LCP

We have a school trip to NYC coming up in June. Twenty five (25) students are singing with a choir at Lincoln Center. We are staying at the Sheraton on 57th street. I am looking for group ideas for the free time ---good restaurants that are close, good for a group (not eveyone will go --but probably 20+), group activity ideas.

People who are going are at all income levels - -so I would like to present a number of options to parents.

I hear the NBC tour is good? Where would I find out about boat tours/group rates? Other ideas?

Thanks for all your ideas!

nytraveler

The NBC tour is rated a bust by most people who have reported on this board.

Some things that everyone will like:

A trip on the Staten Island ferry - free and a good view of the Statue of Liberty

Ascending the Top of the Rock - you can get timed tickets in advance so your group won;t have to wait

Central Park - the southern end has a small zoo esp good for younger kids and there are other areas to explore (see the web site of the Central Park Conservancy) plus a lake with boats

The Museum of Natural History - contact them in advance and they will have a docent lead your group around - tell them how much time you have (ALL kids love this -esp the dinos) (This is the standard 2nd grade school trip for NYC kids.)

The Intrepid has a lot of interactive things for kids to do

Do you have transport organized - or will you be using the subway and bus? If the latter be sure all the kids know how it works and that everyone sticks with (holds hands with) their partner or parent

For restaurants you will have to reserve in advance for groups of more than 4. I would give parents a list of places they might want to take kids near the hotel and Lincoln Center. Be sure to visit the hot dog carts near the Park.

ellenem

I agree that the NBC tour will be expensive and boring to the kids in elementary grades. The more famous TV studios are for late night shows unfamiliar to kids that age.

Quite near the Central Park Zoo is a really nice old-fashioned carousel.

The typical boat tours, aside from the free Staten Island Ferry, is the Circle Line. They offer a few different options. For YOur group I would choose a shorter cruise. (The full-circle cruise is 3 hours and bores most people for hour around northern Manhattan.)

http://www.circleline42.com/site/default.aspx

Do you mean the Holiday Inn on 57th St? If yes, that is on the far west side. There are many dining options on Ninth Avenue south of 57th St in all price ranges.

mclaurie

There's no Sheraton on west 57th st. so let's get straight where you're staying. There are 2 Sheratons on 7th ave. in the 50's. There are very few if any restaurants that will be able to accomodate 20 people without a lot of prebooking. Angelo's Pizza on west 57th st. is one idea. Ellen's Stardust Diner in that area has singing waitstaff. Look on menupages.com for other options.

As far as tours, suggest you contact NYC dept. of tourism for info. http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgo...fa24601c789a0/ Highfive.com is an organization for teen discounts. Goldstar.com gets a lot of discounts. Broadway shows can also be bought on discount for groups. Go to tdf.org/tkts

nywaterway.com has good cruises and may have group rates.

djkbooks

We enjoyed the NBC tour, but thought it was rushed. We would have liked to wander more slowly down the halls, for one thing. They did spent a lot of time in the "Saturday Night Live" studio, which was interesting to us. And, it was incredible to see how tiny the studios are, and filled with hundreds of very hot lights. But, I would agree most of the tour (other than watching how the weather is shot with a green screen) would be a huge bore to kids.

Here's another recommendation for a Circle Line tour from the 42nd Street dock. It goes VERY close to the Statue of Liberty in both directions, the views of the skyline are magnificent, and the various bridges are amazing. For a variety of reasons, the two hour tour is preferable to three.

LCP

Thank you- great ideas and the websites to check out I obviously have to get the exact address of the hotel! Most people going have never been to NYC. We will have to take the subway/bus to get around. I love the idea of the circle line boat. Ideas for shows appropriate for young kids (mine is a 6th grader). Is 'In the Heights' appropriate for a 12 year old? It sounds great. How about STOMP?

Thanks again

LCP

Also --some one recoomended MARS restaurant ---sounds like a racket. Worth going?

mclaurie

Not imo but some kids like it. nywaterway.com that I recommended covers the same harbor area as Circle Line in a nicer boat that goes faster (so 90 mins. istead of 2 hrs.) That might still be too long for the youngest kids. The Circle Line co. does a speedboat tour that kids like called the Beast which might be more fun for them. Not sure one of those boats would hold the whole group though.

