What are your fav things to do in NYC

Littlejen22

This was asked on the travel board by someone and I figured I would ask it here since people with kids will have different answers.  I hope to go to the city a few times with the kids this summer although between driving, parking and tolls something as simple as walking around a city and getting lunch gets expensive.  Oh, and anyone know how hard it would be to park in Hoboken and take the Path with the Joovy Caboose?

shopgirl78

I haven't been with kids but DD loved seeing Cinderella in our local theater...so something in Broadway might be fun.  I remember seeing Beauty and the Beast there.   A quick pick shows that The Lion King and Mary Poppins is playing.

FAO schwarz ?

Eat cheese cake?

Central Park Zoo?  Central Park horse carriage ride? 

Macy's day parade or NYE party---if applicable

Aw, hell!  I remember going to ATL when I was a child and my brothers and I found the most exciting thing (we are from back woods AL) to ride the elevator to the top of the 112th floor of the marriott  Up and down (repeat), and because we were back woods, my parents let us. 

I think my kids would just be in aw of the buildings and they'd love to ride the subway.   They might want to see themselves on the Today show.  

I'd go check out the world trade center memorial and see how things are going up there.   

Littlejen22

I guess I should answer my own question!  We did the tree at Christmas, the kids loved it and we all LOVED Santa in Macys.  DS is not a huge fan of heights so he skipped the ferris wheel at ToysRUs but I did it with DD, that is the only reason I would go to the TRU, they have NYC stuff and a little more of some things but totally not worth it IMO especially since I do not want to cart things around in the stroller.  And we did the Lego store which I like.  I want to do AG for DD's birthday and would love to do FAO and was so bummed the one in Boston is closed.  I would really like to do Little Italy and Chinatown and that whole area but not sure what to do with the kids besides dinner...would I be nuts to go in for San Genero?  My kids love cities and I am feeling a major need to go more often.

jennieliz

MH's parents live 30 minutes west of the city and whenever we go we take the Path from Hoboken.  I've done it with one and two kids and it's so easy.  We ride all the way to 33rd (? whatever the final stop is) and walk/transfer from there.  Totally doable. 

juniper19

I'm just going to make a list and leave it to you to Google for details:

Scandinavia House

The Glass Garden at NYU/Rusk

Union Square Playground

Madison Square Park/Shake Shack

Central Park Zoo

Marionette Theater (Central Park)

Ancient Playground (Central Park)

HUGE slide at the Billy Johnson Playground (Central Park)

New Victory Theater

92 St Y Tribeca

Hudson River Park/Winter Garden/Battery Park City

Imagination Playground

Washington Square Park

Met Museum of Art

Natural History Museum

New York Theater Ballet performances for children

Paper Bag Players

Asser Levy Playground/pool (in the summer)

New York Botanical Garden

Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Prospect Park Zoo

Korea Town BBQs

NYC Transit Museum (Brooklyn)

MerryLegs

ditto Juniper but also Childrens Museum of Manhattan, Childrens Museum of Art New York, loads of different things in Central Park, the playground and buskers in Union Square and Washington Square Parks. The ferry to Staten Island (much better than lugging kids to the Statue of Liberty!) and walking across the Brooklyn Bridge (DS loved that, we got the subway home). Also there's a water park around 10th St where it hits the Hudson (10th or Jane St, around there...fabulous if its warm). And DS loved the boats around Chelsea Piers as well.

REOM

The PPs gave you some great non-touristy suggestions.

I like the blog www.mommypoppins.com She posts a lot of great events in and around the city.

From Hoboken, I prefer to take the ferry from 14th Street. You can just roll the stroller on, no steps. Plus my girls love the ride! The elevator is often broken for the Path route and it's annoying to lug it on the stairs, although people do it all the time.

 

Halo79RN

check the nyc parks website, look for free activities and fairs around the city, summer concert series, free movies on the pier (if you don't mind being out late one evening), central park zoo of course, children's museum of art, pack a picnic and hang at rockefeller park in battery park city (awesome playground, check out toys for free, great area to picnic on a pretty day), go to coney island (early get parking at the new york aquarium)... go to the aquarium and then picnic on the beach. go to a staten island yankees game (minor league baseball) usually they have a game on the 4th of july, stadiums looks right to manhattan, best views of the fireworks. prospect park zoo in brooklyn is awesome too. I prefer the brooklyn children's museum over the manhattan one