# Planning a One-Week Stay in New York with my Daughters - Summer 2024 **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [November 6, 2023, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683 "2023-11-06T09:16:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/21 "2023-11-07T01:51:31Z")
I have a “NY ❤ Me” T-shirt but I can’t remember where I bought it. So just some general ideas for stuff to do: - Ride the Staten Island Ferry back and forth - Visit Governors Island (short ferry ride from Lower Manhattan) - Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge - Eat at Peter Lugers in Brooklyn (by the Williamsburg Bridge, not Brooklyn Bridge) - Eat at the original Shake Shack in Madison Square Park - Visit Union Square, Washington Square Park, and Bryant Park while you’re at it - Check out Grand Central Terminal - Go shopping in Soho (area below Houston Street [pronounced “HOW-ston”]) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/22 "2023-11-07T02:38:57Z")
Something the Cub and I enjoyed was a trip to the USS Intrepid, now a floating museum. I had never appreciated the scale of an aircraft carrier; it’s big enough that the space shuttle Enterprise fits inside it. There was also a really fun flight simulator, with two person controls, where you get in, doors shut, and the two of you try to fly the thing, with a screen in front showing the terrain you’re flying over. I was always trying to fly it on the level, the Cub was trying to dipsy doodle. Great fun. > **[Intrepid Museum](https://intrepidmuseum.org/)** > > Experience the legendary aircraft carrier Intrepid, the first space shuttle Enterprise, and other pieces of history at the Intrepid Museum. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/23 "2023-11-07T02:59:49Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I had never appreciated the scale of an aircraft carrier; it’s big enough that the space shuttle Enterprise fits inside it. Intrepid was built and first used during WW-II. It was modernized a couple times over its long life and served to just past the end of the Viet Nam war. And is a darn impressively big thing for sure. A modern USN carrier is 30% longer, over twice as wide, and weighs almost 3x as much. With over twice the crew. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/24 "2023-11-07T03:37:42Z")
The only guide to NYC that you’ll ever need, from Johnny T. > **[Johnny T's NYC Tourist Tips](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6xd6YvoHLM%5C)** > > Planning a trip to NYC? Listen to Johnny T, and you'll have a great time. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/25 "2023-11-07T03:57:53Z")
I have nothing useful to add to the good suggestions already offered, but i did visit my brother in Manhattan a number of times and once basically lived in his apartment for a few weeks while he and the wife were in Europe, and one of the fun things was just going to some fantastic local restaurants – I particularly enjoyed Thai food. My son, who is a fanatical fan of sushi, was enthralled by Sushi Nakazawa in Manhattan (not cheap, though). On a more whimsical note, as a childhood fan of Bugs Bunny cartoons and other Warner Brothers creations, I always had fun visiting the Warner Brothers store (57th St and 5th Avenue) and picking up cool and unique items. Manhattan is totally a shopping paradise. I hope your and your daughters have lots of fun! ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/26 "2023-11-07T10:02:57Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Not really a secret, but a real nice walk is the Highline. I’d forgotten about that. I’ve added it to the list. > [@Procrustus](#): > > I would definitely recommend a boat ride around the island. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Riding the ferry from the bottom of Manhattan (“the Battery”) over to Staten Island and right back is a (IIRC) completely free boat ride (~10 minutes each way) and gives some excellent long views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, plus the various ships & industrial stuff along the harbor edge. Very iconically scenic in an urban way. > [@msmith537](#): > > Ride the Staten Island Ferry back and forth And this too! > [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > Kill two birds with one stone: buy your unmistakably New York t shirt in the Met gift shop. It’ll be classy yet distinctive and won’t mark you as ‘only a tourist’. Wow, this is just spot on, exactly what I had in mind! Unmistakably New York, but not obviously touristy. And some of the designs are precisely how I like them, discreet but classy. > [@Telemark](#): > > A Yankees or Mets shirt would fit the bill, locals wear them all the time. I might get one of those too. Or one from the boat ride. Staten Island. I just love the way it sounds. Staten Island. Staten Island. Staten Island. > [@Voyager](#): > > Buy a week long Metro Card. Well worth it for saving time. Study the subway system well, and learn the difference between express and local stops I was planning to do that. Can they be bought online and mailed to me? I’d prefer to have them as soon as we’re there. > [@Voyager](#): > > For shopping, you have to make a stop at Macy’s on Herald Square, 34th street. It’s good to have the name of at least one store. Easier than just wander around hoping to stumble upon a nice one. > [@Al128](#): > > allow for time just sitting on some bench doing peoplewatching … Yes, that’s something we might do in Central Park. > [@msmith537](#): > > Eat at Peter Lugers in Brooklyn (by the Williamsburg Bridge, not Brooklyn Bridge) Good idea, I would take advantage of this to make a little detour to that bridge with Sonny Rollins in mind. > [@msmith537](#): > > Check out Grand Central Terminal That sounds interesting too. > [@msmith537](#): > > Go shopping in Soho (area below Houston Street [pronounced “HOW-ston”]) Ah, another area where we could go shopping, good! > [@wolfpup](#): > > I hope your and your daughters have lots of fun! Thanks, that’s what I hope too! And thanks again to all of you. I couldn’t quote all of your suggestions, but I really appreciate them. In less than 24h, it looks like I already have enough great things to do and see for the week. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/27 "2023-11-07T13:19:27Z")
