NYC thoughts

[Deleted]

H and I are taking the kids to a Phillies/Mets game in NYC at the end of April and we decided to make a weekend out of it so now I'm looking for things to do that the girls would appreciate. The game is Saturday at 1:00 so I was thinking we'll head straight up to the stadium then go to Times Square after the game. Walk around and check it out and then dinner somewhere then to the hotel.

Then I would like to do Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty on Sunday. Is this too much to cram into such a short time? 

[Captain Serious]

If the game starts at 1, figure it won't be over until about 4. Since you'll be out in Queens and there will be a slew of people all getting out around the same time, it will take you about an hour to get to Times Square by subway. Or will you be driving?

The restaurants in that area are all big chains, so if that works for you and the kids, great, but if you wanted something more special since you're in the NYC, I wouldn't eat there. Truth be told, City Field has one of the best food courts around, as far as baseball stadiums are concerned. I'd personally eat a bigger meal there (I love the tacos!), and just catch a bite later in the City. That is, of course, you want a nice sit-down meal for dinner.

Ground Zero and Statue of Liberty can definitely be done in one day, if you aren't planning on going through the museum (I've never been in, and I don't even know if tickets are available yet if you don't purchase them in advance, but I'm sure that would take quite a bit longer). I'm also not sure how many boats leave from the NY side to the Statue of Liberty, but you can catch a ferry to the NJ side (they leave every 15 minutes or so), and get on a boat to the Statue from there pretty easily. April is still early for typical tourist season, so you might want to check out how many trips they'll make on that day in advance.

Another great option, but definitely out of the way, is the Bronx Zoo. If you don't want to go that far, than you could always spend part of the day in Central Park and check out their zoo. I'm not sure how old your kids are, but this might be of more interest to them than either the Statue of Liberty or Ground Zero.

[mbcdefg]

How old are your kids?

Don't eat anywhere in Times Square ... it's overpriced and not very good. Walk five minutes over to Ninth Avenue and you'll find a ton of good restaurants there. What do the kids like to eat?

Shake Shack is fun and the 44th Street & 8th Avenue location (near the Port Authority Bus Terminal) is maybe a 10-minute walk from Times Square. The line can be long and seating is limited, but the food is good and they have shakes/ice cream. CitiField also has one, too, if you just want to try it at the ballpark.

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are currently closed due to Hurricane Sandy damage, so unfortunately you won't be able to get onto the islands until after July 4. But if you just want to take a boat past the statue for a nice photo, then you could take the Staten Island Ferry (free) over to Staten Island, and then back to Manhattan.

I've never visited the Ground Zero center so IDK how long that would take you.

[Deleted]

The girls are 14, 13 and 11. And 2 but she'll be in a stroller. The older girls have been to NYC and Times Square before so we've done most of the tourist-y stuff in that area but my 11 year old stepdaughter has never been.

I didn't know the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were still closed. Thank you!

[mbcdefg]

Apr 1, 2013 9:16:57 GMT -5 twostep said:

The girls are 14, 13 and 11. And 2 but she'll be in a stroller. The older girls have been to NYC and Times Square before so we've done most of the tourist-y stuff in that area but my 11 year old stepdaughter has never been.

I didn't know the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were still closed. Thank you!

YW. I live in North Jersey so we get NYC news and it was mentioned on the radio a few days ago, otherwise I wouldn't have realized!

Maybe the kids would like the Hershey's Store in Times Square? IMO it's nothing special that you couldn't get in Rite Aid or something, but kids seem to get a kick out of all the candy displays.

I used to work in the Worldwide Plaza building on 50th Street and 8th Avenue, which is a stone's throw from Times Square. They have a big courtyard behind the building and a few restaurants, including a burger place and a burrito place, so you could always grab something and eat it at a table in the courtyard. On the 49th Street side of the building is Donna Bell's Bake Shop, and they have good cupcakes if you want a sweet. Also a couple of Starbucks if you want to grab a coffee. 

And if you walk up 49th Street to 9th Avenue, there's a Ricky's NYC store, which your older girls might like (lots of makeup, hair accessories, etc.). Across the street from that is Amish Market if you want some fresh fruit or a sandwich.

Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center aren't a far walk from Times Square, either, if you'd like to see all that. There used to be a bunch of food trucks in that area when I worked there a couple years ago, although I've heard the city has been cracking down on them. There's a website/Twitter that tracks a bunch of NYC food trucks if you want to find something in your area.

[Deleted]

Apr 1, 2013 9:33:18 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Apr 1, 2013 9:16:57 GMT -5 twostep said:

The girls are 14, 13 and 11. And 2 but she'll be in a stroller. The older girls have been to NYC and Times Square before so we've done most of the tourist-y stuff in that area but my 11 year old stepdaughter has never been.

I didn't know the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were still closed. Thank you!

YW. I live in North Jersey so we get NYC news and it was mentioned on the radio a few days ago, otherwise I wouldn't have realized!

Maybe the kids would like the Hershey's Store in Times Square? IMO it's nothing special that you couldn't get in Rite Aid or something, but kids seem to get a kick out of all the candy displays.

I used to work in the Worldwide Plaza building on 50th Street and 8th Avenue, which is a stone's throw from Times Square. They have a big courtyard behind the building and a few restaurants, including a burger place and a burrito place, so you could always grab something and eat it at a table in the courtyard. On the 49th Street side of the building is Donna Bell's Bake Shop, and they have good cupcakes if you want a sweet. Also a couple of Starbucks if you want to grab a coffee. 

And if you walk up 49th Street to 9th Avenue, there's a Ricky's NYC store, which your older girls might like (lots of makeup, hair accessories, etc.). Across the street from that is Amish Market if you want some fresh fruit or a sandwich.

Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center aren't a far walk from Times Square, either, if you'd like to see all that. There used to be a bunch of food trucks in that area when I worked there a couple years ago, although I've heard the city has been cracking down on them. There's a website/Twitter that tracks a bunch of NYC food trucks if you want to find something in your area.

You are awesome!! Thank you so much

I just emailed this to myself so I don't lose any of it.

[mbcdefg]

Enjoy! Nice spring days like this make me sort of miss working in the city