If you must visit the World Trade Center site, that is the time to see the Statue of Liberty. With your tight schedule, perhaps you can just look at it from the promenade at Battery Park. Or jsut take the Staten Island Ferry for a quick float-by visit.

I'm not sure of your concern about being out at night. new York is the afest large city in the world--just use the precautions you would use anyplace this crowded. Everything is unusual--and not necessarily dangerous--until you grow accustomed to it.

Well - with a 5 and 6 year old I'm not sure I would do MoMA. Parts of the Met (Costume Institute, Egyptian section, Temple of Dendur) are probably more kid friendly.

Also, I wouldn;t spend any time in Times Square except for seeing shows. It's simply too frantic and could be intimidating to kids that young if they're not used to mobs of people rushig around.

Also- not sure what type of nightlife you would do with kids that young. I would think a nice dinner would be long enough - and late enough for them.

You don;t say where you're staying - but I would reco the upper west side - a mid/upscale residential neighborhood with lots of families and right nextr to Central Park - so the kids can have a little running around time. Also lots of great inexpensive places to eat that are fanily friendly. And - if you want to do a walk or a cafe or a little shopping after dinner the area is busy but not frantic. And the kids might like exploring the chikldrens section at the B&N on Broadway and 83rd - check to see when they have story time or special events for kids.

In that area are tons of great places for dinner (check out menupages.com to see diner reviews and actual menus) - and you can pick what your kids will like in case they're not too adventurours.

For when you're in midtown you could do Ellen's Stardust Diner - bsic diner fare but singing wait staff is fun for kids (Broadway wannabees). DO NOT do any of the theme or chain places - big $ (much more than at the local mall) and poor food/service.

If you just want a quick lunch there are a bunch of Cosi and Pret a Manger places around the city with fresh sandwiches and salads - good timing and budget for little kids. Or go to one of the Gray's Papaya for traditional NYC hot dogs.

Here is a great list of kid friendly restaurants all over the city:

http://newyork.urbanbaby.com/communi...tout_main.html

Throw your itinerary out. You are way too overscheduled and especially so with young children.

The reality is that you will have to go at their pace and Manhattan is an assault on the senses. Site, smell, hearing, etc.

Make sure you have a suite hotel so when the girls need to go to bed or take a nap, you and your sister aren't trapped in the room with them. You'll appreciate the space. Either that or try and get connecting rooms.

Plan one big thing in the morning and one big thing in the afternoon and play the rest by ear.

Kids love just looking around NYC.

No way you'll get both museums and downtown down Thursday. I'd do the Children's Museum, downtown, then lunch.

Tuesday, FAO and American Girl dinner.

Wednesday lunch and Mary Poppins.

Don't worry about dinner places. Tons of restaurants, pick up a Zagat guide.

Thanks for the advice. Wow, that was fast.
A couple of things:
Of course we are not doing anything late at night with the kids, I meant when it gets dark walking around can be a little scary, even early.
We do not have a place to stay, but last summer I stayed at The Roosevelt on 45th & Madison, and liked the convienence.
I don't think I am "over-scheduled." The last day is just where I have thrown in some ideas. Our kids do not nap, and we would be in early at night for them to get plenty of rest. And as I said in my post, we will be going at the girls' pace for sure, but they are pretty busy ones. American Girl will be the longest we are in a store because we are having dinner. The other shops will be quicker.

Your Thursday is kind of crazy - lots of running around the city. I would pick two of those activities and no more. MOMA might be kind of boring for the kids.

When my daughter was 4, we spent a week in Manhattan. She is 7 now, so I have a good idea what your's might like. On museum days, it is hard to do too many other things. I would only schedule one museum in a day.

I would not spend the time to go to the Statue of Liberty, but kids do like seeing it. The Staten Island ferry would be a good option. You could even do it after dark to save daylight hours.

As for night-life, staying out really depends on the child. My children are night owls and can easily be out as late as 11:00 on a short trip, as long as they don't head out first thing in the morning.

Other good kid things to do:

Toys R Us. My daughter actually liked Times Square a lot, and this was her favorite Times Square stop. At least show them Times Square, even if they don't hang around long. TRU bigger hit than FAO with our daughter.

Brooklyn Bridge - hard to fit in with your schedule, but a walk across is great

Kids love playgrounds. As we walked from the Met Museum to the Zoo, we stopped at 2 or 3 for a few minutes. Then again, the fact that kids love playgrounds can make a schedule hard to keep.

Other than that, I am with GoTravel in suggesting that you allow time for the kids to experience New York - a hot dog or pretzel from a street vendor, lots of subway rides, Times Square, Central Park, the excitement of all the big buildings in the Times Square area and Downtown (Wall Street area). Sounds like you already have the show covered. I would have done the show at night to save day hours, but I assume you may have done it to save money.

Well- you said you're going in June - so it won;t be dark until almost 9 pm. And the area I'm recommending is still full of people (shopping, restaurants and cafes) until at least 10 or 11 - so not the least bit scary.

