Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report Turning 12 in NYC, a 4-day US history tour; Nov 2024

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)

- United States (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/)

- - Turning 12 in NYC, a 4-day US history tour; Nov 2024 (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/turning-12-in-nyc-a-4-day-us-history-tour-nov-2024-a-1726610/)

Turning 12 in NYC, a 4-day US history tour; Nov 2024

Hello, our family of 3 recently spent a 4-day weekend in NYC, for my son's 12th birthday. For those of you who have known me for a long time, you will recall that my previous NYC trips were all about art museum visits during the day and operas at night. Times have changed and we have none of those on this trip. Instead, we spent our 4 days visiting historic sites, learned about past presidents and immigrants' stories.

Day 1
We took an early Amtrak from Boston on Friday and arrived at Penn Station around 10:20am. I booked us the Doubletree Times Sq South, which is conveniently located 3 blocks north of Penn Station at 36th St / 8th Ave. The high-floor room I had picked on the app wasn't ready, and they offered me a room on a lower floor which we declined. We left our luggage at front desk.

My plan was to hop on the A/C train to head north to visit the Hamilton Grange house on its 11:30am tour (guided tours only). There should have been plenty of time for us to get there, except that both my husband and my son were starving (we ate breakfast at 5am), so we stopped at a crepe shop near our hotel for a second breakfast. By the time we finished, it was too late to make it to the 11:30am tour (next one was at 1:30pm). So we pivoted and headed north to General Grant Mausoleum by Riverside Park. This is where Ulysses Grant and his wife were laid to rest, and the mausoleum is the largest in N Am. The moment we walked in, my son said it looks just like Napoleon's tomb in Paris (where we visited 2 years ago, also for his birthday). And he was absolutely right, as we found out on the audio tour. None of us knew much about Ulysses Grant besides the basics, so we did learn quite a bit on this visit using the audio tour. Unfortunately the visitors center closes 12-1 for lunch (due to short-staffed) so we didn't have time to see the exhibits there, but my son was able to get his junior ranger badge.

After our visit, we set off for a 30-min walk to Hamilton Grange, arriving in time for the 1:30pm tour. We watched the 2 park films, which I recommend if you have time. The house has been moved twice, and the second time was documented with videos, and it is pretty incredible. Although the house tour is only 30 minutes long, we spent a total of 1.5 hours at the site as the visitors center also has exhibits and background of Hamilton and the house. My son got his second NPS Junior ranger badge.

We were pretty tired by then so we took the express train back to Penn Station and checked into the hotel for a much-needed brief rest. We have tickets to see Hamilton on Broadway that evening, so we set off again around 5pm for dinner and then for the show starting at 7pm. For my son's birthday dinner, we went to Dim Sum Sam, which is on the way to Richard Rogers. My son loves dim sum and he got 3 dishes (BBQ pork buns, sweet custard buns, sesame balls). My husband had crispy pork & roast duck over rice, and I had fish congee. We also got a side of choy sum for veggies. Overall the food is okay for the convenience (location) but not that great when compared to what you would get in Chinatown.

Not much to say about Hamilton except that I thought it was a great idea to visit Hamilton Grange earlier in the day. It is a good brush up on history and we got a lot more out of the lyrics. Several of my friends recommended me getting the obstructed view seats in the orchestra, as they are much-discounted. These seats are only released a few days beforehand, and not every show offers them, so you have to keep checking the website. The price, while not cheap, is the 2nd lowest price category. Our seats were in the 4th row and the 3 seats at the far left. I think the 2nd and 3rd seats still have an okay view, but I sat at the one on the very end and the view is quite obstructed. My husband and I have both seen Hamilton before so it's not too big of a deal for me. My alternative would have been the front row mezzanine seats on the far sides. Those are $50 more each. I think those would provide a better overall view if you don't mind paying a bit more.

After the show we stopped for some birthday gelato at Amorino before heading back.

YK, your trip reports are always enjoyable. Looking forward to more.

This sounds like a very interesting trip. I'm looking forward to reading more!

Great photos. Does M-YK like history class in school?

