I have some fun news…
THE SLAUGHTERS ARE HEADING TO THE BIG APPLE!
Not today, we’re headed to New York City in a couple weeks!!!
My one and only trip to NYC happened earlier this year with Shay. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRIEND!) It was an absolute BLAST and couldn’t have been a better girl’s trip. You can see all our fun here and here.
This time I’m going with the family and I’m hoping for your help!
Tab has work to do so we’re turning a work trip into a little family getaway. We have a couple split days for sightseeing and such. What would be your MUSTS in NYC with kiddos? Do you have any favorite restaurants? I’d LOVE your advice and help on this one.
I can’t thank you enough for your help! Please let me know any recommendations!
THANK YOU!!
XOXO
How Exciting! New York is one of my favourite cities to visit and I only just returned from another trip there. I blogged about my trip recently here: http://lifeofloublog.blogspot.com.au/2016/08/new-york-trip.html If you have time, check it out because after 5 trips I think I have mastered a pretty good itinerary and there is simply too much to put into one comment. Have a great day!
I heart NYC!! Your kiddos would love to visit FAO Schwarz if it hasn't fully closed yet. 🙁 Also, it would be a bit pricey, but taking them to see The Lion King or Aladdin on Broadway would be amazing! Hope your trip is amazing!
http://www.withlovefromgablog.blogspot.com
XO,
Leslie
You guys are going to have so much fun! I mean, not as much fun as you and I did, but it will be a close second ;). Ha! Love you guys so much!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!
Hi Erika!!!
I love NYC! With kids I would shoot for the playgrounds at Central Park-if the weather permits. Serendipity is always fun but you have to catch it at the right time so you're not stuck waiting for hours, and Dylan's Candy Bar is always a good idea!! Hope you have a great time!
Lisa
My mom and I just took my kids and my niece (ages 8, 6 & 5) in June. Some of our favorites were walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and riding the carousel and playing in the playgrounds in Brooklyn Bridge Park. There was also a fun bakery nearby called One Girl Cookies, and we ate pizza at Juliana's. My kids also loved walking through Central Park and climbing on the rocks, visiting the Statue of
Liberty, and riding the subway. Walking the High Line and eating our way through Chelsea Market was also a lot of fun! And, of course, the American Girl Doll store! We were not big fans of Times Square, it was just too much and way too crowded. Have fun!!
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So fun! One of our favorite family vacation spots! If you can get Tx for Aladdin or Matilda, or the Radio City Holiday Show, do it. It's an amazing experience. Fun things to do: museum of natural history, Central Park playgrounds and the reservoir, Empire State Building, Bryant park, the high line, circle line cruise is a great way to get a different view of the city, walk around Chinatown and little Italy (there are tons of great places to eat around both neighborhoods!), museum of transportation, south street seaport, Brooklyn bridge. Have fun!!!!
So anxious to read all of these posts! We are going back in a couple weeks too, and I'm always excited about new suggestions! We love Central Park and seeing Times Square at night. I think the kids would love a Broadway show too.
Hi Erika – I live in New York and we take our kids to the city often. Some of our favorite restaurants are Ellen's Stardust Diner, O'Lunney's, and Carmine's. We recently took the kids to Serendipity for dessert and they loved it. My kids love the Central Park Zoo – it's small, but great. Once you get past the Children's Zoo, you can walk around Central Park – lots of fun rocks to climb, street performers to watch, and playgrounds. If ice skating is open when you're there, there are great rinks in Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, and Wollman Rink in Central Park. The Highline is a great walk with pretty views. You can stop by Chelsea Market for some great food. The Museum of Natural History is fantastic. They're pricey, but Lion King and Aladdin on Broadway are incredible shows. Matilda is also supposed to be great for kids – we're giving the kids tickets to Matilda for Christmas. The M&M store, Hershey Store, and Disney Store in Times Square are touristy but my kids love them. If you go to the Disney Store, go upstairs and ask the cast members about the magic mirrors in the princess section. My kids LOVE them. If you're downtown, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge is fun. The on-off bus tours are a great way for the kids to see the city as well. We loved going to the Top of the Rock as well (not as historic as the Empire State Building but less crowded and less expensive). Have a great time!
