Help suggest NYC attractions that don't require tons of walking?

April 7, 2009 7:04 PM

Suggest some New York attractions for my walking-challenged parents?

My parents have planned a trip to New York ths coming May. They will be arriving on a Friday early afternoon nd leaving Monday late morning. I've lived in New York for about a year and was all excited to plan their trip (I will be out of town), but my mom called last night and told me that my dad's hip is painful with excess walking, so I'm a bit stumped. I was planning on suggesting some of the things I love: walking the Brooklyn Bridge, seeing Chinatown, exploring Greenwich Village, Central Park, etc.

So I ask you, fellow mefites: please help me plan a fun trip for my parents without a ton of walking. They will be staying in Manhattan so please no suggestions in other bouroughs. My Mom would like to see Ground Zero, but other than that their agenda is completely open.

Thanks!

posted by btkuhn to travel & transportation (11 comments total)

Well, there's always the Circle Line boat tours. (Disclaimer: I've never taken one myself, so I don't know how worthwhile they are.)
posted by Quietgal at 7:12 PM on April 7

I know it's terribly "touristy" but I love the Gray Line double decker bus tours in NYC. May should be beautiful weather to sit on top and you can really get a feel for some of the different neighborhoods in NYC, albeit from a distance. I found they helped a lot in getting a better picture of the size and complexity of the city. They have the "hop on / hop off" option, so if there were some easily accessible or particularly interesting sights they'd like to see in greater detail, they could always get off the bus and then catch the next one.
posted by SweetTeaAndABiscuit at 7:19 PM on April 7

There are also the multitude of double-decker tour buses. You can get them passes that allow them to get on and off as they please... and they will hit all of the major attractions. It's not cheap, but might be a good choice in this situation.
posted by kimdog at 7:20 PM on April 7

Theatre! Everyone should see a Broadway or off-Broadway show while they're in town.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:27 PM on April 7 [1 favorite]

They could still do the Bridge and walking things in a pedi-cab, which could be fun/novel for your parents.
There's also theatre and independent cinemas if they want to sit but see something they might not be able to in their hometown.
Recommending interesting restaurants never fails, they can take cabs there if they want.
posted by rmless at 8:42 PM on April 7

A pedi cab through Times Square, at night. Do those guys go over bridges?

I can't abide them, but a horse-drawn carriage ride in the park seems popular and May will be glorious.
posted by CunningLinguist at 9:28 PM on April 7

I always do the Circle Line boat tours with guests and never get tired of it. If you do the day tour take some food and make a picnic out of it, or do the from dusk to night tour to see the city light up. The Staten Island Ferry is a good choice too.
posted by MS_gal at 10:50 PM on April 7

One of the cheesiest tourist things I did on my first visit to NYC was to take a carriage ride around Central Park. It was fun, the driver appeared knowledgeable about the park (for all I knew, he could have been making it up as he went along, but he gave us an interesting commentary) and we saw a fair bit of the park. I think it lasted about 20-30 minutes, and it cost $40, split between three of us, plus a tip. I'd also recommend the Staten Island Ferry.
posted by essexjan at 11:51 PM on April 7

I don't like the announcers on the Circle Line tours, I'd rather just take the Staten Island Ferry there-and-back any day and be able to make conversation. Then again, since this is your parents, YMMV.

I agree with TPS about theatre. Get rush tickets from TKTS on the day of, and that night you can take them out to a good show at a fair price.
posted by hermitosis at 8:16 AM on April 8

With the OP out of town and the parents' limited mobility, I doubt they can line up at TKTS.
Best bet is to have them order tickets to something online in advance.

Also note that major attractions (museums, for example) often have a wheelchair around for rent or to borrow. Here's MoMA's services as an example. It's worth browsing websites or calling up some of these places.

Another option is renting a motorized scooter from a company for that extended weekend for your dad to ride. My mother has MS and can't really stand for long or walk very far (even with her walker, she'll tire eventually), and renting those scooters while traveling really gives her lots of freedom.
posted by cmgonzalez at 1:01 PM on April 8

Seconding the motorized scooter. My grandmother used one when we visited the city back when I was in high school, and she was better able to get around than the rest of us! (My mom also used one when she had a broken leg and we were visiting Indianapolis.)
posted by ocherdraco at 10:30 AM on April 9