Of course you’re going to take the kids to the art museums. Right?
Regarding the Statue of Liberty, check to make sure it’s actually open before you go. I was chatting with some folks this weekend, and it came up that it was closed for renovations–you can go to the island, but you can’t go into the Statue.
If you’re baseball fans, the Brooklyn Cyclones will have a home game on the 2nd. They play at Coney Island, and it’s a great time–plus a lot more affordable than the Yanks or Mets. ($20 will get you a seat behind home plate, give or take a few bucks, and I’m sure they have packages available.) When you’re done, or before, you can grab a hot dog at Nathan’s and ride the actual Cyclone, if you’re so inclined.
If you’re interested in learning about the history of the places you visit, you could do worse than to check out the Bowery Boys podcast–they’re always entertaining and informative.
bmoak’s geography is a bit backwards–the *Intrepid *is the northernmost of the sites listed. Also, you’ll likely want to drift back in to at least 8th Avenue between some of them–the stretch of Hudson River Park around the Javits Center is a bit drear. (I used to live in that part of town and am not a fan–but I can’t really speak to the individual sites other than the High Line, which really is quite nice.)
Before I moved here, someone recommended I look into the Big Apple Greeters–it’s a volunteer organization where you pick a neighborhood and someone from the neighborhood will take you on a tour. I’ve never actually done it, though I still sort of would like to (after 1.5 years here!). It sounds like an excellent way to really get to know a little bit of this city.
Finally, don’t be afraid to just wander. New York’s a very walkable city, and there’s a lot of wonderful things to discover by just drifting through the streets. I’d recommend a walk through my own neighborhood, the East Village/Lower East Side for this, and then head across the island into the West Village. You’ll find tons of quirky little shops and restaurants, community gardens tucked into tiny lots between tenements, wonderful parks like Tompkins Square and Washington Square, and so many people of every size, shape and color. It’s not hard to walk across the island, so don’t be intimidated.
This just opened up, you should try it: http://www.newamsterdammarket.org/. Along those lines, the Brooklyn Flea is pretty cool.
How about going to a Roller Derby? http://www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com/
Go to Flushing and eat crazy authentic Chinese in one of the amazing food malls (I recommend the New World Mall).
Some lesser visited attractions: The High Line, The New York Historical Society, The Coisters (I recommend picnicing right next to it).
Just wandering around Central Park and letting your kids climb the giant rocks is a lot of fun.
Go try Momofuku Milk Bar in the East Village after some Artichoke Pizza.
That’s all I got for right now, I may think of more.
lawmonkey’s right in that I had my geography completely wrong regarding the Intrepid Air & Space Museum. It’s a lot further north than I thought, and is closer walking distance to Times Square or the Museum of Modern Art than to the Chelsea attractions a listed. Still might be worth going to, as by the time of the OP’s trip, the Space Shuttle Enterprise should be installed.
I also highly recommend the Cloisters, which is the medieval outpost of the Met in Fort Tryon Park on the northern tip of Manhattan. I think they have joint admission, so you can go to both on the same day with the same ticket. An oasis in the city with great views of the Hudson. and a great spot for a picnic, although there is a very good restaurant in the park (New Leaf Cafe)
I also recommend Governor’s Island in New York Harbor, especially if the Statue of Liberty is closed. It should be opening for the season soon. Used to be a coast guard base, but is now a very nice park. Lots o rotating art exhibits and kid-friendly activities, and a great spot to rent bikes a go on a family bike ride. It’s free and ferries leave from Battery Park in Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn.
Not your typical tourist place, but our family spent several hours here: Sony Wonder Techology Lab. It’s even free. Your son will love it and even your “girly girl” will have fun.
Practice walking. Even with 7-day Metro passes you will still do lots of walking. Your two might be better than most kids, but it still wouldn’t hurt to hike a mile or two around your neighborhood a few nights. I still remember doing this with my parents before we went to Disney when I was in kindergarten. The rule was when my sister or I complained about being tired we went back to the hotel.
If you want to see a Broadway show either save for it or be flexible. My wife and I were in NYC over MLK weekend (she surprised me with it!) and made a top 3 list of shows promising we would see the first we could get tickets for under X dollars. Saturday we happened to be near the theater when Phantom was about to start and got standing room only tickets for $26 each. (Yes our feet were sore, but I think it was worth it).
Save money on the hotel room. You probably won’t be doing much in your room besides sleeping so you don’t need a huge place, or a room with a view, or great room service, etc.
ESB needs a way to make reservations. We got lucky when we were there. Our plane was late, our shuttle was late, but we still wanted to see it Friday night. We didn’t get there until midnight and there was only one other person in line. That probably wouldn’t have been the case in the summer though. Unless someone knows a trick you will have to decide if it’s worth it to you.
Seconding Brooklyn Flea/.
Make a day of the Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Grab some jerk chicken from The Islands and sit on the front steps of the Museum for lunch.
Catch a concert/play/dance performance/opera at BAM. (Unfortunately, they don’t seem to have their summer calendar up yet.)
Or check out the first museum created expressly for children.
Hm. I may be showing a little borough bias here.
How about the New York Hall of Science (Queens) or Liberty Science Center (NJ) as less-touristy alternatives to the Natural History Museum? Or the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, or the Museum of Arts and Design (all in Manhattan) for a girl who likes fashion?
I bet if you tell us a country or part of the world you’ve always been interested in, we could tell you where in NYC to go to meet people from there, learn about their culture, and likely eat their food.
I don’t know why, but for some reason, whenever I visit NYC in the summer, it’s always raining. The fact that it’s also about 100 degrees outside doesn’t make it any better.
That being said, if you do find yourself there when the sun is out, I would suggest one of those open-top double-decker bus tours, especially if you can get a discount for the kids. They do tend to be expensive, but you do have the advantage of doing not so much walking as you would otherwise. I also second the Circle Line ferry idea (and, in fact, I think there’s a discount if you get the bus and ferry together).
Also, and I don’t care if a tour bus guide suggests otherwise (which happened to me back in 2005), you should go by the World Trade Center, especially as the Freedom Tower’s height has passed the Empire State Building’s (of course, you can’t go inside quite yet, but you and your kids can say, “I was there when they were building it”).
My first choice would be the Museum of Natural History. There are the dinosaurs, of course, but also a large gem collection, and lots of North American and African mammal dioramas which my girls liked even more than the dinosaurs. There is also the Planetarium attached.
Second is plays. Research kid friendly ones in advance. If you want to save money, for some risk, you can use the TKTS booths. There is an app for Android at least which tells you what is available and gives a summary. The Duffy Square booth gets a line. If you are interested in visiting South Street Seaport and Ground Zero, there is a booth down there. Last year we went and got cheap tickets to Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson with no line at all. They don’t put that availability on the app.
Though I love MoMA, it might a bit much for kids this age. Try the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has a wider range of stuff, including armor, furniture, and an excellent ancient Egypt section. If there is something interesting in the Guggenheim just being in the building is fun. There are also tons of smaller museums all over the city, so check to see if one has a display that would be interesting.
The Circle Line tour is a good place to rest.
I grew up not far from Flushing, but it is a bit far to go to eat, especially given the gigantic number of restaurants in the city. And Chinatown. Lindy’s, or the Stage Deli are fun just for the crowd and the ambiance even if you are not pastrami starved like I usually am. Some of them take cash only, so be warned.