New York with children

[sleepfortheweek]

we are thinking of going to New York next year (potentially July) to celebrate a milestone birthday. It will be me, DH, DD (12) and DD (10)

we are hoping to do a week

budget for travel and accommodation is around £6,000

looking for recommendations of good family friendly hotels/apartments quite close to the city centre (or at least good transport links) as well as cool and fun things to do that will keep the tweens engaged. Also good places to eat.

definitely want to see a show (and actually a dream would be to sit in one of those private booths where they bring you champagne 😂). One DD is big into Hamilton and would like to visit Trinity Church. Not interested in the zoo but would like to see Central Park.

basically, just throw all your recommendations, dos/dont’ts and experiences my way!

AirBnB is banned in NY so you need to be very careful. There will be serviced apartments you can get but not a typical s/c apartment. Hotel rooms can be very tiny so do your research carefully.

It will be humid, sticky, dirty and very smelly, be prepared.

Eating out is expensive, even breakfast but if you stick to slice of pizza or similar for lunch it can be easier. You could also share.

Don't forget or ignore tips, even for grabbing a coffee, 20% is now normal. You will have tax on purchases, so the price on the tag will not be what you will pay.

We went this summer (July) with dc (8 and 11). Don’t stay in Times Square!! No matter how cheap or good the hotel seems. Times Square is an over stimulation.

we stayed in the flower district which was great for us.

we got the New York City pass and did museum of natural history, top of the rocker feller and the intrepid museum.

9/11 museum is free on Monday evenings - but you still need to book.
museum of natural history - free the last hour of everyday. But it is hugeee. We spent a good chunk of the day there.

we went to Brooklyn and walked over the Brooklyn bridge. Went on the Roosevelt tram. Did the free Staten Island ferry to see Statue of Liberty. There are so many tours selling tickets for 100+ dollars and the free ferry is completely fine!

we saw the 9/11 memorial and the fire house who were the first responders are directly opposite. They just let us in and gave us a tour and showed us some artefacts they had kept from 9/11.

do visit Times Square in the day and in the evening. It has different vibes.

you can get discounted theatre tickets by queuing at 2pm at the Red bleachers. Popular shows like wicked are not included. We did grab great seats for other shows.

we walked the length of 5th Avenue and went to the plaza hotel.

Central Park - has a turtle pond which was cool. Went to the bridge that was in home alone with the pigeon lady.

went to Hell’s Kitchen, upper west side, upper east side and just wondered around.

go to grand central and find the whispering tunnel.

go on the subway to Wall Street and see the bull. Wall Street is close to city hall, the Brooklyn bridge, 9/11 memorial.

everyone wants tips.

serendipity for the frozen hot chocolate - absolute rip off. Not worth it at all.

best thing we ate: pancakes from golden diner in China town and cinnamon rolls from sunday morning. Both are “viral” but taste amazing.

it absolutely stinks of wee and weed everywhere. The homelessness is out of control. I wouldn’t let my kids out of my sight.

organise your days by area. Other side you will be going all over the place.

we went to target (in Times Square) and stocked up on American candy for everyone back home.

we did 120,000 steps in 5 days. Enjoy!
we found it more expensive then London.

Thank you. Although these replies are kind of putting me off 🙈

I live here and it absolutely does not smell of weed “everywhere” 😂 Goodness me. Times Sq and Midtown? Yes, you’ll probably smell it. West Village, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Hudson Yards, TriBeCa, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, High Line? No.

We went with 11 yr old twins in Easter last year and it was perfect. Our hotel was just off Times Square and that's my only regret, we had to walk through it and it was incredibly stressful. I wouldn't have minded a few blocks walk for a quieter spot. In fact we had a place in the East village and it was cancelled short notice so we were grateful to have anywhere and ended up paying significantly more than budgeted. We did a matinee show and had a dinner after rather than an evening show. Mostly we just walked around different areas, the walk from the park along 5th avenue was amazing. We did a boat around the harbour rather than a full day going to the Statue of Liberty. We had a rough itinerary every day subject to changes. The highlight for me personally was the singing restaurants where they sing from the musicals. They need to be booked in advance. We went to the one at the Edison Hotel, can't remember the name of the restaurant specifically. It was amazing, we still talk of it often.

