NYC itinerary help!

[bhoffman]

We will be in NYC for 4 full days. We have children 12,10 and 7. We are staying at the Doubletree suites in Times Square. Here is my plan, PLEASE tell me what you think!!! I need help!

Day 1 ~ hubby has meeting until noon. Afternoon 5 1/2 hour city bus tour to see tons of sites. (ex. World Trade Center site, NYSE, 5th ave., St. Patricks cathedral, strawberry fields, Trinity church, etc) ~ Johns Pizza for dinner

Day 2~Museum of natural history to see the dinosaurs. lunch ~ Brother Jimmy's bbq ~Afternoon ????? Dinner??????

Day 3~a.m. carriage ride to see Central park, picnic for lunch. Afternoon souvenir shopping, Toys r us times square and Ellen's stardust diner for dinner. Mary Poppins at night

Day 4~ statue of liberty (crown access) and Ellis Island. dinner??????

Any ideas for the ???? or suggestions of other things we should be doing? We are not interested in zoo's or long stretches at a museum but are pretty much up for anything fun! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We will be in NYC for 4 full days. We have children 12,10 and 7. We are staying at the Doubletree suites in Times Square. Here is my plan, PLEASE tell me what you think!!! I need help!

Day 1 ~ hubby has meeting until noon. Afternoon 5 1/2 hour city bus tour to see tons of sites. (ex. World Trade Center site, NYSE, 5th ave., St. Patricks cathedral, strawberry fields, Trinity church, etc) ~ Johns Pizza for dinner

Day 2~Museum of natural history to see the dinosaurs. lunch ~ Brother Jimmy's bbq ~Afternoon ????? Dinner??????

Day 3~a.m. carriage ride to see Central park, picnic for lunch. Afternoon souvenir shopping, Toys r us times square and Ellen's stardust diner for dinner. Mary Poppins at night

Day 4~ statue of liberty (crown access) and Ellis Island. dinner??????

Any ideas for the ???? or suggestions of other things we should be doing? We are not interested in zoo's or long stretches at a museum but are pretty much up for anything fun! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day One will be tiring, but sounds like tons of fun! Even if you want just walking Times Square at night is fun.

Day Two will surprise you, the Museum takes a lot of time also. It is very nice though, but usually very busy. Your lunch may actually be a dinner. Food at the museum is expensive. I would have a larger breakfast at a deli, and mak ethe BBQ your dinner.

Day Three - if actually very full. Try Pinkberry outside of Central Park for a treat. It is frozen yogurts but very good. Ellen's Stardust will get you in the mood for Mary Poppins, great pairing!!

Day Four - now I know your kids are a bit younger but we love http://www.ottopizzeria.com/. It is owned by Mario Batali and the food is great and it is family friendly. It is in a different section of town and will give you a feel for the brownestownes etc.

The best advice I can give you is that NYC takes time. Everything takes time, it just creeps up on you and the day is over. Don't fret it. Even if the kids want to run around Central Park for the afternoon. It is tons of fun.

Have a great trip.

 

[Julia Says]

If you can, try to fit in a visit to the Top of the Rock (30 Rockefeller Center). Dusk is the best time to go. The views are amazing and the wait is not as long as the Empire State Building. You can also buy tickets in advance on their website to shorten your wait even more.

 

[DisneysRedhead]

I don't know if you really have any plans to see another Broadway show, but if you do I highly recommend seeing Wicked. It would appeal to everyone in your family and is one of the best shows in NYC right now. I myself have seen it 3 times and would see it again in a heartbeat!! (Mary Poppins was really good though, so I know you will love that too!)

If you guys are also looking for fun museums I also recommend Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, or the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum.

 

[sk!mom]

My best advice is to post this on frommers nyc board. You will get great tips and advice.

I would plan to visit Chinatown with Chinese for dinner on the Statue of Liberty day.

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

If you guys are also looking for fun museums I also recommend Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, or the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum.[/QUOTE]

All of these are only doors away from New Amsterdam Theater. Which is where Mary Poppin's is playing. I thought they were very pricey. Inside one of them there is a rack that offers discount coupons. (I think it's Madame Tussaud's). Although I'm not a fan of McD's. There is one right there in the same block that is so cool. We went in just to check it out. It was also featured on the Foodnetwork Channel.
The Beast is a fun ride and it is at the end of W42nd St. This is a must for us every time we go. You can either walk it or take a cab. We took a cab and it was only $5.00 from the corner of this area.

The Beast is a speed boat that will take you out on the harbor past the Statue of Liberty. It's an entertaining ride. (expect to get wet). Check out Circle Line Cruises. They have extra discounts when booking multiple means of site seeing.

Have fun.

 

[kato0627]

Love this thread. Thinking of going to NYC in August.
Have a great trip

 

[pezheadmeg]

Top of the Rock. I'm a local and I've done it twice in the last year, including yesterday. You can book the NBC studio tour as a combo ticket.

