Help with itinerary in NY for family with 10 and 12 years old boys
Sep 24th, 2013, 07:34 AM
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Help with itinerary in NY for family with 10 and 12 years old boys
Hello!
Our family will be in NY in october, and we are planning our activities for the period between saturday 5th and wednesday 9th.
It is the first time in NY for my kids (10 and 12 years old), whose interest are more into technology and games + reading + sports. They also enjoy history but the visits to museums that are not science related have to be short.
So, with that in mind, what do you think about my preliminary itinerary?
Saturday 5th (arriving to hotel around 1 pm)
3 pm Sony Technology Wonder Lab
free time - maybe NY skyride or Top of the rock
Sunday 6th
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park (If they feel like it, I don´t know if they want to spend the whole day at AMNH or just a part of it)
Monday 7th
NY Skyride
Discovery Times Square exhibition (Lego probably)
Top of the Rock
MOMA for 1 hour
(+ NBC Tours are worth it? we don´t get the NBC signal in our country)
Newsies show (bought)
Tuesday 8th
Statue of Liberty (already bought tickets to the Crown)
walking through CHinatown (stopping at the Chinatown Ice Cream Store) and Little Italy (maybe lunch in Chinatown or Little Italy, any suggestions?)
walking the Highline
Stores Toys R Us + M&M store + Nintendo World Store
The Lion King show (bought)
Wednesday 9th
MET
St. Patrick´s Cathedral
NY Public Library
Grand Central Terminal
I´m thinking about moving some of the stores to wednesday, I see it too busy.
Are there any other places that may be interesting for them? We have decided not to go to the Guggenheim since my kids are not exactly art fans.
I´m also wondering about walking through Little Italy and Chinatown, are there other places that may be more interesting to them?
Also, could you recommend us some places for lunch? allowing kids and letting them have a good time, but with good food (not fast food if possible).
Thanks,
B
Our family will be in NY in october, and we are planning our activities for the period between saturday 5th and wednesday 9th.
It is the first time in NY for my kids (10 and 12 years old), whose interest are more into technology and games + reading + sports. They also enjoy history but the visits to museums that are not science related have to be short.
So, with that in mind, what do you think about my preliminary itinerary?
Saturday 5th (arriving to hotel around 1 pm)
3 pm Sony Technology Wonder Lab
free time - maybe NY skyride or Top of the rock
Sunday 6th
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park (If they feel like it, I don´t know if they want to spend the whole day at AMNH or just a part of it)
Monday 7th
NY Skyride
Discovery Times Square exhibition (Lego probably)
Top of the Rock
MOMA for 1 hour
(+ NBC Tours are worth it? we don´t get the NBC signal in our country)
Newsies show (bought)
Tuesday 8th
Statue of Liberty (already bought tickets to the Crown)
walking through CHinatown (stopping at the Chinatown Ice Cream Store) and Little Italy (maybe lunch in Chinatown or Little Italy, any suggestions?)
walking the Highline
Stores Toys R Us + M&M store + Nintendo World Store
The Lion King show (bought)
Wednesday 9th
MET
St. Patrick´s Cathedral
NY Public Library
Grand Central Terminal
I´m thinking about moving some of the stores to wednesday, I see it too busy.
Are there any other places that may be interesting for them? We have decided not to go to the Guggenheim since my kids are not exactly art fans.
I´m also wondering about walking through Little Italy and Chinatown, are there other places that may be more interesting to them?
Also, could you recommend us some places for lunch? allowing kids and letting them have a good time, but with good food (not fast food if possible).
Thanks,
B
Sep 24th, 2013, 08:21 AM
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Just a couple of thoughts.
Unless it exists somewhere else, NY Skyride is at the Empire State Building and can requires a long wait in line. You may not want to do that. (It's also a horrible ride, in my opinion.) I'd definitely choose Top of the Rock over the Empire State Building if given a choice.
