New York with children - advice and tips sought

[Hulababy]

Hi

We have now booked or flights and will be booking a house around Brooklyn/Long Island/Queens this week.

We are going for a week in May half term - 23rd - 30th.

There are 4 adults and 3 girls (ages 7, 6, nearly 4)

What are the best things to do, best places to go, etc?

Also, can anyone recommend a guide for taking children to New York?

If you haven't done so, check out Tripadvisor.

Hope you have a great time Hula, its a fab city
I reckon the Zoo is a good bet (Central Park) Coney Island theme park also good, personally I enjoyed the planetarium, but the 4 year old might not? 6 and 7 will like though.

We took the children there for a week this summer and had a fabulous time.

Things we enjoyed:

1. Ellen's star diner where the waiters are all resting broadway actors/actresses and sing as you eat.

1. Central park - will keep you occupied for hours!

1. The shark speedboat tour which leaves from South Street Seaport (which is nice to spend a little time mooching around too)

1. Dylan's candy store on East 61st street, opposite Bloomindgdales. Fabulous candy store owned by Ralph Lauren's daughter.

1. The bear factory (if you can bear it ho, ho!) has it's own cafe downstairs where you can get highchairs, plates and bibs for your bears to sit in while you eat, is fun for the little one's.

1. The Natural History Museum was great fun - lovely shop there for the children.

1. You must go to Magnolia's bakery where they sell cupcakes in so many different flavours and colours - was the one featured in SATC. There is a little room attached to the bakery where you can sit and eat your purchases or you can take them away with you.

1. The best thing we did (and the one which the children speak about most) was to go to a baseball game. We found a league game that was being played in the afternoon which was perfect for us. It was a really great afternoon.

1. The hop on hop off bus tours are quite good to get your bearings and a quick idea of where you want to spend your time.

10. We ate in good restaurants most of the time and they were very happy for the children to be there - no stuffy service at all, even in the priciest of places. Get yourself a Zagat guide before you go - it is very handy!

That is just a tiny taste of the things that we did, it was a wonderful week and definitely top of the three places that we went during our holiday as far as the children were concerned.

Thanks frizbe; we are very excited!

Will check tripadvisor.

Wow soapbox; fab list.

The men folk of the party are asking about New York Yankie tickes - anyone know anything about them?

Sorry not much up on tickets, I was childless (bar ss) last time I was in NYC, my bessie mate used to live in Jersey, so we had fab times in NYC as young single chicks not to say that I've not enjoyed my time there with dh, but we've not done that part of the states with kids in tow, but will be heading that way in the next few years, so will be interested in what you cook up! and can't wait to take our kids there too

this place is wonderful

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Craig's List is good for vacation rentals.

Central Park zoo is fantastic. In fact everything about Central Park is fantastic. Staten Island ferry well worth doing. Am very jealous - would love to get back there .

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The Bronx Zoo has wonderful green animal enclosures - feels more like a huge safari park - we even rode a camel, which is not what you expect to do in NYC! Barnum and Bailey's circus at Madison Square Garden was quite a spectacle and we could go into the arena to see the performers at first hand at the start - see if the show is on when you go. We hired remote controlled boats on the Central park lake which was half an hour of fun. The FAO Schwarz toy shop in Times Sq ( I think) is fab. Have a great trip.

Thanks again.

Advice on travel books? Or baseball games?

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Just really about maybe tickets direct rather than ebay - esp as your seller seems to have some negs now. Always makes me wary. I'd prefer to pay a proper direct retailer with CC if possible so covered on insurance.

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Thanks. Where do I find out the 2009 season's games?

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Thanks

Would add FAO Schwarz toy shop to the list (Tom Hanks in Big).

I used to live in NYC and ended up thinking that baseball makes cricket seem interesting. I think it a brave parent who chooses to drag take their dc out to Yankee stadium or to Flushing to watch a game. Basketball at Madison Square Garden would be more fun. Faster pace and fun to watch and doesn't last all day/night.

Really? Hmmm... may have to get DH to rethink perhaps then. Girls might like idea of basketball because of HSM.

.

I'm going in July

Have a lovely time

Have fun We are rather excited too.

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It really was no hassle at all to get to the stadium - the subway from Times Square went all the way there. Coming back was busy but not too uncomfortable.

DD and DS loved it too! The various crowd participation things and the sellers banter really made it a fun day for them!

We got the time out guide, there's a section for kids in there. I think the highlights for kids are: Central Park, Natural History Museum, Staten Island ferry, Empire State. We had a really nice time in Brooklyn, there's a great park there. I'm v jealous, just walking around is great, with lots of playgrounds etc. Don't go to the Sony museum, it's rubbish.