I'd love to bring the kids to New York City but......

[lynn]

being in a big city scares me a bit. How do you get around? Where can I find info on safely getting in and out of the city, where to park, stay, avoid etc. I'd like to see Central Park, be one of the window people outside during the Today Show, see broadway, eat at carnegie deli etc. Any info on anything else to do, see or advice? tIA

[momofkhm]

:lurk5:

 

Oldest dd would like to as well.

[bettyandbob]

Getting into NYC--depends on where you are traveling from. I traveled from DC and highly recommend one of the bus routes like vamoose or bolt. You can't get there faster. You get dropped at Penn station/Grand Central. This was a lot cheaper than driving for the 2 of us, factoring in gas, tolls, and secure parking in NYC. If you are traveling with 4+ and are staying in a hotel with parking, it may make sense to drive.

 

Getting around NYC--dd and navigated the metro system for a weekend when she was 11. Besides bus and subway, we took one bicycle taxi for fun. You can get NYC transit maps in national bookstore chains like barnes and noble. I purchased a pocket map that folded quite small. I also had a current travel guide that listed the metro stops of the attractions. You just have to be aware that several routes might run on the same tracks. You need to watch the signs on the trains to make sure it's the route you want. Additionally, weekends are when they do most maintenance so some routes are down. However, you will always be able to find another route to the stop you want. Figuring out the subway system was part of the fun--it wasn't hard and the station employees were polite and helpful and I did ask a fellow passenger once and who was helpful too.

 

We stayed in the Pod Hotel, which we found fun. It was inexpensive for Manhattan and dh approved the neighbor--he didn't want us to trade cost for safety. It was a hotel experience not to everyone's taste. The room was tiny. The bathroom was in the hall. I'm not sure about taking a small child there.

[gingersmom]

I have family that lives in NYC and am there several times a month with my children.

 

Its really not as big and scary as you would think.

 

My favorite mode of transportation (if its too far to walk) is the bus. It may take a tiny bit longer but I like traveling above ground and if we change our mind about where we are going we just hop off. You can get bus transfers to change to other buses with ease. They take change or metrocards. The drivers are extremely helpful with directions.

 

Our favorite places are Museum of Natural History and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Times Square Exhibit Center also has really cool exhibits (currently King Tut). There is ice skating at Chelsea Piers (indoors) and several bowling alleys.

 

My 13 year old likes walking through Times Square. Lots of fun places to eat and shops to wander in/out of.

 

Chinatown is huge and a ton of fun to walk around and go eat.

 

There are double decker bus tours and boat cruises.

 

I hope you come to visit. It really is a fun city!

[Dooley]

I lived there in the mid '80's. Dont bring a car in, its useless, the cabs and subways are more that adequate to get anyone anywhere. Go anywhere you want, the places you would probably go to are safe - I mean, its not your intention to go to the ghettos in Harlem or something - everyone goes to the hot spots! I plan on taking my 4 kids myself. Leaving our car at a relatives in Philly and taking the train in. Stay at a hotel in the city.

 

I am sure that any cabbie or concierge at the hotel can tell you what areas are not good to be around right now. Dont worry and have FUN!!

[Wheres Toto]

My favorite way to get into the city is the Midtown direct train. I live in NJ and the trains go from many towns right into Penn Station. The kids love the train ride and its easy. I definitely agree that driving into the city is a bad idea. It takes forever to get around, parking is outrageous (hard to find and expensive). Once in the city we usually use the subway or a taxi, depending on what we're doing/where we're going. If we're going to a show and are dressed nicely, we usually take a cab. We love the Museum of Natural History, Time Square, Greenwich Village and Central Park. There's a lot of fun places and its really not that scary.

 

My oldest LOVES NYC. She wants to go to college there so we are going to be increasing our trips to give her a chance to get to know her way around more, navigate the subway, etc.

