New York with teen children - help me plan!

[Darkchocolateandcoffee]

I want to take my sons 13 and 16 to NYC this year for the first time. I have a limited budget (by which I mean I don't have any specific budget for it yet but can't afford to go wild).

I want to stay the minimum time there to cut down on hotel costs, but I don't want to wish I'd booked an extra night or two. Is three nights enough or I should I go for four? Or is four too short too? (I appreciate there will be enough stuff to do to keep you busy for a month, but I'm hoping for a greatest hits sort of trip).

Also when is a good time to go? We could either do late summer hols or October half-term. Does weather make a difference to the flight? (I am a pathetic nervous flyer).

What's a good time to fly from London? Flight times will be governed by budget really.

Any hotels/must sees/restaurant etc recommendations SO welcome!

OK BA aren't even thinking about Feb 24 for flights on their website and as I want to use my companion voucher I think I'm back to plan A.

Of course you can have views of Manhattan in Manhattan, not the whole thing sure but certainly views otherwise no one would do top of the rock, Empire State etc. Many hotels in Manhattan have views.

Personally I prefer to stay in Manhattan to save money on transport (I walk) and to save time on travelling in to and out of Manhattan. It’s easy to pop back to your hotel if you need to too. I wouldn’t want to stay IN Times Square for the hustle and bustle but even a couple of blocks out it’s quieter.

I am going October this year with a 12 and 16yo. We will be there over Halloween which they are very excited about. NYC place to be is a Fb page with loads of great tips. I screen shot people's suggestions and am making a list!

We are doing 6 nights.

I am a bit terrified about how much food is going to cost - I have also priced up attractions and that's currently sitting I'm at about £900 (we have 5 nights in another city first). Viatour is a good website for that. They are also on Top Cashback if you do book anything through them.

As a op said, Staren Island ferry is completely free, we didn’t even need a subway ticket, just walked straight on. Great views of the Statue of Liberty. There are some good branded clothes outlet shops on Staten Island within a short walk of the ferry terminal.

If they like Friends you can see the apartment (outside) and SATC sites for you too if interested. They’re all within close distance of reach other in a walk around Greenwich Village.

There is a fab and very reasonable pizza restaurant on the river bank right by the Brooklyn Bridge. Fab views.

There is a great deli called Essen that serves fab food to eat in or take away all day on 8th Avenue.

February 24 should become available soon if you can wait a little while to book. Because I'm nosy and bored I looked at Skyscanner for this Feb 3 adults return over Feb half term flights are £1169 in total. I knew there was a reason we went for February when we took the kids.

Honestly unless you want to eat out at posh restaurants dont worry about food costs. You can get a pizza big enough to feed a small army for not very much (cant remember exactly how much). We basically lived on Pizza, McDonald's and hot dogs/pretzels from the street vendors. There is no point trying to eat a healthy diet in New York.

@Hellocatshome

My problem is my daughter is intolerant to corn syrup. I know it is very widely used there including in stuff like pizza sauces so I am not sure how much if the cheap fast food we can eat. I will just have to be selective I think.

Obviously you have views if you go to an observatory, that's not what I meant. In LIC you can have views of the Manhattan skyline from your hotel room.
LIC doesn't cost us anymore in transport because we get a Metrocard, we'd still need the subway if we were staying in Manhattan as we don't stick to Midtown.

Many manhattan hotels have similar views though which is the point I was making. Different strikes for different folks, it would cost me more as I rarely use the subway and just walk.

Some people on here are quoting package prices (flights and hotels combined) and others flight only so check which is most economic for you OP. Also be sure your voucher is worth using for this trip, in the BA January sale the flight and hotel packages are amazing value. Schedule flights are normally released 355 days ahead for reference.

The first time I went to NY was for only about 6 hours at age 14 and within this 6 hours we did most of the big stuff: climbed on top of statue of liberty, St Patrick's cathedral, 5th Avenue Empire State building, Rockefeller Centre, Hyde Park, eating a hot dog. This first visit is still my defining memory of New York. I'd say stay for 3 or maximum 4 nights and load up on experiences and spend your money on doing stuff while you are there. E.g. take cabs as you see more, maybe do an open top hop on off bus ride, maybe see a Broadway show or ball game, go up Empire and one world.

