Help planning a short trip to NYC

[hlane]

I've always wanted to take my kids to NYC (first for all of us) so I decided to bite the bullet & we're going to go during their Spring Break. April 3rd through April 6th. This will be a budget trip but the hotel is already booked and paid for (includes breakfast). We are staying at Hampton Inn New York - LaGuardia Airport, will have a vehicle, we're driving from Ohio. Can I get some tips, hints, and suggestions of fun, inexpensive things to do and what would be the best way to get around. It will be me, my fiance', and my two sons 11 & 12. I've been looking online for days but am feeling overwhelmed.

TIA!

 

[Nik's Mom]

Definitely read the Trip Advisor NYC forum. There is so much great information there. If you are a BofA bank customer, they offer free museum days on certain weekends.

The Statue of Liberty is closed, but you can take the Staten Island ferry for free to see it by boat. The tour boats would get you closer, but they aren't free.

 

[DisneyDreamMaker]

Subway & walking are the best ways around the city. You can drive but street parking can be difficult even more so for someone not familiar with area. Garage parking can be quite expensive so I would stick to the subway. Get a metro card for each person and start exploring. Our kids are younger only 5&7 so not sure what kinds of things your kids like. For inexpensive you have free ferry boat ride to Staten Island. Wednesday is free(suggested donation) at the Bronx Zoo. The museum of Natural History is also suggested donation and you can pay for the extras. Take a stroll in Central Park there is always stuff going on if you check online. So much to do I only named a few but google can help you for sure.
Enjoy NYC!!

Melissa

 

[Jasonkat]

I wouldn't take your car out of the parking lot at your hotel. I live across the Hudson from NYC and we don't have a car. A car is just a gigantic hassle.

Ask the front desk how to take the subway into the city. Get a subway map and just take the subway everywhere.

Things to do for free:
Central Park: The park is gigantic, you can go check out the large lake inside the park. You can walk by the central park zoo and stand outside the fence but look inside at the sea lions for free. If you like the Beatles you may want to go to Strawberry Fields (near the entrance around 70th and the west side of the park). There is a large field in the southwest area where you can stand there and see the large buildings surrounding the park.

Fifth Ave: walk down fifth ave and check out all the expensive stores

Grand Central Terminal: walk inside and check it out.

Walk up Park Ave from the MetLife building and check out the huge buildings for JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, UBS, Bank of America, Citi, etc. Check out the Ferrari dealership on Park Ave.

Times Square: plenty to do here, come at night and check out all the lights.

Downtown: you can look at the New York Stock Exchange and right next door is also the place where George Washington took the oath of office of the President so there's this cool museum about that. Further down Wall Street is the museum of finance. A couple blocks up the street is the New York Federal Reserve and they do tours but you have to sign up early because you need to clear a background check to get in. At Wall Street and Broadway is Trinity church which is where the treasure was buried in the movie National Treasure. Walk down Broadway and you will run into the large bull in the middle of the street and you can get your picture taken. Then across the street from the bull is Battery Park where you can see the Statue of Liberty, right next door to Battery Park is the Staten Island Ferry, it's free to ride and you get a decent view of the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. You can walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and get a good view of the downtown skyline. You can go to ground zero and check out the new World Trade Center building. Right next to ground zero is Zucotti Park where all those deadbeats from occupy wall street lived. In fact some of the occupy wall streeters still hang out on Broadway near Trinity Church so keep your eyes alert for them.

 

[ZoeBell]

You might looking in the Explorer's pass. You get to pick 3 and up excursions to do in NYC. I believe there are 55 to choose from.

http://www.smartdestinations.com/new-york-attractions-and-tours/_d_Nyc-p1.html?utm_expid=14845437-67

Or there is always the Red-Line drop off bus

http://www.newyorksightseeing.com/

And get yourself a laminated NYC map at one of the drugstores. It will save you time and help you get around quicker. The lamination is great in case it rains and it won't rip like a paper map.

 

[teCh0010]

Ideas :

Take the subway to Brooklyn and walk the bridge back
Take the subway to Roosevelt Island and take the aerial tram back
Circle Line Tour is worth doing once
Museums are great, but can be crowded.

Hotel - If you don't have access to mass transit from your hotel you are in trouble. I always stay in manhattan or in Newark so I don't know Laguardia.

 

[ZoeBell]

Oh forgot one...take a ride on the Staten Island ferry. It's free and you get close enough to the Statue of Liberty. It's the SoL is closed anyway the ferry is the closet you are going to get to it.

The only thing you have to do is get off on Staten Island. Then you can turn right around and go back on the ferry.

 

[NYC Newlywed]

I totally second the park - with any luck it'll be in bloom then and will be GORGEOUS. Times Square is also a great idea with lots to check out.

