Am I being selfish

[Jotkaur]

Hi guys so I’m in abit Of a dilemma it’s mine and my husbands 10th wedding anniversary in may so to celebrate it we have always agreed to go New York, however we have 2 children one who will be 9 at the time of going and the other 6. New York is a very busy place I’m not sure whether I’m taking the right decision by taking them I don’t want them to be bored or get over tired. Has anyone been to America or New York with young children that could give me some insight I would very much appreciate it. Thanks

I wouldn't take young kids tbh. We went for 4 nights and it was brilliant but exhausting. Amount of walking etc

It’s just like going to any other big city, there are some great activities in New York that both adults and children will enjoy. You will have a great time.

Well yea for me it would be a lifetime opportunity the kids have never been on a flight before so I guess just a bit worried for them but on the other hand it could be one of the best holidays of their life xx

We went for our honeymoon and my son was 6 at the time. He stayed with my parents. When he was 10 and step boys were older teens we took them all and they loved it. We had 4 days there before flying to Florida for 10 days. It was a big holiday as my husband had just retired from his job. We bought the new York passes which allowed us to a access all the main attractions and got around by foot and the underground.

Liketheclappers do you think it may be worth it to take them my daughter will
be 9 at the time and my son will be turning 7? Any advice xx

I know this may be a while ago but we’re the New York passes a good idea too we’re they worth the money because some of them are like 900 pound for 7 days we will be staying in time square and from what I’ve read everything is quite local xx

Why have you never taken them on a holiday by plane? Personally I think they will love it (my 9 year old would) but you have to adapt your plans a bit of course with children in tow and accept it’s a slightly different holiday.

New York is an awesome city - lots to do with kids that they will love. it's a very walkable city. what time of year are you going?

We hope to go in the end week of July when the kids 6 weeks holidays have started my husband only has holidays from work then and is unable to get any More time off other than this it would be New York or Dubai but looking at the temp in Dubai we would alll just roast upto 45 degrees xx

Never been on a flight before no xx

We went to Chicago a few years ago with kids aged 5, 9 and 12. Dh had always wanted to go there but I was really surprised how nice it was. Loads fir kids that age fab zoo, aquarium, natural history museum, space museum skyscrapers to go up, lovely parks
Tge best thing is the location on the lake.
I've been ti NY twice as a young adult and much prefer chicago.
We went in May half term and the weather was perfect I think July in NY or Chicago can be too hot for walking around. I went to NY in July it was 40 degrees.

I think that they would cope fine. Central park is amazing with lots of play areas and a zoo, going up the empire state building and then a trip to lady livery was just so exciting for my son. The heat was intense (June) so we were up and out early. Everything indoors in air con so we did the wax works and natural history museum. There's so much more to NY than the shopping. Eating out was simple, loads of choice for us and 2 fussy eaters.

How old was your son of you don’t mind me asking xx

It’s going to be so hot in NYC in July I would reconsider going then, especially if the kids are in tow as they will be miserable without a pool
i think if it’s your bucket list destination, go with your other half out of school holidays/ summer and then plan to take the kids somewhere cheaper and more weather appropriate this summer

He had just turned 10. He also has ASD if that's relevant and managed just fine. He loved seeing places "for real" that he'd previously seen in films eg times square

No way would I voluntarily go to NY in late July, with or without children. It’s incredibly hot and dank. It’s a great city, and I took DS there when he was eight, but not at that time of year.

When planning your budget, expect everything to be expensive. You can easily spend more than you would in central London. The food is generally amazing, but at a price. A $40 main course will cost you £40 by the time you have added tax and tip. A glass of wine can easily cost £15. For a family of four to eat without feeling like you are penny-pinching I would be budgeting at least £300 per day.

Times Square is non-stop hustle. Be very careful of pickpockets, but also, many people selling stuff are not who they seem. We stayed there once but if we ever go back we will stay in midtown.