 

I recently spent a weekend in Greece and used the subway the whole time I was there. Compared to that, Manhattan is a breeze. ;)

 

Depending on how old your kids are and if you're into "theme" restaurants you may like The Jeckyl and Hyde Club (like a huge Halloween party) or Mars 2112 (space themed - you can go through a flight simulator ride to get in). My oldest loves the Jeckyl and Hyde club but it may be scary for a sensitive young child. http://www.jekyllandhydeclub.com/ The first time we went my dd was 7 or 8. She hates scary movies but had a great time at the restaurant - there's pictures with eyes that move, a rhino head that starts talking - lots of fun.

Edited April 8, 2010 by dottieanna29
Mention restaurants

[gandpsmommy]

Not to hijack the thread, but what would you recommend for people who live several states away, but are driving to the city? If you don't recommend taking a car into the city, what do you? I mean is it possible to get to a hotel that has parking, and then just leave the car parked and use public transportation for the rest of the stay? Or is it really impossible to find a hotel with much parking or really hard just to get to the hotel? I'm considering coming to NYC for a short trip within the next year and would love to know. Thanks.

[kewb]

Yes, it is possible to get a hotel with parking or to park in a garage near the hotel for the time you are in the city. Either way, you will be paying for parking so that needs to be factored into your budget. The bus and the subway are the best ways to get around the city.

[nono]

Not to hijack the thread, but what would you recommend for people who live several states away, but are driving to the city? If you don't recommend taking a car into the city, what do you? I mean is it possible to get to a hotel that has parking, and then just leave the car parked and use public transportation for the rest of the stay? Or is it really impossible to find a hotel with much parking or really hard just to get to the hotel? I'm considering coming to NYC for a short trip within the next year and would love to know. Thanks.

 

Yes, hotels have parking, and your plan, to drive in an park for the duration, is a sound one. Just start saving now for the parking fees. ;)

[Tweed]

I drive into NYC from DC area a couple times of year for a long weekend with one or two of my kids. We stay at the Excelsior Hotel, which is pretty affordable yet nice. Their parking is across the street underneath the Museum of Natural History. I love the location. It's across the street from that museum and Central Park. We take a short walk across the park and we are at Metropolitan Museum of Art. We make a weekend out of the museums and in between that we explore Central Park and eat at a French restaurant and bakery a few blocks up on Madison. I leave the car parked under the museum for the whole weekend (around $50), and if we have to travel someplace else in the city, we take a taxi. On Sunday morning, I pick up my car and drive a short way to the Cloisters or to Liberty Park in New Jersey to take the ferry to Ellis Island or Statue of Liberty. It's such a fun weekend.

[Renthead Mommy]

We live on Long Island and usually take the train in. When we do drive we usually park at the Museum of Natural History. There rates are actually pretty good, only $40 for the day. We drive when it's going to be enough people that it's cheaper to park then take the trains.

 

Hotel parking will probably average around $40 a day.

 

I moved to NJ, just outside the city in '83. The city had changed and cleaned up so much since then. The subway is really simple. You just have to know if you want to go uptown or downtown. In all the years I've gone in and out of the city I've actually never used the buses. The subway has just always been easier for us.

 

If you want to do a show, and need it to be a kid friendly show, I'd say buy tickets ahead of time. You just don't know what's going to be available at TKTS, and if you need it to be young kid friendly, you have few things to choose from.

[Liza Q]

You've gotten a lot of good advice in this thread! Don't let the big city scare you - just plan to have enough money (hotels and parking *are* big hits) and you will have a great time!

[Alessandra]

New York is a great place to visit -- lots to see & people are friendly. If you are driving in, check out this site on parking

http://nyc.bestparking.com/index.php

 

If you print out a reservation (I usually print out quite a few, in case my plans change), you save $$ -- I recently parked for $14, discounted from $40. But when you reach the city, plan on public transportation, unless you are going to the Bronx Zoo or somewhere like that. Since you are a little intimidated, my suggestion would be to take busses or taxis rather than the subway -- NYC does not have a clean, modern system like, say, Washington DC's.

