NYC for timid Mom + child
 

Hi guys,
I'm an Australian who is spending the month of December in the USA this year. We have family in San Diego and Baltimore but my 7yr old son and I will be doing a 3-4 day trip up to New York City. Never been to New York before but eager to check out some highlights. I'm a bit nervy in big cities and I guess NY is about as big as it gets, but I don't want this ruining our time there. I figured we would take day trips to check out the sights. I would greatly appreciated any advice you could give. I have put below our interests and likes....

* would love to see Christmas lights/ activities
* not a boat person
* love the idea of a horse-drawn carriage ride
* quite the foodie!!!
* have always wanted to see Hershey Chocolate Factory and Amish Community - is this a possibility from NYC?
* son has poor muscle tone so tires easily with a lot of walking
* would love a chance for my son to see snow
* bit scared to explore the city by myself
* we will be coming in and out via Amtrak

Also, have NO IDEA what area to look at staying. Budget is very limited - $200US per night. Looking for somewhere where tour companies would collect from. Don't need fancy, but clean and safe.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

What does the tour company sentence mean? If you have a limited budget, you won't want to use them.

sorry, but doing day trips from baltimore to nyc - esp with a small child and esp for several days just isn't realistic. the train is almost 3 hours each way - which means 6.5 to 7 hours per day just traveling. it really doesn't make sense to do that to spend only 4 or 5 hours there - and that's still a very long day for a 7 year old. ( the acela is slightly faster - but much more expensive.)

i'm afraid if you want to see nyc you will really need to spend a couple of nights IN nyc.

Do you mean you want to do day trips and wish the pickup for these trips to be near where you are staying?

We stayed near Times Square when we visited with our kids and loved the location. There is a hop-on hop-off bus pickup in Times Square. Very convenient. I would imagine other tour pickup in that area also.

I was very nervous before our first trip to NYC and literally had a 'death grip' on our kids during our first day walking around. I had heard stories about New Yorkers! Boy was I surprised. We had nothing but very positive interactions with the locals. People stepping out of the way as we approached with the small kids. One day we were studying the bus schedule on a light post and we had a lovely young woman approach us to ask if we needed help. She helped us figure it all out.

Central Park is gorgeous. It is more like many little parks within one big park. You can catch a carriage ride right at the entrance to the park. That would be a fun thing for your son. He would probably also like the castle in the park. There are benches throughout the park and people sitting all over the grass, so when he is tired you can just stop and take a break.

You must be cautious and aware of your surroundings but overall we found it to be a great trip.

The Hershey Chocolate Factory was a bit of a disappointment. The candy is not made there. It is a little ride with some commentary and then the gift shop with candy for sale. We really did enjoy Amish Country though. If you can take a day trip there it would be great. Also, Philadelphia is very close and might make a good day trip.

"doing day trips from baltimore to nyc - esp with a small child and esp for several days just isn't realistic."

That isn't what the OP said. She said a 3 - 4 day trip to NYC.

I believe the OP wants to stay for 3 or 4 days. She wants to go on some tours/ make use of a tour company. She would like the tour to start or pick her up near where she stays [hotel] as her son has walking issues.

You might not be a boat person, but your son would enjoy the free Staten Island ferry round trip and you would get a good look at the Statue of Liberty from it. He would probably enjoy the Museum of Natural History.
Your hotel budget for NYC is rather low for NYC at holiday time.
Amish Country is too far away to do as a day trip from NYC.

Sorry if I misunderstood - see now that the OP want a room for $200 - which is going to be practically impossible that time of year.

And when your budget is limited you will not want to be wasting money on very expensive tours. Instead plan on getting around on foot, as much as possible - on subway - which goes everywhere and runs every few minutes. If you prefer you can take city bus - but there is SO much traffic that time of year it will take forever to get anywhere (but the same is true of tour buses).

I would look - very quickly - to see if you can find something in Long Island City. This is a mixed use area but only about 10 minutes from Manhattan by subway. Not sure, but you may find something for your budget - but don;t delay or places may all be fully booked.

