New York City with Kids

 

We love us some New York City. We have friends and family that live in the New York and Long Island area and we have been to visit several times.

When we were younger, my sister and I would crash on my friend’s couch on Long Island and then catch a train into the Big Apple to see the sights. Shopping in China Town. Fresh pasta and cheesecake at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant for lunch. Watching Zach Braff do a photo shoot in Central Park. Afternoon tea and coffee and laughing with friends. Dinner and wine in an Italian Café in Little Italy as the sun set. More laughing. Times Square until Midnight.

Ahh…Good Times.

Now that I’m super old (like, almost 40 ya’ll) and have kiddos, visiting NYC is a totally different experience. It is definitely more expensive and exhausting, but it also offers very rewarding experiences that we all enjoy as a family.

I really enjoyed digging through old photographs of all of our visits to New York City, reliving our great adventures and being reminded of how little my babies were. There are so many things to do in NYC, but here are a few things we enjoyed doing as a family.

 

Above: Kiddos at the Brooklyn Promenade

 

 

Staten Island Ferry

The Staten Island Ferry is free and it is a great way to see the Statue of Liberty.  It can be a nice break from all of the walking and sightseeing. We sometimes sit inside the ferry (boats offer seating & free WI-FI) and enjoy the ride/rest or stand out on the deck and enjoy the breezes and the fantastic views.

The ferry runs from Battery Park in Manhattan to Staten Island about 109 times a day.  The ride is about 5 miles and lasts about 25 minutes. This ferry ride offers gorgeous views of all the skyscrapers and bridges in Lower Manhattan, The Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island.

 

There are things to do on Staten Island while waiting for the next ferry, but we honestly hop off one ferry and walk right on to the next one that is heading back to Manhattan. No tickets, no booking, just hop on an off. There is a ferry running every half hour (more during rush hour).

 

Above: The kiddos first ride on the Staten Island Ferry…AWWW…look how little and cute they were….

 

Staten Island Ferry  // Whitehall Terminal in Manhatten // 4 Whitehall Street, New York, NY 10004

Staten Island Ferry // St. George Terminal on Staten Island // 1 Bay Street, New York, NY 10301

Staten Island Ferry website HERE.

 

 

 

Statue of Liberty

When visiting the Statue of Liberty , you can visit Liberty Island, the Pedestal, Museum, or the Crown at the Statue.  The National Park Service has implemented a reservation system and advanced reservations is strongly suggested.

The climb to the crown is like walking up 22 stories. and there is no elevator inside the Statue of Liberty. A person wanting to visit the crown must be able to walk up at least 162 steps on a confined spiral staircase. The website says a person wanting to climb to the crown must be in good physical shape.

There are also restrictions for children to climb to the crown. They must be 4 feet tall.

Or you can take the Staten Island Ferry. It’s free and provides fantastic views of the Statue of Liberty. It really just depends on what kind of experience you would like to have. You can go to Liberty Island and get all up-and-personal with the Statue of Liberty or at least see it while you are in New York from the Staten Island Ferry.

Prices for ferries to Liberty Island, entrance to museum, pedestal, and crown are relatively inexpensive (The Pedestal is actually free). Children 4 years and younger are free but aren’t allowed to climb up to the crown. You can see prices and more info HERE.

 

 

 

 

Empire State Building

You know that movie Sleepless in Seattle? Why did I even ask that? Of course you do. Everyone has seen that movie like a bajillion times. Anyway, you know how Tom Hanks runs in to the Empire State Building and quickly takes the elevator up to the top looking for Meg Ryan. Yeah, that was a great movie, but getting to the top of the Empire State Building takes a lot more time and effort than is portrayed in the movies.

We went to the Empire State Building at night which is the busiest time to visit. We stood in the security line, stood in line to get tickets, and then stood in line to get to the elevator.  The line to the elevator is a maze of hallways that seem to go on forever. Our visit to the Empire State Building took us at least 2 hours, and we spent less than 30 minutes on the 86th floor enjoying the view.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to talk anyone out of experiencing the view from the top of this fantastic landmark. I’m just being honest about how long it takes to get to the top. Waiting in line that long as a family can be exhausting for the kids and for the parents.

