Anyone want to plan my NYC trip for me? (Aka: why isn't this Disney?)

[MomRN]

Guys and gals, so much struggling. We are going to NYC at the end of June and I can't wrap my mind around what all we need to do, should do, and may want to do in the four whole days we will be there (not including travel days)

So, we are going to celebrate my son's 13th birthday (happening while we are there). How do we celebrate? What should we do that day? I thought about "the ride" tour with the extra cost for birthday messages, but is it corny or cool?

I'd like to take him to see Dear Evan Hansen... but that sounds dreary for a birthday. But, on that note... best way to get tickets, and do we have to dress up?

He will want to see some comedy shows. I've done some research on that. So maybe we can do that on his birthday (falls on a Saturday).

We want to see all the New York tourist stuff, SOL, 9-11, Central Park, but I don't know what goes together.

This will be a fri-sat-sun-mon trip. So, knowing what you do now... can you plan my trip?

 

[kidshop]

We just did a whirlwind nyc tour. We were there about 48 hours! We did top of the rock, visited Statue of Liberty (did not go up inside), 9/11 memorial and museum, rode the hop on hop off bus, and saw Pretty Woman. We did the Broadway lottery and it worked great since we were not picky with what we saw and it was the day before! Other people we met said they did stub hub last minute. I saw all types of dress there, but khakis and a polo would be more than fine. I recommend the explorer pass where you can pick however many activities you want to do and it is a discounted rate. I thought it was really worth it and we saved some money. The bus was fun and goes uptown and downtown. We stayed in Times Square so in between the other things we did all the sightseeing there.

 

[CarolAnn856]

Guys and gals, so much struggling. We are going to NYC at the end of June and I can't wrap my mind around what all we need to do, should do, and may want to do in the four whole days we will be there (not including travel days)

So, we are going to celebrate my son's 13th birthday (happening while we are there). How do we celebrate? What should we do that day? I thought about "the ride" tour with the extra cost for birthday messages, but is it corny or cool?

I'd like to take him to see Dear Evan Hansen... but that sounds dreary for a birthday. But, on that note... best way to get tickets, and do we have to dress up?

He will want to see some comedy shows. I've done some research on that. So maybe we can do that on his birthday (falls on a Saturday).

We want to see all the New York tourist stuff, SOL, 9-11, Central Park, but I don't know what goes together.

This will be a fri-sat-sun-mon trip. So, knowing what you do now... can you plan my trip?

I love NYC. There are so many amazing things all around the country and world to explore, try not to get so locked into Disney-think that you don't enjoy other destinations.

What you should plan to do really depends on the interests of your group, especially kids. Is your son the only kid going, or do you have other children? What kinds of things does everyone like? Is he a sports kid, music kid, science kid, etc., or a combination of several? If you can give some more info on specific interests of your group, I'm sure we can help with more ideas for you. I tend to lean toward theater, but I'm sure others can help out with other areas.

For a show for a young teen, Beetlejuice, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (keep in mind that there are parts 1 and 2), King Kong, Oklahoma!, and Wicked seem to be pretty good options. You can try to get tickets at the TKTS Booth in Times Square or one of their other locations, but that doesn't allow you to pre-plan, as tix are only for that day or possible the next, depending on which location you use. Personally, we usually just bite the bullet and order tickets online from the venue's site. It costs more, but we know exactly what we're seeing. I usually just Google the name of the show and 'Broadway" and look for the official site.

I haven't seen any comedy shows that I could recommend (Drunk Shakespeare was NOT for teens and was absolutely terrible anyway) and I've seen the drag show at Lips twice which was fun but again, probably not really an optimal choice for a 13 year old, lol.

Good luck, and have a great trip!

 

[mjkacmom]

Definitely get tickets to the SOL ASAP, you will want to at least get into the base. The new Hudson Yards is at the beginning of the highline, you can try to get free tickets for the vessel, log in first thing in the morning two weeks before your trip (earlier in the morning than the website says). Milkshakes at black tap (2 locations), a big drink at the sugar factory, lunch at Chelsea market... Dear Evan Hansen is popular with teens. Look at a map, plan you days by location. For example, the ferry to SOL, 9/11 memorial/museum, the observatory, oculus, all downtown. Where are you staying?

 

[clori]

check out newyorkpass.com to see if it would be a good deal for you - we've used it before and really saved money but it depends on your itinerary. We found The Ride corny but fun. We may try the Downtown Experience with virtual reality at some point.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I love NYC. There are so many amazing things all around the country and world to explore, try not to get so locked into Disney-think that you don't enjoy other destinations.

