NYC

[MedicMom]

I want to take my oldest two into the city for a few days(ages 7 and 5). When I've gone it's usually by bus--we're about a four hour drive. I'm thinking of taking a train out of Syracuse or driving down and catching a train closer. My kids are great travelers, and while I've taken all three solo to places like Baltimore and Philadelphia, NYC seems to intimidate me a little more. DS7 really wants to see the Statue of Liberty though, so I thought I'd make the effort.

The toddler would stay home with DH.

Any planning suggestions? Most of my NYC trips have been planned trips for Broadway shows, and I haven't driven or done much sight seeing--and never with kids.

Edited July 16, 2017 by MedicMom

[MEmama]

We took DS when he was 4. We got a stack of kid books on the city from the library and let him plan places he wanted to see. At that age it was easy--Statue of Liberty, the Natural History Museum, Central Park. We added in the Tenement Museum (totally appropriate--he loved it), the Ferris wheel in ToysRUs in Times Square (silly but fun), the ferry to Staten Island just because, the Native American museum (huge hit).

 

We flew into a small airport near West Point (can't remember the name of the town) and took the train to the city. At 4 he was totally into trains so it was very exciting. Just riding the subways was fun for him; he'd studied enough maps that he navigated us around. :)

 

We packed a lot into 3 days, but we made sure there was lots of downtime too (like playing in the park). And early nights even though.

 

Oh, he did want to see the "two tall buildings" he saw in his picture books. So we had to have the talk about how they weren't there anymore and so forth. He wanted to see the sites where they were, but we opted not to do that. I couldn't have handled it emotionally and he was really too young to have to deal with mama getting so sad.

Edited July 16, 2017 by MEmama

[J-rap]

A picnic at Central Park?

 

Also, there was a fun, quirky museum we went to once on a rainy day.  It was a television museum, that told about the evolution of television and had random TV shows showing in different rooms that you could watch, one representing every decade.  It was surprisingly fun!

 

Ellis Island maybe?

 

We were never there with children that young, so it's hard to know what they'd be interested in besides picnics, park, and ice cream.  :)

 

 

 

[hellen]

Arrange for Statue of Liberty tickets prior to your trip. They can sell out.

 

There are several places with Junior Ranger badges near Wall St. Ellis Island is one but there are several others.

 

My 6 year old liked School of Rock. They have $39 rush tickets. The limit is 2 but I never had trouble buying more than 2 when I had kids with me. The show has super loud parts so bring ear plugs.

 

I just asked my 6 year old what she liked. The only things she remembers are Broadway and Levain bakery. The trip was 8 months ago. The stuff she doesn't remember off the top of her head include Times Square, museums, Central Park, and 9/11 Memorial.

[Alessandra]

Double check schedules for any trains coming into Penn Station. Lots of cancellations due to extended track repair this summer.

[Tanaqui]

I dragged my girls and a friend around on a CityPass last year or the year before. They liked the Statue of Liberty just fine, though it turns out that that boat isn't at all like our sedate SI Ferry - it bounces around! Not good for the kid who gets seasick.

 

(Then again, your kids might be just as happy simply seeing it from a distance. The SI Ferry is free, so it's MUCH cheaper, lol! And we have some things to do here as well. We have a children's museum, we have Historic Richmondtown, and we have a zoo. It's kind of a dinky zoo, but it has one of the largest collections of snakes in the world, and also other reptiles, so it's a must-see if you're a fan of them.)

 

If you're in Lower Manhattan anyway, which you will be if you're seeing the Statue of Liberty, you might want to take a few hours off of sightseeing and visit one of BPC's playgrounds. Your kids will absolutely love Teardrop Park, or, as I call it, "the park with no safety features whatsoever". It's fantastic. (No, really!) Plus, there's a bathroom. What days do you plan to be here?

[AngieW in Texas]

When I went to visit my 19yo who was going to school in a suburb of NYC, we really loved visiting Central Park. We never got to go to High Line, but my 19yo did go with a friend and thought it was absolutely fantastic.

 

The Museum of Natural History (next to Central Park) is also amazing.

[Pam in CT]

You've already gotten good advice - for those ages, you might take a look at the Transit Museum and the Hall of Science as well.  The Hall is just a few blocks away from Citi Field if you're up for a Mets game (accessible from other boroughs by subway).

 

If your plan is to drive down from Syracuse and park in one of the towns on the Hudson Metro-North line, make sure you figure out your parking plan -- the commuter stations I'm familiar with (Dobbs Ferry, Hastings) don't allow overnight parking.  Hastings has a municipal lot a few blocks in from the station.  (It's also really not that bad to drive into NY and park once for the duration near your accommodations and take public transit thereafter.  It's the parking for each place you want to go that's the headache and the $$$$.)

[MedicMom]

You've already gotten good advice - for those ages, you might take a look at the Transit Museum and the Hall of Science as well. The Hall is just a few blocks away from Citi Field if you're up for a Mets game (accessible from other boroughs by subway).

 

If your plan is to drive down from Syracuse and park in one of the towns on the Hudson Metro-North line, make sure you figure out your parking plan -- the commuter stations I'm familiar with (Dobbs Ferry, Hastings) don't allow overnight parking. Hastings has a municipal lot a few blocks in from the station. (It's also really not that bad to drive into NY and park once for the duration near your accommodations and take public transit thereafter. It's the parking for each place you want to go that's the headache and the $$$$.)

I'm thinking of taking the train from Syracuse...there's also daily busses from Ithaca, I was just thinking a train would be quicker.

 

I haven't decided exactly when yet. Late August probably.

[Reefgazer]

Yes, take the train, especially with littles, because it will be quicker.  I lived in NYC for over 10 years and used to bring my nieces and nephews down when they were not much older than yours.  I think it is do-able, just be aware that the little ones won't have the stamina to walk the longer distances between Central Park and the Empire State building or navigate the subway, so be prepared to pay for cabs or pay big bucks for a centrally-located hotel.  I think that getting a hotel in a centrally-located place and walking short distances to kid-friendly places is your best bet.  If it's not easily walkable for kids, take a taxi so that they kids aren't exhausted from transiting form place to place.