 

 

 

Here are a couple of ways to make your visit to the Empire State Building shorter/easier for you and your family:

There is no avoiding the security line or the line to the elevator, but you can save some time by buying your tickets online. That way you can at least avoid the line to purchase tickets.

The lines for the elevator seem to be the longest on the weekends, in the evenings, and on the days that the weather especially beautiful.  The lines tend to be the shortest earlier in the day.

There is an option to buy the VIP Express Experience Admission Ticket. This ticket can cost about $60 ($80 if you wish to visit the 86th & 102nd floors/observatories), but you can find yourself enjoying the view in about 10 minutes versus the normal 1-2 hour wait.

(Just wanted to let you know that kids 5 and under receive FREE Admission to the Empire State Building – WOOHOO!)

 

 

Empire State Building //350 5th Ave, New York, NY 10118

Empire State Building website HERE.

 

 

 

American Museum of Natural History

This is a very nice museum. We enjoyed it. Here is the BIG mistake that we made. We drove to NYC. It was a 15 hour road trip. We knew we were going to visit the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. I brought the movie Night at the Museum for the kids to watch on our trip. I wanted to pump them up and get them excited about visiting the museum.

This led to some disappointment. My kiddos knew that the exhibits in the museum wouldn’t come alive and entertain us. But the real museum was much different than the glossy, glamorous movie set version we saw in the film.

That being said, it was a fantastic museum and was a great experience for our entire family.

 

 

My absolute favorite part of the American Museum of Natural History? Yep, you guessed it:

 

American Museum of Natural History website HERE.

 

 

911 Memorial and Museum

This was a tough one.  It’s a very emotional place to visit. My kiddos were born after September 11, 2001 and discussing the events of that day with them proved more difficult than I imagined.  Especially since they are so young and tend to see the good in the world and in people.

However, we visited the 911 Memorial. It is a beautiful area. The Memorial’s pools are each nearly an acre in size and they sit within the area where the Twin Towers once stood. There are panels all along the edges of the pools.  The names of every person who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993 are inscribed into the panels around the pools.  It is a very emotional place, but I am glad that we took the kids to see it.

The 9/11 Memorial is free of charge and open to the public daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

 

The 911 Memorial Museum also pays tribute to all of those who lost their lives in these terrorist attacks. It also tells the story of 911 with various exhibitions, displays, and artifacts.

As of 2016, admission to the Museum is FREE for children 6 and under. Adults are $24 and Youth (ages 7-17) are $15 and college students are $18. More info HERE.

 

911 Memorial  &  Museum // 180 Greenwich St., New York, NY 10281   (212) 312-8800

911 Memorial and Museum Website HERE.

 

 

Grand Central Station

“Grand Central Station. It’s Grand and it’s Central.” – Madagascar

“Did he say Grand Central Station or my Aunt’s Constipation?” – Madagascar

Thanks for letting me get that out of my system…

I think Grand Central Station is beautiful. I love the trains and the architecture. And the kiddos also find it fascinating. It’s free to visit the station and walk around. There are lots of shops to visit for drinks, snacks, or a meal. You can take the kiddos to the Whispering Gallery. It is located right outside of the Oyster Bar. If you stand at opposite corners and face into the walls, you can whisper and someone listening in the opposite corner can hear you. The kids will think it is so cool.

Grand Central Terminal //  89 E 42 Street, New York, NY  10017

Grand Central Terminal website HERE.

 

Central Park

Central Park is a lovely place right smack dab in the middle of NYC. It is free to enter. It is a great place for a picnic (we just pick up some take out or fresh fruit and veggies at a local super market). There are 21 playgrounds in Central Park, which is great for letting the kiddos get some fresh air and run around.

One of our favorite place to visit is the Central Park Zoo. We love the leopard exhibit, the penguins, and the poison dart frogs. If the weather is nice, this is a great place to spend the afternoon.

Central Park is also where we found Belvedere Castle and the Friedsam Memorial Carousel.  Weather permitting, you can rent row boats and gondolas at the Loeb Boathouse every day, 10:00 am until dusk (April through October only). You can read more HERE.

Central Park is where the Conservatory Water is located. This is a nice place to watch the model boats or rent one for you and the kiddos to enjoy (more info on renting model boats HERE.)

