Disney Store in New York City?

[Drivercan]

We are planning to go to New York city for the Thanksgiving weekend and among other things check out the Disney store. Anything else exciting for kids - aged 8 and 10?

Where is a good place to stay? We don't want to be driving in Manhatten. Can we stay somewhere cheaper in New Jersey and take the train?

Thanks!

 

[Torontogal]

We just got back from NYC - we drove from Toronto. Loved the World of Disney Store. Seems to have most of the same merchandise as the parks except a few items with a "NYC twist."
We stayed in New Jersey at the Springhill Suites Marriott near the airport. No complaints about the hotel except it was hell to get back on the highway to get to NYC. We always got lost! My hubby and I really did not like Jersey and found it very confusing.
We were brave and drove to NYC. We found parking for $22 a day. We parked there in the morning and spent the day in Manhatten.
Not sure if your kids will like the Toys R Us store in Times Square - it is cool.
We also drove to central park and watched the 4th of July fireworks. There seems to be a ton of things to do but we were not as organized as we usually are. I would recommend getting a NYC Lonely Planet Guide.
P.S Driving in NYC was not as bad as we thought. The taxis are a headache. I found the pedestrians to be like Montreal. When the traffic light says "don't walk.." they walk. Some of them do not even seem to care that they nearly got run over!

 

[Torontogal]

Oh I forgot - On our last night - we stayed at the W hotel. Very nice but pricey. It was nice being able to stay in the heart of it all. They also had valet parking. Not sure what your budget is like but staying in Manhatten 1 night might be fun..just for the experience. ..

 

[Scratch42]

I would find a place in NYC instead of commuting.

There is also a BAB, largest!

There is a tour offered by Greyhound that you can ride the double decker bus and you have on and off privileges. You need a full day for this.

Catch a Broadway Show! We saw Tarzan and really enjoyed it!

Just walking up and down the streets in Time Square!

FAO Toy Store!

Fun places to eat!

just to name a few!

j

 

[Torontogal]

Oh I forgot - On our last night - we stayed at the W hotel. Very nice but pricey. It was nice being able to stay in the heart of it all. They also had valet parking. Not sure what your budget is like but staying in Manhatten 1 night might be fun..just for the experience. ..

 

[akalittleeva]

My kids enjoyed seeing all the classic sights - Grand Central Station, Central Park etc. - they recognized them from TV and movies.

Last time we went we drove into Manhattan and parked as well - we only spent the day - the time before, we drove in and parked for the week and commuted by foot and public transportation for the rest of our stay. It was nice to be in the center of everything. Definitely do a show, go up the Empire State building - you'll have a great time! If they like basketball, the NBA store is great, too. My kids loved Build a Bear and FAO Scwhartz and Toys R'Us in Times Square as well.

There was a thread somewhere here on the boards and they were discussing cheap stays in Manhattan - I think there was a Holiday Inn Express mentioned and I think even a Super 8 - both were quite new!

Enjoy your trip - we can't wait to go back!

 

[SaraMc]

When we went to NYC we did with my nephew, Toys R Us, The Disney Store, The zoo in Central park. We went to the every Art musuem that we could find. There is lots for a 8 year old to do.

 

[Drivercan]

I hear that there are more than one Disney Store in NYC, which one is the biggest/best?

 

[Torontogal]

Note - the Disney Store and the World of Disney Store are 2 different stores.
The World of Disney Store is the big one in Times Square and it is similiar to the one at Downtown Disney. It is 3 floors and amazing - also has some characters...

 

[akalittleeva]

The World of Disney is actually on 5th Ave - heres a link...

http://destinations.disney.go.com/wod/store/index

 

[pxlbarrel]

Yes, the World of Disney is on 5th Avenue, a short walk from Times Square. It's close to Trump Plaza so you can use that as your reference point if you need to.

There are certain days of the week when characters are at the store so you can get photos taken. You can check their website and see if there's a schedule. When we were there in February, they had Mickey and Goofy in their Expedition Everest costumes...but they were there when we were flying out.

As for a place to stay...there's a little hotel on 42nd and 10th called the Travel Inn. It has free parking (unheard of in Manhattan!!!). It's clean, safe (across from the police station), and the prices should be ok although we stayed at a convention rate so I can't really comment on the prices. It's a short walk to Times Square (42nd and 7th). We never felt unsafe walking back and forth. It's also a very short walk to the Intrepid museum (the big aircraft carrier).

 

[c&m]

DH and I have taken our kids (ages 10 and 7) to NYC several times. We like to book our hotel thru Priceline.com. We usually stay at a 4* or 3* and get really nice hotels, such as:

- Hilton Hotel and Towers, 4*, for $105/night
- Doubletree Metropolitan, 3*, for $140/night
- Marriott Marquis, 3*, for $135/night
- Hyatt Grand Central Station, 4*, for $140/night

Prices vary depending on time of year we went (found out that end of August was a budget time to go as far as hotel was concerned). Go to www.biddingfortravel.com to check out the hotels that are being accepted by Priceline and for how much.

You didn't mention whether you had sons or daughters, but here are some activities that my DDs really enjoyed:

- The American Girl store. 3 floors. Quite amazing. Go to www.americangirl.com to check out what's there.
- NY Metropolitan of Art. Lots of cool Egyptian mummies and other things that my oldest daughter was starting to learn in school.
- Museum of Natural History (near Central Park). 4 floors to explore. We spent almost an entire day there.
- WTC. My DDs saw the images on TV/magazines/newspapers, but seeing it up close was just heart-stopping for the whole family.
- 20th Century (across the street from the WTC). This is the place to look for designer name fashion, if you are into shopping. My DDs found some shoes there that they loved and bought.
- Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. Got tickets from TKTS booth on the same day for the evening performance. $50/ticket for 2 row seats (a steal!!!). When we saw it, Christy Romano-Clark (Wren from Even Stevens TV show) was Belle.
- Taking the Staten Island ferry (free) to see the Statue of Liberty. You don't get too up close to the statue but we got an unobstructed view of it from the ferry and took many pics.
- In the summer, on the weekends, street fairs that run for 10 blocks are fantastic for buying souvenirs, fashion accessories, and even art! This is not to be missed! Major streets are closed off for pedestrian traffic. These street fairs change locations each weekend, so check with your hotel.
- Taking walks to Washington Square, SOHO, Union Square, Chelsea Pier... and it's all about walking in NYC!!!

Some good places to eat with kids are:

- Ellen's Stardust Diner. Broadway aspirees sing while they wait tables. You get free entertainment with your meal. The food is so-so, but the entertainment is grand!
- Tony's (Upper East Side). Italian food, family style. Our kids loved the pasta and try their strawberry shortcake for a wicked dessert. It's humungous!

Hope this helps you! We had loads of fun when we went and hope to do this again soon!