Forgot to add we did the Edge. Unbelievable. That was the kids highlight

DS loved it, he was 13. Top of the Rock at night to see the Empire State Building lit up. Empire State is great - DS loved the lift!. As a PP said - Staten Island ferry, Walk the Brooklyn Bridge, 9/11 Museum, Central Park, Natural History Museum (watch Night at the Museum
before you go if you haven't already - DS loved seeing all the exhibits from the film), he loved The Met gallery, we did the hop on hop off all around Brooklyn and the city which was great to get our bearings.
We ate at The Brooklyn Diner, Bubba Gumps (touristy but great), Carnegie Diner, had cakes from Magnolia Bakery, ate in Little Italy and Ellen's Diner (a must for theatre lovers). He also wanted to do the American places he had seen on TV - Juniors Cheesecake, Applebees, Shake Shack, a corn dog from a seller etc.
We stayed at the Hilton Tomes Square and had an amazing view of the Empire State building and the amazing rooftops. It was expensive but I'd had a bonus and decided to blow it on a trip of a lifetime after DS had been in hospital with life threatening injuries after an accident!

We stayed at Bubba and Bean Lodges and were happy. It’s near a subway station and really quick to everywhere we wanted to go - we walked a lot of it too. But we also felt like we were in real NYC, not just a tourist bubble. I’d recommend it if it’s your sort of thing.

As previous posters have said, don't stay near Times Square. By all means visit once at night to see the lights but that's all. Lower Midtown is a good spot if you're a first time visitor as it's close to many of the sights and good transport links but a little quieter than further uptown (say, between 25th and 34th streets). I stayed at the Stamford on West 32nd St about 20 years ago and it was absolutely ideal and relatively inexpensive but you would have to check recent reviews etc.

In terms of activities, an underappreciated trip is to Roosevelt Island on the Tramway which only costs the same as a single subway trip each way and the views are spectacular.

The Highline is great and free so we'll worth doing.

A previous poster has recommended walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. It's worth doing that and then walking back along the Manhattan Bridge (or vice-versa) and having a walk around the beautiful DUMBO section of Brooklyn in between.

My favourite museum is the Lower East Side Tenement Museum if you like social history.

Renting bikes in Central Park is a great way to explore it. I would recommemd a minimum of three hours as it's massive and there's lots to see.

I would suggest going for a minimum of a week in NYC as there are countless things to see and do and your children are the perfect age to appreciate it. Hope you have a fabulous time.

You can also visit Hamilton’s Grange (of “it’s quiet uptown”) for the Hamilton fan!

We stayed off Times Square simply because the hotel we stayed in was too good to pass.
The casablanca hotel- part of The Library Collection.
Breakfast and all day tea , coffee and snacks. We stayed in a suite. Two double beds and a double sofa bed in a living area.
You don't have to even step into times square .
Around the corner from Bryant park which I loved and whole foods.we went for 5 nights.
The hotel saved us so much money. Fly to Newark. Nearer Manhattan .
Right beside The Hotel, there is Tony di Napoli - A family Italian Restaurant. Its FAB . Big sharing platters and such good value and so buzzy. Went to a Broadway show . 55 dollars each to see Nicole Sherzinger in Sunset Boulevard
We went with Our DS age 13 and DD age 16.

They loved it . We all did.. Did Macys/ Empire state / grand central / jersey garden mall / bus tour / SOL
It was fab.
Oh Hotel had no resort fee either .
Its great there at The Casablanca
Happy Planning

We stayed in midtown. We found it to be a great location! It was near enough to walk to Tumes Square but fat enough away that it wasn't overly busy and loud at night.