What you should plan to do really depends on the interests of your group, especially kids. Is your son the only kid going, or do you have other children? What kinds of things does everyone like? Is he a sports kid, music kid, science kid, etc., or a combination of several? If you can give some more info on specific interests of your group, I'm sure we can help with more ideas for you. I tend to lean toward theater, but I'm sure others can help out with other areas.

For a show for a young teen, Beetlejuice, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (keep in mind that there are parts 1 and 2), King Kong, Oklahoma!, and Wicked seem to be pretty good options. You can try to get tickets at the TKTS Booth in Times Square or one of their other locations, but that doesn't allow you to pre-plan, as tix are only for that day or possible the next, depending on which location you use. Personally, we usually just bite the bullet and order tickets online from the venue's site. It costs more, but we know exactly what we're seeing. I usually just Google the name of the show and 'Broadway" and look for the official site.

I haven't seen any comedy shows that I could recommend (Drunk Shakespeare was NOT for teens and was absolutely terrible anyway) and I've seen the drag show at Lips twice which was fun but again, probably not really an optimal choice for a 13 year old, lol.

Good luck, and have a great trip!

King Kong was amazing. DD18 kind of hated it (well, she didn't hate it, but so didn't LOVE it). My and My mother LOVED it. The kid's don't know the story and while KK is spectacular, it wasn't her cup of tea. She's a disney kid at heart and we just love a Disney Broadway production. It costs an arm and a leg, but they're worth it.

We've done The Tour/The Ride (the cheaper one), twice (separate trips) and we really enjoyed it both time. Your host really determines what info you'll get. We got a groupon for that.

We live in Chicago and am still kicking my butt for doing the ESB and TOOR - "ooohhh, you're up high, looking at a big city".

We've done the NBC studio tour at Rock Center - that was really fun.

2 hour pedicab through central park - sounds stupid, but its nice, relaxing and the driver will take you to spots you wouldn't normally go as a tourist. Plus they stop for photo ops whenever you want (groupon on that too).

There's a Brooklyn Pizza Tour - picks you up in Manhattan and take you to Brooklyn, stops at 5 pizza joints and you see the sites too. I haven't been on this tour, but I've done this company's Dyker Heights Christmas lights tours (lots of fun), everytime I go to book that pizza tour, its sold out for the time I need.

If you're doing the 9/11 Museum - depending on how many people in your group (4 were in ours) and it was cheaper to get a membership, plus you get to use the WAY shorter "member line".

 

[skyblue17]

As someone who lives here, I will advise against the 9/11 Museum. I simply don't understand why people include this in a list of touristy spots that they want to check off. If you truly want to go, and truly are interested and in the mindset to take in the museum, by all means. But if you're just going because people will ask if you went, consider just visiting the area and memorial. It is a LOT, and will affect you longer than just the time you are there.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

As someone who doesn't live in NYC and has been to the 9/11 Museum, I think its a must do. It is a lot to take in and it will stay with you for a long long time.... as it should. I think every single american should be required to go through the museum to pay respect for all the lost souls. I honestly don't know of anyone that considers it a tick mark on their NYC to do list.

 

[skyblue17]

As someone who doesn't live in NYC and has been to the 9/11 Museum, I think its a must do. It is a lot to take in and it will stay with you for a long long time.... as it should. I think every single american should be required to go through the museum to pay respect for all the lost souls. I honestly don't know of anyone that considers it a tick mark on their NYC to do list.

Whenever I see it mixed in with all of the other typical tourist attractions, that is exactly how it reads. I was just in the area last night, and it hit me harder than it has in awhile, without even seeing the museum or memorial itself. Perhaps it's a geographical thing, I walk past the FDNY station that lost the most firemen nearly every day. But I do not find it to be a must-do, nor do I recommend it to people who are in NYC for a short trip.

Anyway, this is not to make it a point of discussion, I just wanted to offer a different perspective, especially considering it's a fun birthday trip for a young teen.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Whenever I see it mixed in with all of the other typical tourist attractions, that is exactly how it reads. I was just in the area last night, and it hit me harder than it has in awhile, without even seeing the museum or memorial itself. Perhaps it's a geographical thing, I walk past the FDNY station that lost the most firemen nearly every day. But I do not find it to be a must-do, nor do I recommend it to people who are in NYC for a short trip.

Anyway, this is not to make it a point of discussion, I just wanted to offer a different perspective, especially considering it's a fun birthday trip for a young teen.

Sorry you have to feel that everyday. Take care.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

You say NYC, but I assume you mean Manhattan specifically...

