ok. going to NYC with dh and 3 1/2 y o ds.....top tips and recommendations please!

[Heathcliffscathy]

for example....and i know this is anathema and we WILL absolutely being doing the central park zoo, and museums and staten island ferry etc etc but are there any fab playzones if I get desperate (like gambado if any of you konw that)? I will be alone with ds all day every day for the weekdays of our stay, so am looking for parent friendly, child friendly options iyswim.

We're staying in Murray Hill, dh is working downtown near Hudson St in SoHo and so anywhere is fair game really.

Any tips very gratefully received.

Not expecting many, but would be delighted to get some!

child friendly restaurant recommendations also, what are the equivalents of wagamamas/pizza express/giraffe?

tia

Oh and you may as well do Abercrombrie & Fitch, but unless they have a more central one now it's a proper schlap and in the middle of nowhere!

old navy
american apparel ?? (completely addicted to it)

Oh Thank you, thank you.
Can sleep now!
Yes they were the 2.

We do so need to shop together!

Soph OLD Navy and American Apparel are perfect for you, v cheap and the sort of style of clothing you'd be up for. Go, buy, enjoy

good night (just discovered that american apparel has a website, and it doesn't seem to be more expensive than in the USA).

LOL, we were both online to it at the same time, I was coming back to tellyou!
How exciting.

Right, off to bed, see you in style tomorrow evening!
Have your card ready!

Night, x

night

Abercrombie and Fitch have a fabulous store on 5th Ave - in the middle of lots of other temptations!

oh i wish someone could come out and babysit for us!!!! you'd both be most welcome!

thanks for the tons of tips.

am hoping that pph will clock this soon...

I'll do it, I'll do it!

TC, am I forgiven after the cropped trousers faux pas?

LOL Franca! I love a mad woman! Nothig to forgive

Oh yes well done Fairyjay, that hadn't opened last time I was there but was just about to.

think how much money M&S has made by saving 20 centimetres of fabric...

DP took DS - they raved about the Natural History Museum which has, apparantly, better dinosaurs than London, and the Children's Museum - which is a big indoor playcentre but NOT like softplay - lots of role-play settings and hands-on stuff. DS was very miffed that DP took him on the cheap Staten Island ferry PAST the statue, rather than on a ferry to look at the statue, so Be Warned!
DS also loved diners serving pancakes, and yellow taxi trips.

bump

bump for PPH as she is around!

can i ask for what is fab that you can only get in the states?

am getting very excited now!

can i ask for what is fab that you can only get in the states?

am getting very excited now!

All the top tourist spots have been covered for the most part..Chinatown is pretty good too for little ones..lots of different stuff to see.

I'd just like to add that in the US you don't have to eat at 'child-friendly...equivalent of wagamamas/pizzaexpress/giraffe' places..so please go anywhere BUT places like this. In the US you are allowed to eat good food (adult food) AND take the kids. We Americans take children practically anywhere..even welcome at jacket and tie places if well behaved.

Not being able to eat out well with children is what I miss most about not living in the US, and although I thought I'd researched the living in England bit, had no idea this was the case.

I sincerely hope this doesn't offend anybody...I just mean it to let sophable know she doesn't have to worry about where she eats, but my cousin lives in NYC and she and her husband (they have 7 and 10 yr. olds) were so angry at not being able to eat out in really nice restaurants in London when they came over to visit us, they said they will never come back to England. They tell everybody they meet this and have directly been able to persuade many people to boycott England when they come to Europe. So decide where YOU would like to eat, and then take the kids. Almost all places have highchairs.

Have fun!