We did the horse drawn carriage ride through part of Central Park because – who doesn’t like a slow breezy ride behind a horse’s rear end?  (Just Kidding…It was actually really nice!)

 

Transportation

When I was younger and single, I would always by a Metro Card and ride the subway through the city. That’s what the locals did for the most part, and my NY native friend helped us learn our way around. For less than the cost of a movie ticket, I could ride the subway and see a good chunk of the city in a short period of time.

We purchased the Metro Cards when we visited New York as a family the first time.  The subway was fine, but it stressed me out some with little kiddos.  The platform made me nervous and I was worried that we would lose a kid in the rush to get on and off the train. We had a strategy – one kid would be held and one kid would hold my hand, and everything worked out fine.

One day, the teens went to the MET and I took the little ones to FAO Schwarz. We took the Subway in the morning, but decided to take a taxi back to our hotel room. I have to admit, the taxi ride was awesome! It ended up costing a little more (6 peeps needing a Metro Card wasn’t necessarily cheap), but it was so worth it to me. We sat in the air conditioned taxi and enjoyed the ride all the way back to our hotel.

By taking the taxi, we didn’t have to walk 8 blocks (that’s like 73 miles for lazy, out-of-shape people like me) to get to the subway station, and we didn’t have to worry about getting on the wrong train or getting off at the wrong stop (which we had already done a few times).

Don’t get me wrong, I love the subway.  (Even though it always smells like pee. Except in the summertime. Then it smells like hot pee).  It’s inexpensive and, for the most part, is very convenient. But after a long day of walking and doing tourist-y things with kiddos, it sure was nice to hop in a cab for an easy peas-y ride back to the room.

 

 

 

 

Above: The subway does offer some interesting entertainment, like Spider-man playing a saxophone.

 

 

FAO Schwarz

Bring your money. Bring ALL your money. And be prepared to kiss it all goodbye.

My kiddos are in heaven here. It feels like a magical place to them. There are 40 bazillion toys, a candy shop, and a little cafe. They loved dancing and playing on the BIG piano (which is free, by the way).

I always tell the kiddos they can have one or two small toys since we have to carry all of this stuff back to the hotel and back home.

Above: FAO Schwarz. Yes, I let my kids wear Crocs back in the day. Don’t judge. Adulting and Parenting are HARD!

**UPDATED** FAO Schwarz has closed it’s 5th Avenue location and is set to relocate the store to a new location.

 

American Girl Doll Store

If you have a daughter, and you have this problem…

…then you might want to consider taking your her to the American Girl Doll Place in NYC.

Again, my condolences to losing all of your money.

 

American Girl Place, New York Website Here.

American Girl Place // 609 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10017

 

 

Times Square

Times Square is a very exciting place, especially at night. It is almost always very crowded, so I hold on tight to my kiddos. It is highly commercial, and it is tempting to spend all our money here. We pick a few things we really want to see and the kids are really interested in, and stick to visiting  just a few stores in this area.

We like to go here and grab a bite to eat (last time it was Dallas BBQ and it was very good and relatively inexpensive). There are several hotels, restaurants, shops, and interesting things to see here. Our favorite spots are Carlo’s Bakery, the Disney Store, M & M Store, and the Hershey Store. These are all tourist traps of course, but the kids love these places.

This is also where you can see the red steps.  The MTV Store and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum are located here. There is a Hard Rock Cafe, Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, Planet Hollywood, Times Square Studios, and the list goes on forever…

 

 

 

Toys R Us

The Toys R Us Store is located right in the heart of Times Square.

Again, bring the money. Bring a few Benjamins and be prepared to light those babies on fire, because they will be gone, my friend.

That being said, my kiddos love the atmosphere of this store. It is definitely larger than life. And they love riding the indoor 60 foot Ferris Wheel.

** UPDATED**  The Times Square Toys R Us is closed and possibly being relocated.

 

I’ve been to NYC about 25 times, and I still get the itch to go back. There is just so much to do and see.

I still would like to take the kiddos back to NYC and let them see a Broadway Show.  We have never been to Coney Island or walked the High Line.  I would really like for them to experience the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Maybe take them to see a baseball game… Don’t worry I have a list. I’m making plans. I’ll keep you posted…

 

 

 

 

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