I have never visited Grant's tomb although I grew up in the NYC area and attended grad school in the city.
One place that my husband and I have visited that might interest your family is the Grant's Cottage State Historic site near Saratoga
. https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/9/details.aspx

A wonderful birthday present, yk! More soon please.

Following as we will be in New York City at Christmas, I think we will make a visit to the Hamilton Grange.

You really have taken myk to some wonderful places. Following along and will take some notes. I really would love to take the grands back east for some history lessons.

Thank you for all your kind words! VT, yes I saw a pamphlet about Grant's Cottage this summer when we were in the Berkshires/NY. I Looked into it briefly then, and I read up on it more after the NYC trip. When we get around to visit Saratoga area, we will swing by to check it out.

dfrostnh, yes, he is quite interested in history, which surprises me because I was not as a child!

nelsonian, I definitely recommend Hamilton Grange, and it's fairly easy to get to on the subway.

Day 2
After breakfast at the hotel, we set off to the Tenement Museum for a 10:30am tour. My husband and I have been there once, a long time ago. It is really a remarkable institution, and over the years, I think they have expanded in size and also the number of tours that are offered. The selection is almost overwhelming. We picked the "100 years apart" because we have Chinese heritage. Our educator/guide is great, super enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Mrs. Wong's apartment has lots of interactive features throughout the room for visitors to explore. I think it's important to remember that most americans had ancestors who immigrated from somewhere else, and to understand their plight. My son really enjoyed it and asked to return in the future for a different tour.

By the time we were done, it was lunchtime and we are just a few blocks from NYC's Chinatown. An acquaintance had shared with me this Eater guide. One place I definitely wanted to try is called "Yi Ji Shi Mo". They only make rice rolls but the rice flour is milled with stone mill, so the flour is especially fine. We headed there first (it's tiny and take-out only) and was told the wait is 45 minutes! I placed an order for plain rice rolls and then we set off for Dumpling Story for a sit-down lunch. We got a couple of soup dumplings, a noodle dish and chili oil wonton. The dumplings are pretty decent. After we finished, it was time to pick up our rice rolls. Wow, that was definitely delicious! Then we went to Harper's Bread House to get a couple of egg tarts to go.

Our next stop is Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace on W 20th Street. You can only visit the house on guided tours and there are limited number of tours throughout the day. I had the good sense of calling them ahead, and they were kind enough to hold 3 spots for us (technically it is first-come-first-serve, but I told them we were hopping on the subway and would be there in 15 minutes' time). When we got there to check in (15 minutes before the next tour at 2pm), I realized we took the last spots, and folks who showed up after had to wait for the next tour at 3pm.

I didn't know too much about Teddy Roosevelt, though this historic site mostly focuses on his family (grandparents, parents, uncles, siblings etc). What's very interesting is that the house was demolished in 1916 and completely rebuilt in 1923 as a museum. TR lived here until he was a teenager, then they moved further uptown as that area has become too downmarket. It hasn't lost on us that this house was around the same period as the apartment we visited at Tenement Museum, and the contrast between the 2 lodgings couldn't be bigger. (TR's family was one of the richest people in NYC at that time). The visitors center has a roomful of displays as well for those interested in learning more about his family.

We headed back to our hotel for a brief tea break (with the chinatown egg tart), then set off by foot to visit The Edge. I hadn't planned on going there but we can see the observation deck from our hotel room, and the day before, my son asked if we could go there. Since it's near to us (15-min walk) and it was going to be a beautiful afternoon/evening, I splurged on the tickets for us to go. By the time I booked our tickets (this morning), the mid-afternoon /sunset times were almost completely sold out. I got us 4:20pm entry tickets (sunset was 4:43pm), assuming we should be able to catch sunset.

Hooboy! The lines were long and felt like Disney... every time you turned a corner, there is another snake in front of you. It took over 30 minutes before we finally got to the deck, which of course was past sunset by then. But it was still very pretty at dusk, but oh dear the platform was packed. I hate to say this but the young Instagram generation is really insufferable. When I was young and we had film camera, you just take one photo and you're done. In this digital era, so many of these folks hog the spots for a long time, taking a gazillion photos as if they were doing photo shoots, then spend another 10 minutes still hogging the spot so they can scroll through their phones to check on the photos. TBH, none of them were really looking at the view since they were too busy looking at their phones. In the meantime, we could barely squeeze in for a view.