You may also want to check out some of New York’s fabulous shopping malls! - Brookfield Place / The Oculus in Lower Manhattan - Hudson Yards in the West 30s - Columbus Circle just below the southwest corner of Central Park ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/28 "2023-11-07T13:44:40Z")
IMO no trip to Manhattan is complete without a visit to Harlem: 1. A a tour (or even better, see a show) at the historic Apollo Theater. 2. Visit the National Jazz museum and catch a jazz jam session while having brunch at Patrick’s Place. 3. Get a soul food dinner at Sylvia’s or try the more upscale fare at Red Rooster or Clay. 4. If you really want a deep dive into Old New York, stay at the Harlem Flophouse, which retains it’s Jazz Age decor and ambiance. You’ll have to share a bathroom with other guests though, it still functions like guesthouses did in the 1920s. Harlem is easy to get to - there’s even a song with instructions 😃 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/cb2w2m1JmCY/hqdefault.jpg "Duke Ellington, "Take the A Train"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb2w2m1JmCY) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/29 "2023-11-07T13:46:13Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > > > I had never appreciated the scale of an aircraft carrier; it’s big enough that the space shuttle Enterprise fits inside it. > > Intrepid was built and first used during WW-II. It was modernized a couple times over its long life and served to just past the end of the Viet Nam war. And is a darn impressively big thing for sure. > > A modern USN carrier is 30% longer, over twice as wide, and weighs almost 3x as much. With over twice the crew. And the Intrepid is often dwarfed (little personed?) by the big cruise ships that dock next to it. Some of the bigger ones are like watching a city block of 20 story buildings float down the Hudson. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/30 "2023-11-07T13:54:04Z")
If you’re going to do a lot of attractions, you can save money by getting something like this CityPass. It covers 11 attractions and you can visit 3, 5 or all of them depending on which pass you get: > **[Official New York CityPASS®, New York C3® and New York C-All™ | Which One Is...](https://www.citypass.com/new-york-comparison)** > > CityPASS® tickets offer three amazing options to visit the best New York attractions. Find out which is right for you. I would recommend planning to walk as much as you can. The city itself is a beautiful sight to enjoy all on its own. If your credit card has touchless payment, you can use it to pay for the metro as you need. You won’t need to get a metro card. The touchpads are right at the turnstile to get in. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/31 "2023-11-07T18:13:18Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > I was planning to do that. Can they be bought online and mailed to me? I’d prefer to have them as soon as we’re there. I’m not sure if you can pre-order, but you can get the pass from any of the machines. It is fast and easy. Bloomingdale’s on 59th street and Third Ave. is another store, though not one I go to. If you like books there is an immense Barnes & Noble in Union Square, and there is the Strand used book store. Lots of others also, though not as many as there used to be. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/32 "2023-11-07T18:53:36Z")
One other thing I’d recommend about the subway is to pick up an actual subway map. I found it much easier to plan my routes with a paper map compared to things like Google directions. One reason is that the train directions are marked by the subway endpoints. You may know you need the G train, but the platforms with the G train will be marked as either ending at “Church Ave” or “Court Square”. You’ll go in the wrong direction if you get on the wrong train. But if you have a paper map, it’s easy to see which which platform you need since you can follow the train line to either end. You can get a free map the manned ticket booths scattered around the subway system. Another thing is to not rush to try and make a train. The trains arrive frequently and you rarely have to wait too long for the next train. The stations can sometimes be a bit confusing. If you’re rushing to make a train, it’s easy to make a mistake and end up on the wrong train. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/33 "2023-11-07T19:01:16Z")
Nothing wrong with paper subway maps (if nothing else they make great souvenirs) but Google maps does tell you which platform to take as part of its directions. ---
**Author:** ![mtnmatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@mtnmatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtnmatt)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/34 "2023-11-07T19:29:33Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Another thing is to not rush to try and make a train. The trains arrive frequently and you rarely have to wait too long for the next train. The stations can sometimes be a bit confusing. If you’re rushing to make a train, it’s easy to make a mistake and end up on the wrong train. When I worked in the City, I was on a train that was waiting at the WTC terminus to start its trip uptown. A family came on the platform and the youngest son ran to the train, ahead of his parents, and got on just as the doors closed. I can still picture his mom banging on the window as the train pulled off. I calmed the kid down and got off with him at the next station and waited - the rest of the family had the sense to follow us there, so it was resolved pretty quickly, but this was before lots of cell phones, and could have ended up much worse. Stay together on the trains. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/35 "2023-11-07T19:31:04Z")
Also if you’re not sure which subway to take, just ask someone. You’ll probably get several people telling you where to go. We may be stereotyped as being rude but we sure do _love_ to give subway directions. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/36 "2023-11-07T23:48:43Z")
