NYC trip with kids!

[michaelluscher]

Have a good time
A refresher on tourist etiquette



Chopped cheese should not be a hero, that's too much
Roll sized only

If you see Manhattan special coffee soda in a corner store, consider trying it
Do NOT stay too long on the SI Ferry , or you'll get stuck living here like me
Lots of pictures, but NOT WITH TIME SQUARE ELMO

If you should wander into Brooklyn, consider stopping at my daily coffee spot

Lots

 

[twouvakind]

Water taxi's, don't forget the SI Ferry.

 

[nickaluch]

I think it is permanently closed.

Katz

 

[Astro14]

Your list looks great. I would add:

Central Park
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Guggenheim (for the architecture alone, if not the art)
“Wicked” on Broadway

 

[jjfw]

Have a good time, be careful, New York City has changed alot in the past 30 years and that's not to the good.

 

[Carmudgeon]

The Guggenheim is just a few blocks from the Met, so it would be easy to do both.

Renting some bikes allows one to see a lot more of Central Park than on foot.

The Concorde has been refurbished and floated back to the Intrepid Museum, which also has the Shuttle Enterprise.

Serendipity 3 would probably be appealing to the kids.

Unless one is going to tour the NYSE, Wall Street is just a bunch of office buildings, not something I'd waste time on.

Perhaps because of the kids, and/or their age, I notice a list mostly of touristy spots, and less of neighborhoods, leaving out a lot of the lower part of Manhattan.

But it's been a long time since I've visited NYC, when I spent a lot of time in the Upper West Side (passed by Tom's Restaurant), and I'm sure things have changed.

My memories of the city mainly revolve around food, and places that are probably gone.

 

[y_p_w]

Have a good time, be careful, New York City has changed alot in the past 30 years and that's not to the good.

My first visit was about 30 years ago when there could be worries about safety. I visited maybe a decade ago. My understanding is that NYC is very safe, especially compared to other large cities. That doesn't mean it's crime free, but I had no particular worries about my safety while I was in Manhattan.

 

[Kira]

1) The Metropolitain Museum of Art has a "northern one", it's called the Cloisters. All the Unicorn Tapestries are there.
Take the A Subway there (blue line up the West Side. Like any museum, it's full of art. However, the Cloisters is so perfectly sized, it's delicious. It was constructed from pieces of old churches and monasteries which were being demolished after the Great War.
It's beyond cool.

FYI: If you stand on the north patio and look over to the WNW to NJ, you'll see no buildings-just the old Yankee Broadcasting tower, a structure worthy of its own book. Anyway, Mr. Rockafella, looked over and liked the view so much, he bought the entire view and said the view shouldn't be spoiled. That is now Palisades Interstate Park. The Parkway which runs through it, the PIP, has its own entrance to the George Washington Bridge.

2) One very cool thing people don't think to do is go to the Port Authority Busr Terminal (41st St. & 8th Ave.) and get a TNJ (Transit of New Jersey) bus ticket to Edison, NJ and visit Edison's Laboratory. That is one cool place.

3) Remember, the thing about the Brooklyn Bridge is that you walk across it on a wooden path between and above the cars. It's very good to do on a nice day.

4) Take the 4 or 5 train from Manhattan to the first stop in Brooklyn; Clark St. Walk to the Promenade. The views are cool. You'll be in the neighborhood of, "Arsenic and Old Lace". Street names like Pineapple, Cranberry and Orange hint at what they used to sell in the barrows there. "Clark St." was a great bar with food.

Want a little ethnic? Walk to Atlantic Avenue and go to, "The Son of the Shiek" for Middle Eastern food.

5) If you're into plants, the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens is big and good....as is the Bronx Botanical Garden and Zoo; but that one is a bit farther away. Always check for exhibits first.

 

[Carmudgeon]

1) The Metropolitain Museum of Art has a "northern one", it's called the Cloisters. All the Unicorn Tapestries are there.
Take the A Subway there (blue line up the West Side. Like any museum, it's full of art. However, the Cloisters is so perfectly sized, it's delicious. It was constructed from pieces of old churches and monasteries which were being demolished after the Great War.
It's beyond cool.

Wanted to visit, but never got a chance to see it. Same for the Getty Villa in LA.

2) One very cool thing people don't think to do is go to the Port Authority Busr Terminal (41st St. & 8th Ave.) and get a TNJ (Transit of New Jersey) bus ticket to Edison, NJ and visit Edison's Laboratory. That is one cool place.

Have to keep that in mind for next time.

Speaking of NJ, did find my way to Action Park on one trip…and escaped unscathed. The only thing I didn't have the guts to do was the really tall water slide. But it was a really fun, if risky place.

 

[99Saturn]

2) One very cool thing people don't think to do is go to the Port Authority Busr Terminal (41st St. & 8th Ave.) and get a TNJ (Transit of New Jersey) bus ticket to Edison, NJ and visit Edison's Laboratory. That is one cool place.

May be the first time I have heard anything cool or exciting being in the same sentence as Port Authority.

 

[JHZR2]

Walk the High Line. Go up and down and check out the local neighborhoods.
Washington Square Park, Madison Square Park.
Bryant Park: https://bryantpark.org/calendar/results/all/2024-06-29/2024-07-04

Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn Botanical Garden if you are venturing out further.