I also live in NY and I agree with everything said! Also a boat ride- to see the Statue of Liberty!! Have a blast- and dress WARM! It's already in 30-40s here!!
I haven't been in high school, so no advice from me! SO MUCH FUN!
I was JUST THERE, twice in one month. (That's a lot of NYC in a month btw…probably too much!) Take them to Top of the Rock for sure, but buy tickets in advance. We went at sunset as recommended by a friend and it did not disappoint. Serendipity III is a must. Learn to use the subway because their little feet will be tired. My first visit we stayed in Times Square at the Marriott Marquis– it was nice because it was close to Broadway and Times Square. My second visit (which was for work)- we stayed at the Hyatt Grand Central. I much prefer the Hyatt Grand Central but only because it is literally connected to Grand Central Station and that is where about 100 subway/train lines come in so you can get ANYWHERE from there. Make your way to Grand Central at least once to take it all in. Skip the Statue of Liberty, loooooong lines to and from. Take the Staten Island Ferry instead to get a great view of it. We went to the Statue and lost over 1/2 of our day due to that. Historical but…… you're most likely there for a limited time. The 9/11 Museum was incredible but I'm not quite sure how kids would do. I don't think I saw any the day we were there although I'm quite positive they were there!! The City Bus tour is great! Again we went at night but during the day would probably be better! Notes about Times Square: the naked cowboy is gone but the naked ladies are there. Yikes! They are topless and have on skimpy, i mean thong-ish bottoms. They have paint on their "tops" but it's still very obvious. You might want to steer clear with kids. They are everywhere unfortunately. The Mickey characters are creepy. They keep their masks up until someone pays them to take a picture then they put their mask down. So essentially your kids are seeing who's inside the costume– my kids would have been heartbroken because in their minds Mickey Mouse is Mickey Mouse! 🙂 We didn't take our kids on either trip. I am looking forward to hearing your tips and tricks when you get back! PS: I have a friend who was there last week who had his iphone pick pocketed. We had NO such problems when we were there but clearly it's still happening. Have a great time!!!!
You are going to have so much fun!! NYC is my favorite city ever! Can't wait to hear about it!! Xoxo
Oh I love NYC!! I can't wait to hear all the fun stuff y'all do. We are hoping to take or kiddos soon since the last time we went it was just a grown-ups trip. 🙂 have so much fun!!!
Dylans Candy bar, the best candy store in the world even for adults!! Top of the rock is really cool, I enjoyed it much more than the empire state building.
The Central Park Zoo for sure! And the Statue of Liberty (you can't beat a boat ride with two amazing views!)
Everyone is giving you such fun ideas but check out the Museum of Natural History. Incredible place for kids!!
I'm anxious to hear the recommendations too! My mom wants my daughter and me to go with her for her 75th birthday in a few years. She definitely knows she wants to see a play on Broadway, but other than that… I've never been to the Big City. I also am looking forward to your posts about your family's trip and your recommendations. Have fun!!
My 6 year old and I just got back two weeks ago. Check out my blog post http://www.newsfromthenewsoms.blogspot.com. (If you go to Serendipity-I mean "when" you go 🙂 you can only make reservations for dinner, you can't make them for dessert a/k/a their frozen hot chocolate).
My kids still say their favorite things were Dylan's Candy Bar and the frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity, which is right next to Dylan's. FAO Schwartz is closed and is now an Apple store. Have to stop at The Plaza and see where Eloise lived as well. Tons of fund stuff to do in NYC!
Following along in all the comments! Owen has mentioned repeatedly that he wants to go to NYC. He already has a long list of what he wants to see (which I think is awesome and hilarious for an eight year old).