 

For ideas of what to do -- that is so personal. I grew up in NYC and now live in an adjacent suburb and I still buy NYC guidebooks -- Frommer's has a great series,___ for Kids, I think it's called. One thing we enjoyed recently was a hydrofoil boat cruise from South Street Seaport -- not the long one around Manhattan, but a shorter one around the tip of Manhattan. Or, on a more budget level, the Staten Island ferry is fun & cheap.

 

Someone posted on this site a while back about a whirlwind tour, doing a lot, for a reasonable prices by buying some kind of package ticket that let her into a lot of sites.

[Pam in MA]

We just returned from a trip a few weeks ago and we live in Massachusestts. We drove to White Plains, New York, and left our car in the big parking garage at the train station. We arrived on a Saturday so the garage was essentially empty. The parking was $10/day (as opposed to upwards of $40/day in the city) and it's only a 30 minute train ride into the city. We stayed at the Belvedere Hotel near Times Square. Very nice and not expensive. (Although we went during off peak season; you're getting into peak season now) You absolutely do not want to bring a car into Manhattan. It's very easy to get around as all the streets are numbered (although I have to say I grew up there so I'm comfortable with the city) but just pick yourself up a Frommer's Guide or something at the library or bookstore. You can pore over it and decide what to see. Have fun! We sure did!

[Julie in CA]

I'm a total "country mouse". I live a quiet rural lifestyle where I rarely even have to get on the freeway for anything. A couple of years ago I decided that I wanted my kids to each have a "treasure trip" with mom, and that I wanted them to see/experience things that would be completely foreign to them. One of my dd's and I went to San Francisco. Ds#3 and I flew to San Diego and rented a car. Dd#1 and I didn't go to the big city, but we did a driving trip, and toured a famous culinary institute. With ds#1, he was a senior, so I wanted his to be big. We flew to Europe and visited Paris and Rome. (I still have one kid to go, if you're doing the math on this...;))

 

Anyhow, with each and every one of those trips I've had to seriously step out of my comfort zone. We've gotten to, and around, 5 major cities of the world now, most of the time using public transportation. It was no problem. You'll be fine, AND, you'll be *so glad* you did it! The stretch feels scary to me every time, but it's always been fine and worth it. I've never been lost beyond finding, I've never been mugged, most of the time I haven't even been ridiculed (well, there was one guy in Paris who didn't think I'd understand French but...:tongue_smilie:). GO! And have a good time. And let us know how it went, because I'm thinking that last trip I do might have to be to NYC. :auto:

[Kim in Appalachia]

We usually took the train, but I have taken my car. We were going to the Times Square area and just parked right at a garage that was right after the bridge (took the Turnpike up). But that was a Saturaday, it would probably be difficult to park during the week.

 

The other times, when I took the train, I was with people familiar with the subway system. I know it would overwhelm me if I had to get around NY. I could easily take the train to NY, but once I got off I would have a hard time figuring out how to get to other locations without walking.

[LibraryLover]

I've taken my chikldren to NYC multiple times. I drive in and park, most times for free on the street. We usually find on- street parking near the Museum of Natural History, on the side of the doggie playground. The trick is not to move your car for the duration of your stay. When you luck out with a parking space, you don't tempt fate. lol Just leave it there. This is one of the pricest neighborhoods in the world, and safe, plus very pretty; very residential. You'll find people walking their dogs, and pushing baby buggies all around, and into and out of the park.

 

You can also pay for hotel parking and we have done that as well. NYC is only scary in thought. In practice, it is msotly a very social, manageable city. Upper Manhattan--East 86th to East 96th St, Fifth Ave to Lexington Ave is probably safer than many suburban neighborhoods. You'll see kids riding thier bikes on the weekends even. Massive wealth can buy some good protection from crime. We usually pick an area and just limited ourselves to walking. I admit, I don't find the NYC subway confortble (although I can easily handle the DC metro), so we have walked blocks and blocks, or taken cabs part of the way. We've also taken city buses to get around, which has worked well, but can be tricky without a map/guideline.

