Family trip to NYC in May– help me choose between this or that
March 9, 2015 1:14 PM
I need help narrowing down the overwhelming choices of places to see, things to do, food to eat. We are a family of 4 – with kids ages 6 and 10. We will staying in Brooklyn. We’ll have 4 days for sightseeing.
One or two destinations per day would be about right, and we’d like to arrange our days to minimize commuting. Suggestions of nearby attractions/things to hit up after we hit one of the main attractions, would be appreciated.
Help us pick: Staten Island Ferry only vs. doing the Statue of Liberty tour as well, Matilda vs Lion King, Coney island vs. something else, Carnegie deli vs Katz’s deli, Empire State building vs Top of the Rock. We are planning on visiting Times Square and Central Park. We’ll likely do a bus tour as well – any recommendations ?
Any decent apps that can help us find food trucks? There seem to be a few to choose from. Thanks for the help!
One or two destinations per day would be about right, and we’d like to arrange our days to minimize commuting. Suggestions of nearby attractions/things to hit up after we hit one of the main attractions, would be appreciated.
Help us pick: Staten Island Ferry only vs. doing the Statue of Liberty tour as well, Matilda vs Lion King, Coney island vs. something else, Carnegie deli vs Katz’s deli, Empire State building vs Top of the Rock. We are planning on visiting Times Square and Central Park. We’ll likely do a bus tour as well – any recommendations ?
Any decent apps that can help us find food trucks? There seem to be a few to choose from. Thanks for the help!
My suggestion would be not to make Times Square a destination, but rather a through point, e.g. on the to lunch from Central Park you can pass through it, or vice versa.
posted by furtive at 1:34 PM on March 9, 2015
posted by furtive at 1:34 PM on March 9, 2015
If you are going to Central Park, then you either couple that with The Met, The Natural History Museum & Planetarium, & Serendipity (or similar.) Also, a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park.
I love the Empire State Building, but is it still really tatty? IDK, the view is pretty incredible.
As a native NYer, The Must Do's are: some kind of boat ride, some kind of high view of Manhattan, some iconic shopping or restaurants, museum or central library or similar, and Wall Street. Fulton Street Pier/dock whatever if it is still there, works if you are also going to Wall Street. I usually combine Wall Street with the Staten Island Ferry or the ferry across the hudson to NJ (which seriously, has better views) but you do you.
Soho & the East Village are also on this list. Some people prefer the West Village. Either way.
I don't know anything about Brooklyn.
posted by jbenben at 1:38 PM on March 9, 2015
I love the Empire State Building, but is it still really tatty? IDK, the view is pretty incredible.
As a native NYer, The Must Do's are: some kind of boat ride, some kind of high view of Manhattan, some iconic shopping or restaurants, museum or central library or similar, and Wall Street. Fulton Street Pier/dock whatever if it is still there, works if you are also going to Wall Street. I usually combine Wall Street with the Staten Island Ferry or the ferry across the hudson to NJ (which seriously, has better views) but you do you.
Soho & the East Village are also on this list. Some people prefer the West Village. Either way.
I don't know anything about Brooklyn.
posted by jbenben at 1:38 PM on March 9, 2015
I don't know how your kids are for walking (for the record, I've done this with my 6 year old daughter) but one day could involve (in either order) going to the Transit museum in Brooklyn (closed Mondays), heading down to the promenade and walking up to go over the Brooklyn bridge. Plenty to eat and look at on the way, and subways to pick up if it all gets a bit much.
posted by gaspode at 1:46 PM on March 9, 2015
posted by gaspode at 1:46 PM on March 9, 2015
The classic must-see for kids (depending on your willingness to be begged for every toy in the place) is the huge FAO Schwartz at the southeast corner of Central Park.
posted by MsMolly at 2:14 PM on March 9, 2015
posted by MsMolly at 2:14 PM on March 9, 2015
You can skip the Staten Island Ferry if you go to the Statue of Liberty. And I wouldn't bother with Wall Street. You might do a walk around Chinatown. If it's close, you could substitute Brooklyn's Prospect Park for Central Park. It was also designed by Olmstead and Vaux and has similar amenities (the zoo is better that Central Park's, IMO), though not as iconic.
Coney Island has the Aquarium. You can get a combo pass that will work for all the zoos plus the Aquarium. You'll want to get a hot dog at Nathan's.
posted by rikschell at 2:27 PM on March 9, 2015
Coney Island has the Aquarium. You can get a combo pass that will work for all the zoos plus the Aquarium. You'll want to get a hot dog at Nathan's.
posted by rikschell at 2:27 PM on March 9, 2015
Staten Island Ferry
Matilda (by far)
Coney Island is fine, but it's a beach. Do something else.