You must have macarons at Laduree. There's a location right near Central Park, so a quick walk will get you there and trust me- they're worth it! Also, if you ever liked the show How I Met Your Mother, the pub that the bar in the show was based on is pretty fun. Good food and its surprisingly not all that crowded. It's called McGee's and its at 240 W 55th St. Also, I always make it a point to go to Tiffany's just to look around. Probably wouldn't be fun for your little ones, but if I'm in the city I'm going to have my Audrey moment. haha! Have so much fun! The East Coast has so much to offer!
Oh I'm so jealous! I can't wait to hear all about it! Y'all will have a blast!!!
I love NYC!! Dylan's candy bar, American girl store, Bryant park, Madame Tussaud's wax museum. Also if you are going after thanksgiving there's 5th ave(Macy's and other stores) that decorate their store front for Christmas along with the tree. The Christmas spectacular is an amazing, I used to go every year when I was little and they start shows before thanksgiving!
I went on a girl's trip in August & had the best time! Your kiddos would probably love the ferry ride to see the Statue of Liberty (I know mine would), Junior's restaurant … they are known for their cheesecake but all of their desserts were amazing, & Central Park has a playground & a zoo!! Of course the whole park is beautiful! If you're wanting your kiddos to be able to see lots of NYC I would say the double decker bus was amazing for sightseeing! 🙂 Hope y'all have a blast!
Go see Aladdin on Broadway if you can – we've been twice and it is fantastic!
Have a great time. It is a magical city.
S'Mac (www.smacnyc.com) in the East Village specializes in different kinds of mac and cheese and is so good! Great for the kiddos.
Hi!! I would recommend Ellen's Stardust Diner and John's Pizzeria of Times Square is the best pizza! For kid friendly travel – Big Bus Tours is so fun. If it is nice you can sit on the top and see everything without having to worry about the Subway. This bus can take you just about anywhere! Museum of Natural History would be fun for them to see too! Always a good time to see Lion King or Aladdin!
Our favorite city! We took our daughter when she was 3 last summer and had an amazing time!
Washington Square Park was her favorite and we stopped by every day to give her some play time. There's an AstroTurf playground and our hotel (50 NYC) gave her bubbles when we checked in so we made sure to bring those along.
Our favorite restaurant was Mama Mia's 44SW (make a reservation). It's small, but the grandmother of the family still makes the sauce for the pasta every morning. It is SO good.
The Staten Island Ferry was great for seeing the Statue of Liberty without dealing with long lines. Took an hour of time total.
John's on Bleaker Street was great pizza.
We stumbled upon story time at the NY Public Library and that was a cool experience for a Texas kid.
We visited the 9/11 Memorial but not the museum. Emotionally, the memorial itself was overwhelming and I've heard that the museum can be too much for kids.
Of course, Central Park & the Museum of Natural History (we did those on the same day).
We had an amazing 4 day trip that I could go on forever about, but those are a few of our favorites!
GO TO ELLEN'S STARDUST DINER. THE SERVERS ALL SING AND BREAKFAST WAS DELICIOUS!! IT'S A FEW BLOCKS FROM TIMES SQUARE.
So exciting!
Here are my tips:
1. The Shops at the Plaza Hotel are amazing. Best crepes ever!
2. There are so many parks along Central Park that my kids love.
3. The high-line and Chelsea Market are a must.
4. Carmines in Time Square for dinner. I would recommend a reservation.
5. If you can get tickets, the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular show is awesome!
6. Depending when you're going…the store windows may be decorated for Christmas and do not disappoint.
7. 9/11 Memorial
8. Yankee Stadium…you can book a tour through their website. My 6 y/o son loved it!
9. The Lego and American Girl Store both near Rockefeller Center
10. Ice skating in either Central Park or Rockefeller Center
To save time schedule things according to location…that way you're not going all over the city all day. When we went we primarily used Uber and the Subway to get around and of course lots of walking. I love NYC! Have a great trip!