This is one of my favorites.

9/11 memorial is definitely worth it.
Seeing a show can be worth it if you’re into it.
Walking the Brooklyn bridge is fun.
Taking the Staten island ferry, or one of the waterways boats around is worth the views and time on the water.

Eat your way around. 99c pizza, greys papaya dog, up through anything you might want to try.

I second the thought of coming over to NJ and seeing the Edison laboratory, Fort Lee, Liberty State Park, etc.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Flying out tonight and will be in the Big Apple for 5 days. First time for the kids and I haven't been there for 30 years. So I'm gathering some ideas on what do see and where to eat, etc.

1) World Trade Center Observatory and Museum
2) Broadway Show: Aladdin
3) MoMa
4) Natural History Museum
5) Central Park
6) Chopped Cheese
7) Pizza
8) Grand Central
9) Time Square
10) Rockfeller Center
11) Empire State Building
12) Brooklyn Bridge
13) Coney Island / Nathan's Hot Dog (Is it even worth it?)
14) Statue of Liberty
15) Chrysler Building
16) Wall Street

Anything else or something not worth doing from above?

Little Italy, Chinatown, Macy's, Subway Ride, Hells Kitchen, Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, Ellis Island, Greenwich Village. Use the Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.

Manhattan / Brooklyn area is my favorite 3-4 days vacation spot. The area surrounding Boston, Salem, Plymouth, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard is my 2nd favorite getaway. You would need a week to see all those places.

My 3rd favorite is a full weekend jaunt to downtown Chicago area. I hate flying and hate Gambling, so Las Vegas is easy for me to rule out. The best Shows are on Broadway, not in Vegas.

 

[PandaBear]

Just got back. Didn't have time to do everything when with kids, so will probably eventually go back again for what I missed. What I did do though are amazing: Grand Central (and the Oyster Bar), Time Square, Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island, Central Park, Natural History Museum, MoMa, pizza, Hamburger America (fried onion burger), deli (pastrami sandwich), smoked salmon bagel from BTS, a Nathan's hotdog from a food truck / cart, Aladdin on Broadway (for the kids but it is not a bad show), Wall Street's charging bull and fearless girl, WTC observatory and the former WTC's relic / pools, Summit on Vanderbilt One is kind of meh however. Subway is really hot and my kid's eczema was flaring up non stop, I think next time I would come at a cooler season. We stayed at 77th and Broadway and the pastry in Mille-Feuille is really good.

Thank you all for the suggestions.

 

[y_p_w]

Just got back. Didn't have time to do everything when with kids, so will probably eventually go back again for what I missed. What I did do though are amazing: Grand Central (and the Oyster Bar), Time Square, Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island, Central Park, Natural History Museum, MoMa, pizza, Hamburger America (fried onion burger), deli (pastrami sandwich), smoked salmon bagel from BTS, a Nathan's hotdog from a food truck / cart, Aladdin on Broadway (for the kids but it is not a bad show), Wall Street's charging bull and fearless girl, WTC observatory and the former WTC's relic / pools, Summit on Vanderbilt One is kind of meh however. Subway is really hot and my kid's eczema was flaring up non stop, I think next time I would come at a cooler season. We stayed at 77th and Broadway and the pastry in Mille-Feuille is really good.

Thank you all for the suggestions.

I've been there in the winter. It can be brutally cold, but I apparently went during a winter where it wasn't that bad.

And how was the experience at Hamburger America? I heard if one is at the counter, the burger will most likely be flipped by George Motz himself. I understand the wait can be pretty high too. Plus they seem to encourage fast seat turnover to help reduce the wait times.

 

[nickaluch]

Have a good time, be careful, New York City has changed alot in the past 30 years and that's not to the good.

You live or work in Manhattan?

 

[PandaBear]

I've been there in the winter. It can be brutally cold, but I apparently went during a winter where it wasn't that bad.

And how was the experience at Hamburger America? I heard if one is at the counter, the burger will most likely be flipped by George Motz himself. I understand the wait can be pretty high too. Plus they seem to encourage fast seat turnover to help reduce the wait times.

I ordered to go because they were about to close. It was still a very good burger with very high quality ingredients and onion cooked right (at a great price too).

 

[y_p_w]

I ordered to go because they were about to close. It was still a very good burger with very high quality ingredients and onion cooked right (at a great price too).

Cool. Did you at least get to see it made? I saw some video about the construction of Hamburger America, and George Motz specifically noted that he wanted to use ordinary grills like you'd find at diners across the US. He wanted one grill where the worker would face the customers. I believe that's the one that Motz usually works.



I think his fascination with the burger started with the Apple Pan in Los Angeles.

Here's his original documentary:

 

[PandaBear]

Cool. Did you at least get to see it made? I saw some video about the construction of Hamburger America, and George Motz specifically noted that he wanted to use ordinary grills like you'd find at diners across the US. He wanted one grill where the worker would face the customers. I believe that's the one that Motz usually works.



I think his fascination with the burger started with the Apple Pan in Los Angeles.

Here's his original documentary:

I saw it made but not by George. It does look like a Benihana for hamburger like he said in YouTube.