EileenD

We are a family of five planning to stop in NYC after a week in DC this April vacation. The plan is to drop off my husband and son in NY for a 10th birthday father-son weekend while I take the other two kids back home to Boston.
We plan to leave DC on Friday morning. We'd like to be able to do one NYC sightseeing thing as a family before separating - any ideas? Boat ride near Statue of Liberty? Also thinking of booking a hotel for the five of us in New Jersey Friday night to save some $, and then having the dad/son stay in the city Saturday night. Any ideas for the Friday night stay?

nytraveler

trekking out to NJ - esp on a Friday night - is a huge wsate of time and probably won;t save much money.
for 5 people you will eithre need 2 rooms or a suite (fire laws).


check out Radio City apts (a hotel) the Beacon or the Affinia group for a place that can take 5. But do it now - best rattes are alredy long gone.

Ackislander

Strongly agree with by traveler as you will if you try it.

EileenD

Actually, we aren't planning on going into the city at all on Friday. Thought we'd stop shy of the city to sleep, then go into New York Saturday morning to maybe take boat ride into the harbor, and then bring the dad/son uptown to their hotel before continuing our drive north. Do-able?

nyer

So you want to drive DC to outskirts of NYC Friday (just to sleep, no plans for the evening?) drive in Saturday and then continue on to Boston that day? Then your plan makes some sense.
But, te Statue of Liberty is still closed and will be until July. If it had been open you'd actually have the chance to do the r/t boat ride from the NJ side. Are you thinking of the Staten Island Ferry (free, a basic ride fro an hour both ways) or a sightseeing boat or what? Parking near the various piers on Saturday could be difficult or expensive, but for 5 of you, it will still make sense.

The NJ hotels closest to NYC are not that cheap, so this is one situation where staying a little farther out of the city , like in the Secaucus / Meadowlands area might make sense. Those areas are not very conveneinet by public transportation, but since you'll be driving in on Saturday anyway, it can save a lot of money and should only add about 20 inutes driving time on Saturday. The chain hotels there are also more spacious than what you'd find in NYC but you still may need a suite or 2 rooms due to lcoal fire laws

It may not be worth it for you to drive your husband and son to their hotel depending on traffic. They may be able to walk, take a taxi,bus, subway etc and save you a lot of time, it depends on where they're staying and where you're visiting before you leave and what time of day it is.

gail

Have you considered doing NYC as a family or with the other 2 kids at some other time and putting husband and son on train in DC - something most 10 year olds would like - and you and 2 kids just heading north to Boston area alone from DC? I know this is not your original plan - but the cost and hassle, with such minimal tourist time for you in NYC - just might not be worth it.

EileenD

I'm looking at some very reasonable hotels in Newark - according to the map it's about a half-hour drive to lower Manhattan, which doesn't seem too bad. I'm aware that the Statue of Liberty is closed, so my big question is whether a sightseeing boat would be worth it. Statue Cruises offer 60 minute rides leaving from Battery Park starting at 10am, which is the boat I'd like to be on.

I'm not adverse to completely dropping the idea of sightseeing with all five of us - the other two kids will have their turn eventually. I'm just thinking that we'll be so close, and I've never seen the Statue, having always stayed in the mid-town area. So if you think it's more hassle than it's worth, please let me know!

Gail, thank you for your idea, but driving alone with 2 kids from NYC to Boston is going to be as fearless as I'm going to get. I'm not willing to do the whole DC-Boston trek by myself.

nyer

Please let us check out your choices if you must stick to Newark. The city is unpleasant and not very safe. Newark Airport hotels are also not really great and there's nothing to do in the immediate area, not even any good food choices.
There are much better places to stay in New Jersey!

The statue cruise price seems very high--if you were actually going to the Statue and Ellis Island with the same company it would be much less money! If you just want the view, take the free Staten Island Ferry and save $100 or so. Buy a nice book about the harbor, download a podcast. Take a subway or walk to the Brooklyn Bridge where you can walk all or part of the length of the bridge.
If you want a narrated tour that covers a bigger area you could do one of the also expensive Circle Line cruises.
http://www.circleline42.com/new-york...ails.aspx?id=2

EileenD

OK, thanks for the feedback! We've found a great rate at the Hampton Inn Linden, which received good reviews and is supposedly near a mall with various food choices for dinner.
From there we can easily drive to the St. George Ferry terminal for the Staten Island Ferry.

nyer

Yes you certainly could do the Staten Island Ferry Ride from the "other side" (Staten Island, that is). I have no idea what parking is like around the ferry terminal there
Your trip back to Boston may be a little more roundabout, driving through Brookyn and Queens.