The city tour bus is the best because you can keep warm and hit more attractions than walking. You can get on and off as you please. Have an amazing time!
Breakfast at the Plaza it is just like Eloise. the walking tour of the Brooklyn Bridge, The statues of Alice in Wonderland in Central park, the zoo in Central park, you must see the clock there.
Rockefeller Center Christmas show
Eeeek!!!! Y'all are going to have sooo much fun! I'm going to hide in your bag and you can drop me off at Freeman's 😊
Central Park, Natural History Museum are classic NY for kids. The Highline and Chelsea Market – Los Tacos No. 1 is delicicous.
For midtown/Times Square adjacent places to eat there's great food on 9th Ave corridor we are partial to Empanada Mama. And Virgils is also good and not too touristy.
If you can make it to Brooklyn walking the bridge is fun. But Brooklyn Bridge Park is fantastic.
Vanessa's Dumplings on Eldridge in Chinatown
Pizza – Lombardi's, Luzo's, Grimaldi's, Lasso as well but less traditional.
Other favorites to eat at- Luke's Lobster, Rice to Riches (dessert), La Esquina, Shake Shack, Cafe Palermo (best cannoli IMO)
I think you need to take your trusty mother-in-law for extra help!! Oh! The Lion King is my favorite Broadway play ever!
Museum of Natural History – take the subway and you can arrive at the subway entrance to the museum and enter there so you don't have to walk up to the street level to the main entrance……just makes it easy! Near the museum is "Cafe Lalo"(this was the cafe in "You've got mail" where tom hanks and meg ryan were supposed to meet and he stood her up) This place is so charming and a must! Brunch menu and desserts and hot chocolate/coffee.
Carriage ride in central park.
Dylan's Candy Bar and serendipity.
Rockette's holiday show is great for kids and is just quintessential new york!
If going to Grand Central Station, a great place to eat across the street is "Pershing Square Cafe" – we had breakfast there.
Kids will love seeing store window holiday displays…..Macys, Lord and Taylor, Bloomingdales, etc….
Have a great trip!!!
We didn't go witht kids but some things that would work for you are the Chelsea Market (the food!), Dylan's Candy Bar, going to the top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza (buy tickets for a certain time slot and get photos with the Empire State Building), burgers from the secret burger place at Le Parker Meridian Hotel. Here is my post of our trip: http://www.torontosam.ca/2014/08/flashback-friday-new-york.html?m=0
Have fun!!
Aladdin on broadway was a must for us. My son is 7 and loved it! Also, we did a boat ride to the statue of liberty and he loved that. And Central Park Zoo was the perfect little zoo to visit!
The Rockette Holiday Show is spectacular! Also, Rock on Top is across from the Empire State building. It usually has shorter lines and you are able to look across at the Empire State building and everything else! There are hop on hop off bus tours that run constantly and are very convenient for tiny legs 🙂 I will be there in a few weeks too- hoping for good weather!
NYC is my absolute FAV!! I think my last trip there in 2013 was my 7th or 8th time?! Definitely can't get enough of NYC! Hotdogs at Gray's Papaya followed by THE BEST cookies from Levain Bakery right down the street on your way over to Central Park. Dylan's Candy Bar & Serendipity 3 are a must with kiddos (& located on the same street). Definitely get to Serendipity right when they open…best time to go (otherwise the line can be 2+ hours long). If you are going in late November or after – the holiday windows, oversized Christmas décor on 6th avenue & Santaland at Macy's for pics with Santa(again, go early or really late). Radio City Rockettes. Carmine's, John's Pizza in Times Square (it's an old church & you watch them bake pizza in brick ovens), Baked by Melissa for the cutest bite-sized cupcakes, Chelsea Market, carriage ride in Central Park (I know lots of people are against this, but the kiddos would enjoy), M&M Store in Times Square, Max Brenner (great for breakfast & hot chocolate). So many great places. You can read about my last trip on my blog (January 2014) faithfootballandfairytales.blogspot.com
I LOVE NYC!!!
