New York City with kids

[Bythebeach]

We're spending 9 days in NYC with 3 kids aged 12, 9 and 4 in May. Please can I beg you for top tips and recommendations for easy/cheap/fun things to do with kids? Also what is worth splashing cash for and what's not of the 'big' attractions. And since we have 9 days, anything else close to NYC worth leaving the city for?

Many thanks.

We were there last year and unlike most people it seems loved the subway , stations are hot but the trains are airconditioned . Cabs are ok if there is only 4 of you , we were 5 so would have needed 2 . Buses are great and you can get a transfer ticket when you get on to allow you to get on a connecting bus thus allowing you to make one journey iykwim!
We found the Twin Towers pools very moving but the museum was too raw and intrusive for us as we had friends involved and had lived in NYC shortly before 9/11.

I think walking is the best thing to do in New York. The different neighbourhoods are interesting.

Central Park is nice- it's the amazing city views that make it.

It's bloody expensive though. I had great food everywhere but I was very glad my company was paying. There is a lovely diner on 6th Avenue (Central Park end) which is really traditional that I think would be great to take children to.

I would recommend Washington too. I loved it there. Seeing the White House is something a child would never forget! We stayed in Alexandria Old Town which is a small town like out of a film, it was beautiful and just so different to New York it felt like a different country.

I went to new York about 4 years ago with friends and we brought the new York pass for the week we were there and I would really recommend it. Was expensive but had we paid entry fees to the different attractions would have cost about 3x what we paid for the pass. Includes most of the main attractions so worth looking want you want to do, adding up what you want to do and seeing if it's worth it!