From Baltimore, you may want to look at Philadelphia. That would get you a lot closer to Amish country. As for snow, that is totally weather dependent and could or could not happen unless you went to the mountains.

If you want to see NYC, then I think you should come for a few days. But it's not a day-trip destination from any of the places you are staying. And further, coming into NYC during the holidays can get old on the train or bus, and it's expensive. It's much better to stay in the city even if you aren't a city person. It can be a great adventure for a few days.

The cheaper time to come to NYC will be the week between Christmas and New Year's, but it will not be "cheap" by any means, and a $200 room is a stretch almost any time of the year. Long Island City (try Country Inn & Suites) is a realistic possibility if there are rooms, and there are other hotel options there.

Hershey is several hours driving from NYC and not at all a day-trip, nor is Amish country in Lancaster, which is still a couple of hours from Hershey. And doing either requires a car. If you don't feel you can drive yourself, then these are not options for you. Public transport is simply not enough.

If your dates are at all flexible, the dates around xmas (18-26) are MUCH cheaper in hotels than the very beginning of the month or the end near New Year's Eve. I think you're thinking you could stay outside of Manhattan and get a daily tour pick up near your hotel. This is frankly totally impractical. There was a co. That did this (don,t know if it still exists) but it was a LONG tour day totally inappropriate for such a young child with a short attention span. You will also be far more self sufficient if you stay in Manhattan (or mYbe Brooklyn) where you can walk out the hotel door and find restaurants, shops etc. i highly recommend staying on the upper west side which is a family area where NYs actually live. Staying at Milburnhotel.com is like having your own apartment with small kitchenette. NYC is the safest large city in the country. Come and enjoy Xmas in NYC but don't expect snow which rarely shows up when you want it.;)

PS I think you should start familiarizing yourself with google maps. Hershey Pa would be much closer to Baltimore than NYC. Maps.google.com. Type Baltimore md to Hershey Pa and see how close. There may be day trips from Balt. to Hershey and Amish country. Do a google search. I know there are bus trips to Amish country from Phil.

Thanks for the suggestions. A few have misunderstood - I am looking at being in New York City for four days.

Agree that Manhattan - and esp the upper west side is great for a kid's visit. But the Newton - a reliable budget property - is almost $300 per night between Christmas and New Year's and the Beacon - a little nicer - is more than $350.

These prices will only go up as you get closer to the date - and are lower than they would be earlier in the month

I would definitely do this versus trekking back and forth from LIC (NOT pleasant) or Jersey (time and money consuming) The area is great for kids - mid/upscale residential with a ton of inexpensive places to eat that are kid friendly.

If you want to do this urge you make reservations TODAY before the hotels are completely sold old (the cheapest rooms already are).

What is not pleasant about travelling from Long Island City. It takes about ten minutes on the subway to Times Square, we loved it.

The travel is fine - the neighborhood is mixed use (auto body shops, warehouses, etc) - not what you usually find in a tourist area (other hotels, restaurants, neighborhood or larger shops, cafes, etc.

Agree $200/night is virtually impossible in NYC during December. Realistically OP has to increase this budget by at least $100/night.

Difficulty with staying outside the city is the commute - OP states 7YO son tires easily so any commute would only add to the level of tiredness. Also, what one saves on room charge get's spent on commuting costs. And don't forget the value of "lost time" plus commuting from the suburbs doing rush hour is stressful and if you wait for non-rush hours you have even less time for seeing the sights. Don't inconvenience yourself, stay in Manhattan if at all possible.

Snow, may or may not happen in NYC during December - no way to predict. If heavy snow, that could curtail any meaningful tourist activities and make things unpleasant - difficult getting around, piles of wet slush, heavier traffic, etc. Chances are good you won't see snow.

Plenty of Christmas lights and decorations in NYC between early December and a few days after Christmas - after that they start to disappear.