MUST EATS:
– Halal cart @ 53rd St. and 6th Ave.: Get the chicken and lamb combo but go easy on the red sauce!
– Ippudo: most famous ramen shop in NY!
– Dough or Doughnut Plant for donuts
– Shake Shack
– Artichoke Pizza or Prince St. Pizza
– Dominique Ansel for CRONUTS!!!
– Bouchon Bakery for macarons and pastries
MUST DOS:
– Central Park
– Staten Island Ferry (free, ride it to see the Statue of Liberty)
– Top of the Rock (Rockefeller) or Empire State Building for views
– walk the Highline
– 911 Memorial
HAVE FUN! Post lots of pictures~ 🙂
We are headed to NYC THIS weekend for our first anniversary! We have dinner reservations at OTTO and The Standard Grill next to the Highline. And we are seeing Wicked. I'll let you know if we stumble upon anything else super great while we are there! Have fun!
Well…now I want to go to NYC! There's truly so much fun to be had! Shopping, food, just taking in all the sights! Central Park is a must, Frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity, Museum of Natural History, one of my favorites is riding the little boats in Central Park (not sure if they would still be out but could check into it), Times Square you have to see (but be cautious of half naked people and the scary costume characters) You guys will have the best time!! My hubby took my son this past spring and he loved it!!
Stay away from Times Square at night. Lots of nudity! I'd stay away period. There's nothing but shops there and it's so crazy.
You definitely need to take the kids to Momofuku Milk Bar and get the Cereal Milk Ice cream (it tastes just like the milk left after a bowl of cereal!)
I remembered this post http://www.thriftydecorchick.com/2016/05/how-to-do-nyc-in-two-days.html
Hopefully that link will work – that post was written by a woman that has New York down! Have a blast!
My brother lives in NYC so we visit frequently, but we're taking my 7 y/o son for the first time this December. I can't wait! We're doing mostly touristy stuff because that's what he wants to see. I found the NYC City Pass and bought a couple of those. It lets you choose 6 (I think) tourist type things around the city for a discounted price. We're doing the boat ride to Liberty Island, Empire State Building, several museums, etc… I chose not to do the 9/11 Memorial because I feel like he's not quite old enough to see all of that. It was very emotional for me when I went. We're saving that for another trip. Also – I would recommend NOT eating anywhere in Time Square or buying gifts there. Everything is priced much higher than what you can get just down the street. Central Park is wonderful….especially the Zoo. And I've heard that Battery Park is great for ice skating (and less expensive than Rockefeller). My son wants to go to the Nintendo store (go figure) and the Lego store (go figure again). Sidenote: Staten Island Ferry is also a great way to see the Statue of Liberty if you don't want to do the whole tour thing.
La Mela in Little Italy is one of my favorite fun places to go eat. Food is awesome and all served family style. You pay according to how much you'v eaten. Another fun restaurant (and also delicious!) is one of Mario Batali's called Otto Enoteca. Yummy pizza and great wine list. It's down near Washington Square Park. And then obviously Shake Shack. Great burgers. Super casual.
Cookshop is a great brunch place. And you can do the Highline after you eat there. Hope these help! Have fun!!
Ninja NYC….your kiddos will love it and it's in the cool residential area of TriBeCa. Good food and a neat dining experience. Also, Museum of Natural History.
I am going to NYC next month with a group of 20! 8 teenagers plus their chaperones. I am a dance teachers and we are taking dancers to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!
If anybody has a suggestion for Thanksgiving lunch for a group of 20- please do make a suggestion! Right now, we are planning to go to O'Lunney's Times Square.
WOW, All I can say is GOOD LUCK deciding on what to do after all of these WONDERFUL suggestions!! I've never been to NYC and never really cared to go, but after reading all of these comments I'm dying to go. LOL
I haven't read all the comments so forgive me if someone mentioned this, but your kids (and you!) would love Max Brenner's Chocolate by the Bald Man! Great place to pop in and warm up with a hot chocolate (or a chocolate pizza, if you need a snack!) http://maxbrenner.com/ The Rockette's Christmas show would be great if it's running by then. Have fun!