You have to reserve tickets (which are free) for the Sony Wonder Lab. I can't speak to the quality of the exhibits, though. I'd consider a side-trip to the Liberty Science Center, which can be reach by ferry from Lower Manhattan or a combination of PATH and Light Rail. It's well worth the effort if your kids are into science, and they have a great Imax theater.
If your kids aren't into art, the MOMA is a waste of time and money. It's a very expensive museum, and you have to pay full price. Instead, go to the Museum of Natural History or the Metropolitan Museum, both of which have more kid-friendly exhibits. You can just look at the dinosaurs in the Natural History museum or the Egyptian exhibits in the Met, for example, and both of these museums have SUGGESTED (i.e., non-enforceable) admissions, meaning you can literally pay $1 if you want. Or you can all pay the suggested kids prices. And then you can spend a bit of time in Central Park, which is amazing for kids.
The zoo in Central Park is well worth it for the kids, and you might want to fit that in somewhere. It's close (10 minutes walking) from the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue.
NBC Tours: My opinion, not worth it if you aren't familiar with NBC since a highlight is a visit to the SNL set and news sets. As a "backstage" tour, it's not that interest to me.
Make sure you have time for your kids to rest and eat before both of your Broadway shows. Have an early dinner near your hotel or near Times Square, and then on each night spend a half-hour walking around the Times Square area, and you can see most of the sights there if you divide them up between the two nights. .
Have dim sum for lunch in Chinatown. Try Golden Unicorn on East Broadway (but realize it's a long walk). I don't care much for the typical Italian places in what is left of Little Italy, and the really good places are far too expensive and require reservations. DO NOT LINE UP for your Broadway shows until approximately 7:30. You have reserved seats, so you do NOT need to arrive early. The lines move quickly even when they look ridiculously long, and this should give you plenty of time to find your seats and get your kids into the bathroom before the show starts. One parent can settle into seats while the other takes the kids for a bathroom break.
I notice you're all over the place on Tuesday, and to be honest, you may not get back from the Statue of Liberty in time for an early lunch in Chinatown, so keep that in mind. But you'll have to eat some kind of dinner before your show. Have a standby. Despite the line, Shake Shack can be fairly quick, or you can have pizza at John's.
Unless it exists somewhere else, NY Skyride is at the Empire State Building and can requires a long wait in line. You may not want to do that. (It's also a horrible ride, in my opinion.) I'd definitely choose Top of the Rock over the Empire State Building if given a choice.
You have to reserve tickets (which are free) for the Sony Wonder Lab. I can't speak to the quality of the exhibits, though. I'd consider a side-trip to the Liberty Science Center, which can be reach by ferry from Lower Manhattan or a combination of PATH and Light Rail. It's well worth the effort if your kids are into science, and they have a great Imax theater.
If your kids aren't into art, the MOMA is a waste of time and money. It's a very expensive museum, and you have to pay full price. Instead, go to the Museum of Natural History or the Metropolitan Museum, both of which have more kid-friendly exhibits. You can just look at the dinosaurs in the Natural History museum or the Egyptian exhibits in the Met, for example, and both of these museums have SUGGESTED (i.e., non-enforceable) admissions, meaning you can literally pay $1 if you want. Or you can all pay the suggested kids prices. And then you can spend a bit of time in Central Park, which is amazing for kids.
The zoo in Central Park is well worth it for the kids, and you might want to fit that in somewhere. It's close (10 minutes walking) from the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue.
NBC Tours: My opinion, not worth it if you aren't familiar with NBC since a highlight is a visit to the SNL set and news sets. As a "backstage" tour, it's not that interest to me.
Make sure you have time for your kids to rest and eat before both of your Broadway shows. Have an early dinner near your hotel or near Times Square, and then on each night spend a half-hour walking around the Times Square area, and you can see most of the sights there if you divide them up between the two nights. .