Depending on what time of year you’re going - think of Coney Island. Big sandy beach, Nathan’s hot dogs (I liked their clam chowder as well), and a long boardwalk passing by the tacky carnival attractions. If it’s spring - visit Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and its cherry blossoms, The Brooklyn Museum is also worth a visit. Take a guided tour of the NY Public Library - it’s free, but book online. 5th Ave & 42nd St. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/37 "2023-11-08T02:27:40Z")
The granddaddy of high rises is the Empire State Building. While it’s an impressive art deco building & worth seeing some of the details up close, if you go up to their observation deck you can’t see the whole building because you’re on it. Luckily, there are a number of other high-rises with observation decks that allow you an impressive view of ESB. - The Edge / Hudson Yards - due west of ESB - Rockefeller Center - due north - One Vanderbuilt - NE - 1 World Trade Center - south, 3 miles Macy’s is the largest dept store in the US, & one of the largest in the world. If you’re going there, make sure to take the escalator to/from The Cellar. They still have some of the original wooden escalators. Not worth a trip on their own, but if you’re going to be in the building anyway they’re cool. There are some others in the building, as well. Whether you decide to go up 1WTC or not, the memorial / reflecting pools / footprint of the twin towers that fell in the 2001 terrorist attack are quite impressive to see & the Oculus is across the street. The building, both outside & in is quite impressive, & it’s a also a transportation hub with a lot of subway lines stopping there, as well as the PATH (subway to NJ) but meh, it’s a lot of the same mall stores that you’ll find elsewhere. All of that is a few short blocks from the Manhattan end of the Staten Island Ferry & Battery Park, including the Seaglass Carousel; even if you have no intention on riding it, it’s worth looking at if you’re there. If you’re going to do the High Line (it’s just an old elevated rail line that they turned into a long, narrow walking path with plants/trees but can be hard to pass slower folks because it is so narrow. Get off & walk over to Little Island. Bonus, right next door is Pier 57 where you can both get a bite to eat & then go upstairs / to the end & get cool aerial views of Little Island…or don’t eat there but walk a block or two to Chelsea Market for tons of eating options. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/38 "2023-11-08T19:32:19Z")
> [@Mark\_Finn](#): > > Take a guided tour of the NY Public Library - it’s free, but book online. 5th Ave & 42nd St. This. We did it, and it was great. You get to see the original Winnie the Pooh, which is pretty awesome. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2023, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/39 "2023-11-09T01:56:11Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > the Oculus is across the street. > … > but meh, it’s a lot of the same mall stores that you’ll find elsewhere. Quite right; it’s just one more Westfield mall, like another hundred plus such malls all across America. The OP is coming from outside the US (Europe?) so this may be a bit more exotic from their POV. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683/40 "2023-11-15T23:58:21Z")
> [@Moonrise](#): > > Is there an area where I could get cheaper hotels that are still within reasonable distance, say less than 30 minutes and ideally direct, away from Manhattan? Downtown Brooklyn isn’t _too_ far from Manhattan, so that could be a compromise between cost and distance from the sights. (I’ll be staying in that area this Christmas, but admittedly that’s partly because my sister lives in Brooklyn, so it’s about halfway between her place and Manhattan). I don’t know if that area is that much cheaper than Manhattan, but it’s worth looking into. The Subway can be confusing at first, but if you figure out the Express vs. Local trains, and can get an Express train to where you’re going, you can get to Manhattan from Downtown Brooklyn within 30 minutes. There are things to see in Brooklyn, too. I really like the New York Transit Museum. The vintage subway cars from different eras are a lot of fun. > [@Moonrise](#): > > Thinking about it, I realise that I’d also like to get something like a shirt or a t-shirt that says “New York” without screaming “Tourist”. Is there a place where we could find something that would be both original and instantly recognisable? The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store has t-shirts. I don’t know if they’re instantly recognizable as “New York”, but it is just a fun store in general. > **[Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/brooklyn-superhero-supply-store)** > > The one-stop shop for all of your superhero (or evil arch-nemesis) needs. (I was initially going to suggest Brooklyn Industries, but it looks like they closed all their physical stores and are purely an online store now. Something from them probably would still satisfy the “New York but doesn’t scream ‘tourist’” criteria, except you won’t be able to actually get it in New York.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planning-a-one-week-stay-in-new-york-with-my-daughters-summer-2024/992683.md?page=3)