I cannot say enough good things about the broadway show Aladdin. It's spectacular.
We LOVE NYC! Some things that you should definitely do with the kids… Top of the Rock (go just before sunset so you can see the NYC skyline in the light, during sunset, and at night), Wollman Rink in Central Park for ice skating (if they have it this early in the year), Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate, FAO Schwarz, 9/11 Memorial, Rockefeller Center, Times Square (of course) but don't let the kids take any pics with the weirdos dressed up like cartoon characters… some of them get really nasty if you don't tip them, Statue of Liberty, and if you have time, The Met or The Museum of Natural History… those will take hours, though, so if you don't have a lot of time, you may want to skip the museums!
Chelsea Market!! so many options for different tastes. lots of fun & cool to see.
-Museum of Natural History (my favorite and also in my neighborhood)
-Central Park (and ice skating if they are open when you go- it's bigger and much less crowded than Bryant Park or Rockefeller Center)
-the Highline
-Chelsea Market
-Staten Island Ferry (its free)
-top of the Rock (its beautiful at night and it's a better view than the Empire State Building)
-artichoke Bastille pizza
-momofuku milk bar
-vynl (in Hell's Kitchen)
We loved the Rockettes holiday show! My kids also loved the city things like riding seatbeltless in the cabs, riding on the subway, playing on the big rocks in Central Park, going to the Central Park zoo, visiting Dylan's Candy Bar and playing the piano at FAO Schwartz. We also rode in a pedicab thru Central Park as well as a carriage ride! We got to feed the horses carrots at the end. We also asked our uber driver to drive down the heart of time square. Seriously my dads genius idea — The best way to take pictures and see the copious amounts of people walking, lights and video boards without losing any children! We also rode the Stanton island ferry by the Statue of Liberty and the kids thought that was fun! My parents used to live in Midtown but work moved them away. My kids still hope to go back someday!!! I love Balthazar in SOHO – yum!
Central Park
FAO Schwartz
A show (maybe Lion King?)
Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate
Carriage Ride
Skating at Rockefeller Center
As a life long resident of NYC, specifically of queens, here are my suggestions.
Queens
1. NY Hall of Science
Brooklyn
1. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge and ride the carousel at the base of the bridge.
2. Coney Island
Manhattan
1. Statue of Liberty
2. American Museum of Natural History
3. Empire State Building
4. The High Line
5. Metropolitan Museum of Art
6. Central Park
7. Broadway Shows (Lion King, Aladdin, Matilda)
8. Radio City Rockettes Holiday Show
Bronx
1. Bronx Zoo – best zoo in NYC.
The Boat House, Shake Shack, 21, and Carmines are GREAT restaurants! I loved the NBC Experience Tour, Top of the Rock, Empire Stare Building, The Plaza Hotel (cute Eloise Store inside hotel), carriage ride in Central Park, the play Wicked or The Lion King-both were great!
Dylan's Candy Bar.
Fun! We just took kids this summer. Saw School of Rock which was amazeballs but definitely PG-13. Aladdin or Lion King would be my suggestions if you do a show. Your boys would LOVE Ninja NewYork. Upscale Asian food with an awesome magic show. Ellen's Stardust Diner – iconic. The Boathouse Central Park–you can rent paddle boats. Lunch or dinner or just desserts at Max Brenner's (can make reservation on open table) an amazing chocolate factory with crowd pleasing food. Alice's Tea Cup or Elouise Tea at the Plaza. At the Plaza, there is a really great upscale food court & market below the hotel. Best crepes we've ever tasted – they were giant! And a darling Eloise themed store down there, too if you skip the tea.
