New York - summer holiday intinary

[supersun23]

Hi, we are going to New York for 5 nights in August. Can anyone recommend places to stay and an itinerary? We have 2 children, ds12 and dd9. We know it'll be hot and humid. TIA

Central park
Statue of Liberty
Natural history museum
Rose planetarium. I think it may have changed names
possibly Mercer labs museum, although I’ve not been there yet (it’s quite new)
river cruise
Brooklyn bridge
m and m store
broadway/see a show,

Intrepid aircraft carrier (also has a Concorde)
The Beast speedboat ride
Empire State Building

Look at suite based hotels; Homewood suites, Hilton Garden Inn etc.

Day 1 -
Grand Central station (just have a wander around, it won’t take long)
Top of the Rock (better than Empire State imo)
Radio City Music Hall tour (lasts an hour and it’s well worth it)
Maybe the Nintendo store for your DS?!
MOMA (the best art museum to do with dc)
Eat at Ellen’s Stardust Diner
Times Square (preferably after dark)

Day 2 -
Staten Island Ferry in the morning past the Statue of Liberty. Get there early. It takes about half an hour each way and is free.
Then walk up to the 9/11 memorial and museum. It’s quite heavy hitting so depending on your 9yo, it might be a bit too much. There is a special tour for 8-11yos though.
There are some good shops nearby like Sephora and & Other Stories which your dd might like.
Another option after Staten Island Ferry is Brooklyn Bridge, which is also walkable and it’s usually a bit cooler on the bridge.

Day 3 -
Explore Central Park - it’s massive so you can rent bikes
American Museum of Natural History (will have aircon so a good way to escape the heat but you’ll need to book)

Day 4 -
Intrepid is excellent but not very close to much else. If it’s very hot, then escape the heat and head to Coney Island.