Rooms are small so just double check what you are booking. We stayed at the Hilton and had a really good sized room.

If your tweens are into Hamilton, look at the Hamilton Tour by Broadway up close. It was fantastic! Super informative, lots of real Hamilton locations and ended at Trinity church. Things you would miss if you hadnt researched. We all enjoyed it.

Ive booked tickets in boxes, some are actually really reasonably priced. They do tend to be booked in advance though.

Intrepid was really good for our tweens/ teens, as well as the 9/ 11 museum, statue of Liberty, grand Central, rockerfella, the empire state building, the broadway museum and lots more I cant remember from teh top of my head.

It was humid in August but no where near as dirty or smelly as I expected.

Whatever you think it will cost, double it. Shorter is probably better with New York! Finding a motel / cheap hotel north of midtown with an ok buffet breakfast really helps the budget, bonus if they provide a fridge and microwave for flexibility, many do. Buy pizza from places like the bus terminal, cheap, find a supermarket for cans of drink or refill water bottles. Bagels and cream cheese (I took bamboo cutlery with me for this purpose, and a picnic rug)

free things include walking around the park, the jazz museum, the library, walk the hi line, the outside memorial at ground zero and the Staten Island ferry. Reasonable activities include Statue of Liberty and Ellis island museum plus boat which takes all day, we were on the first boat out and last boat back, still didn’t see it all! Look for coupons for kids go free for things and a trip to the baseball can be reasonable in the cheap seats. Coupons though really are you friend because it will be tight budget wise for 4

We went about 10 years ago with kids 16, 13 and 10
Stayed in a family room in a youth hostel
High line at dusk was magic
Got the subway out to Brooklyn and walked back over the bridge
Staten Island ferry
Natural History museum
9/11 monument did nothing for us
Enjoyed wandering several different areas
Local squares with fountains, outdoor cinema etc

We enjoyed New York. We're Londoners so crowds, grime etc were all fairly familiar.

We got the train out to Coney Island which was tacky as fuck. Had a lovely day on the beach but OMG the rubbish just left on the beach was unbelievable, the take away food was awful (and i consider Southend to be a good day out) and the seagulls were the size of small ponies. (OK, that last one may be an exaggeration).

I went to NYC for the first time this year.

Honestly, it was overall so underwhelming, expensive, tatty, and grubby. I wouldn’t go back and definitely not with kids that age.

If you’re really into spending lots of money on branded stuff and burgers, it might be for you. Or you want t take really touristy photos. But I would be really sure you want to go before spending 6.6k on travel and accommodation - the places you could go with that money!

Can confirm this is all the good stuff! The views at night are spectacular it’s true. But not 6.6k spectacular for me!

But then I’m more a Tuscany/Dolomites kind of person.

Stayed in the Casablanca first time I stayed and can confirm it was lovely

I like bits of NY but can easily bypass others. July will be hot humid and sticky. Easter or May half term are nicer times.

There is no centre of Manhattan really. You need to know what you want to visit because it’s much bigger than you think. Central Park is a long way from the Statue of Liberty. Travel by underground is easy enough but we found stations very run down and poor real time info. Taxis will cost. As will
the 30% you need to add in for meals.

My DC liked the Top of the Rock, the Radio City Music Hall, Brooklyn Bridge, the High Line and Hudson yards, walking in Central Park and various museums. MoMA and the Met highlights are great. Shows are very expensive. There is enough to see and do but it’s overwhelming in many ways.
Therefore I think a 1 week is too long.

Times Square isn’t great and we much preferred the SoHo area. A bit more “villagy” and like a neighbourhood. It’s less busy in many ways. Definitely stay near transport links and don’t commute in as it’s even more draining. I’d also recommend the Tenement museum too.

We really liked Boston! At times other than the summer, Washington is excellent too. Easier to get up and down the Mall and Georgetown is lovely. Trips out of the city are easy enough too.