Neither. Ben's.
Top of the Rock
Avoid all bus tours.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 3:04 PM on March 9, 2015
Matilda (by far)
Coney Island is fine, but it's a beach. Do something else.
Neither. Ben's.
Top of the Rock
Avoid all bus tours.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 3:04 PM on March 9, 2015
Re the food trucks: I live here and I'm still looking. I haven't found a single site with consistent information and even the food trucks themselves are very inconsistent with updating their own locations. There's this, but it's pretty inaccurate/infrequently updated.
I will tell you that a ton of food trucks can be found on 47th between Lexington and Park Avenue.
There also tends to be food trucks parked on Vesey street in front of 3 World Financial Center. Maybe someone else can pitch in with other clustering spots.
posted by pravit at 3:58 PM on March 9, 2015
I will tell you that a ton of food trucks can be found on 47th between Lexington and Park Avenue.
There also tends to be food trucks parked on Vesey street in front of 3 World Financial Center. Maybe someone else can pitch in with other clustering spots.
posted by pravit at 3:58 PM on March 9, 2015
Thirding the Transit Museum. It's tons of fun even as a grown-up (why, yes, I was there a couple weeks ago, why do you ask :P).
Katz's is better than Carnegie, and you can also go to Yonah Schimmel right nearby.
I think going to the Statue of Liberty is overrated if you can do the ferry for free, but not sure if the ferry ride might feel kinda long for a kid.
The Prospect Park zoo is really nice, as is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden right across the street.
Haven't seen Matilda but I saw The Lion King as a sort-of-reluctant adult and it was actually really great.
posted by ferret branca at 5:33 PM on March 9, 2015
Katz's is better than Carnegie, and you can also go to Yonah Schimmel right nearby.
I think going to the Statue of Liberty is overrated if you can do the ferry for free, but not sure if the ferry ride might feel kinda long for a kid.
The Prospect Park zoo is really nice, as is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden right across the street.
Haven't seen Matilda but I saw The Lion King as a sort-of-reluctant adult and it was actually really great.
posted by ferret branca at 5:33 PM on March 9, 2015
I personally prefer to do the quieter, cheaper, less touristy option. However, with kids that age, I would err on the side of doing the things your kids have heard of and want to do. Kids can be pretty indoctrinated by pop culture or things their friends have said, and it's a bit like getting a knock off brand for Christmas when you wanted the real thing. If they have no preferance, the Staten Island ferry and TOTR at night were my choices, and I enjoyed both. The ferry takes an hour an a half all up, so take snacks. Times Square was incredibly overrated, but there was a toy store there with a giant t-rex, that might make it worth it.
posted by kjs4 at 10:54 PM on March 9, 2015
posted by kjs4 at 10:54 PM on March 9, 2015
The Met. Definitely. You wouldn't go to Paris and skip the louvre, would you? Same deal with the met, the collections are stunning (dont miss the temple of Dendur!). Also, don't be shy about the 'suggested donation' as they are heavily funded. Pay what you like/can. Go early and afterwards walk through Central Park...go down to Bethesda Fountain and ride the paddleboats.
posted by sexyrobot at 1:11 AM on March 10, 2015
posted by sexyrobot at 1:11 AM on March 10, 2015
(Times Square/Empire State/Midtown Shopping is also a good day/quite close together...Macy's/Herald Square is all by the Empire state, or you could head down to 23rd/5th to the LEGO store and Eataly, right next door...mmm...gelato...It's mindbending how tasty that place is...Italian import grocery/store/cafes/food boutique/cheesery/seafood/etc etc...its hard to describe, Google it.)
posted by sexyrobot at 1:19 AM on March 10, 2015
posted by sexyrobot at 1:19 AM on March 10, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
How badly do you need to do ESB or Top of the Rock? They can get very crowded and I'm not sure it's worth the time and money. I see you mentioned Coney Island and I think it can be great fun; Luna Park will be open many days in May.
Matilda is GREAT! but is a little dark; how does your 6-year old do with "scary" stuff? The Lion King has scary parts, too, but might be better if it's more familiar. Or what about a classic like On the Town?
I've done The Ride bus tour; it's a little cheesy and you're only going around Midtown, but the bus is SO dang cool and I bet the kids would enjoy it.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:23 PM on March 9, 2015