Am struggling to assimilate all the helpful information on these boards!!!

Am taking my wife and 2 kids (10&13) for a surprise trip to NY at the end of this month.

I'm looking at the Crowne Plaza in Times Sq for location and facilities - it seems to have a nice pool which may be a bonus for my kids.

Any recommendations on shows - musicals?

Finally, any particular museums - apart from the obvious ones - which might appeal to the kids.

Appreciate your help!

A pool would be a bonus but I suspect that you'll all be far too busy in NYC to have the time or inclination to swim - there's so much else to do. I'm not familiar with the Crowne Plaza but imagine that it's okay - they are usually like a nice, slightly upscale Holiday Inn. You mention the Gershwin in your post header. I strongly suggest that you check the Rants and Raves section of the Fodors website before staying there. Fodors gives it a positive recommendation but the user experiences are unfirmaly awful (I was among them but I was only one of many who posted about the probelms at the Gershwin). The Tenement Museum and the Transit Museum might be interesting - both can be relatively short visits. Although it's not a musical per se, there seems to be a general agreement that kids of all ages (including you and your wife!) love Blue Man Group. Also - take the kids for a walk through Chinatown and the Village.

Just to let you know, the Crowne Plaza shares their pool with a health club, so there may be times during the day when it is extremely busy or when their may be lanes sectioned off just for lap swimming.

For a fun restaurant take the kids to Jekyll & Hyde at 1409 6th Avenue (West 57th). They should have a lot of fun there.

You may want to think about taking them on the Staten Island Ferry. It's free, the kids get a good view of the Statue of Liberty, and it is a great ride on a nice day. Also, if it is open, take them on a tour of the New York Stock Exchange. It is funny to watch the trading floor. And pay a visit to the statue of the charging bull on Broadway just above Bowling Green.

Some Broadway shows that you might consider: Into the Woods or Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Thanks for the suggestions. Am still putting together an itinerary.... daunting.

Seeign Bowling Green mentioned reminds me.... if you're down there be sure to stop and see the public sculpture now on display that was salvaged from the plaza area of WTC. It's gashed and dented but intact and (to me at least) it's a very moving expereince to view it. Also.... not "fun" but well worth seeing when you're in or near Grand Central Terminal - in one of the main passageways that leads towards the subways there is a "temporary" folding divider wall that was used to post photos of the missing in the early days and weeks following 9/11. It was left in place as a tribute to and reminder of the day and the experience. It's difficult to read it but for me, at least, it put a very personal face to an event that had been very public and a mass media thing.

Some smaller museums that may interest your kids: The Tenement Museum in the lower East Side, The Forbes Gallery on 5th Av at 13st (this is in greenwich village, a great neighborhood to explore with kids and grab a bite), also the Museum of the Moving Image, it's a short subway ride to Queens, also near the temporary MOMA.