I LOVE In the Heights. It's rated as "no advisory" which means "These productions are typically suitable for teens and older. Such shows may contain mild violence, suggestive themes and/or infrequent use of strong language." Don't know where you live or how sophisticated the kids are. Stomp would be "safer" as would Blue Man Group (both are off Broadway and imo a different experience) or some other things on Broadway (like Lion King or Mary Poppins). But In the Heights is the best show on Broadway that's regularly discounted (imo) apart from maybe the revival of South Pacific. South Pacific happens to be playing at Lincoln Center, btw. Here's a kids list from Playbill http://www.playbill.com/events/listing/7.html

Gocitykids.com also has a lot of good info for you on everything from restaurants to theater to special events that might be on when you're here.

garyt22

Check out Carmines for an Italian meal... the setting is perfect for a group... try calling them for your group, they might have a separate room...

nytraveler

Ify ou go to Carmine's - basic red sauce Italian, but not bad = be aware that portions are HUGE - or you will order way too much food and spend way too much money. Most main courses are good for 2 or 3 adults (not teens) and would feed several kids. So if you do this definitely plan on sharing.

padams421

I have been on 2 school choir trips with my kids to NYC (our elementary school choir sings at Carnegie Hall every other year). If the children have their parents along on your tour, then my best advice to you is to forget doing much, if anything as a group. Families will have different interests and financial situations. If it's a group of 25 kids with a few parent chaperons, then you will have to consider what everyone can afford.

You need to know the rehearsal schedule for the concert. For Carnegie's program, the kids don't have much free time. With morning and afternoon rehearsals (and an afternoon rehearsal before the evening concert), the choir kids have to eat near the rehearsals (hot dog carts and delis are popular) because there is not enough time to go anywhere else.

For one evening of the trip, our school buys tickets as a group for a Broadway show. The school also organizes on the kids' one free morning a Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island tour for those who are interested (generally attracts the families who are in NYC for the first time). For the rest of the time, families have done their own thing. Many of the girls and moms want to shop. Some of the boys shop as well, but at the Apple and Nintendo stores instead of clothing boutiques. Dylans Candy Shop and Serendipity are always favorites as is the Times Square area. Most of the families have spent some time in Central Park and the Natural History Museum or the Met. We did the Top of the Rock on one trip and the Empire State Building on the other as a family with a few families joining us. To see and do much between the rehearsals and the concert requires a lot of pre-trip organization and planning to make the most of your limited time.

LCP

Thanks. Good advice. Everyone is going with a family member (or two). I would like to have good restaurant/show/trip options if a group if 10+ people would like to do something during the free time. There are over 70 people in our group.
4 hour practices each day, with a performance (and practice) on Sunday. After the Sunday performance, we are trying to organize a group dinner at a fixed price.

Lots of good ideas above. Thanks again.

Margo_Chester

John's on West 44th St. will take a reservation for a large group and most likely seat you upstairs in the balcony. Not sure if they will take 70 of you, but maybe this is a possibility if the crowd splits into 2 smaller groups or an idea for one of your nights when you are trying to feed 10+. They serve pizza, calzones, pastas etc. that both the kids and adults would enjoy. I would call them to make specific arrangements, the website is www.johnspizzerianyc.com and the phone number is (212)391-7560.

nytraveler

To get 70 people in one restaurant they will usually require a private room, will definitely want a fixed menu and a sizable deposit in advance - so I would search this out now and make sure parents understand they have no pay in advance with no refund if they change their minds.

If you go to opentable.com there is a special listing for group parties. Most of the restaurants are probably above your budget but they do have a few that are only $$ (versus 3 or 4$).

Elainee

After Lincoln Center concert for a group dinner I would recommend O'Neals. Very helpful, room for 70 people, and "normal" food. It is right across the street so transportation would not be a problem. Moving your large group around will not be easy.

huskermom

I think the other posters are right--most of the time the families will break off into small groups or do their own thing. Maybe you could give each family a list of suggestions and people could head off together in small groups if they wanted to do specific things?

I took my two boys (then 9 and 12) to NYC a few years ago and they loved it. All the things mentioned in Central Park were a big hit. The American Museum of Natural History is across the street from the west side of Central Park--they really enjoyed it, although it isn't necessarily inexpensive for families with budget concerns. We did the Empire State Building tour, and a trip to the Statue of Liberty because it was their first time there. My youngest son LOVED FAO Schwartz (the toy store in Big) on the south east end of Central Park, and the ToysRUs in Times Square.

The things they enjoyed the most though were the times we just wandered around. They loved the street performers, and my oldest son really loved the NYU area in Greenwich Village. That would be a fun area to head to with older kids--there are four outdoor/sidewalk cafes on the corner of Macdougal and Bleecker Streets that are fairly inexpensive (the food was delicious too) and lots of fun. The streets are narrow, shops and buildings were interesting (although some of them were a little risque) and the people were colorful. I haven't been to Little Italy or Chinatown in years so I can't say what they're like now, but those were also areas I enjoyed when I was a teen.