We stayed on the deck for maybe 45 minutes? By then it had gone dark so it was cool to see the building lights. The deck also has a small area that has a glass floor so you can stand there and stare down 100 floors below. The wait to get back down was ... omg so long! Anyway, I had really mixed feelings about it. It is a beautiful view (esp on such a lovely day and mild weather), but not sure if it was worth the wait and the money. Let me just say that I'm glad we did it and there is no need to return.

For dinner, we opted for something unhealthy at Burgerology nearby.

Enjoying your report, as usual. Next time you're in the city consider a visit to the Merchant House Museum. https://merchantshouse.org for a view of life between the poverty of the tenements and wealth of the Roosevelts.

DAY 3
Today is our BIG day - spending the entire day at Liberty Island and Ellis Island! We didnt' decide on this trip until 2 month prior, and by the time I checked, there were only 2 tickets left for Crown Reserve for this time and date. So I got those plus a Pedestal Reserve ticket for my spouse. I did keep checking the website for Crown Reserve return tickets but there were none to be had.

We got up at 6am, had breakfast at 6:30am, and headed downtown to Battery Park by 7:30am. The first cruise departs at 9am but we have to be there by 8:30am for security check. ** if you have Crown Reserve tickets, you HAVE to first stop at the ticket office at Castle Clinton to get your ticket and wristband. They will check your ID and they make sure you put your wristband on in front of them. (I suppose this is to minimize scalping).

Once on Liberty Island, my son picked up a Junior Ranger booklet, and we then headed for the Crown. You cannot bring anything on the stairs besides phone, camera and bottle water (in clear plastic container). There are lockers nearby that takes a 25cent deposit. Even though Crown Reserve tickets were sold out for the day, it didn't feel crowded. At the bottom of the stairs, the staff makes you tear off the wristband and throw it in the trash, as a way of making sure you are not slipping it to someone else. The 162 steps to the top wasn't bad, despite steep and narrow spiral staircase. Since it wasn't crowded, we were able to spend 10 minutes up there talking to the park ranger stationed there. I actually had ascended the crown once before, 30 years ago. I don't think I need to do it for a third time.

After reuniting with DH on the Pedestal level, we descended and explored the museum inside the base. That took some time, as it was about the original idea of building the statue and the whole process, and shipping it/ reassembling it in NYC. My son enjoys reading every single panel in the museum. Then we went for a walk around the island perimeter, before we went to the Visitors Center/museum for more exhibits and watch the park film. The visitors center is a lot more crowded compared to the museum inside the pedestal. But you can also view the original torch there.

By the time we were done, it was noon (and we didn't even have time for the free audioguide tour nor a ranger-led tour), and we hopped on the next ferry over to Ellis Island. First we grabbed lunch inside the cafeteria, then picked up the free audioguide to start exploring the Museum of Immigration. I thought it was really well done — the audio tour have you trace the footsteps of the immigrants who have just gotten off the boat (well, just 3rd class and steerage passengers). It explains the many steps one had to pass through in order to be let in, and the obstacles and challenges they faced. It took us almost 2 hours to get through the museum. One can certainly spend many more hours there if they wanted.

It was almost 4pm when we returned to Battery Park, and we stopped at Castle Clinton for a short visit so my son can complete the junior ranger book there was well. Castle Clinton certainly has a fascinating history as well, having been a fort, an opera house, an aquarium, and of course being the immigration center (before it got moved to Ellis Island ). Altogether we spent 8 hours at the 3 sites and we could have easily spent more time there.

That evening we met a friend of my husband's for dinner at a Japanese restaurant in Koreatown.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f2c6ccd10.jpeg
On the ferry approaching Statue of Liberty
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9c00db705.jpeg
The original torch inside the visitors center
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ff85d479f.jpeg
Registry hall in the Museum of Immigration on Ellis Island

nelsonian-- if you do go to the Hamilton Grange when you are in NYC, it is worth taking some extra time to walk around the interesting Harlem Heights/Sugar Hill neighborhood i

yk-- I was living in NYC when Ellis Island was first opened to the public in 1976. It was in very poor shape then and they have done a lot of work in the intervening years.