The Museum can take a day easily. Easiest way to get up there is going to be to hop the subway up from Times Square. Also King Tut is in Times Square, it's another option.

If you want dining options feel free to PM me. I have tons that are totally off the tourist radar.

 

[tigger51276]

Not sure if you have girls or boys, but we can't visit NY without going to the American Girl Doll Store on 5th. My daughter just loves it there and I always surprise her with lunch at the cafe. It can be hard to get a table, but you can make reservations online. It's not cheap but the food has always been good and I've always left full and with leftovers.
Also on our last trip in May, I took my DD6 for a very special treat to the Plaza for afternoon tea. The Palm Court had just reopened after major renovations. It was just beautiful. My DD6 loves to dress up and go to tea, has since she was 2 but we've never done one this expensive. It was a fun afternoon and she loves Matilda so we visited the new store they have and she was able to leave a note for Matilda in the mailbox there. With tip it was $100 but really a great mother/daughter experience.

 

[MickeyP]

Are you thinking of Eloise? If not, I apologize. We love Matilda too!

 

[ProudMommyof2]

OK we have actually done NYC a couple of times this year so here is my take.

You haven't actually scheduled much walking around and exploring time. The day we did the Museum we also explored Central Park on foot quite a bit. The Museum sits on Central Park. We had lunch at a Deli across the street.

We stayed at the Marriott Marquis (right near your hotel). There is soo much to see right in Times Square. Toys R Us, M&M world and so much more. One eve, make sure to take the kids after dark and just sit and have an ice cream in Times Square. The lights and people watching is soo much entertainment in its self.

We walked one day from Times Square to Central Park (there is a very cool playground right near the entrance with a water play area.) On the way back we walked down 5th ave. We went into FAO Swartz. The kids will love the walk on piano like in the movie Big. Ask the door man if you can take a picture with him.

You will love Mary Poppins!!! They have sit cushions to prop up the little ones but you have to know to ask.

If you want to go into the pedestal at the Statue of Liberty you need to get your tickets ahead of time. That is where the actual museum portion is and is very cool. Be prepared to wait to get thru the intense security. You get your tickets on line with your ferry ticket. Also, ask about the Junior Park Ranger Program on both islands. The kids are given a booklet with a bunch of facts they need to find while they tour. At the end- you go to the ranger station and the kids get a certificate and badge. (hint- they do not have to complete every question) Also, they have an audio tour (adult & Kid version) and if you purchase it on one island keep your receipt and you get it free on the second. We thought it was very worthwhile esp on Ellis Island.

My daughter loved American Girl Place!

Sorry I have been so long winded. We went in July last year and it was 90 degrees but we did fine. Any questions please ask.

 

[clori]

I went in April with my kids who were almost 6 and 10. Both girls loved Madame Toussouds and Top of the Rock. In a previous trip we did the NYC duckboat ride which was interesting. They also loved the Radio City Backstage tour and seeing a Rockette.

 

[sk!mom]

If you guys are also looking for fun museums I also recommend Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, or the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum.

I would skip both of those in favor of more time to explore New York. As I said before, we always go to Chinatown to look around and eat chinese. Other things that we love enough to do every trip:

Subway to Brooklyn for pizza and then walk the bridge back.

Enjoy Central Park- pinic, carriage ride, or we love renting a rowboat on the lake. We watched the filming of Enchanted one day from a rowboat on the lake. Last summer we saw some filming of a Drew Barrymore movie from our carriage ride. I'm actually anti carriage ride since I don't think horses belong in the city but I caved to my DD's desire.

We love the Met. Museum of Art and MoMa and normally do one or the other. DH and DS25 always try to go back to the Museum of Nat. History. Last trip DD and I skipped it to do her back to school shopping. For a small city Texas 13 year old, back to school shopping in NYC was a thrill.

We love Ellen's Stardust and normally go for one meal and then return for drinks and dessert after we see shows.

Broadway is one of our major reasons for going so we always see several shows. Billy Elliot is the best show I've ever seen.

Have fun!

 

[bhoffman]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions! I have a better idea of how our days may go now.

1. Not sure about M&M world, we have a peanut allergy in our group and if there is a bunch of peanut M&Ms around that won't be good.

2. The walking around exploring sounds great but I have never been there so not sure WHERE to just walk around and with 3 kids I need a plan

3. I'm thinking maybe allow 3/4 day at the Museum of Natural History (I think my kids and DH will be VERY maxed out with a museum any longer than that) a late lunch of bbq then head over to the top of the Rock for a view. Is there somewhere great there to have dinner or explore or should we head back to Times square to people watch?

4. Is the cool McDonalds near our hotel in times square? That may be a fun place to grab a quick lunch before our tour day 1 if it is close.

5. We already have our Statue of Liberty tickets, we have pedestal and crown tickets so we are all set. Someone suggested the Mesa grill for dinner as it is near battery park where we are dropped off from the Statue, any thoughts?