Edited April 8, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Susan in KY]

being in a big city scares me a bit. How do you get around? Where can I find info on safely getting in and out of the city, where to park, stay, avoid etc. I'd like to see Central Park, be one of the window people outside during the Today Show, see broadway, eat at carnegie deli etc. Any info on anything else to do, see or advice? tIA

 

Just this morning, I was thinking of taking the kids to see an exhibit there at the Jewish Museum. If we do, we will stay in NJ, since it's much cheaper than NYC and easily accessible through public transport.

[Momling]

Yes, hotels have parking, and your plan, to drive in an park for the duration, is a sound one. Just start saving now for the parking fees. ;)

 

You could always drive to a town along the metro north line and take the train in to Grand Central Station from there. Darien, CT, for instance, is a wealthy little town with train station parking which I believe is free on the weekend... But depending which direction you're coming from, you could just park in a suburb and avoid the outrageous parking fees that come with NYC hotel parking.

[LibraryLover]

New York is a great place to visit -- lots to see & people are friendly. If you are driving in, check out this site on parking

http://nyc.bestparking.com/index.php

.

 

 

That is very handy.

[Wheres Toto]

One thing to think about if you're considering on-street parking for more than a weekend - alternate side of the street parking rules. Basically it means you need to move your car to the opposite side of the street each day. It's done for street cleaning I believe.

 

There are a lot of places to stay in NJ that are very close to the train stations and much more affordable than the city. On weekends, many of the hotels that cater to business travelers are much cheaper. Check out NJ Transit trains - Midtown Direct line and look for town names. Once you're away from the part of NJ directly across the river from NYC you are pretty much in Suburbia. The middle of the Northern part of the state (Morris County) is about a 30-40 minute train ride from Penn Station.

[Alice]

Dh and I try and go to NYC about once a year. Last year we went for the first time with the kids (5 and 2 at the time). We're going this summer again with all three (6, 3 and will be 9 months). We've stayed in lots of different places but I think our favorite strategy has been to pick a neighborhood or area and try and keep our visit primarily to that location. It makes the big city much more doable and has allowed us to see stuff a bit more off the beaten path.

 

Last year with the little ones we were very pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. One of the guidebooks we checked out from the library had a funny quote that I can't remember exactly but basically said that NYC with kids is essentially an alternate universe from NYC of the hip singles. It was written by a woman who had lived in NYC all her life and then had kids and discovered all the different things to do she hadn't done before. Dh and I felt the same way. Our trip with the kids was different from without but very doable and very fun.

 

One funny story is that dh and I had split up briefly so he could go and take some pictures of a building (he's an architect and always wants to do this on vacations). I had the two boys and was walking through Central Park to meet him at the zoo there. I was a little bit lost so I started looking for people with kids to ask where to go. My theory was that less tourists had little kids and that locals with little kids would know where the zoo was. It worked well, but I got also found that many people with kids stopped me to ask where the zoo was also. I think they had the same theory and saw a pregnant woman with a stroller and two little boys and figured, not a tourist.

 

Anyway, it's very fun. I'm not a city person and could never live there but it's a wonderful place to visit, cliched as that is to say.

[Renthead Mommy]

 

Last year with the little ones we were very pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. One of the guidebooks we checked out from the library had a funny quote that I can't remember exactly but basically said that NYC with kids is essentially an alternate universe from NYC of the hip singles. It was written by a woman who had lived in NYC all her life and then had kids and discovered all the different things to do she hadn't done before. Dh and I felt the same way. Our trip with the kids was different from without but very doable and very fun. QUOTE]

 

This is VERY true. I ended up buying a NYC with kids books because I realized most of the places I used to go/hang out, weren't necessarily interestisng or even the best idea of places to take a 7yo! We used to hang in Washington Square, wonder Christoper St and hang out in the Village. But I had never been to the CP Zoo! It took some re-thinking, and my friends weren't much help as they don't have kids!