**The Ride–an interactive experience to tour fave sights. BEST THING WE DID. they worked in my 10 year old daughter's birthday into their street performance – it was fabulous and she still talks about that birthday**
Zephyr Statue of Liberty Express – great way to quickly see ports, bridges and state of liberty. Top of the Rock–great way to see entire city as long as no one is afraid of heights 😉 American Museum of Natural History–my kids love the Night at Museum movies and we stayed here a lot longer than i thought b/c there was so much that interested them.
Carmine's, Eatly, The Benjamin Steakhouse and Burger Heaven are great. Juliana's is great if you walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Wicked is so good! They are lighting the Rockefeller tree early this year- Nov. 30th and the Rockette's Holiday Spectacular would be good too!
Have so much fun! Can't wait to read all about it!! I have loved looking through everyone's comments. We have never been with kids, but a couple things we have done that I will reiterate from others' comments: Central Park is a must! We also LOVED The Stardust Diner. The singers are Broadway talented singers, either have small parts or working on making it big, so they are GOOD. It's a great place to catch good music if you don't make it to a Broadway show (or you want a little bit more!)
Live and work in NYC. Everyone already gave you lots of ideas. My one tip is to break down your visit by area. Don't try and do stuff in lower Manhattan and stuff in Midtown on the same day, especially with kids. For Lower Manhattan I agree with other commenters, take the Staten Island Ferry (free) and you get a great view of the Statue of Liberty while avoiding huge crowds. While you're down there ride on the Seaglass Carousel in Battery Park (next to Staten Island ferry). It's $5 a ticket but totally unique. Then walk to the playground on Rector in Battery Park City (very fun for kids). I work at the 9/11 Museum. It's totally worth a stop at the Memorial (free). The museum would be too much for your little ones although there is kids programing on the weekends. Since you love shopping, go to Century 21 (near the 9/11 Museum) it's got great high end clothing for cheap. I also recommend trying bubble tea. Lots of places everywhere but I love CoCo (on John St. near Century 21). If you are a fan of Hamilton, stop by Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan to see his headstone (the church is also amazing). Eatly also opened in this area so stop there too. Have fun!
Serendipity and Dylan's Candy Bar! Also Lion King is a cute, entertaining show. And the Wax Museum!
Watch the movie Serendipity (again) before you leave and then go to Serendipity while you're there. You and your kids will love that place!!
Ellen'a Stardust Diner was definitely a fun place for breakfast. The waitresses and waiters are all people trying to make their way to Broadway so they sing and put on a mini show while you're eating. It's really entertaining. I teach middle school and we took the 8th graders there on our East Coast trip and they loved that restaurant.
We take our kids (6, 3 and 7 months) to the city every year at Christmas and stay in Times Square. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular (the Rockette's) is amazing and would be at the top of my list. Visit Rockefeller center and see the tree and visit the Lego store there. Watch the light show on the Saks building. Eat at Ellen's Stardust diner for the singing waitstaff. Visit Times Square stores like the M & M store where you can make your own bags. St Patrick's restoration has just been completed so I would definitely visit with the family. Have a great trip!
I haven't been with kids but serendipity would be a great spot with kiddos!!
I'm from New York!!! Ok so you definitely have to see a play, eat at serendipity, go to the wax museum, the big toys r us has a ferrous wheel the kids will love, Hershey store, Central Park, Bryant park, Carmine's is an awesome restaurant! There's one right near the theatre district if you're going to see a play! Juniors is awesome for dessert! Famous for their cheesecake!
Y'all are going to have so much fun! Some fun places to visit are:
1. The basement of the Plaza Hotel – there are fun restaurant stands and Eloise's tea party shop is there too!
2. If you want to see a show, The Lion King and Aladdin are great
3. The Lego Store at Rockefeller Center and American Girl Store on 5th ave, right near Rockefeller are both fun
4. A fun, slightly cheesy place for dessert (you could go for dinner, but it's not the best food every) is Ellen's Stardust Diner. The waiters are aspiring Broadway actors, so they sing and dance while they deliver your food to you – so much fun!
