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13 Things I Learned Visiting NYC With 2 Young Kids
So, 6-month Brianna and 3-year-old Meme came with us to a special trip to NYC to see my sister get married (Meme did a beautiful job as a the ringbearer, and it only took a 5 jelly-bean bribe to get him to deliver the goods). Alas, this was the first time we've traveled with both the kids, and also the first time I've been to NYC with my wife at all. So, let's just say we learned a few things along the way. Here's my top 13 list:
1. Central Park is a kids playground as much as it is an adult one. There are so many nifty little parks and areas for the kids to play around with. My 3-year-old marveled at the cobble stones, the worms, the pennies in the ponds, and the water fountains, and we only visited a small stretch near 55th Street.
2. At least once, ride on those tricycle taxis. They cost 2-3x as much as a taxi, and take 2-3x as long, but there's nothing like seeing NYC from the streets at a bike's place.
3. Times Square is worth seeing at night, even as the tourist trap that it is. As you probably know, Bloomberg was smart to close off some roads there and put down some nice little tables and chairs all around. It reminds me a little bit of those classic squares in Europe. Lots of space to just chill out and people watch. Within the hour that w
e were there, we saw a guy dressed up like batman as well as a Michael Jackson look-alike doing a pretty wicked moonwalk. My 7-month-old was totally entranced with all the lights, while my 3-year-old was entranced by batman.
4. Union Square is also a great place to visit with kids. The subway lets up right in the middle of it. There's a park there. There's always a ton of cool little street vendors. We went on a day when one of the vendors was giving away free hummus, chips, corn, and yogurt dip. Plus, there are plenty of neat shops (both chain and independent) that surround Union Square for bathrooms, weather escape, or a meal.
5. Don't worry about bringing umbrellas. The moment there is even a hint of rain, there are guys selling $5 umbrellas all over midtown and around high-traffic hotels.
6. We totally messed up the stroller strategy. We brought a long 2-seat stroller, thinking that both kids will sit in there while we roamed around NYC. Turned out the run prevented us from even bringing the stroller out because we didn't have a cover. Plus, our kids never wanted to sit in there at the same time anyway. Should've went with 2 umbrella strollers, which are much more mobile. Plus, we could just bring one on some day trips. Overall, NYC ain't all that friendly for strollers. Subway stars, lots of foot traffic, lots of vehicles of all shapes and sizes. You definitely see people do it, but not as many as I expected. At the very least, we should have gotten one of those stroller ponchos.
7. The Statue of Liberty Ferry Ride is free for kids under 5. Was great for the 3-year-old who was looking over the rail almost the whole way. We didn't actually get off the Ferry, just took it for the whole Battery Park/Statute of Liberty/Ellis Island Loop. The whole thing took about 1.5 hours.
8. Battery Park is a great place to take the Ferry Ride - pigeons, boats, vendors, street performers galore.
9. We also went to Ground Zero area. Given our kids' age, it was more for us adults than for them. Wasn't much to see except for a big construction site. We passed on the $10 admission for the museum. While you're here though, check out 3 other spots close by: Wall Street, a small shaded plaza just north of Ground Zero (where my 3-year-old took a long nap), and Century 21, NYC's best discount department store (but get ready for some lines, unless you go early for the best deals).
10. Concierge Services at Hotels - Even if you're not staying at a particular hotel, go into these nice hotels (there's a lot of them!), enjoy their lobbies (some have free wifi), and ask their concierge services folks your detailed local questions.
11. Buying milk. Lots of places sell it. The coffee/donut street vendor sold me a cup for 75 cents. There are lots of "Cafe Metro" chains (sort of like Panera's in NYC). And of course, Starbucks sell those little cartons of organic, plain and chocolate.
12. Lots of ripoffs. I came in expecting this, but still. We were leaving our hotel with 5 people. Cabs apparently can't take 5 folks. A guy comes up and says, "You looking for a bigger car, I can take you. Where you going? $35. You need a professional - those cabs are dangerous." Mind you, we knew it was a $7 cab ride, so we took 2.
13. The Cabbies. NYC has upgraded the cabs since I remember. You can pay via credit card and swipe the card yourself from the backseat. There's sort of an internet TV in every cab, with weather/sports headlines and a running program. One Cabbie actually asked us for more tip after we paid with credit card, saying those credit cards take a fee away from him. Avoid this by paying credit card for fare and cash for tips.
Hope this helps!
1560 Broadway
New York (Manhattan), New York
reviewed on: September 03 2009
It's definitely a tourist trap, but still worth the trip. We helped a group of teens from Alabama take a picture and then had a dad from India help us take our picture.
14th to 17th Street, Between Broadway and Park Avenue
New York (Manhattan), New York
reviewed on: September 03 2009
Great place to take a break, people-watch, buy a meal and sit outside, or buy some interesting trickets or T-shirts.
Chambers Street and Hudson River
New York (Manhattan), New York
reviewed on: September 03 2009
While we were there, we saw some street dancers who were jumping over each other, and also had a flock of 25 pigeons literally eating out of our hands.
