NYC in Aug with 79 YO and Tween (@)

[was5]

MIL is very excited about To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway and offered to take DD. She expected my aunt (who is older than MIL) to go too, but aunt doesn't feel up to it. So, I decided to go as well. I have never been to NYC. MIL has been, but just for a family wedding and didn't do any sightseeing.

MIL booked hotel, flights and show tickets through a travel agent. We are going to see a matinee in early August. I'm waiting on MIL to send me the itinerary, but I think we'll have free time the day we fly in, time before or after the play and maybe a full day of sightseeing the day after the play.

This might include a bus tour that travel agent set up but I'm not sure.

We won't have a ton of time, but I want to do a couple things besides the play and bus tour. My first thought was  the Ground Zero Memorial. I know you can buy tickets for a tour, but is that necessary or is just going to see it on your own enough?

Empire State Building - is it worth going, even if it's out of the way of our other plans (I don't know if it is yet, but wondering).

Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island - I see various tour companies selling tickets for 3-4 hour tours. Do you recommend them? Is this a good use of that much time, considering our time is limited?

Are there any other must-do's or recommendations an almost-12-year-old would like?

Also - can anyone tell me how I should dress assuming we just do the matinee and touristy type stuff? My at-home summer wardrobe is capris/ankle pants (I'm plus size and short). I also live in tennis shoes, but I planned on getting new shoes for the trip. Would comfortable sandals be ok or should I get comfortable flats? Would ankle pants and a nice top be ok for the matinee?

Is August hot and humid in NYC? I think I've heard this, but wasn't sure how it compared to other places. I lived in Houston for 11 years and went to Disney World in August a few years ago, so I'm assuming NYC doesn't compare to those. But, MIL gets overheated easily and I don't want to push her.

Any other recommendations are welcome.

Thanks!

[hocus2]

August is usually a very hot time in the city but nothing like Houston. I'd bring shorts, sun dresses, maybe one pair of pants in case we get a cool rainy day.

If you want to ground zero and the statue of liberty it is good to them on the same day since they are pretty far south of other options. There is only official ferry to the statue of liberty and I think tickets are required to go inside but I am not sure you need to pay for a tour. I think the rangers do them every hour.
www.nps.gov/stli/planyourvisit/fees.htm

I like doing the empire state building or top of the rock at night. Worth doing in general it is just prettier once the sun goes down.

I would consider the tenement museum and I'd also consider a watson's adventure in one of the Museum that is kid friendly. If your kid is into it the intrepid is very cool. I've heard good reviews of color factory.

I don't know when you're coming but this might be fun too.

www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/good-morning-america-2019-summer-concert-series-lineup-62660647

[was5]

Thank you hocus2 ,

Good to know that Ground Zero and Statue of Liberty are separate from everything else.

We might try the Empire State Building on the day we arrive since evening is better.

I looked at GMA's concert series and it looks like Keith Urban is there. DD's not a big fan. But, Tori Kelly is at Today that day. Maybe we'll dry to make it there.

Thanks for the suggestions!

[erbear]

August will be hot and humid in NYC. I almost always wear either a casual dress and cute sneakers or skinny jeans and a float top with sandals. Truthfully though, people wear whatever and no one will bat an eye.

I've never toured the Ground Zero Memorial inside but the outside Memorial is beautiful and somber. Please remind your child thatbit is a memorial - I go to "visit" my friend's name on it and it annoys the shit out of me when people are running around and taking selfies.

I don't like the ESB but if you want a view, it's probably nice. I have been to the top of 30 Rock and it's a cool view.

Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are really cool. I have never done a tour (nor my style) but it's worth a visit.

When we go, we spend our time walking around. My kids really like Central Park and the High Line. Sometimes we take the ferry over to Brooklyn and wander around. The Tenament Museum is very cool and my kids like it.

There's so much to do. You won't be bored!

