Hi! My friend and I will be in NY in early June for one week. We will be traveling with a 2-1/2 yr old. It's our first time there... any suggestions as to kid-friendly sites to see or restaurants to go to?

Thank you so much!!

Jacquie

Not to put a damper on your trip, but I can't imagine going to NYC with a 2 1/2 year old. There is nothing there for a child that age. Children in that age group do well at the beach.

I would advise no shopping in stores, kids get so bored then scream.
No restaurants that cater to adults, kids get bored and scream.
Museums, parks,playgrounds, maybe out- door cafes, would be good, the people and constant traffic should keep a baby interested while you try to have a bite to eat.
The Central Park Zoo would be good.
Babies are usually happy wherever their moms are, just be sure the little one doesn't get too tired, they tend to scream.

I'm a Manhattan mom and I'd say the best place to visit is Central Park. The zoo, especially the Children's Zoo, the carousel (around 64th St midpark), Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater (performing Peter Pan in June - at 79th on the west side), and Conservatory Water with my favorite Alice in Wonderland statue and also the Hans Christian Andersen statue (and model boats and snack bars and bathrooms). If your child is good at restaurants, I'd suggest the Boathouse Cafe; if not, or if you want to spend less, there's a cafeteria next to the Cafe.

There are also playgrounds along Fifth Ave (76th St, 79th St and 91st St were toddler faves) on the east side of Central Park and along Central Park West (85th St, 91st St, 93rd St & 96th St) on the west. Riverside Park on the west side also has good playgrounds at 76th, 83rd, 91st, 97th and 105th Sts. As another dining consideration, there are outdoor cafes (burgers, dogs, etc) at Riverside Park & 79th St (Boat Basin Cafe) and at the Park & 105th St (Hudson Beach Cafe).

If you're exploring downtown, there are playgrounds to stop at at Union Square (16th St & Broadway) where there's also a fabulous Greenmarket on Mondays, Wed, Fri & Sats and at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. In the West Village I like the small one at Bleecker and Hudson Streets.

Museums specifically for little ones include the Children's Museum of Manhattan at W. 83rd & Amsterdam; Natural History Museum at Central Park West & W. 81st St; and the NYC Fire Museum in Soho - on Spring St between Varick & Hudson. Children I know grew up going to the Met, Guggenheim, Cloisters (and MoMA but that will be closed) but you know your child's tolerance best.

For restaurants, I love America for kids. It's on 18th St between Fifth Ave & Union Square West. If you go there you can also check out Books of Wonder, a great children's bookstore. I think they have storytime at 12pm on Sundays. (America also has special entertainment - magicians, balloon guys - but I think only on the weekends.)

I also recommend Avenue on Columbus & 85th St, Cowgirl Hall of Fame on Hudson & 10th, Noho Star on Lafayette & Bleecker, Barking Dog Luncheonette on Third Ave & 94th. Really, go to any diner (EJ's has 3 branches, Comfort Diner has 2), or New York deli (Katz's, Second Avenue, Stage) or non-Mr. Chow's Chinese restaurant (dim sum in Chinatown?) or neighborhood restaurant, especially those with outdoor seating. The Upper West, Upper East and Village are ripe with them.

Most of all - have a good time.

Hey you guys! These are awesome suggestions!!! Thank you so much. If you guys need any info on Southern California, please email me and i'll be happy to give you some suggestions.

In front of the Central Park Zoo you can stop for face painting and animal balloons. Don't forget a visit to F.A.O Schwartz. Bubby's in Tribeca is perfect for brunch (very kid friendly) as is America (previously recommended). I would also suggest a few hours at the south street seaport. Plenty of visual stimulation and a beautiful view of the Brooklyn Bridge. Don't forget the simple stuff--feeding pigeons & watching the fountains at Lincoln Center will make a baby happy. Barnes & Noble at Union Square has a great kids department with room to roam and read, Union Square Park is always packed with kids. Stop by any fire house with a bag of cookies to pay your respects to those lost last Sept. Firemen are the best, they will let the baby touch the fire engines and wear a hat. Another boredom diversion is to duck into any one of the hundreds of pet stores for a quick visit with the puppies and fish.

Oops! I forgot the new Toys R Us with a huge ferris wheel INSIDE. Located at Times Square.

Hi Jacquie, you are so smart to get some travel advice before you go to NYC with your toddler! Patty's response was excellent, but I would advise NOT going to the Natural History Museum - I was just there last Monday and I don't think it is appropriate for such a small child; the toddlers that were there were yelling (because they got a great echo in the exhibit halls!) or running around loose because the parents weren't watching them, the museum is fantastic, but the exhibits are geard for older children and adults, plus there is a lot of reading, etc. I have heard of a puppet theater that sounded wonderful and unfortunatley I can't find the website to give you the link - if anyone knows of it please post the information so Jacquie can check into it. Have a wonderful time and be sure to post a "trip report" when you return home!

The two puppet shows we always went to were the Swedish Cottage one in Central Park which I mentioned above and the Lenny Suib Puppet Theatre at Asphalt Green. Asphalt Green is located at 555 E. 90th St, between First Ave & York Ave which is as far east as you can go up there. Lenny Suib may not have shows going on when you visit, however. I think their last shows for the season may be late May so I'd call.

A supposedly fabulous puppet theatre, with wood carved puppets and classic stories, is Puppetworks, at 338 6th Ave in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. Park Slope is a wonderful, Upper West Side-ish section of Brooklyn, next to Prospect Park, Brooklyn's equivalent to Central Park, but I don't know if you'd want to go out there. If you do, there are a lot of restaurants to choose from, and in addition to Prospect Park, there's the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and the Brooklyn Children's Museum.

I was just scanning citysearch for thigns to do with a friend who's here (NYC) visiting this weekend. Spotted a child oriented puppet show that's playing in the village and it sounds as though it might be lots of fun. There are user reviews from other folks wth very young children and it appears to be a hit with the younger set. Here's the link

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/11412498/

WOW! More great stuff!!! Thanks, you guys! I definitely promise to post a "Trip Report" when we get back!

Thanks,
Jacquie