NYC and Boston with Kids one day each

[coco392]

as a visitor to NYC


early morning when it opens- Empire State no lines early

head to statten island ferry - do the
return journey and take your photos of Empire State

head back uptown by subway to Rockefeller
centre

head up to 59th and fao Schwartz

go up to Central Park zoo for a 1 1/2 hours

explore Central Park

head over musiem natural history and check out dinosaur exhibit

head to Times Square for the evening -check out johns pizzeria an old church converted to a massive pizza place

discover Times Square at night- toys r us, m and m's,Hershey store etc

busy day , definitely doable and a lot
of the iconic nyc things ticked off.

have a great time.

 

[lisaross]

if u want to "see" all things in NYC - including neighborhoods - why not take one of the double deck bus tours...they drive u around - point out different sites and u can hop off - walk around and hop back on another bus and go to the next location

 

[alice99]

Boston--Duck boat tour, Boston Common, swan boats, Fanieul Hall
NYC-Times Square Disney Store, Hershey Store, M & M World, Lego Store @Rockefeller Plaza, FAO Schwarz

I would not go out of my way to do these.... the NYC one. I've never even been to Boston, clearly.

I can't agree with the NYC recommendations. If you have only one day, why waste it in super touristy areas (Times Square) visiting mediocre stores found in most malls?

Depending on your children's interests, you might want to visit one of the many great museums, such as the American Museum of Natural History, then walk over to Central Park:

http://www.amnh.org/

I agree. I'd start at the Museum of Natural History (make sure to see the dinos, of course). Then head into Central Park. Head towards the children's zoo (cute - and it's in central park). Then maybe towards Times Square at night. I don't know how late TOTR is open, but I think NYC looks much cooler at night (I can see the skyline a few blocks from my house)..

Completely agree with these recommendations. I would stay near Central Park, taking in the museums and Zoo in the daytime. Then go to Times Square at night, seeing Times Square in the daytime is not nearly as impressive. You can go into some of those touristy stores while walking around Times Square.

Food recommendation, even though you didn't ask for one. Stay away from fast food and chains. REALLY, you can get McDonalds,Olive Garden Applebees, anywhere in the USA.... I see so many tourists eating in these places, I guess because they are comfortable there.
This is where I take my kids when we go to Manhattan for the day.

http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com

It's great food, good prices and the atmosphere is very cool, It's a converted church. So, it has character, too.
If you don't like this suggestion, I have plenty more, just ask.

I'd recommend heading over to Grand Central Station, it's really beautiful, historic location. They have restaurants inside. We go there for Juniors cheesecake for dessert.

Have a great time!

 

[alice99]

as a visitor to NYC


early morning when it opens- Empire State no lines early

head to statten island ferry - do the
return journey and take your photos of Empire State

head back uptown by subway to Rockefeller
centre

head up to 59th and fao Schwartz

go up to Central Park zoo for a 1 1/2 hours

explore Central Park

head over musiem natural history and check out dinosaur exhibit

head to Times Square for the evening -check out johns pizzeria an old church converted to a massive pizza place

discover Times Square at night- toys r us, m and m's,Hershey store etc

busy day , definitely doable and a lot
of the iconic nyc things ticked off.

have a great time.

Your recommendations are great. Especially John's Pizza, one of my personal favorites, and we are "locals".

I just think it's too much for one day. Too much area to cover, from Battery Park to Central Park. That's a lot.

 

[gcarney]

I would not go out of my way to do these.

Completely agree with these recommendations. I would stay near Central Park, taking in the museums and Zoo in the daytime. Then go to Times Square at night, seeing Times Square in the daytime is not nearly as impressive. You can go into some of those touristy stores while walking around Times Square.

Food recommendation, even though you didn't ask for one. Stay away from fast food and chains. REALLY, you can get McDonalds,Olive Garden Applebees, anywhere in the USA.... I see so many tourists eating in these places, I guess because they are comfortable there.
This is where I take my kids when we go to Manhattan for the day.

http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com

It's great food, good prices and the atmosphere is very cool, It's a converted church. So, it has character, too.
If you don't like this suggestion, I have plenty more, just ask.

I'd recommend heading over to Grand Central Station, it's really beautiful, historic location. They have restaurants inside. We go there for Juniors cheesecake for dessert.

Have a great time!

Clearly you're not from Boston if you would not go out of your way to do the Boston. Duck tour. It is the best way to see all of the city in a small amount of time. You get historical facts and you get to see all of the city. It is by far the best way to get the most bang for your buck.

 

[alice99]

Clearly you're not from Boston if you would not go out of your way to do the Boston. Duck tour. It is the best way to see all of the city in a small amount of time. You get historical facts and you get to see all of the city. It is by far the best way to get the most bang for your buck.

Clearly, I am not from Boston. I stated in my post that we are locals to NYC. Thanks for your help, I edited my post.

 

[writersblock42]

I would suggest doing the Freedom Trail for Boston. It hits a lot of the major historical sites. It takes about half a day to do the trail. I would recommend walking the whole trail 2.5 miles and stopping at a few of the different sites. I would make sure that you see the Boston Navy Yard and explore the USS Constitution. If you are interested, you can also eat at Cheers. The Science Museum is also really great. We went when they had Star Wars.

 

[gcarney]

FYI the tv Cheers looks nothing like the real cheers. Many people are disappointed by this. I might have missed it, how old are the kids?

 

[princess barbara]

Boston native here. I agree with Duck tour- can be a bit pricey. I recommend the Freedom Trail and USS Constitution tour. I wouldn't recommend the aquarium- there are better ones elsewhere. Harbor cruises are fun and informative. Check out website for Codzilla. Love the swan boats and Fenway- a nice walk through Copley Square and lots of shops on Newbury St. If you don't plan on going up a skyscraper in NYC, you can go to the top of the Prudential or John Hancock building in Boston

 

[clori]

I have done the Boston duck boats which were lots of fun every time even as a non tourist familiar with the locations. We did the NYC duckboats and it was not interesting to us as tourists or locals.

Another Boston location my kids love is the prudential skywalk. They prefer the USS Constitution Museum to the USS Constitution itself.

If you have a local museum membership check for recipricality. With my museum of science membership I get into the USS Intrepid free in NYC. Also check. Prices fir museums you are interested in to see if they have a cheap admission time. Fir instance Boston Children's Museum us only $1 on Friday nights.

 

[belle22]

I have read that you can view the Cental Park Sea Lions for free.. is that correct? Are they outfront of the zoo? If not how is that possible?