Have dim sum for lunch in Chinatown. Try Golden Unicorn on East Broadway (but realize it's a long walk). I don't care much for the typical Italian places in what is left of Little Italy, and the really good places are far too expensive and require reservations. DO NOT LINE UP for your Broadway shows until approximately 7:30. You have reserved seats, so you do NOT need to arrive early. The lines move quickly even when they look ridiculously long, and this should give you plenty of time to find your seats and get your kids into the bathroom before the show starts. One parent can settle into seats while the other takes the kids for a bathroom break.
I notice you're all over the place on Tuesday, and to be honest, you may not get back from the Statue of Liberty in time for an early lunch in Chinatown, so keep that in mind. But you'll have to eat some kind of dinner before your show. Have a standby. Despite the line, Shake Shack can be fairly quick, or you can have pizza at John's.
Sep 24th, 2013, 08:35 AM
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NY Skyride is not at all well regarded. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen so many consistently bad reviews for a NYC tourist attraction. Here are some links:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ny-skyride-new-york
https://www.google.com/#q=ny+skyride&lrd=lrd
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio..._New_York.html
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ny-skyride-new-york
https://www.google.com/#q=ny+skyride&lrd=lrd
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio..._New_York.html
Sep 24th, 2013, 09:11 AM
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Your days are all over the place geographically. I have reorganized it below.
I hear the NY skyride is not worth it. If you want to Empire State Building OR Top of the Rock, most people will tell you to do Top of the Rock, just before sunset so you can see the city during the day and at night.
Saturday –after technology lab, walk past St Patrick’s Cathedral, then to the Rockefeller center to go to the Nintendo store and lego store (these are located in Rockefeller Center) and then head up to Top of the Rock for Sunset. From here you can walk past Radio City Music Hall and do Ellen’s Stardust Diner for dinner and “show”. The food is supposedly meh, but it is recommended to be worth a visit for the entertainment value.
Sunday -I wouldn't plan on spending the whole day at AMNH. Start there, grab lunch, walk through the park (I think your kids would enjoy Central Park.. take them Conservatory Water and rent the little boats on the water. There is also a carousel, if they are not too big for it) , walk down 5th avenue shopping (stop in FAO Schwarz) and then do your MOMA tour, if it’s not too late. You can take a quick subway ride to Times Square to walk through it at night and grab cheesecake at Junior’s.
Monday - Times Square for Discovery Times Square exhibition and hit up Toys R US and M&M Store. From here you can take a shuttle into Grand Central Terminal (there are restaurants and shopping here), then walk to the the ny public library. Dinner and your show.
Tuesday - you are all over town and that is way too much to do. I would only plan on SOL, Chinatown/Little Italy (Lower East Side is right here too.. which means Katz's Deli), High Line and then go to your show. You didn’t mention what time your SOL tickets are for? If it’s for the afternoon, start your day at High Line, then go to battery park for your SOL cruise, followed by Little Italy (not a whole lot to see here, apparently)/Chinatown and then you have an early casual dinner at Katz’s Deli before heading back to get read for your show.
Wednesday – If you didn’t do your MOMA tour yet, do it today along with the Met. If you still want to do the Empire State Building, I would start or end there.
I hear the NY skyride is not worth it. If you want to Empire State Building OR Top of the Rock, most people will tell you to do Top of the Rock, just before sunset so you can see the city during the day and at night.
Saturday –after technology lab, walk past St Patrick’s Cathedral, then to the Rockefeller center to go to the Nintendo store and lego store (these are located in Rockefeller Center) and then head up to Top of the Rock for Sunset. From here you can walk past Radio City Music Hall and do Ellen’s Stardust Diner for dinner and “show”. The food is supposedly meh, but it is recommended to be worth a visit for the entertainment value.
