antlori

I'm planning to take my nephew and his mother to NY for his 13th birthday at the end of July (his birthday is July 30th so we're planning to do that long weekend). He has always wanted to see NY and has some "must sees" already such as the Museum of Natural History, Madison Square Garden, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building. Anyone have any other suggestions for a just-turned-13 boy interested in history (the other place he really wants to go is Washington D.C.--his favorite TV show is The West Wing), dinosaurs, hockey and baseball (I'd rather not have to go to a baseball game though!)? We will have 4 days in the city, arriving mid morning Friday and departing early afternoon on Monday. Also any recommendations on "kid friendly" places to eat would be appreciated. The last thing I'm struggling with is where to stay. I usually stay near Times Square because my husband and I like the theatre. This time we'll probably do a show one night but that's it. What would be the best area to stay in? I was looking at the Ritz Carlton Battery Park which looks like it has great views of the Status of Liberty, or the Grand Hyatt which is closer to the United Nations. There's a Hyatt in Jersey City which has some great views of Manhattan and also some great rates but I'm not sure about taking the PATH to get to Manhattan. As you can see, I'm overwhelmed by the options, plus we want a good-sized room since there will be 3 of us.

CAPH52

My son, who was 13 (although less than a month shy of 14) when we went two years ago really, really liked the Circle Line Tour. He'd never been to NYC before and felt the tour gave him a much better perspective of the city.

He also enjoyed the tour of Madison Square Garden. And eating lunch at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station.

We stayed at the Super 8 Times Square. There were four of us in the room and we were quite comfortable.

Patrick

What about the Intrepid?

Ride the water ferry around from the west 40's to either South Street Seaport or over to Brooklyn, get off at Fulton Landing for the BEST strawberry ice cream right on the dock at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (yes, it's made right there) or walk a block to Grimaldi's for great pizza. Depending on time, walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge or do a day pass and take the water ferry back.

And you MUST do the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty and return, or if you have the time also visit Ellis Island. If he has a sense of history, it will surely impress.

Your biggest problem, of course, is running out of time.

jimmyk64

Hey antlori...

If the Yankees are playing a homestand during that weekend, ya better get tickets. It may be the only time your nephew EVER gets to experience Yankee Stadium. Plans for a new park have been approved and The House That Ruth Built will become part of urban renewal history. Not being harsh here, honest, but visiting venerated stadiums is so very important to a baseball fan. Especially a young'un.

antlori

Thanks, guys. Great ideas! I forgot about the Intrepid. I think he'd really like that. Patrick, I'd like to do the water ferry to Brooklyn--he loves ice cream and pizza--and then walk back across the bridge. I think he'd get a big kick out of that, but how far is it? I have trouble with my feet and NY always makes my "dogs" bark. How much time should we allot for the whole trip? Would this take up a full day? As you've mentioned, our time is limited and there's so much to do. He's just going to be blown away--he's been obsessed with NY ever since he was a wee tyke and this will be his first visit.

Patrick

There have been numerous posts here about walking the bridge. When we did it, we left on the ferry sort of late morning, had our pizza at Grimaldi's, then our ice cream, then walked through DUMBO a while (area near there) then walked across the bridge. I'd say at that point we had been gone a total of maybe 4 to 5 hours, but then (get this) we walked the rest of the way back to our apartment at 45th near 8th! Did I mention we LOVE to walk?

The walk across the bridge (and getting up to it from Grimaldi's) isn't exactly short, but a very pleasant experience. You're on a walkway above the traffic and there are also benches for stopping to rest. It would be an adventure if you think you can handle it.

antlori

I'm not getting any younger, but if he wants to do it, I'm game. I like to walk too, but my feet are very disagreeable, even in my most comfortable shoes. I found a pretty good rate at the Inter-Continental Barclay so I think that's where we'll stay. I'm assuming we can get a bus to take us back once we get across the bridge?

antlori

CAPH52, re the Circle Line Tour, was that a boat cruise? I looked it up on the Internet and that's what came up. I'm looking for a good, half-day bus tour that would cover a lot of stuff, and then we would do a few selected things indepth, stuff he really wants to see more of. Was the tour you were talking about on a boat or a bus? Re the Madison Square Garden tour, we definitely want to do that. He is a HUGE Rangers fan. Did you purchase tickets ahead of time or can you just buy them at the door?

CAPH52

Yes, the Circle Line Tour is a boat tour. Sorry, but I don't know anything about bus tours, so can't help you with that.

We did buy the Madison Square Garden tickets there the day of the tour. Seems to me we may have had to wait a very short time for the start of the next tour.