No problem doing carriage ride - simply go to area near 5th Ave and 59th Street (Central Park South) - lots of horse/carriage vendors there. Dress warmly if it's a cold day

Hershey & Amish Country (Lancaster area) not a viable day trip from NYC - minimum 3 hour drive each way to each location. It's an hour or so drive between Hershey and the center of Amish Country. Too much driving for short visit.

If son tires easily - you'll need to take subway (economical) or taxis (expensive) to get around the city as most points of interest are spread out. Buses are the least practical way to get around the city.

NYC is a "foodie's heaven" - there are thousands of restaurants - some of which are finest in the world. Careful, though, some restaurants can be outrageously expensive, other very expensive and still other just expensive - you get the idea. Of course you can dine at fast food joints, coffee shops, pizza parlors, etc. but they may not be best choices if you are indeed a "foodie". Need some idea of your food budget to give you any meaningful advice.

I took college students to NYC last January. We stayed at the Broadway Hotel and Hostel. It's on the upper west side in a lovely and safe area.
It is a few short blocks to the subway. We had a rooms with 2 twin beds and a tv. In December the room goes for $173 a night including all fees and taxes. The private bathroom was across the hall. We had a sink in our room and access to a fridge and microwave on the first floor.It was plain but clean and quiet and comfortable.

The people at the check-in desk were helpful in providing directions.

Hostels are not to everyone's taste but they do offer inexpensive housing. When I go to NYC that's all I really need.And I am only young in spirit-I was the oldest person staying there and that was okay.

Obviously hotels are really expensive, so traveling on your budget would be tough at that time of the year. Hostels are one option, renting rooms is another. Try google with bnb, nyc and help yourself. It's definately doable.

Despite what air bnb has said subletting apartments in NYC is illegal in almost all cases. Renting a room while the owner occupies the apt can be legal - but I'm not sure that is something you would want to do with a small child. (I wouldn't do it as an adult - but with a child there are many more obvious issues. Who are the people? Would they expect a child to stay in a single room and be quiet the whole time? Is there a private bath or is it shared with the regular tenant?).

Hostels can be inexpensive - but some do not allow small children. And a private rooms is not necessarily much less than a regular hotel.

Exact dates are very important for hotel prices, especially in December. Christmas week itself has very affordable rates, especially if you and your son can share a bed. There are lots of options for well under $200

This year, rates jump up the weekend after Christmas in anticipation of an influx of people arriving early for New Year's eve and staying for an extra long weekend.

Since your son has poor muscle tone, the subway will be a big help. Can he walk up and down stairs (necessary for the subway as most stations don't have elevators)? How much walking can he do on flat streets?

Actually, the week right before Christmas is a time when less expensive hotel rooms are easily acquired on sites such as quikbook.com, travelzoo, expedia, etc.

Guys, you have been really helpful, thank you! Also 'christnp' thanks for the heads up on the lack of elevators on the subway.
Cheers!

If lack of elevators on the subway are a concern, all city buses have lifts to enable wheelchair access. I believe they can be activated for any person unable to climb the stairs, whether or not they are in a wheelchair.

A few subway stations have escalators or elevators - but they are often not working. And since there are multiple subway lines, sometime crisscrossing under each other, getting from the street down to the actual platform can be 3 double flights of stairs.

Buses can kneel for wheelchairs - don;t know if they will for others. However, often all seats are taken (typically run 100 to 150% full except at odd hours, and around the holidays bus travel is VERY slow compared to subway (walking is often faster than buses).

I don't think anyone's mentioned yet how crowded the sidewalks can be during the Christmas period. The week before Christmas is my favourite time in NY -- it's beautiful and exciting, but it is quite a crush. If your son tires easily or is in a wheelchair (you don't say), the sheer volume of people may be a lot for you to deal with.

That said, is it possible for you to do this whole visit through a tour company -- one who will arrange hotels, events and city tours, etc., for a better 'group rate'? I've never done this myself but there must be reputable firms who do it. Perhaps the Fodorites can suggest a few.