It's ambitious to take a 6yo on a transatlantic crossing as their first flight. Kids don't always cope terribly well with jet lag. Ditto when you come back, in fact maybe more so — a 6½ hour flight from New York to London leaving at 19:00 means you land at 6:30am and with all the excitement and entertainment on board the kids probably haven't slept more than an hour. So plan for at least two days of them being zonked out when you get back.

We took ours at 9 and 6. The main thing is doing some things they really might like. Ours searched for our family names at Ellis Island. We went to the Top of the Rock and the Radio City Music hall. DD2 was excited to meet a dancer.

We took some yellow cabs. It’s not possible to walk everywhere! We visited MoMa and DDs enjoyed it. They had an okay time in Central Park but liked the general thrill of New York. The High Line wasn’t open when we took dc but I would recommend it. Also the Brooklyn Bridge. The Tenement museum is good too. We also took them to see the Faberge eggs at the Forbes museum but they’ve been sold to a Russian now! Back in St Petersburg but DDs were fascinated. The Met Museum has one I think!

We met friends there and went to a show - expensive - and they took us to a baseball game - hmmm. Lots of eating and drinking and not much excitement. Took hours.

I would echo others though. It might be very hot! You might also enjoy Boston. A bit further north and very child friendly. You might even get to see whales!

Our DDs didn’t have much problem with time differences. It’s in the holidays when you get back but for NY, May or Easter is nicer! Or October half term.

Took mine when they were 10 and 12, both very experienced flyers and travellers within Europe. If you forget the 3 hours in immigration Q, taking us far past "bedtime", it was fine, did all the stuff on the NY pass, e.g. Ellis Island, top of the rock, staten Is ferry, botanical gardens, nike store, central park, but on reflection, would have taken them later, when being there would have meant more to them. They would have enjoyed anywhere just as much, and at a tenth of the price with no jet lag (both OK on way out, but the way back was hard yards). It was also freezing cold and foggy (early April !!, I've also been in April when it was really warm). There is less to do at night if you have kids also, don't get me wrong, we were happy enough back in the hotel room relaxing after a day's sight-seeing, but that is where we were. Because it IS so expensive, if I am honest, it was a bit of a waste of money. We would have been better going as a couple (with doting GP to do the care), and then spending the money saved on a holiday for 4, closer to home and with "more" for them. Everyone will have a different view on this, but this is my experience. x

I know this matters on self experience we were actually going to go at Christmas but as my sis has just been this last year she said that time it’s freezing for kids every other half term like October is working out very expensive we are so stuck because we really want to go too but we are confused too

In the July holidays it’s cheap but does have other disadvantages like being hot and humid busy etc

NY in July / August is HOT and it's not fun walking around in it.

I’d agree with the weather and walking-10yo adored bits of it but we definitely didn’t do what we said we were there to do in fact I ended up barely walking into a department store! The bright night lights of the buildings were nearly overwhelming for me and I got that impression from him and 12 yo too, they stuck to us like glue, which was good as it’s swamped with people and you’re terrified you’ll lose them. There’s also so much poverty about which is awful

Saying that experiencing it with them was wow, we watched a hustler guy play chess with people, him just sitting in Times Square and winning against so many people, saw dog walkers with sooo many dogs in Central Park, went to fab toy shops and the kids lived for Johns of beeker street (famous pizza), and five guys (famous burgers)

So it’s what you want really, had an amazing time, without the kids it would have been shopping, comedy shows and different restaurants. Glad I saw it with the kids but that was because I knew I wouldn’t go back (cost) whereas I know people who do

We’ve been going to NYC since mine were 2 and 6, they are now 12 and 16, we love it. I prefer it in the summer as I just like the general vibe and being outside exploring. Yes it’s hot but it’s not as bad as people are suggesting here (I don’t cope well with really hot weather). You have shade from the huge buildings and air con inside everywhere. Wear comfortable shoes and plan in advance the areas you want to spend time in, group things together on a map.

oh god really am stuck we are more on verge planning to go just I’ve been Googling too much and it’s says all sorts of things eg children can get lost etc would be worried about that xx