

Unless I'm mistaken, the Hayden Planetarium is now the Rose Center for Earth &amp; Space--is that right? Anyway, I think your boys would get a huge kick out of the planetarium, and out of the Museum of Natural History that's attached. You don't have to be a dinosuar or space buff to appreciate these exhibits.

The Algonquin Hotel is charming, old &amp; famous (Dorothy Parker &amp; the round table). Because it's old, some of the rooms are very small. Don't know when they were last renovated. I think the location would be good for you. As I recall there are several garages on their street. The hotel may have an arrangement with one of them for a discount. Hope this helps.

Since you will be coming in early Summer, you may want to consider the Embassy Suites @ Battery Park City. Since the weather will be nice, it won't be too much of a hassle to walk the several blocks to the subway. It's close to Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, Chinatown, and other sights.<BR>What's nice about the hotel is that is brand new, includes FREE breakfast for all, children are free, and all rooms are 2 rm suites. You won't have to pay for a cot; they have sleep sofas in the living room. You will have alot more froom for the 4 of you; I think it's a MUCH better choice than the Algonquin.

The Museum of Natural History is the best. My kids never got tired of it.<BR>The Met is huge and wonderful but it is too big to see in one day, especially with children. My kids always loved the armor and the Egyptian exhibit. After a few hours in either of these museums, go into nearby Central Park. <BR>The Bronx Zoo is a bit out of the way but it is fantastic. Your hotel might be able to advise about going there.<BR>Your boys might like the Circle Line, a boat that goes around Manhattan. While in that neigborhood, they may like the Intrepid.<BR>They will probably like all the lights in Times Square. Maybe (depending on your budget) they would enjoy going to a show.<BR>They might want to wake up early and stand by the Today show.<BR>You can safely take the subway with the kids. It is important to remember that the trains are very crowded during the AM and PM rush hours and are best avoided during those times.<BR>Bring comfortable shoes.<BR>Have fun!