Sunday -I wouldn't plan on spending the whole day at AMNH. Start there, grab lunch, walk through the park (I think your kids would enjoy Central Park.. take them Conservatory Water and rent the little boats on the water. There is also a carousel, if they are not too big for it) , walk down 5th avenue shopping (stop in FAO Schwarz) and then do your MOMA tour, if it’s not too late. You can take a quick subway ride to Times Square to walk through it at night and grab cheesecake at Junior’s.
Monday - Times Square for Discovery Times Square exhibition and hit up Toys R US and M&M Store. From here you can take a shuttle into Grand Central Terminal (there are restaurants and shopping here), then walk to the the ny public library. Dinner and your show.
Tuesday - you are all over town and that is way too much to do. I would only plan on SOL, Chinatown/Little Italy (Lower East Side is right here too.. which means Katz's Deli), High Line and then go to your show. You didn’t mention what time your SOL tickets are for? If it’s for the afternoon, start your day at High Line, then go to battery park for your SOL cruise, followed by Little Italy (not a whole lot to see here, apparently)/Chinatown and then you have an early casual dinner at Katz’s Deli before heading back to get read for your show.
Wednesday – If you didn’t do your MOMA tour yet, do it today along with the Met. If you still want to do the Empire State Building, I would start or end there.
Sep 24th, 2013, 09:13 AM
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Ruby Foos' in Times Square is supposed to be a good kid friendly spot. I am headed to NYC next week with my 2 year old and it's on my list. If we check it out, I will report back.
Here is a great list of kid friendly restaurants, some are outdated, but still a good reference:
http://nymag.com/urban/guides/family...manhattan1.htm
Here is a great list of kid friendly restaurants, some are outdated, but still a good reference:
http://nymag.com/urban/guides/family...manhattan1.htm
Sep 24th, 2013, 12:12 PM
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I am headed to NYC for the first time in Oct so not much help but I did find that at the Natural History Museum you can do a self guided Night at The Museum tour - from the movie. if your sons have seen it that might give them something to guide them through the museum.... Dylan's Candy bar - we are heading there on our way to the Roosevelt Island tram - your sons might enjoy!! have fun!!
Sep 24th, 2013, 06:05 PM
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I think both the Met and Museum of Nat'l Hist are must sees - but do go to the websites and check the departments online so you know exactly where you want to go. In the former they are most likely to be interested in Egypt and Temple of Dendur, and arms & Armor. In the latter there is a ton of stuff.
I would bag MoMA unless they like modern art and substitute the Intrepid Air/Sea Museum with space shuttle. Much better than a feeble Sky Ride.
ToTR is much better than ESB.
The zoo in Central Park is a small one (the real zoo is in the Bronx but takes a whole day) but good for an hour or two.
IMHO Roosevelt Island tram is a waste of time - for commuters to get to and fro their apartment on Roosevelt island - no big deal.
Ellen's Stardust Diner has basic diner fare but the performing staff are all "resting" Broadway boys and girls and many kids love it.
I would bag MoMA unless they like modern art and substitute the Intrepid Air/Sea Museum with space shuttle. Much better than a feeble Sky Ride.
ToTR is much better than ESB.
The zoo in Central Park is a small one (the real zoo is in the Bronx but takes a whole day) but good for an hour or two.
IMHO Roosevelt Island tram is a waste of time - for commuters to get to and fro their apartment on Roosevelt island - no big deal.
Ellen's Stardust Diner has basic diner fare but the performing staff are all "resting" Broadway boys and girls and many kids love it.
Sep 25th, 2013, 07:04 AM
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Huh? Sorry, but no such thing as a seasonal closing for Roosevelt Island or the tram. It has closed for repairs from time to time, but I'm not aware of any upcoming repairs, nor does the tram's web site list any upcoming closures.
Sep 25th, 2013, 10:27 AM
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I thought Jeckyl and Hyde has closed. If it hasn;t it should have been - by the health department.
Don't touch it with a barge pole. Or any of the other chain/fast food type places. Foo is just as bad as at the local mall at twice the price.
