I'm off to New York with DC. What should we do?

[MintIcecreams]

After having to cancel and rebook twice we are finally going to NYC for 4 nights. DC are 7 and 10. What do we need to see?

We're thinking top of the rock, statue of liberty and some shopping. Would love to hear about some great things to do with kids.

Also, my DD is coeliac so any recommendations for food would be great. We are staying in a tiny apartment.

To be honest, with kids especially if visiting for the first time I'd do the sights. Central Park is a must and Times Square and obviously the M&Ms store is obligatory!

see if you can book tickets for a baseball game - really good fun

Central Park Zoo - Intrepid Museum - Empire State Building - Metropolitan Museum - The Shark - too many attractions to mention - New York is a Wonderland for children - Google is your friend - have a wonderful time 💛

Of course, I forgot to mention central park!

Trip advisor is your friend. Justvchiose the things to do in New York section.

We went late March and the ice rink in Central Park was still open. If you can fit in a show on Broadway you are unlikely to be disappointed.

I would love to see a broadway show. I've been trying to find the best way to get tickets. Should I buy them before or when we get there?

My husband and I have just come back.

I’d recommend an ice hockey game. There were loads of kids there and it was a great day out.

On Broadway, we saw Hamilton and again the kids in the audience seemed to enjoy it but the tickets were £££s

The free Staten Island ferry to get. Great view of the Statue of Liberty.

The Roosevelt tramway is a fun trip, it’s a section of the subway that’s a cable car, same price as a subway ticket - go when it’s dark it’s fab seeing everything lit up :)

If you're going in the next month, be prepared for it to be really cold still (we didn't). You don't need to do statue of liberty, just take the Staten Island ferry for free and return straight away, it goes straight past and you save having to spend some money for an hour. Natural history museum is fab (watch night at the museum before you go). You only need to do one of top of the rock / empire state. Don't bother with Broadway, it's ridiculously expensive, twice that of the west end in London. Central park, take a good while to stroll round. Bagels for breakfast, they are the best.

People have mentioned the city passes to me but it seems like there are lots of different places to buy and they have restrictions. Has anyone done this?

THANK YOU for the suggestions! Adding them all to my list

Just to say - I have tried to research but have become a bit overwhelmed. It is nice to have people share their experiences. Much appreciate them.

We've never got passes. I think it includes loads of things you probably wouldn't go to anyway. If you really must do Broadway, book via todaytix app on the day, it does save a bunch of money and you get decent seats.

We took ours similar ages. My best recommend is plan an ‘area’ then do one of the smaller parks as part of the morning/ aft. Roosevelt park (Spider-Man cable car), Evelyns park, Washington. All free and broke up the day. Other tip is remortgage for Dylan’s candy shop pick and mix 🤣

Check if there are any events at the American Girl store. If your DD likes dolls, you can get her one that looks like her (big hit with my 9 yr old at the time). Same for MOMA re events, they may have something suitable for kids on. Make the most of Jetlag by getting their first thing to beat the queues at Ellen’s Stardust Diner. We also did a Gospel Brunch in Brooklyn at Red Rooster that was cool. There is lots to do !

We did the electric scootertour around Central Park. It was great fun.
Ghostbusters building is worth a visit. My kids love the movies.
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt - that was a good experience.

We used the tube during the day and it was totally fine.
Ellen star dust diner is good fun but you can't book.
Get your photo with the naked guitar man.
Have the best time

Ooh and Belvedere castle in Central Park

I’d do the high line if it’s still about. We got tickets to les mis last minute at one of the stands in the area. Winnie the Pooh original teddies were a must on our list in the library but they weren’t there. If you’re a fan it’ll be worth a stop. We did a basketball game in madison square gardens :)

We also did the Staaten island ferry, wrap up it’s chilly on the water but amazing views of statue !

Thanks for the weather tips. I'm terrible at planning for weather. Will take lots of layers.

I'm a bit in denial as we have had to keep rebooking.

Statue of Liberty is rubbish but Ellis island is great, so I'd just do that and see the statue from the outside - it's much smaller and less impressive than you think!

Don't bother with top of the rock, do the Edge instead.

This is probably a really stupid question. Is it worth trying to visit New Jersey? It looks close.

If you go to times square of an afternoon they sell return tickets for the shows that evening for A LOT less than if you pre book online. I think they sysrt selling at about 2pm, queues look very big but you get to the front gery quickly and usually get tge show you want. Good luck.