We want to see all the New York tourist stuff, SOL, 9-11, Central Park, but I don't know what goes together.

Well, Central Park is almost literally in the center of Manhattan. Liberty Island and the 9/11 Museum are way to the south. If you are going to do Central Park, consider doing it and MoMA and the American Museum of Natural History on the same day, since they are in the same general area. And the theatre district is south of the park.

Also, Central Park is big (843 acres), so I'm not sure what all you are looking at doing there, specifically.

 

[yoopermom]

I've only been once, but DS went multiple times as a tween/teen with his karate group (well, to NJ, but they would spend a day in NYC, you get it). His FAVORITE memory was when they did a foods "tour" (I honestly think one of the locals just slapped it together for them): deli, pizza joint, chinese in chinatown, bagels (in the am), hot dog from a stand, etc. Plus, it got them into more of the "neighborhoods" where they could see the "real" NYC, not just the tourist things.

My memory is that if you think people will run you over at WDW, watch out in NYC, everyone is hustling for where they need to be. I kept looking for the slow lane . Personally, I loved Times Square, Ellis Island, what was then just the beginning of the WTC memorial, Top of the Rock, and wished we would have had time to do some kind of a guided tour. (One year DS and his group did a Scenes from Seinfeld Tour and loved it.)

Have fun!

Terri

 

[mjkacmom]

As someone who lives here, I will advise against the 9/11 Museum. I simply don't understand why people include this in a list of touristy spots that they want to check off. If you truly want to go, and truly are interested and in the mindset to take in the museum, by all means. But if you're just going because people will ask if you went, consider just visiting the area and memorial. It is a LOT, and will affect you longer than just the time you are there.

I disagree, I think it’s a cathartic experience, emotional yes, but I came out feeling positive. We then went to the observatory, which is more than just a viewing area. We really enjoyed the speaker giving a lot of interesting information (like there are more languages spoken in Queens than any other city in the world).

The museum really brought back the climate in the area after the attacks, the fear, the sadness, but also patriotism and sense of community.

 

[skyblue17]

I disagree, I think it’s a cathartic experience, emotional yes, but I came out feeling positive. We then went to the observatory, which is more than just a viewing area. We really enjoyed the speaker giving a lot of interesting information (like there are more languages spoken in Queens than any other city in the world).

The museum really brought back the climate in the area after the attacks, the fear, the sadness, but also patriotism and sense of community.

I'm glad you had a valueable experience. As I mentioned, I think it's different when you live in a place that others mostly visit.

 

[Minnie824]

We're going w/our teens this summer for the first time. We have the following on our list: bike tour through central park, nbc studio tour, the met, Aladdin, pizza (of course), hop on/off bus tour (going to cover a lot of things this way). We're only there for a few days so we're trying to cover as much as we can.

 

[nkereina]

The first time we ever visited NYC, we bought multi-day tickets on a hop on/hop off double decker bus tour. It acted as our main mode of transportation, and most of these will have stops at or near the major tourist stops. It would be helpful for trying to be efficient and accomplish things in the same general area.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

^^^^ I forgot all about the Big Red Bus. We did the downtown looped - we loved it.

 

[Boardwalk Jedi]

I'm glad you had a valueable experience. As I mentioned, I think it's different when you live in a place that others mostly visit.

I know what you mean. I remember being down there maybe a year after 9/11 (I had a baby around that time and my time heading in Manhattan was significantly reduced). We were walking by and just stopped and looked at all the rubble. I spent about an hour just watching and thinking about everyone who lost their life (I read every "portrait" the NY Times ran). A lot of people were doing the same thing we were, but a lot were also taking pictures or having people take pictures in front of it. That really ticked me off.

 

[MomRN]

Definitely get tickets to the SOL ASAP, you will want to at least get into the base. The new Hudson Yards is at the beginning of the highline, you can try to get free tickets for the vessel, log in first thing in the morning two weeks before your trip (earlier in the morning than the website says). Milkshakes at black tap (2 locations), a big drink at the sugar factory, lunch at Chelsea market... Dear Evan Hansen is popular with teens. Look at a map, plan you days by location. For example, the ferry to SOL, 9/11 memorial/museum, the observatory, oculus, all downtown. Where are you staying?

I really think we just want a good view of SOL.

We are staying by Bryant Park, in a Residence Inn.

 

[MomRN]

The first time we ever visited NYC, we bought multi-day tickets on a hop on/hop off double decker bus tour. It acted as our main mode of transportation, and most of these will have stops at or near the major tourist stops. It would be helpful for trying to be efficient and accomplish things in the same general area.

I need to find out more info about these buses. Thanks!