Broadway plays are really awesome and for a lot of them, if you stand outside the theater the day of you can get tickets at a huge discount. Not sure how the boys would feel about that though

 

[mommycrawford]

I've lived in NYC my whole life, and fun varies from kid to kid, but for unique things on a budget, and for such a short trip, I would suggest trying to cluster activities so that you can do a lot in a day without too much back-tracking. For example:

day 1: Metropolitan Museum of Art or American Museum of Natural History and Central Park (one is on Central park West/one 5th Avenue...the Park's east side) then grab a bite in the food court in the downstairs of the Plaza hotel (on the east corner of 59th street and 5th avenue) and visit
FAO Schwartz (toy store in "BIG" ) and maybe hit Dylan's Candy Bar (on
60th st. and 3rd Avenue...owned by Ralph Lauren's daughter)

day 2: Plan to ride the Staten Island Ferry, sitting on the right side of the boat as you board, if you want to glimse the Statue of Liberty. Get the return boat and walk along the water's edge to the South Street Seaport (mostly shopping there, but classic fish market still there, and boats to see.
Ask someone how to get to Chinatown, or just walk under the Brooklyn Bridge going north, and you will end up there. Eat a cheap meal and shop for things you might not have back home....The block one block west of Mott street has cheaper goods then on Mott itself. Buy some hairy red looking fruit from street vendors (rambutan or lychee) they look like things from space, but have a white fleshy fruit that feels like maraschino cherries, and tastes like the love child of coconut and pineapple sort of (don't eat the seed.) Or you can go to the Chinatown ice cream factory anfd have the zen butter or black sesame ice cream or longan sorbet. If not tired, you can meander to Little Italy which is just the other side of Canal street, or further west to Soho.

day 3: Hit anything you always thought you wanted to see in NY.

The subways are really efficient. Ask the attendant in the booth for directions, and ALWAYS ASK ABOUT SERVICE CHANGES! Maintenance often happens on weekends, so trains don't go their usual way sometimes! Keep your cameras concealed, so you don't look like you don't know where you are going, but feel free to ask questions of people who are waiting for trains! Most NYers, the ones who have been here a while, are happy to help if they can! Feel free to PM me with any specific interests. Have a great trip!

ps. At the museums mentioned above, they have a suggested price of admission, but you can actually pay any amount per person...this will make it pocket friendly!

 

[kiki02]

AMNHistory - pay what you can... upper west side columbus avenue and the 80s.

staten island ferry

9/11 memorial and new buildings there - GORGEOUS

HIghline

central park.... the list goes on and on.

born and raised in manhattan.

pm me anytime, happy to help.

I've lived in NYC my whole life, and fun varies from kid to kid, but for unique things on a budget, and for such a short trip, I would suggest trying to cluster activities so that you can do a lot in a day without too much back-tracking. For example:

day 1: Metropolitan Museum of Art or American Museum of Natural History and Central Park (one is on Central park West/one 5th Avenue...the Park's east side) then grab a bite in the food court in the downstairs of the Plaza hotel (on the east corner of 59th street and 5th avenue) and visit
FAO Schwartz (toy store in "BIG" ) and maybe hit Dylan's Candy Bar (on
60th st. and 3rd Avenue...owned by Ralph Lauren's daughter)

day 2: Plan to ride the Staten Island Ferry, sitting on the right side of the boat as you board, if you want to glimse the Statue of Liberty. Get the return boat and walk along the water's edge to the South Street Seaport (mostly shopping there, but classic fish market still there, and boats to see.
Ask someone how to get to Chinatown, or just walk under the Brooklyn Bridge going north, and you will end up there. Eat a cheap meal and shop for things you might not have back home....The block one block west of Mott street has cheaper goods then on Mott itself. Buy some hairy red looking fruit from street vendors (rambutan or lychee) they look like things from space, but have a white fleshy fruit that feels like maraschino cherries, and tastes like the love child of coconut and pineapple sort of (don't eat the seed.) Or you can go to the Chinatown ice cream factory anfd have the zen butter or black sesame ice cream or longan sorbet. If not tired, you can meander to Little Italy which is just the other side of Canal street, or further west to Soho.

day 3: Hit anything you always thought you wanted to see in NY.

The subways are really efficient. Ask the attendant in the booth for directions, and ALWAYS ASK ABOUT SERVICE CHANGES! Maintenance often happens on weekends, so trains don't go their usual way sometimes! Keep your cameras concealed, so you don't look like you don't know where you are going, but feel free to ask questions of people who are waiting for trains! Most NYers, the ones who have been here a while, are happy to help if they can! Feel free to PM me with any specific interests. Have a great trip!

ps. At the museums mentioned above, they have a suggested price of admission, but you can actually pay any amount per person...this will make it pocket friendly!

 

[DisneyDreamMaker]

Just be aware some things downtown by south street seaport/ S.I. Ferry/Battery Park area are still closed due to hurricane Sandy. The ferry itself is obviously still running.