Re. Long Island City

It really is super close. I think it was five metro stops to Times Square

There's also a cool beer garden near there too

Re. Food.

Delis and pizza places are always good. Also as a PP said, if you have a fridge and a microwave you can have food in the room.

October for Halloween is a great idea.

August is very hot humid (this is the issue rather than heat), plus lots of locals out of town.

All the obvious stuff has been mentioned but also:

• Bike ride around Governors Island
• Katz’s Deli
• Get off Manhattan at least one day
• Coney Island

@Whycanineverever You don't have to eat junk. Most New Yorkers don't spend a fortune on dining or live on junk food. You could check out more fast casual places like Sweetgreen, Honeybrains, Dos Toros, Chipotle (healthy if you choose carefully), BeatNic, Taim, Miznon, Chopt or Cava. These are all the kinds of places my colleagues and I eat lunch/dinner on the go. I'd maybe eat a dollar pizza 2/3 times a year, if that.

Bagels with cream cheese are also a cheap breakfast that will keep you full for ages.

Food in the US, even NY, is cheap. Especially if you take a few trips to the 'ethnic' neighbourhoods: good Mexican, Chinese, Korean, Italian, Greek, Russian - pretty much anything you can imagine. Delis are cheap. Hotel breakfast can carry you over lunch easily. I really wouldn't worry about food.

Many of these neighbourhoods (e.g. along the 7 train in Queens) are some of the most interesting bits of the city. I lived in NY for years - rarely went to formal attractions when visitors came to stay - the streets and neighbourhoods were the main attraction!

Manhattan is iconic, but definitely no longer the soul of the city - the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens are where the most interesting street life is now.

Thanks for the food advice. I was really a bit concerned about finding quick stuff that's not fructose loaded!

What's the beer garden called please? And also, what's the general culture for taking teens to thing like that? At home, I often take DS (15) to pubs and tap rooms (he's obvs not drinking!) but I know the rules around drinking can be stricter in the US.

Also, any tips for getting to an NFL game? DS is a huge fan and it would absolutely make the trip for him if we could see a game. I understand that fixtures won't be confirmed until Sept (we're planning to go in October) - will we be able to get cheap (relatively speaking, I know it won't be cheap!) tickets then?

Have used Ticketmaster re NFL game tickets. The NY Giants and NY Jets share the Meadowlands stadium. On game days a regular train service runs from Penn station’s NJ transit concourse to the Meadowlands complex via Secaucus Junction. Trains to Meadowlands depart from lower level there. The Meadowlands rail station is located near the MetLife gate between the stadium and lot B. It’s about 10-15 minutes or so from Secaucus Junction to the stadium if I remember correctly.

njtransit.com/meadowlands is useful to look at.

Rules around drinking are a lot stricter in the US.

NYC drinking age is 21 and people are often asked to prove their age as a matter of routine. If the place is a bar with a dining area serving food people under 21 will be allowed into the dining area but are not allowed to sit at the bar.

The NFL also operate a strict bag policy for entry into their stadiums.

Clear bags that are 12" x 6" x 12" or less in size (1 bag per person) Small purses/handbags (clutch-type bags) that are 4.5" x 6.5" or less in size (1 per person) Hand sanitizer 6 oz. or less in size and disinfecting wipes.

Thanks @AttilaTheMeerkat ! We saw an NFL game in London last year (it was the Jets actually) and the same rules applied for bags. I ended up taking a clear toiletries bag as my handbag!

Resurrecting this thread as DS and I are going to be off to NYC over October half term. I managed to get hold of NFL tickets, which we're both really excited about. We've also planned to do Summit One, Statue of Liberty, a Brooklyn street art tour and a bit of shopping.
Just wondering if anyone who was also planning a trip has been yet and if so if they had any tips?

I went to an NFL game at the Met Life stadium. It was amazing!

My tip is to take a raincoat. It rained halfway through the game and we got fairly damp. It was also December! 😵‍💫