What were the big hits for your kids in NYC?
 

We are taking our three boys (8,8,9) to NYC for a week in late August. Our main goal is to see some of the US Open. We will also be seeing a Yankees game and a Mets game.

In planning our schedule for the rest of the time, I am filling it with what I assume are the usual suspects (Statue of Liberty, Museum of Nat'l History, Met, 9/11, Central Park). What am I missing? What was a big hit with your kids when you visited?

We are talking about a play but I honestly am not sure if our boys would sit still for two hours for a non-sporting event. Might be better for my DH and I to go alone.

Our kids have been to the top of TPE 101 so not sure if the ESB makes a lot of sense for them. They have not expressed a great deal of interest.

Has anyone done the UN Tour with kids? How was it? My guys really enjoy current events so I thought it might be something to add.

Any other thoughts?

Take them to The Top of The Rock. They'll appreciate the unique and iconic views from there. (completely different than what they saw in Taiwan).

Will you take your guys to see the Intrepid and the Space Shuttle and the museum there?

Spiderman might hold their interest.

My son went through a serious SOL phase at that age--read everything he could find; after we walked up and down, his question "Can we do iot again?"

He also loved the dinosaurs at the Nat History Museum; "I could have stood and looked at that T Rex all day".

When are the Statue of Liberty renovations to be completed? I know the SOL is not open now.

The SOL won't be open while we were there. We plan on seeing it from afar on the Staten Island Ferry per advice I received on this Forum.

We saw the Space Shuttle in Florida when we visited Cape Canaveral. So, I think that has been done.

We spent an entire day touring the USS Midway in San Diego awhile back so I think the Intrepid is off the list as well.

I will look into Spiderman. Having sat through Stomp and Blue Man Group before and my husband is reluctant to do those again. I really want to see The Book of Mormon but will need to do that without them.

Please keep these ideas coming.

Have you tried to get tix to Book of Mormon yet?

Do your kids like boats?

Look, your kids are obviously well traveled. It's of no use for us to suggest things available to them in NYC if they've 'been there, done that' in other places throughout the world.

If they've not been to NYC before, the ideas you've already mentioned will be 'enough'. As you know, New York City is one of the most vibrant places in the world; it often feels like the center of the universe when I go back to visit. I hope your family 'gets it' and really embraces the city and what it offers. Enjoy your stay.

Take them to Forbidden Planet
http://www.fpnyc.com/

Evolution
http://theevolutionstore.com/

Costume Store
http://www.newyorkcostumes.com/

Paragon-best sportings good store in the city

Take them to The Cage to watch boys and men play a tough style of NY basketball. It is free park and the court is smaller than regulation. And you do not play there unless you know what you are doing.

To eat:
Pomme Frites (That is all they serve)
http://www.pommesfrites.ws/

Il Laboratorio de Gelato
http://www.laboratoriodelgelato.com/

Go either Golden Unicorn or Jing Fong for dim sum. They bring around carts and they can point and if they do not like that they can order from the menu. Go during the week at lunch time. Weekends are a zoo.

When you go to the Mets game at Citi Field, be sure to visit the Fan Fest area on the Field level behind the outfield, shown in upper right on this plan:

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/nym/ball...fieldlevel.jsp

There you will find kid-friendly activities like a pitching dunk tank, batting cages, wiffle ball home run hitting, and such.

Peter and the Starcatchers and have them read the book first!

The exhibits at Ellis Island are kid-friendly and engaging.

IMO, the Tenement Museum is a great accompaniment to the immigrant history of Ellis Island and seeing SOL. It's accessible by guided tours only: the tour guides are in period costume and really make the house "come alive". The only problem is that, being August, you'd really understand how stifling it was to live and work there back in the day! The museum also gives walking tours in the area, which might be more fun for active boys.

Another recommendation for a play would be "Peter and the Star Catchers". I had no interest in seeing a prequel to Peter Pan but ended up going with a friend. It was extremely well done and *hilarious* - the entire audience was cracking up the whole time!

I believe the SoL will still be closed then. You can see if from a distance for free from the Staten Island Ferry - about 1.5 hours RT across the harbor - and a great view of the skyline on the way back..If you want to visit the Ellis island Immigration Museum - which is brilliant - then you need to take the ferry to Liberty Island - but you MUST get advance tickets from the national ppark Service ow risk hours long waits to buy them on the spot. (As it is you need to allow 45 minutes for the ferry security line - think airline type security - no large backpacks of bags.) Also expect this type of security for each of the baseball games.

