bo448

We're a group of 7 - 3 moms and 4 teens and would like advice for things to do and things to avoid. We're booked at the Novotel so we're pretty central I'm told. I've been told that the Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island tour is too long considering we're only there for 3 nights/4 days. Any opinions?

lisettemac

I guess that depends on whether it's a priority for you to see the Statute of Liberty/Ellis Island. On a holiday weekend in the summer the line is likely to be long. I'd get there first thing in the morning and plan on it taking about half a day. In 4 days, I'd think you could spare that time if you really want to see it.

As for what else to do, there are literally 1000s of choices. You will have to tell us a little about what your group likes to do -- shopping, museum, sightseeing, theatre?

You might start with a general guidebook of NYC. Pick out the things that sound interesting to you and then posters here can help you put those together into a sensible itinerary. Or, do a search of this site -- you will find a thousand posts on this subject.

nytraveler

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are not a single entity. I do not reco spending time at the Statue - since you can;t climb it the remaining activities are not worth the lines IMHO.

However, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum is a stellar attraction - a wonderfully colorful and evocative represenation of the lives of a lot of the diverse people who make NYC - and the US what it is. Don;t know where you're from but I think this is esepcially important activity for people from smaller towns/other areas that are less diverse - in terms of helping their understandng of the rest of the world.

Other don;t misses :

Met Museum (search the web site to see which departments you would like best) - or MOMA if modern art is your thing
Central Park
At least 1 or 2 shows
Exploration of at least one of the real neighborhoods - upper west side , soho, village, lower east side etc

If the teens are young/immature you may want to add Museum of natural History, Zoo in central park

If the teens are 15/16 - and will be looking for colleges in the next year or so - you may want to take the opportunity to do a little college touring while you're here (ie look at NYU while in the village - or Columbia on the UWS) - just to give them a flavor of big city campus life

Also - reco strongly that you download the subway map before you go - and locate stops/routes for the major things you will be seeing - so you don;t have to learn to cope with that when you get here.

If you mention specific interests - people can tell you how to get special activities to match them.

jocalvin1969

With such a large group, a suggestion I would make is that you buy a multi day pass on one of the double decker bus tours (I think Grey Line?), you can get on and off at most of the big tourist sites and fun neighborhoods (chinatown, greenwich village)and it's a heck of alot easier than trying to all stay together on the subways/busses. I did this recently when I had 6 relatives from France come to visit (I live just outside of NY), and it worked out really well for us. It wasn't cheap, but was well worth the expense in convience.

Blossom1022

If you hop on the Staten Island ferry downtown by Battery park, which is free, you can see the Statue of Liberty as the ferry sails by.
It's a half-hour ride from Manhattan to Staten Island. Just stay on the ferry and it will take you back to Manhattan. 1 hour total.

Definitely go to a Broadway show. You can get discount tickets the day of the performance at the TKTS booth in midtown. Check out newyork.citysearch.com for other ideas.

LizNYC

With teens I would suggest Canal street shopping (good buys) and Greenwich Village. Great museums here, even for teens. When you arrive, buy New York Magazine and you will get the week's events. Chinatown is great, Wall Street, South Street Seaport area is great, and you can get discount theatre tickets right on 42nd Street! Tribeca, Soho areas are great. NYC is beautiful and you'll all have a great time!

atilla

Your teens (and maybe the moms too) might like the Intrepid Air Sea Space Museum. I saw lots of teens there having a great time. You can spend as much or as little time as you deem necessary, but I highly recommend it for teens.

http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/

Anonymous

Remember that you can split up -- there's nothing wrong with a contingent going to the Museum of Natural History while others go shopping.

nytraveler

exactly - why be joined at the hip for 4 days? You'll naturally have a variety of interests. And if the teens are older - you don;t mention ages- they will probably enjoy some time on their own - while moms can have a little more adult relaxation.

bo448

Sorry I didn't mention ages... The girs are 13, 14, 18 and 19. Also is it possible to ride the ferry past the statue of liberty and only get off at Ellis Island?

janie

You can take the paid boat that goes to the Staute and Ellis Island (in that order) and just not get off at the statue. It is the same boat, so you will have the same long wait for it regardeless of where you get off.

Also, just to make something clear, the "ferry" that many people talk about here is not the same boat. The Staten island ferry, a free commuter ferry happens to offer a great view of the Statue. It doesn't let you get off anywhere but Staten Island and Manhattan, so it's strictly for the view of the Statue and the harbor, not for getting to Ellis Island.

sbparadis

Take the kids to the planetarium at the Natural History Museum- the Rose Center- and see "Sonic Vision"- it's a 45 minute show of computer-generated imagery that will blow them away- you too. produced by MTV with music mixed by Moby- a ravishing audiovisual experience that is shown several times Friday and Saturday night. I love to go to this with my teens and preteens- it gets you out in the evening, and let's face it- no one wants to do Broadway every night.
Speaking of Broadway- get tickets for Avenue Q. My fifteen-year-old absolutely loved this adult (but not TOO adult) parody of Sesame Street. It's hilarious.
The big Times Square stores that teens love like Virgin Records, Sephora etc. are open late so you can shop after the theater- my kids think that is really something- to be shopping late at night.
To completely cement your images as Moms Who Are Cool- take them to De La Guarda- how to describe this? it's circus/theatre/interactive/multicultural/multisensory performance- suitable for teens and adults- the theater is right at Union Square so you have plenty of options for eating before or after. I like a place called Otto for pizza and bistro-type food.
Ellis Island is terrific if they like museums and are interested in the immigrant experience- you can search their databas for ancestors that may have passed through there. get the audio gude- it's worth it. My kids loved being on the boat and seeing the statue up close- just don't get off the boat and continue on to Ellis Island. And go early- try to be there when it opens.
If they are really interested, take them to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. The place is really terrific. Most historic properties are castles and mansions- this is a unique opportunity to experience the other side of the coin. Just incredibly well done. Plus the lower east side discount shopping is still good- but stores are closed on Saturda, so don't expect to shop that day in that neighborhood!
Two stores on lower Broadway- almost to Canal- that teenagers LOVE are Yellow Rat Bastard and Pearl River Mart. Right across the street from each other. One is super hip skateboard type clothing- the other is charming cheap stuff from China.
Someone has mentioned buying New York Magazine- I recommend Time Out- buy one the very first thing you do. Check out where there is a street market and go there. Teenage girls will adore the cheap pashminas, purses and earrings.
Have fun! wish I was going with you!

bo448

Thanks for all replies! Also, one in our group is in a collapsible wheelchair so I hope that won't be a problem for touristy adventures. I imagine that taxi drivers are not going to be as accommodating when they see a wheelchair. Any thoughts?

neworleanslady

A Yankees game is always fun - even for all girls! I agree that you should at least visit Ellis Island. A walk through Tiffany's is a must! I LOVED Wall Street and the tour of NYSE. All but one of us were business majors but the non-business major enjoyed it as much as the rest of us. A really interesting thing to see and IMO a great thing to teach young girls!! Another "must" for me was the Empire State Building.
You can fit a lot into 4 days if you plan things near each other. Get a map ahead of time to plan things in sections of the city to do at the same time. You may not need an Excel spreadsheet like I handed out to my friends, but trust me - it helped and we saw a lot more than if we'd woke up & tried to decide what to do that day!!