 

[JeffreyY]

Ideas :

Take the subway to Brooklyn and walk the bridge back
Take the subway to Roosevelt Island and take the aerial tram back
Circle Line Tour is worth doing once
Museums are great, but can be crowded.

Hotel - If you don't have access to mass transit from your hotel you are in trouble. I always stay in manhattan or in Newark so I don't know Laguardia.

I work near this area and this hotel is pretty far from a subway, maybe there is a shuttle or an express bus other wise you will have to drive to a subway.

Your boys might enjoy the ESPN zone or the empire state building, not free but I don't think it is too expensive.

Edited ds just informed me that the Espn zone is not there anymore and the empire state building is about $25 pp sorry for wrong info.

 

[hlane]

Thanks for all the info so far. From what I've read we will have to take a bus m60 to the train. It's all so confusing to me because there are no Subways, trains, and not many buses around here.

 

[Infamousmare]

Leave your car at the hotel and do the subway. It is a GIANT hassle to drive, parking is a nightmare and if you do park, you'll pay through the nose for parking garage fees.

LaGuardia Airport is not in Manhattan (what most people refer to as "New York City") - the airports are pretty far away, so you'll spend a lot of time in subways/on buses. Cabs are okay, but will get very expensive. Ask the concierge at your hotel the best way to get into the city and/or what buses will go directly there. Also find out how to get that bus BACK to your hotel (most buses into the outer boroughs, like where you'll be, originate at Port Authority Bus terminal just outside Times Square). If you're taking a train, *most* trains will take you either into Grand Central Terminal or the 42nd St/Port Authority terminal (as well as other stops throughout Manhattan; however, these are the two main hubs).

You'll need a MetroCard to ride the buses/trains. I moved 3 years ago and am not sure if anything's changed; however, one used to be able to buy a daily, weekly or monthly pass - a daily might make sense for you depending on how much you'll be traveling by bus. Again, ask the concierge/front desk person at your hotel where the nearest MetroCard machine is. They're in most every subway terminal; however, I don't *think* there's one near where you'll be.

 

[ryalluvdiz]

There are no subways close to LaGuardia... Its going to be a long commute to manhattan everyday. I lived in queens, 10 minutes from the airport and had to take a bus to the subway everyday for work. Just plan in A LOT of extra time for travel. You might want to check with the airport to see if they have a special bus that goes straight to manhattan. It might cost more,but get you into the city quicker.

 

[AuroraRora]

Thanks for all the info so far. From what I've read we will have to take a bus m60 to the train. It's all so confusing to me because there are no Subways, trains, and not many buses around here.

The m60 bus is super easy. It's right outside the airport and very clearly marked, and they run frequently at all hours - I think anywhere from every 10mins to every 20mins, depending on the time of day/night. It'll take you into Manhattan and the driver will shout when you're at Lexington Ave by the 4,5,6 subway. Most people will get off there because the 4,5,6 subway take you the length of Manhattan and to connections with most other subways.

The first thing you should do when you go into a subway station with an attendant in a booth, is go up and ask for a map (free). It'll be your bible for getting around the city!

ETA: I completely agree with what other posters have said, leave the car at the hotel!! Parking costs are outrageous, and the street parking rules are so complicated and confusing that you could wind up with your car towed - they looove to tow cars in NYC, and then charge you the $300 to get it back! I lived here for well past a year before I got the parking regulations down. Still living here now, feel free to pm

 

[crazyme5kids]

Just tossing this out there, but, are you planning on doing anything on Long Island (or in Queens)? If not, unless you got a super rate for the hotel, maybe you should see about NJ hotel options. No sense driving to LI if you don't really need too.

As for things to do, I'll add a few suggestion to the ones already posted. My kids always love going to the wax museum.

Governor's Island is a nice way to spend a few hours or the day. You can rent bikes there, and also see the Statue of Liberty from it. Bring a picnic lunch. The ferry is free, or was last time we went.

Check to see what is playing on off Broadway, or off off Broadway. Sometimes there are great shows for a fraction of the cost.

Take a tour of Radio City Music Hall.

The Science Museum in Queens is fantastic.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Adding: Sorry, brain fog this morning, still having my coffee.

The science museum is called the NY Hall of Science (I think).

Two other places your kids might like are the NY Transit Museum, which is in Brooklyn, and the Intrepid (in the city). The Space Shuttle is on display at the Intrepid, not to mention other really cool jets, etc...

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I agree that you need to rethink your hotel choice. You are going to be traveling a long time to get into the city every day. I agree that you should look at New Jersey hotels if you want to stay out of the city. There is a Courtyard Jersey City right next to a PATH train station which is very convenient for getting into Manhattan quickly.

I like to use this handy trip planner for the subway:

http://tripplanner.mta.info/MyTrip/ui_web/customplanner/tripplanner.aspx

 

[hlane]

The hotel is booked and nonrefundable. I got a fantastic deal on it & I'm not too concerned with the travel time, that will be part of the adventure IMO