I would also do with them

Top of the Rock
Central Park - zoo/carousel/boating on lake
Museum Nat'l History and Planetarium
The Met ( has something for everyone including the Egyptian Dept/Temple of Dendur and arms & armor)
Intrepid museum plus Space Shuttle tour
Consider the Beast or one of the other jet boat rides
they will probably think the subway a hoot

Consider one of the off-broadway shows geared more to kids (check playbill.com)

OMG Aduchamp, the Cage!!! I had not heard of it before but just googled it and it is now a MUST DO. MY DH and his brothers are all big basketball players and all lived in NYC and I will ask them what they know of it. I think my guys would LOVE to sit there and watch a couple games. Fabulous idea.

Ellenem, thanks for the tips on the Mets. My guys always love all the kid activities at sporting events so I will make sure we go there as well.

Bowspirit, they do like boats. I was thinking of doing a cruise one day but wonder if the Staten Island Ferry is enough.

The gelato place sounds perfect as well. I guess I need to start thinking of food. I really have not put together any thoughts there other than Grey's Papaya, the Shake Shack and some Chinese while we are in Flushing. We will all be happiest with lots of noodle shops and good, cheap, ethnic food. There is really no ethnic food to speak of here (other than Swedish or Somali) so Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Mexican, etc. is where we will be heading. Please forward any suggestions you might have on those.

NYTraveler and ggreen, thanks for the thoughts on the Peter and the Starcatchers. We have not read the book but I will get it tomorrow and we can read it together over the next couple of weeks. That is a great idea. Had not heard of the play before. My sons watched the Tony Awards the other night and so are now a bit interested in Broadway.

The Beast is another good idea. I think they would like that.

Keep them coming!

Pretty much across the avenue from "the cage" is both Grom (the Italian gelateria's first venture in the US) and a tiny place that sells gelato on a stick, popsicle style (called Pop... something that I don't remember right now!).

Also look for these ice cream trucks: Van Leeuwen and the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. The former is wonderful, creamy artisanal ice cream; the latter is more like a Mr. Softee with fabulous toppings; Vendy-award-winning soft-serve. :) Van Leeuwen also has a physical shop now in the East Village.

<u>Indian</u>
Really good Indian in Flushing, too. (There's a large Hindu temple there.) Not far from "the cage" is one of my favorite sit-down Indian restaurants, Surya. Or go for the casual at Kati Roll Company, Indian Creperie or NY Dosas, each a few blocks away. If you go to the WTC site, cosy Ruchi is tucked on a corner just south of the site.

And if you like South Indian, Indian Chinese, and south Asian groceries, there's plenty of each in "Curry Hill" (Lexington Ave between about 24th-29th Streets). Especially, Saravana Bhavan for South Indian and Chinese Mirch for Indian Chinese...

<u>Thai</u>
You can find decent Thai all over the city. My favorite hole-in-the-wall places are in Hell's Kitchen. Pam Real Thai Food is top of my list, especially the original location on West 49th Street. There are also two "chains" each with multiple locations in Hell's Kitchen (but nowhere else!): Wondee and Yum Yum. For more upscale dining, try Pongsri's theater district location.

<u>Korean</u>
For Korean food and fun, head to Koreatown, in the East 30's just east of Herald Square.

// Gourmet food trucks have taken the city by storm; some are very good. (Regular food trucks are also prevalent, especially the ubiquitous gyro/chicken/felafel guys.)


(You've probably read it elsewhere here, but worth repeating is that menupages.com is a very good resource for NYC restaurant details and user reviews.)

When you are walking around there are a good to very good Italian pastry shops-Veniero's, DeRobertis, Bruno's, Rocco's.

There is new place on Mulberry Street that approximates churros as made in Spain called La Churreria. And they have the same tradition as in Spain where you take the churros and dunk them in hot chocolate. There isn't a kid alive who would not love that and adults also.

http://lachurrerianyc.com/

And if you are near the Trade Center Evelyn's on John Street makes store made chocolate, not the best chocolate in town but the best value.

And Economy candy where every candy known to man is available. It is old and not glittery like Dylan's thus it much cheaper and more interesting to adults.

http://economycandy.com/