NYC is full of wonderful and very inexpensive places with fresh ethnic foods by talented chefs. Head for 9th Ave to look for options and let the kids explore some new types of food.
Don't touch it with a barge pole. Or any of the other chain/fast food type places. Foo is just as bad as at the local mall at twice the price.
NYC is full of wonderful and very inexpensive places with fresh ethnic foods by talented chefs. Head for 9th Ave to look for options and let the kids explore some new types of food.
Sep 25th, 2013, 04:53 PM
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Jeckyl and Hyde is well known not oly for awful food but for incredible unclean conditions,
As for other chain places (Applebees, fridays, Olive Garden etc - the food is awful at all of them - and the same- since it is all cooked in massive vats and portion flash frozen at some mystery plant (Roswell NM?)and then micronuked at the various branches. It;s not worth what they charge at the local mall - and prices in Times Square are usually much higher.)
Ninth Ave has a ton of places with good, fresh food - cooked right before you eat it by actual chefs - of a broad range of ethnicities.
If there are specific cuisines you like and a budget people will make rcos based on it.
As for other chain places (Applebees, fridays, Olive Garden etc - the food is awful at all of them - and the same- since it is all cooked in massive vats and portion flash frozen at some mystery plant (Roswell NM?)and then micronuked at the various branches. It;s not worth what they charge at the local mall - and prices in Times Square are usually much higher.)
Ninth Ave has a ton of places with good, fresh food - cooked right before you eat it by actual chefs - of a broad range of ethnicities.
If there are specific cuisines you like and a budget people will make rcos based on it.
Sep 26th, 2013, 08:25 AM
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Thank you so much for your great tips and suggestions!
After reading them, I have taken out NY skyride and NBC Tours, and will go definitely to Top of the Rock and not to ESB.
I'm rearranging now the itinerary to reduce the transportation time.
One more question:
Which tickets do I need to buy in advance to avoid medium to long lines? The paid attractions we have in our trip are:
- MET (I am planning on going on saturday at 6 pm since it closes at 9 pm, do you think at that time there won't be lines? Since we are going for just 1-1:30 hour I'd rather pay the donation there)
- American Museum of Natural History (would it be better to go there on Sunday or Monday? Any difference?). I think this one may have long lines and I should buy it on the internet.
- Top of the Rock: I'm still not sure if we should go early in the morning or at night. there is a show on wednesday night with a nice indie band. The four of us could enjoy it, but it begins at 8:30, when it is already dark. I have seen they have special tickets to go day and night, but I don't think I want to go there twice. Would it still be nice for the kids to go at night rather than at daytime?
- Discovery Times Square - I don't think this should be so full, if we buy the tickets there, we have some flexibility to change plans
What about Washington Square? I read it is close to NYU, I have the idea that places close to campuses have a great ambiance. Would you recommend to go there and just walk or have lunch close by?
Nytraveler, the 9th avenue little ethnic restaurants sounds like a great idea. We would love to have thai food, maybe arabic food, and I don't know what other types of ethnic food there are.
Doug, thanks for the MET and Broadway show tips. In the case of Newsies it begins at 7 pm, so that means that we should show up at 6:45 pm to stand on the line?
ComeSailwithMe, thanks for the kid's friendly restaurant guide, I also loved the critic on fine dining with little kids that had a link on the same page. Luckily mine are older and do behave on restaurants
Thanks to all!
PS: By the way, the trip to Statue of Liberty begins at 9 am, so probably the NY Highline has to go to the end of the day.
After reading them, I have taken out NY skyride and NBC Tours, and will go definitely to Top of the Rock and not to ESB.
I'm rearranging now the itinerary to reduce the transportation time.
One more question:
Which tickets do I need to buy in advance to avoid medium to long lines? The paid attractions we have in our trip are:
- MET (I am planning on going on saturday at 6 pm since it closes at 9 pm, do you think at that time there won't be lines? Since we are going for just 1-1:30 hour I'd rather pay the donation there)
- American Museum of Natural History (would it be better to go there on Sunday or Monday? Any difference?). I think this one may have long lines and I should buy it on the internet.