5. The Rockefeller Ice Rink is up, which is always a fun place to skate
6. If it's not too cold, a walk through Central Park is great – you can walk to the carousel and to the many playgrounds
7. There are so many museums too that the kids would love
8. Chelsea Market is fun for the adults, but it can get really crowded
9. The pools for the 9/11 memorial are free and if you're down that way, are a beautiful thing to see
10. Definitely do the Top of the Rock – you get such great views of the city
Hope y'all have a great time!
Dylan's Candy store and Serendipity for dessert!!
I live in NYC. In addition to all the wonderful suggestions listed above I have two for you:
1) mommy poppins . com – this is a go to site for us local moms with complete listings of all current events/outings for families.
2) watch movies about NYC with the family before your visit! My kids love spotting things from the movies they've seen! Some of our favorites: Stuart Little, Curious George, Madagascar, Eloise, Home Alone Lost in NY and recently the original Ghostbusters.
And one bonus: There's a book called "Storied City" that lists walking tours to children books. We loved finding the Peter Pan statue, Lyle Lyle Crocodile's house on E 88 St etc…
https://www.amazon.com/Storied-City-Childrens-Walking-Tour-Guide/dp/0525469249
Alice's Tea Cup – a super cute little tea house that has an Alice in Wonderland theme. It is super delicious and the kids would LOVE it (think fairy wings and pixie dust for Ebby Lee).
Hi! I love all of these recommendations. My husband and I went in June, and something really fun that we did was a tour of NBC studios. You get to visit at least two studios when you are there (you can't pick, it just depends on schedules). We got to see the studio for NBC Nightly News and SNL. Probably more interesting for you and Tab, but the tour is fairly short and your kiddos might think it is cool to see inside of a TV studio. You can buy your tickets and reserve online. One other thing – personally, I don't think I would take kids to the 9/11 memorial. It was an incredible memorial, but extremely heavy. We went in June (so schools were out), and it was also PACKED. It was very well worth it, but it definitely took up most our day. It is definitely a must do for adults, but I think it would be too scary and too sad for small kiddos. Just my 2 cents!
Hi! I love all of these recommendations. My husband and I went in June, and something really fun that we did was a tour of NBC studios. You get to visit at least two studios when you are there (you can't pick, it just depends on schedules). We got to see the studio for NBC Nightly News and SNL. Probably more interesting for you and Tab, but the tour is fairly short and your kiddos might think it is cool to see inside of a TV studio. You can buy your tickets and reserve online. One other thing – personally, I don't think I would take kids to the 9/11 memorial. It was an incredible memorial, but extremely heavy. We went in June (so schools were out), and it was also PACKED. It was very well worth it, but it definitely took up most our day. It is definitely a must do for adults, but I think it would be too scary and too sad for small kiddos. Just my 2 cents!
Hi! I love all of these recommendations. My husband and I went in June, and something really fun that we did was a tour of NBC studios. You get to visit at least two studios when you are there (you can't pick, it just depends on schedules). We got to see the studio for NBC Nightly News and SNL. Probably more interesting for you and Tab, but the tour is fairly short and your kiddos might think it is cool to see inside of a TV studio. You can buy your tickets and reserve online. One other thing – personally, I don't think I would take kids to the 9/11 memorial. It was an incredible memorial, but extremely heavy. We went in June (so schools were out), and it was also PACKED. It was very well worth it, but it definitely took up most our day. It is definitely a must do for adults, but I think it would be too scary and too sad for small kiddos. Just my 2 cents!
I didn't read all the comments but I live here so I have to chime in.
I'd definitely suggest a Broadway show. Either Lion King or Aladdin.
The ice skating rinks should all be open by then (most are open now) skating in Wollman rink is really nice, Bryant Park is nice too. Great views around you.mRockefellar center is too crowded.
Alice's teacup is my girls favorite, could be a fun mother/daughter thing
Shake shack is my boys favorite (though girls love it too)