We are taking a family trip for 4 nights In May when boys are out of school. First time for everyone but me. However, I have only gone on business for a few hours and never a tourist…and that was 28 years ago.
I am so excited. Now that they are older they like to keep active, see new things, etc. we took a 10 day Califirnia vacation 2 years ago and it was fabulous…now we are headed to the other coast.
We are staying close to Times Square where we found a hotel with queen beds. The only thing I have reserved is a city walking tour. We arrive on a Sunday late morning, leave Thursday morning.
What Broadway Show do you think my boys might like? 22 and 19. DH suggested Hamilton and the first thing I thought is they would hate it…they would rather see School of rock…so now you know their interests…haha. But the reviews said the music is hip hop, etc, which they love. Any other Broadway suggestions?
I havents sat down to really plan our days yet with the Statute of Liberty, Empire State Buikding, etc.
Just looking for any of you suggestions or advice before I start in. I am very excited!
You’ve got to go see the Freedom Tower downtown. And the UN, and the museums – especially the Metropolitan and the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). And the Guggenheim.
You might have trouble getting tickets to Hamilton - it’s the hottest show around! They may enjoy Book of Mormon, although tickets are pricey. It’s definitely R rated, but I think most guys age 19-22 would like it. My nephew (age 25) recently saw School of Rock and he enjoyed it.
My S just turned 22 and his gf has visited twice in the last year for a week each time. Some of the things they have done during her 2 visits include:
911 site and museum
United Nations
Museums: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, American Museum of Natural History, the Frick, the Guggenheim (didn’t like this one), and the Cloisters
Boat tours: they did one that took them to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and another one that went around Manhattan
Walking Tour of Brooklyn
Top of the Rock
My S also likes food, and they planned out where they were going to eat - Katz’s Deli, Wilma Jean in Brooklyn, Korean, Chinese (researched on Yelp)
There’s so much to do, I would focus on doing things you think they would enjoy.
If you can possibly get tickets to Hamilton you should. It’s incredible! I haven’t seen School of Rock but it got good reviews and I’m sure it’d be fun too. Go for a walk in Central Park. It should be beautiful in May.
If you enjoy walking don’t miss the Highline and Central Park…At the end of a Highline walk, you can head over to Chelsea Market to eat. For a slightly different museum experience try the Tenement Museum. My just post college age daughter and I really enjoyed it.
If you want to save some money take the free Staten Island ferry for some great views.
If you are a tad adventuresome and don’t need to see the latest and greatest, do TKTS to get same day Broadway tickets. I did this with my mom many years ago and it was actually a great way of seeing a show. TKTS is at Times Square - go early in the morning.
Go down to Battery Park City and take a walk along the promenade. It will be perfect weather in May and you will have a beautiful view of the Statute of Liberty. You can wander into the French food hall Le District for lunch - by the yacht basin.
If you are going to the Statue of Liberty, make sure you get tickets in advance. Otherwise you will be spending a LOT of time standing in line to get tickets.
High Line, walk the Brooklyn Bridge, China Town, Little Italy, The Village, take a tour of NBC Studios, take the Madison Square Garden tour, Broadway, Seaport.
And of course just walking Times Square without an agenda is also lots of fun.
You can’t see the Manhattan skyline very well from Manhattan. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO and then over to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade for the movie picture view of the bridges and skyline. If you have time, go to The NY Botanical Gardens and the Bronx Zoo, and visit the real Little Italy, Arthur Avenue, in the Bronx (close to Fordham University).
Wow…these are all awesome suggestions. Going to write them all down and start researching. I did take a look at Hamilton and the standard tickets are all sold out. To be honest, not sure how much they would enjoy the musicals. It would be worth trying it at a certain price, but I’m not willing to fork out the money for standard tickets …a lot of other things to do.
Can’t wait to start researching all this! I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions.
Don’t know if they like the Yankees, but we toured Yankee Stadium (the old one). That was one of the cheapest things we did and one of the highlights of our trip. The Yankees have to be out of town though (at least they did back then).
There’s a restaurant near Broadway where all the waiters/waitresses sing periodically. That was fun, especially because we didn’t have time to see a show. I’m sorry I can’t remember the name.
We loved seeing the Statue of Liberty, and going to the top of the Empire State Building.
Dylan’s Candy was a huge hit (but our kids were younger).
When the Yankees are out of town, the Mets are in town, and vice versa. You can also take a tour of CitiField. Take the 7 train to Flushing. Mets-Citifield is the stop before the terminus at Flushing. Flushing itself is the biggest Chinatown in NYC and the energy of the place is to be seen.
–Upright Citizen’s Brigade (Amy Poehler’s comedy clubs) for long-form improv at the Chelsea location and stand-up in the East Village location. Tickets are very cheap --$5-$10 – but you have to buy in advance. Super fun and there are often famous performers that show up in the very tiny theaters. Some shows are free but don’t attempt because lines are too long.
Classics that are not to be missed:
–Metropolitan Museum of Art – obviously! the one thing in NYC that you cannot miss, IMO
–Natural History Museum
–Rent bikes and ride through Central Park
Other tips:
–There are tons of events happening every day in New York. Make sure to check the current events listings in Time Out New York, the New York Times, New York Magazine, the New Yorker etc. For example, the New York Public Livrary has a speaker series that in the last year has had Neil Gaiman, Patti Smith, Shaquille O’Neill in addition to the more traditional literary figures. The museums often have performance events or speakers. Those are really worth seeking out. Start checking the listings a couple of months before you go and buy tickets in advance.
–One of the best things about NYC is just walking around various neighborhoods. If I were you, I’d plan my days around neighborhoods and would have bookended goals for the day at opposite ends of the neighborhoods, with plenty of time for wandering around in between.
–Call me sentimental, but I adore the Central Park zoo and think it is worth a couple of hours.
–Try to spend as little time in Times Square as possible!
If you let us know what your kids are interested in, we could provide more suggestions. I have a lot of art-related suggestions but somehow I get the feeling that is not their area of interest.
Hamilton is essentially sold out for the rest of 2016. TKTS is a good option but it generally does not open until 2 PM except on matinee days. It is easier for TKTS to get tickets for dramas as opposed to musicals, as the drama line is much shorter.
They would enjoy going up to the top of the Empire State Building or taking a boat ride around Manhattan. I would think that they would enjoy the Museum of Natural History with the dinosaurs and the Planetarium as opposed to perhaps MOMA or the Met. It is however great to walk up 5th avenue and see the outside of the Met and the Guggenheim building. The Met is pay what you want so not a bad option and you can see the Temple of Dendur and the mummies and so much more. Plus depending exactly on when you are there, if the rooftop is open, it is a great view of the skyline south and Central Park.
