New York and Boston.. what MUST we see/do ?

[Thequeenisdeadboys]

Family of 5 (me, DH, 2 teens and DS who's 9 ) Does anyone have any recommendations of places we absolutely must see? We have 2 weeks over Christmas in NYC and then Boston...Thankyou in advance for any suggestions. Ps..the cheaper the better.

Ellen Stardust Diner in New York

Oooh Thankyou. Just looked it up. This looks amazing !

Another for Ellen's stardust diner get there early though it gets heaving!
We went the week before Christmas and did the Empire State top of the rock (deffo worth paying for the vip it's only a little bit more but you save hours not having to queue) Central Park, Bryant Park (markets are lovely particularly at night) ice skating on Central Park, grand central station, Macy's, Bloomingdales, times sqaure, Brooklyn bridge, little Italy. We did the 9/11 museum personally I wouldn't do it again I got rather annoyed with the tourists filming/taking photos. We didn't do the boat ride to the Statue of Liberty as the weather was bad instead we did staton island ferry (free) which takes you past the Statue of Liberty. We also went to watch Matilda on broadway.
Use the subway to get around it's fantastic cheap and so quick it was our first trip to New York and we got on one straight from the airport and used the whole time we were there.
Have a fab time

Empire State building
We also did the central park zoo and the Bronx zoo

Other people have said the High Line is good

Boston - follow the heritage trail.

Not sure if it is open but governors island off New York. About the cheapest thing we did! The Staten Island ferry, walk across Brooklyn bridge.
The statue ducks in Boston common and can you ice skate on the pond if it's frozen (maybe watched too many films).

It's going to be cold! I will have a thinky - deffo heritage trail in Boston. In New York - juts divide up the districts and do walks (there are plenty to download). Little Italy, Chinatown, midtown, the high line etc. There is so much to see!

Boston: eat at Finagle a Bagel. Subway-style, but much nicer. The dc will be entranced by the way you choose your bagel and it gets sent zipping along a track in front of you, zips through knives that cut it in two and lands in front of the person making up the sandwich for you. IIRC you can see the bagels being made on-site.

And, if the budget allows, eat lobster at Legal's. Wow!

A Duck Tour in Boston is huge fun and very interesting. It's an amphibious vehicle, and they generally let a lucky child drive it for a while once it's in the water. (Or a grown-up .)

Have a wonderful time!

There's also the Cheesecake Factory (for bbt fans)

Choose between the Empire State building and Top of the Rock. I personally prefer TOTR as you get great views of both Central Park and the ESB.

Walk over the Brooklyn bridge.

Cheesecake at Juniors in Brooklyn.

Walk the high line.

Bus tours are brilliant, as they take you to areas such as he Upper East side, Harlem etc, which are all pretty different and interesting to see.

You may well be too late to book, but look to see if there are still tickets to climb the Statur of Liberty. It’s a real climb, but amazing to do. If not, and if you like history, still do the boat tour and make time to have a good look round Ellis Island - the museum is brilliant.

If you have time, the Christmas train show at the NY botanical gardens in the Bronx is brilliant. There are amazing models of NY buildings etc, and it really is not just for train spotters .

of warm clothes. The wind chill in NY is something else, and the Christmas we were there, I found it hard to be outside without a hat, leggings under trousers and thick gloves, and I never wear these things in the UK.

In Boston, the trolley bus tours are great, and obviously the tea party ships are a must. The Mapperium (so?) is also amazing. You must also try the Cheesecake Factory. The food, both sweet and savoury is fabulous.

WOWZER !! Thanks all...it all sounds amazing.

I'm so jealous! You will have a bloody brilliant time! Wholefoods on both is a brilliant of an eye opener! There's a famous bakery in Boston - someone will come along with the name - near the Italian restaurants (try one called lemon-something- lemoncello?)

The Mapparium at the Mary Eddy Baker Library in Boston is one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

Pizza Regina does excellent pizza

Roosevelt ferry in NY and do a food tour.

Sorry it's the tramway not ferry.

Katz Deli of when Harry Met sally fame, I have never tasted pastrami like it and I love how it’s still so old fashioned inside. Just don’t get a sandwich each...they are enormous!

In Boston, get the T (train) over to Harvard and go to mr Bartley burgers - amazing. Also you have to see a Red Sox game.

Go up the Prudential tower in Boston, great for getting your bearings, then eat at the Italian food center in the mall below. Boston will be very cold indeed, you will need mostly indoor things to do rather than wandering around as you might in Summer. The Tea Party ship is fun. Science museum is excellent, see the electricity show. The Aquarium is also good.

I think baseball is a summer game, so the Red Sox may not be playing, I would not fancy sitting watching baseball in winter. Ice hockey should be on, though.

My teenage dd’s were there this summer and really enjoyed the Maparium. I was talking to someone who lived there for a while and she said that shoes or boots with thick soles are essential to stop your feet freezing in winter!

Go see a Boston Celtics game at the Garden. The Aquarium in Boston is worth a look. Go to the North End (Italian Neighborhood) and get cannolis and coffee at Mike's Pastry. Look up who is playing live music in Harvard Square (in Cambridge but just across the river and accessible by subway). It's a great atmosphere with lots of local little gigs and I bet your teens would love it. There's a fabulous Mexican place in Harvard square that the name has gone out of my head but have a google.

If you have a car drive North on 1a up to Salem and check out the Witch Trial museum. The North Shore of Boston is stunning stunning and has loads of quaint little towns and would make a great day trip.

Dress in layers...lots of layers preferably light wool ones. You need proper warm sensible boots in case it snows.

Salem is worth visiting, but it is really odd. The whole point of the Salem Witch trials is that nobody was a witch, yet Salem is a hotbed of woo of all descriptions. The art gallery there is excellent. The Newport Mansions with Christmas decorations would be worth seeing, it’s about an hours drive from Boston. Nice town as well.