? about day trips to NY city

[Tiggeroo]

I would like to take my teens to NY city for a day trip this summer. I know we want to do the Natural History museum. Is there anything else nearby that could fit in one day?
Also, I'm not sure how we should go about getting there. I am not familiar with NY. Have been to theatre a couple times and that's it. If we drove in what would we expect to pay for parking? If I take the train in how can I avoid getting lost. Would taking the train work for us? Would we need to get a cab from the train stop, and if so how much $$? I like the idea of a train because then some of their friends could come with us if they liked.
Any suggestions for lunch places in an easy distance? I would appreciate any tips.

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

driving into Manhattan is not ideal. depending on where you park, your garage fees could be $20-$40 for the day.

the museum is on the upper west side. not much else that would interest you around there, except Central Park. the museum does have a cafeteria. and check out hot chocolate.

 

[crazyme5kids]

There is a subway stop right at The Museum of Natural History, so that makes it painless to get to. I love the Central Park Zoo, it is small, but nice. You can spend the whole day at the museum, and don't forget the planetarium is there also!

 

[d.kurz]

DD and I went over the winter and we had a great time. Below is a litle trip report and it gives details on how we got there.
That R7 train leaves out of Philly's 30th St station. It's a local. I don't know the exact figures but the metroliner is very expensive.
I hope this helps. Sorry it's so long!
A Trip to NYC

On Saturday, January 11, 2003, DD14 and I traveled from Philly up to NYC.

We got on the R7 to Trenton at 8:15am, connected with NJT, and arrived in NYC at around 10:45. ( $59.50 round trip for 2 of us) It was a very cold day…gloves and hoods necessary. I had studied up on Manhattan bus routes and we arrived at Ellen’s Starlight Diner around 11 am for an early lunch. Lacey had chicken fingers (she didn’t like them), waffle fries (really good) and a shake. I had a turkey club (it was ok), waffle fries and a soda. $37.00 with tip.

Then we walked across town and went to the Disney Store on 5th Ave. It was really awesome and very busy. Three floors of Disney!! They were in the midst of their semi-annual sale! They had lots of Christmas stuff 60% off and gift items 50% off. The only thing I bought was a gift for DD for Christmas next year and she bought a NYC Disney shirt. We spent waaaay too much time there and had to hustle a bit to get to the theatre on time!

“Hairspray” was fabulous. This was DD’s first Broadway show and she enjoyed it immensely. She is really involved in theatre at school and has always loved a live show. Harvey Fierstein was hysterical as Edna!!

After the show, we headed across town again to attend the 5:30 pm Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral. We were a bit early and stopped to watch the skaters at Rockefeller Center. I spotted a guy on the ice carrying a single rose. Just as I was wondering what the heck he was doing with the rose, he skated up to a girl, laid his coat on the ice, got down on one knee and pulled a ring box out of his pocket!!! I point and yell to for Lacey to LOOK!! She obviously said YES, as they kissed and hugged!! I was really excited and started to hoot and holler trying to get their attention to give them a round of applause, or at least a thumbs up. They didn’t hear me though, and I was peeling my gloves off getting ready to start whistling to get their attention. That’s when Lacey got MY attention begging me to STOP! She was totally embarrassed by my exuberant behavior. “NOW do you see why I don’t want you to go on field trips with me??” As far as I could see, we were the only people there that noticed what had transpired! I was all choked up and it made the day extra special for me!! Alas, though, I never got to congratulate the couple!

Still having a few minutes to spare, we checked out the NBA store on 5th. Pretty cool.

Mass at the Cathedral was beautiful and really short. That is one gorgeous church. After Mass we caught a bus back to Penn Station and headed back to Philly.

We had a really great mother/daughter day and will repeat it again soon.

 

[gina2000]

Parking is a nightmare on the upper West Side. The parking garages around the Museum of Natural History are very, very expensive.

It's a large museum. It's easy to spend a full day if you do the special exhibits and the Hayden Planetarium.

If you stroll south past Columbus Circle (and it's a stroll....), there are alot of ethnic restaurants on 9th Avenue. Fun stuff.

 

[adamak]

Whatever you decide to do, DO NOT DRIVE. It'll take you thrice as long to get anywhere, and you'll need at least $20 per hour for parking. And if you park on the street, I can almost gurantee you will get a ticket. They are just handing out tix these days and ask questions later.

Take a cab from train station. Whichever station it is, from midtown it should be less than $10. Taking the subway is even easier, takes you right to the museum. You will not get lost if you plan ahead.

One day is actually quite enough for the History museum. There are shops around there, and you can step into Central Park. You'll have more to do than time allowed.

If you need help with the subway, PM me.