- Top of the Rock: I'm still not sure if we should go early in the morning or at night. there is a show on wednesday night with a nice indie band. The four of us could enjoy it, but it begins at 8:30, when it is already dark. I have seen they have special tickets to go day and night, but I don't think I want to go there twice. Would it still be nice for the kids to go at night rather than at daytime?
- Discovery Times Square - I don't think this should be so full, if we buy the tickets there, we have some flexibility to change plans
What about Washington Square? I read it is close to NYU, I have the idea that places close to campuses have a great ambiance. Would you recommend to go there and just walk or have lunch close by?
Nytraveler, the 9th avenue little ethnic restaurants sounds like a great idea. We would love to have thai food, maybe arabic food, and I don't know what other types of ethnic food there are.
Doug, thanks for the MET and Broadway show tips. In the case of Newsies it begins at 7 pm, so that means that we should show up at 6:45 pm to stand on the line?
ComeSailwithMe, thanks for the kid's friendly restaurant guide, I also loved the critic on fine dining with little kids that had a link on the same page. Luckily mine are older and do behave on restaurants
Thanks to all!
PS: By the way, the trip to Statue of Liberty begins at 9 am, so probably the NY Highline has to go to the end of the day.
Sep 26th, 2013, 08:57 AM
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Saturday at 6pm should be a good time at the Met. The lines should not be long, if even there at all. On Sundays, all museums are mobbed, so Monday is always a better, but school groups often start arriving in the morning, so keep that in mind.
You can definitely arrive at 6:45 for Newsies, and don't be intimidated by the line. It may still be long but will move quickly, though you may not have time for a bathroom break. I'm not quite sure why so many tourists arrive so early to stand in line for shows. I'd never do that ... a huge time-waster.
You can definitely arrive at 6:45 for Newsies, and don't be intimidated by the line. It may still be long but will move quickly, though you may not have time for a bathroom break. I'm not quite sure why so many tourists arrive so early to stand in line for shows. I'd never do that ... a huge time-waster.
Sep 26th, 2013, 07:58 PM
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Hi, Bqycc, We just took our family to New York City last summer. At the time of the trip, my kids were 11 (boy), 14 (girl) and 16 (boy).
We were a mixed bag on the Sony Wonder Lab: it was cute but not a total winner; in some ways it was rather dated and the quality of the controllers on some items were lacking. However, my kids did a lot of Lego Robotics in middle school and are very picky. We walked in and got tickets for immediately. However, if I had a do-over, I'd get tickets for later in the day and do the Met first that day when people are mentally fresh. It is an easy bus between the Met and the Rockefeller area.
I somehow missed there was a Nintendo place that was cooler than Sony within Rockefeller Center. My son later read about it, and I'm pretty sure this is it: http://www.nintendoworldstore.com/
Everyone loved the Metropolitan Museum. The Egyptian section just gets better and better as you head to the back of the museum and the Temple. On another day, the younger two did the Museum of Natural History with my husband, and they reported that they loved it but didn't have time with a half-day to do any extra shows or add-ons. I would definitely study the special exhibits.
Among our favorite things in New York, the trip to Ellis Island was wonderful. We do have teens and they like history and just being out on the water on a nice day too. They loved the Broadway show we did. I guess I would pick Matilda if it were me but I think the others sound great too.
Another thing I underestimated was Grand Central Terminal. (Note that it is officially called "Terminal.") As you will see in my trip report, we ended up just going over with my youngest, but he absolutely loved the building--cavernous, striking, and fun. He loved the Apple Store, which another regular on this board alerted me to as being much larger and less crammed with people than the "cube" up on Fifth Avenue. I believe I read somewhere it was the largest Apple Store in the world. Anyway, it was fun being up on the balcony area playing with an iPod etc. And finally the food court is really above the name "food court." Independent local restaurants, really, just no table service. It would be fun to do a meal there.