THANK YOU so much!!!! I really appreciate all the suggestions they are wonderful keep them coming!

 

[sk!mom]

Be sure and go to the WTC Tribute Center. We did the Walking Tour last year and it was very moving and memorable. The Walking Tours are led by people with a personal story of 9/11 which they share during the tour. We had two guides who I will never forget.

Again I recommend posting on Frommers. The wonderful people over there will look at the things you want to do and help you group them to get the most from your day and they will also help you plan transportation. They gave me wonderful suggestions of areas to take my DD shopping.

As someone else mentioned, the Statue takes a lot of time just to get through security.

One question about the bus tour. How much time do you get off to actually see things. In general, I'm fairly negative on the bus tours as we prefer to walk as much as possible and see things at our own pace. The only one I did in NYC many years ago, I saw lots of NYC but all of it was looking out the window as we drove slowly by. We didn't actually get much time off the bus to really "see" things.

 

[tigger51276]

Are you thinking of Eloise? If not, I apologize. We love Matilda too!

OMG yes, I did mean Eloise...That's what happens when I stay up late reading the disboards instead of going to bed like I should.

 

[tigger51276]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions! I have a better idea of how our days may go now.

1. Not sure about M&M world, we have a peanut allergy in our group and if there is a bunch of peanut M&Ms around that won't be good.

2. The walking around exploring sounds great but I have never been there so not sure WHERE to just walk around and with 3 kids I need a plan

3. I'm thinking maybe allow 3/4 day at the Museum of Natural History (I think my kids and DH will be VERY maxed out with a museum any longer than that) a late lunch of bbq then head over to the top of the Rock for a view. Is there somewhere great there to have dinner or explore or should we head back to Times square to people watch?

4. Is the cool McDonalds near our hotel in times square? That may be a fun place to grab a quick lunch before our tour day 1 if it is close.

5. We already have our Statue of Liberty tickets, we have pedestal and crown tickets so we are all set. Someone suggested the Mesa grill for dinner as it is near battery park where we are dropped off from the Statue, any thoughts?

THANK YOU so much!!!! I really appreciate all the suggestions they are wonderful keep them coming!

Honestly, walking around Manhattan is so easy thanks to the grid. I've been 3 times this year as my cousin was going to college there and had an apartment. We'd just go over to 5th and start walking uptown (she was on 27th St) or we'd walk over to Broadway and go one way or the other. There is just so much window shopping to do.
Another couple of good places we ate were Junior's Restaurant in Times Square. They had some of the best cheesecake I've ever had. It's a very popular place to go before/after going to the theatre. I also really enjoyed the food at Serendipity3. It's featured in a movie called Serendipity and they have amazing sundaes and frozen hot chocolate. The food there is also really good. Prices were extremely reasonable and they have a website where you can look up menus/prices/location. It's a good place to eat on the day you'd be at central park since it's on East 60th between 3rd and 2nd Ave.

 

[bhoffman]

Be sure and go to the WTC Tribute Center. We did the Walking Tour last year and it was very moving and memorable. The Walking Tours are led by people with a personal story of 9/11 which they share during the tour. We had two guides who I will never forget.

Again I recommend posting on Frommers. The wonderful people over there will look at the things you want to do and help you group them to get the most from your day and they will also help you plan transportation. They gave me wonderful suggestions of areas to take my DD shopping.

As someone else mentioned, the Statue takes a lot of time just to get through security.

One question about the bus tour. How much time do you get off to actually see things. In general, I'm fairly negative on the bus tours as we prefer to walk as much as possible and see things at our own pace. The only one I did in NYC many years ago, I saw lots of NYC but all of it was looking out the window as we drove slowly by. We didn't actually get much time off the bus to really "see" things.

For the bus tour: Get out at all of the following stops:
Times Square
World Trade Center Site
New York Stock Exchange
Wall Street
Trinity Church
World Financial Center
Federal Hall
Madison Square Park
Flatiron Building
South Street Seaport
US Customs Building
5th Avenue
Rockefeller Center
NBC’s Today Show Set
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Central Park
Strawberry Fields
Dakota Building

I wanted to get a good overview of the city, see what the kids seem interested in. If there is something we really need more time at we can always go back another day.....

 

[nstem]

Can someone tell me more about Top of The Rock. Without sounding horrible...is it just a viewing location like top of the Empire State Building?

TIA

 

[zmanandshan]

Top of the Rock is a great choice. Don't discount the circle Line Cruise. I took friends on multiple occassions who never been to NYC, and they really enjoyed it. You start at Chelsea Pier, go down the Hudson, see the statue of Liberty, around wall street, up the East river, under the City Bridges, UN etc. It gives a great persepective where things are as well.

Love the Met.

Try the Heartland Brewery. Decent beer.

Chinatown is fun. Stay away from Little Italy IMO, it's not what it used to be. For awesome Italian, try Arthur Ave.