[rupertpenny]

How is your mom’s mobility? How tolerant are you guys of heat? If either worries you is definitely try to budget taking as many Uber’s as possible. Waiting on a hot subway platform is miserable and most stations have lots of stairs. If you do want to do public transportation don’t forget about busses! I find they are often less hassle than the subway. And my new love is the ferry! They are air conditioned and have a wine and beer on tap!

I’m not personally into going to the top of buildings, but if you do I’d do top of the rock since that way you can see the Empire State Building (I have no clue what Rockefeller center looks like and don’t care). If you just want great skyline views I’d recommend Domino Park in Williamsburg. You can see ESB, Chrysler, and Freedom Tower as well as the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn bridges.

My 17 year old brother was just here and I was surprised by how much he loved The Strand bookstore. He went twice in a week. Maybe you daughter would like that?

I’m also kind of a nerd and love visiting college campuses. Columbia isn’t really on the beaten tourist path but it isn’t hard to get to. And Washington Square Park (closest NYU has to a campus) is beautiful and there is always something going on there.

[rooster222]

We were just there a few weeks ago with our 12 & 14 y/o and it was their first time in the city. We went to Ground Zero and bought the museum tickets. It's free to see the memorial outside but to go inside a ticket is required. We didn't do a tour and it's really not necessary because there are a lot of people stationed around the museum that are there to tell you more about the different displays. We bought our tickets ahead of time online and got to skip a long line waiting to buy tickets. There was a little confusion though and one worker insisted we had to go to the end of the long line but someone else helped us and we didn't have to wait.


Battery Park is nearby and you can catch the Staten Island Ferry (for free) to drive by the Statue or take a tour boat over. We did the Ferry for free because we didn't want to spend a lot of time there. There is a brand new outlet mall in Staten Island where the ferry stops (and you have to get off) so we spent a little time there just to cool off before we got back on.

We also saw a show (Mean Girls-loved it!). We did an evening show and it was fairly casual. I wore light green colored pants, a black top and rose gold flip flops and felt fine. My girls wore casual dresses.


If you have more time I'd say go to Central park (if you are up for a lot of walking) or if you want another tour we did the NBC tour and it was really good and not too expensive. We didn't do Empire State Building because I'm afraid of heights! I liked the high line also but my kids didn't really get a kick out of it and it was pretty hot. It ends at Chelsea Market though and that's a fun place with lots of food options and some cute shops.

We did tons of walking (10+ miles/day) so really good shoes are essential. I wore allbirds or croc sandals most of the time. Check out Travel Fashion Girl blog for lots of good shoe recommendations. It's fairly cheap if you need to grab a cab or uber somewhere. My feet were not used to that much action and I do a lot of walking at home.

[was5]

rooster222, rupertpenny, erbear,

Thanks for the suggestions and feedback. We leave tomorrow morning and I've been pretty lackadaisical about planning. I want it to be laid back but now I'm stressing.


Have any of you bought tickets for the "big bus" hop on/hop off "tours." They go all over, but I'm afraid of how much time we'll be sitting in traffic and wonder if we should just plan to walk and Uber/Lyft when needed. They go to Battery Park, Ground Zero, etc. so I'm thinking it would be helpful for those areas that are further away. However, it would be a 15 minute walk from our hotel to the nearest stop, so not sure if it's worth it on top of the price.


Our flight gets in on Friday around noon. Hotel is near the Chrysler Building and Grand Central Station (Hyatt Grand on 42nd Street). Thinking on Friday walk to Rockafeller Center, then head to Central Park (thinking Alice in Wonderland) and to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Does anyone know if it's necessary to pre-purchase tickets? According to their website they are open until 9 on Friday.


The play is a matinee (starts at 2). Does anyone have good ideas for Saturday morning that we can be done with in time for the play. Should we just wander around Times Square?


I think we'll see the Ground Zero Memorial and do whatever we decide with the Statue of Liberty on Sunday morning. Our flight leaves around 5 on Sunday.