If you eat out, I'd suggest if you can to find a real "New York place" whether it's a cafe or a pizza place, Thai or rather than chains. Consider making a private Google Map of Manhattan and flag restaurants and destinations in the different neighborhoods you are visiting.
Hope this helps! We loved New York. You would probably benefit from reading my trip report.
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...amily-of-5.cfm
We were a mixed bag on the Sony Wonder Lab: it was cute but not a total winner; in some ways it was rather dated and the quality of the controllers on some items were lacking. However, my kids did a lot of Lego Robotics in middle school and are very picky. We walked in and got tickets for immediately. However, if I had a do-over, I'd get tickets for later in the day and do the Met first that day when people are mentally fresh. It is an easy bus between the Met and the Rockefeller area.
I somehow missed there was a Nintendo place that was cooler than Sony within Rockefeller Center. My son later read about it, and I'm pretty sure this is it: http://www.nintendoworldstore.com/
Everyone loved the Metropolitan Museum. The Egyptian section just gets better and better as you head to the back of the museum and the Temple. On another day, the younger two did the Museum of Natural History with my husband, and they reported that they loved it but didn't have time with a half-day to do any extra shows or add-ons. I would definitely study the special exhibits.
Among our favorite things in New York, the trip to Ellis Island was wonderful. We do have teens and they like history and just being out on the water on a nice day too. They loved the Broadway show we did. I guess I would pick Matilda if it were me but I think the others sound great too.
Another thing I underestimated was Grand Central Terminal. (Note that it is officially called "Terminal.") As you will see in my trip report, we ended up just going over with my youngest, but he absolutely loved the building--cavernous, striking, and fun. He loved the Apple Store, which another regular on this board alerted me to as being much larger and less crammed with people than the "cube" up on Fifth Avenue. I believe I read somewhere it was the largest Apple Store in the world. Anyway, it was fun being up on the balcony area playing with an iPod etc. And finally the food court is really above the name "food court." Independent local restaurants, really, just no table service. It would be fun to do a meal there.
If you eat out, I'd suggest if you can to find a real "New York place" whether it's a cafe or a pizza place, Thai or rather than chains. Consider making a private Google Map of Manhattan and flag restaurants and destinations in the different neighborhoods you are visiting.
Hope this helps! We loved New York. You would probably benefit from reading my trip report.
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...amily-of-5.cfm
Oct 25th, 2013, 05:05 AM
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We had a wonderful trip, thanks for your comments and suggestions.
We couldn't do the statue of the liberty crown tour, because of the shutdown, but we exchanged our tickets for a cruise around SoL.
My kid's highlights were the Museum of Natural history, the SoL cruise, the Sony Wonder Lab, and the museum of Maths (even though they don't like Maths at school).
We took a tour from the Free Tours, to visit the Highline. We also likes it very much, and of course, strolling through the parks.
We had great Turkish and vetnamese/Thai food at Obao and the Turkish Kitchen...that was an adventure for my kids, since they had never tried it before. Even though we have in Lima (Peru) so many very good restaurants from many nationalities, we just have one Thai and I have not seen Turkish ones.
Thanks again!
We couldn't do the statue of the liberty crown tour, because of the shutdown, but we exchanged our tickets for a cruise around SoL.
My kid's highlights were the Museum of Natural history, the SoL cruise, the Sony Wonder Lab, and the museum of Maths (even though they don't like Maths at school).
We took a tour from the Free Tours, to visit the Highline. We also likes it very much, and of course, strolling through the parks.
We had great Turkish and vetnamese/Thai food at Obao and the Turkish Kitchen...that was an adventure for my kids, since they had never tried it before. Even though we have in Lima (Peru) so many very good restaurants from many nationalities, we just have one Thai and I have not seen Turkish ones.
Thanks again!