Wonderful report. Loving all of the photos!

More bravas, yk. Rhody's paternal great grandfather entered the U.S. via Ellis Island. We couldn't find his name on the list so their correct surname is in question. The bravery of immigrants grabs me beyond belief.

having just returned from a trip to NY with kids myself, I am enjoying your report a lot - taking notes for our next visit! :lol:

considering you mention your Chinese ancestry, I realise just how much self-centered 'we' Europeans look at Ellis Island as the 'default' point of entry to the US. I wonder what the situation on the US west coast must have been like back then and whether there is a similar place of remembrance...

Nautiker, there is an island in the San Francisco Bay, Angel Island, where immigrants were processed and many were detained. It has a fascinating history and is worth visiting. Here is some information: https://www.aiisf.org and https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1309.

African American Burial Ground

This is another NPS site for consideration when you make another visit to NY. I love your trip reports!

You also might consider the boroughs. The Noguchi Museumin Queens and the Louis Armstrong House Museum, also in Queens, might interest the three of you.

hope you do return, YK.

Day 4
Our last day in NYC but our Amtrak doesn't depart until 5pm, so essentially we have a full day for sightseeing. After breakfast, check out, and leaving our luggage at the hotel, we headed downtown to 9/11 Museum. Even though I have been to NYC dozens of times since 2001, this is my first time returning to that part of the city. My brother and I had gone up to Windows on the World back in the early 1990s. I don't know how busy the museum normally gets, but today (Veterans Day Monday) it was really crowded. I had booked tickets online beforehand so we could skip the ticketing line.

As soon as we entered, a staff member informed us that the movie is about to start, so we chose to watch it first. I had (wrongly) assumed it was an overview of 9/11, but turns out it is about the hunt for Osama bin Laden. If I had known, we probably should have saved it for the end of our visit.

I will say that I appreciated the museum design, but the exhibition space specifically for the core exhibition of September 11 was extremely crowded and claustrophobic. Whereas other areas in the museum is vast and airy, this one was packed and it was difficult to read the panels because there were so many visitors. There is really a lot to see and go through in the museum. Despite this happened over 20 years ago, I still feel like I was not ready to relive that day (and the immediate days/weeks/months that followed). My son had read a number of (age-appropriate) books on 9/11 and he also found the info quite overwhelming. We were at the museum for almost 4 hours. I find the memorial pools outside are poignant and a good spot to reflect. As it was Veterans Day, there were yellow roses placed on the names who had served in the military.

Our next stop was the Trinity Churchyard where we located Alexander Hamilton's (and Eliza's) graves. It seems only appropriate to start and end our trip with Hamilton.

But before we catch our train, we (and pizza for lunch) and one last stop at Federal Hall National Memorial. The current building was a Custom House, but on that site, previously, was Federal Hall where George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States. There is a visitors center, a couple of rooms with exhibitions but one can see everything in 30-45 minutes.

~ that's all folks! I hope you find the report interesting, and thank you for reading and for commenting! ~

If you're interested in knowing more about our hotel, here is my Tripadvisor review. Generally I liked it, and would definitely consider staying there again in the future given its proximity to Penn Station.

Thanks for a fascinating TR, YK. I thoroughly enjoyed it and imagine you must have enjoyed seeing so much American history through your son's eyes, too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KTtravel (Post 17612268)

cheers KTravel, thanks for that one, I had never heared of it. after a quick glance, I would love to say the appears to have a bittersweet history, alas when looking closer it seems mostly bitter and hardly bittersweet at all. it must have been devastating for so many people...

and once more thanks to yk for your report - enjoyed it a lot and keeping it bookmarked for future reference :)

It is always a treat to read your adventures. Thank you

I love your TRs and it is kind of you to share the adventures you take so we get to go vicariously. Thanks for one more.

Again, yk, a wonderful TR!

thank you again for all your comments :)