My kids were 10, 8 and 5 when we took them for a weekend to visit New York City in 2004. We lived in Louisiana and they had never seen anything like a “big city” before. It was a weekend filled with planes, trains and automobiles, and we loved it all.
An extended family reunion in Yonkers, NY was the main purpose for our trip in July 2004. Before the reunion event, we had a couple of days to explore, so we headed into Manhattan. We took a train from Yonkers into Grand Central Station, and that in itself was an adventure for our crew.
The kids and I all wore similar tie-dyed shirts that we made last summer and everyone knew we belonged together — a great idea that was admired by many people! I didn’t mind if we looked goofy all wearing matching tie-dye shirts – I just wanted to make it easy to keep up with our three energetic kids in the big city! And there was never any doubt which family they belonged to.
We had a lightweight umbrella stroller for our 5 year-old, and even the 8 year-old occasionally took a turn in it.
First thing we did we were done admiring Grand Central Station was to hike over to the Empire State Building. We wanted a view of the entire city to start their experience. In order to get up, we had to go down to the basement to buy tickets to the observation deck. The line to get upstairs was a rather long wait for kids, and it wound around much like the lines at Disney World. And, like Disney, was the unfortunately realization that just when you think you are up to the front of the line, you turn the corner only to discover that there is another long stretch of line that you couldn’t see that is even longer than the line you just finished. We finally made it to the top and enjoyed our view. The kids all agreed that it was worth the wait.
Here’s a tip I really wish I’d known before we stood in those lines — Purchase your tickets to the observatory online at the Empire State Building’s official website and print them before you get there. We could have skipped at least one line if we had done that. We did eventually figure out this tip before we went to the museums the next day.
Later that weekend, we took the Circle Line boat tour (Battery Park Harbor Cruise with our extended family and got this fantastic view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. These tickets were also booked online to avoid the line.
Naturally I bought some very inexpensive Liberty foam hats for everyone (including all our cousins) just to make sure we pegged the needle on the goofy-tourist meter. I highly recommend this boat ride tour. It was perfect for families and actually gave us a chance to get some rest and stay seated for a couple of hours on the boat.
Next we took ourselves on a walking tour around the city and stopped in front of various famous places to take photos. Some of the buildings and sites the kids enjoyed looking at from the street included St. Patrick’s Cathedral, The NY Public Library building (home of a scene from the movie Ghostbusters, to which the kids could totally relate), the World Trade Center site (Ground Zero). Here we are in front of a “famous” tower giving the “Your fired!” gesture. My son was especially excited to see Times Square which he’d read about in his Guinness Book of Records. I had a handy tourist map that highlighted many of the sights to see.
Just walking around and doing some window shopping was an adventure in eye candy. The kids were quite amused by some of the fashion displays in the windows.
The subway was also a source of amusement. The thrill of riding along underground in a subway car was new and exciting. By the end of the weekend, we were quite skilled at hopping onto the subway to get anywhere in town.
The kids also enjoyed visiting Central Park, walking along some of the trails and climbing a few big rocks near a pond. It was a beautiful summer day and there were lots of people out enjoying the park. Central Park was a place they had heard about, so they were excited to see it for themselves. We brought some snacks and had a little picnic .
On our last day, we still had a couple of hours to kill before we had to leave for the airport (see my article on flying with kids for lots of tips!), so we took a taxi over to the American Museum of Natural History. It really wasn’t enough time to properly enjoy the museum, but it was still two hours of fun that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. Most of the museums around town sell tickets online that you can print from your computer. This saves a lot of time when you get there, and I highly recommend it.
While no one especially likes to hear complaining from your kids, the complaint we got most was “Why can’t we stay longer and see more?” This is the exact reason we will need to go back! While we crammed a lot into our three day weekend, there is always so much more to see in New York. Next time, I’d love to see a show, go to the Art Museum.
Here’s a list of some of the major sights we did manage to see:
- Grand Central Station
- Statue of Liberty boat tour (Circle Line tours)
- Empire State Building
- Times Square
- Central Park
- World Trade Center
- Museum of Natural History
Getting around was easier than I thought it would be. We took taxis, used the subway, or just walked everywhere. Bring a map and plan out your day if your time is limited.
If you’re going to be out touring all day, I highly recommend a portable phone charger, a guide book, and a hard copy of a NY City map. These links take you to the ones I recommend at Amazon. I love Frommer’s guide books, and I personally use that phone charger and I love it.
Traveling with kids is an opportunity to feel like a child yourself since you get to see it all through their eyes. Treasure the memories.