[helena]

being in a big city scares me a bit. How do you get around? Where can I find info on safely getting in and out of the city, where to park, stay, avoid etc. I'd like to see Central Park, be one of the window people outside during the Today Show, see broadway, eat at carnegie deli etc. Any info on anything else to do, see or advice? tIA

 

When we got there a friend gave us this:http://www.amazon.com/City-Walks-Kids-York-Adventures/dp/B0032FO5ZG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270748880&sr=1-4 to help figure out what we could do. They were a big help. We already knew a few museums we wanted to hit, but the cards went way beyond the Met and the Natural History Museum.

I was a little intimidated to fend for myself when my husband had to go do work stuff while we were there. In the end it was no big deal. If you can get a hotel right in the area of where you want to do stuff you could just walk. We walked, took the subway, drove (our friend lives there with a car), we also took cabs which weren't that expensive and were nice when I was alone. In addition to doing stuff, we spent a lot of time eating. My family is vegan, and my husband was always telling me about restaurants that he loves there, and his best friend (who's a vegan foodie) is always telling us about new places. My kids are still talking about the soft serve ice cream :).

I think we're going again in May and I plan to approach it the same way this year. Super low key, a couple of museums, playing, enjoying food, a toy store...last year we checked out a community garden, they were having an open house fund raiser kind of thing that was cool. I think it was on 6th and B street. My kids do a fair amount of gardening and nature study, so it was fun to poke around and find spring blooms we've never seen before.

[Mejane]

Don't think this has been mentioned, but one of the great things about Manhattan is it's laid out in a grid - streets are numbered and run one way (east and west), and avenues/boulevards are named and run perpendicular. You can almost always figure out where you are and which way to go. It's extremely safe nowadays, too. There are police officers everywhere. I also think the people are much friendlier and more helpful than other places I've been. Don't believe the negative hype!

[helena]

Forgot to add the hotel we used:

http://www.cosmohotel.com/default.aspx?pg=location&rp=home

We highly recommend it!

[LibraryLover]

Don't forget the King Tut exhibit starts April 23rd! It's in NYC unitl January, but for those going soon, it might be something to consider. The tickets for adults are 'only' (with headphones, movie etc) $37, which I think is awesome. Kids are under $20, even with tax.

 

I have an overhwleming desire to go alone with dh and get the VIP tickets that come with a hotel room....and faggedha 'bout the kids. lol

[amygabrielle]

Totally do not let NYC scare you! We LOVE it here. There's so much to do with kids! Check out http://newyorkkids.timeout.com/ for events and places to check out. We don't own a car and rely completely on public transportation. If the subway seems too scary, the buses go everywhere. We travel down to MD a lot, and taking Amtrak is the easiest and fastest for us.

Have fun! :)

[Donna]

For a little savings on hotels, we generally stay in Jersey (Jersey City) and take the PATH trains into the city then the subways to get around. My dd loved the American Girl store, walking around Manhattan, and seeing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.

[AngelaNYC]

I agree with amygabrielle. I prefer the subway over the bus (even when my 3 kids were small), but either are fine. NYC is only scary in the movies and on TV, but not IRL (well, not usually, lol). It is the safest and friendliest big city in the country (I swear - there was a study :D ). It's an amazing place with so much to see and do. Get a good guidebook. There are so many out there and just about all of them are great. I'll use one on occasion, myself! Decide where you'd like to go and make yourself an itinerary. Be flexible enough to allow for some spontaneity - the unexpected fun is always the best.

 

I've live here all my life and would never even dream of living anywhere else.

 

Victoria and Pam in MA had great ideas regarding hotels and parking.