Please help me find kid-friendly sites on the Upper West Side?
July 15, 2013 1:33 PM Subscribe
Please help me find little kid-friendly sites on the Upper West Side that are near the American Museum of Natural History. Preferably free or cheap, preferably air-conditioned, and preferably not the Children's Museum.
I'm taking a 4.5 year old boy to the Museum of Natural History tomorrow (frog exhibit, hooray!) and it's going to be hellishly hot. I want to leave his place in Brooklyn in the morning to maximize fun times, but we're not meeting our friends at the AMNH until 1. What else can we do? I'm fine with low-key stuff too so that we're not cranky and sweaty before we even enter the museum.
There's the Children's Museum of Manhattan, but he just went there with his grandparents earlier this month and apparently was only mildly entertained.
Restaurant recommendations would be nice as well. I am not going to stand in line for 1.5 hours at Shake Shack, however.
I'm taking a 4.5 year old boy to the Museum of Natural History tomorrow (frog exhibit, hooray!) and it's going to be hellishly hot. I want to leave his place in Brooklyn in the morning to maximize fun times, but we're not meeting our friends at the AMNH until 1. What else can we do? I'm fine with low-key stuff too so that we're not cranky and sweaty before we even enter the museum.
There's the Children's Museum of Manhattan, but he just went there with his grandparents earlier this month and apparently was only mildly entertained.
Restaurant recommendations would be nice as well. I am not going to stand in line for 1.5 hours at Shake Shack, however.
Of course the AMNH is so gigantic that you could spend days wandering around in it -- I just was there with my eight-year-old and we only saw a fraction of it in three hours. Would you want to spend time there even before you meet your friends? If you think your young charge would get too museumed-out by looking at exhibits in both the morning and afternoon, they also have IMAX films (one on penguins now, I think) and planetarium shows where you could just sit in the air-conditioned dark. (Also note that, like the Met, the AMNH is pay-what-you-want for general admission. A movie or planetarium show would cost extra, but you could counter that by choosing to pay less for your general ticket. They've got tons of money, don't worry about it.)
posted by lisa g at 2:08 PM on July 15, 2013
posted by lisa g at 2:08 PM on July 15, 2013
For Shake Shack, grab a custard. There's almost no one ever on the C line for non-hot food, like shakes and custards and concretes.
posted by chengjih at 2:27 PM on July 15, 2013
posted by chengjih at 2:27 PM on July 15, 2013
The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater in Central Park has morning shows, but they sell out quickly.
The New York Historical Society at CPW and 77th has a Children's Exhibition which looks like a lot of fun (we've never actually gone, but keep meaning to)
If you don't mind bringing a towel and a swimsuit or change of clothes, there's a fantastic fountain to play in at the AMNH - It's on the mezzanine level above/behind the Planetarium - follow the (outside) steps from Columbus Avenue around 80th Street.
posted by Mchelly at 2:41 PM on July 15, 2013
The New York Historical Society at CPW and 77th has a Children's Exhibition which looks like a lot of fun (we've never actually gone, but keep meaning to)
If you don't mind bringing a towel and a swimsuit or change of clothes, there's a fantastic fountain to play in at the AMNH - It's on the mezzanine level above/behind the Planetarium - follow the (outside) steps from Columbus Avenue around 80th Street.
posted by Mchelly at 2:41 PM on July 15, 2013
Best answer: Or for seriously low-key but air-conditioned fun, Essentials on 80th and Broadway is a local discount store that has an upstairs toy department with 2-3 big train tables (Thomas and Chuggington) just for kids to play with.
posted by Mchelly at 2:47 PM on July 15, 2013
posted by Mchelly at 2:47 PM on July 15, 2013
Ditch Plains on 82nd and Columbus is a good, fun restaurant for both kids and adults.
Go check out the chocolates at Jacques Torres on Amsterdam between 73rd and 74th.
posted by odin53 at 5:03 PM on July 15, 2013
Go check out the chocolates at Jacques Torres on Amsterdam between 73rd and 74th.
posted by odin53 at 5:03 PM on July 15, 2013
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posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:34 PM on July 15, 2013