The boat ride to and around the Status of Liberty is fun.. I personally would cut the MoMA and Ground Zero and spend enough time seeing the Statue.

I can't think of how you could make MoMA fun for even the most precocious kid.

Your Thursday itinerary will be difficult. I would not take them to MOMA, unless you have a particular reason to do so. You could head south to the South Street Seaport where there are often street performers or events going on. You should check to see what's on tap for your scheduled dates. Ground Zero is right there, and then to Battery Park and a ride on the ferry or a Circle Line tour to see the Statue of Liberty. There are lots of kid-friendly restaurants in the South Street Seaport area.

I don't think your time is too scheduled at all. You need some sort of "shape" to your day or you'll end up doing a lot of nothing----which is fine if that's your desire.

There's a great playground near the Zoo at 64th street which you shouldn't miss. The statue of Alice in Wonderland was always one of my children's favorites, and the model boat pond should have someone sailing.

Many of the city parks have special built-in sprinklers that are nice water features in the summer. They used to turn the sprinklers on when it got hot, and the kids loved playing in them. Pack suits and plastic sandals just in case---you'd hate to have them just have to watch the other kids having fun!

We took my girls when they were 5 & 8 and they loved the Central Park Zoo, American Girl and Museum of Natural History from your list. I will tell you that while you are in Times Square you need to go into Toys R Us (as mentioned before). It was their favorite toy store out of the 3 mentioned. The 3 story ferris wheel has a lot to do with that! Ellen's Stardust Diner is a great idea. We also took a horse and carriage ride in Central Park starting near the Plaza. I agree with free time to let the kids buy street food and other goodies. All part of the NYC experience. Enjoy!

You've gotten a lot of advice most of which I agree with. You absolutely should get a suite and you can do better at a hotel other than the Roosevelt for a suite. While the kids may not nap, it's nice to have 2 separate rooms if they go to bed earlier so you and sister can stay up and talk. Affinia.com is a group of 7 all suite hotels-well run, family friendly etc. Most are in midtown. The San Carlos is another good suite hotel OR, if it's in your budget, the Doubletree Guest Suites in Times Square is very nice and convenient. Doublecheck all prices on quikbook.com which sometimes has better deals.

I agree with the idea of 2 major things/day--morning and afternoon. The Children's museum is small and not far from the Mus. of Nat. History. While I wouldn't normally suggest 2 museums/day, you could do those 2 in the same day. (They're on the upper west side and there are decent hotels up there with suites-the Lucerne is the nicest, the Excelsior, the Beacon and the Milburn.)

Unless you're staying on the upper west side, on the day you go to Mary Poppins, spend that morning in Times Square. Go to Toys R Us and they can ride on the ferris wheel. Get their name up in lights at the Hershey store.

So with only 2 1/2 days (I agree with your plan on arrival day and would add Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center which is across from American Girl), your decision is whether to go downtown on Thurs. to see the WTC site, do a ride on the Staten Island ferry and maybe go to Greenwich Village OR go uptown to the museums.

i second dan's idea--the kids will probably love times square and the toys-r-us...not anything like your hometown toys-r-us!! the first time i took my son (then 10), we went back there 3 times during a two day stay.
i had big plans for museums--but he loved experiencing the city, the people, the unusual shops we came across while just wandering...but planning some down time is important to rejuvenate for your next outing.

Just a quick suggestion - bring two strollers! Last summer we took our kids then 5 and 7 to New York with a jam packed itinerary but only one stroller for my son thinking my daughter would never want to sit in one. Well surprise surprise after 1/2 day of walking in the City, something my husband and I love to do, she was moaning and groaning that her legs were going to fall off! We were not even one day into our trip! Needless to say we ended up taking a taxi to a downtown Kmart to look for strollers and all they had was a Winnie the Pooh one - she refused it. It seems ridiculous now but it wasn't very funny at the time!
My kids loved the Museum of Natural History, the Zoo and all the shopping near the Park. We also did Ground Zero but it was very crowded and there were road blocks set up everywhere. It was hard with the kids. That was last summer so maybe things got better -Have fun!

My son was nearly 7 when we were there and he loved Times Square (Toys R Us) and wanted to go there every day and still wants to go back there.

At ages 5 and 6, the children are likely to be bored by MOMA (go to the Met instead- much more interesting to a child) and ground zero. Your kids will have more fun wandering around Central Park (take a carriage ride or rent one of the boats) or South Street Seaport. Take a boat ride around Manhattan and see the Staute of Liberty that way. When we took our kids to NYC at that age, their favorite parts were the taxi and subway rides.

When others are telling you that you are overscheduled, I don't think they mean that your girls will be too tired. I think they mean that your plan is too regimented and structured. On Thursday, you have planned a whole day in which the girls will need to be quiet, well behaved, and focused.

Sorry, I totally deleted my entry. I will do a new itinerary with some changes.
Also, I do have the MET on my schedule, not MoMA. I got confused.
We definitely plan on going to Toys R Us, that is the reason for going to Times Square.
Thanks everyone!