So as those of you who follow me on social media know, we recently had a weekend adventure in New York City. Unlike this past weekend, which was cold and blustery (extra props to everyone who completed the New York City Marathon in those blustery winds on Sunday!), our excursion in the Big Apple was quintessential “Autumn in New York” … think blue skies, lots of sunshine, and beautiful foliage.
We planned the trip as a birthday gift of sorts for Buddy. Dr. G. and I were stumped about what to get him this year for his birthday, so when we considered (a) his obsession with dinosaurs, (b) the incredible exhibits at the American Museum on Natural History in Manhattan, (c) Dr. G.’s Marriott points, and (d) my love of NYC, the answer was clear: a weekend excursion to New York in which the highlight was seeing the dinosaur exhibits at the museum.
Needless to say, it was a whirlwind of a trip, so rather than my walking you though the whole thing, I thought I’d share the highlights…along with some travel tips I picked up along the way.
- Parking and taking the commuter train (Metro North out of Stamford, in our case) is sooooo much easier. It is around the same price as parking at the hotel — but without the stress and hassle.
- The Residence Inn in Midtown East is PERFECT for families traveling with kids (and has a free breakfast!). The location is close to both Grand Central Station and the 51st St subway stop and only a 10 minute walk or so crosstown to Rockefeller Center and the trains heading up and down the west side. The rooms — and the hotel itself — had been recently renovated, and ours was a decent-sized room (for NYC) with a little patio (the views weren’t anything special, but it was nice to have that outdoor space).
Here’s a tip: When you book, ask for a room on the second floor — that was the only floor with patios. I was a little nervous it was going to be noisy so close to street level but because we were in the back of the hotel, it was surprisingly quiet.
Also, when booking, Dr. G. mentioned there was a birthday and we when we walked into our room, we saw a platter of three cupcakes with a little note.
- If you’re looking for a nice dinner out that has interesting menu options for adults (and a great wine list), lunch and dinner choices your kids will go gaga for (cereal for dinner, PB and Nutella, cotton candy for dessert), and has that swanky NYC bistro-feel, check out Landmarc at the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle (there’s also a Tribeca location).
As a vegetarian with picky kids, finding a restaurant that excites all of us (and where I have more than one option) is rather tricky, but Landmarc totally nailed it. And while the prices may seem high, they’re not bad for Manhattan. Oh, and they take Open Table reservations, which is always a plus in my book.
Columbus Circle is one of my favorite areas of the city (maybe because I used to be an Upper West Side girl in my Manhattanite days), so after dinner we walked a few blocks north to Lincoln Center, where they had a fabulous art installation and the kids got a kick out of the lighted fountain. And Mimi was mesmerized by the billboard and signs for the ballet.
And guess what? A few blocks north of Lincoln Center is a Magnolia Bakery outpost, where we bought — yes — more cupcakes. Can’t ever have enough cupcakes. Plus I had to make sure my kids understood the utter deliciousness that is a Magnolia cupcake.
- Want to check out the Statue of Liberty but don’t want to spend a ton of cash — and three hours — on a tour? That was the situation we were in: Buddy was curious about the statue but there was no way he (or Mimi, especially) was going to handle an hours-long tour.
So instead we hopped on the FREE Staten Island Ferry. Yup, free. While the ferry doesn’t take you to the statue, it goes pretty close — especially on the ride to Staten Island — and the kids enjoyed a boat ride and some lovely views of the New York skyline. It’s 30 minutes there and back, so the whole trip only takes an hour.
Here’s a tip: When you board the ferry, stick to the right hand side, so you’ll have easy access to the ramp to the upper level — and the best views of the statue, which can only be seen on the right side of the boat on the trip out.
Unfortunately, there are a bunch of ferries in the fleet and we got a boat that did not have the outdoor deck (a la that scene with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in “How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days”), but because we were one of the first to board, we claimed a window spot with nice views of the statue. But I admit it kind of sucked having to take photos through the relatively gross window.
One other note: You have to disembark when you arrive in Staten Island for security reasons, but you just get off at the station, and line back up to re-board. It only took a few minutes.
- While it’s so tempting to just take a cab everywhere, ride the subway a few times. Even my kiddos — who have been on the “T” in Boston many times — thought this was great fun.
- Definitely plan some time to walk along the High Line — a 1.45-mile-long New York City linear park built on a section of an old raised New York Central Railroad track.
We entered around 14th Street and walked up to 34th and enjoyed every step. There were beautiful views of the city, really interesting art installations and landscaping all along the path (which was quite narrow in spots), food vendors, plenty of benches, tables and other places to sit and relax. Every now and then you could see the old railroad tracks beneath the beautiful landscaping and it was so incredible that the city was able to do this.
I will say it was crazy crowded on a Sunday and totally full of tourists and families with strollers (ahem), so this is a leisurely walk … not a place I imagine many residents using on the weekend.
- I wish I had some tips for the American Museum of Natural History besides get there early. We arrived after lunch and it was a zoo. But the kids had a blast and Buddy was enthralled. That’s really the best word I can think of to describe it.
So those are just a few tips from our trip … check out some more highlights below!
Have you taken your family to NYC? Any tips?
Note: This is not a sponsored post nor did I receive any sort of compensation for this post. We simply had a wonderful time and I wanted to share it with you guys.
Elena says
Looks like you had a great time! I am going to NYC with my daughter during the holidays and am excited to walk along the High Line, go to Ellis Island (when we went to the Statue of Liberty last year, Ellis Island was still closed) and get lost on purpose!
AmyC says
I’m saving this for my bday trip to NYC in February…hopefully it’s a sunny weekend so that walking around in the cold is still mostly comfortable!
Heather Gifford says
I love New York! We went as a family of four for the first time this summer (for Blogger Bash), and we may do it again next summer for Blogger Bash/BlogHer. We didn’t get Magnolia last time but will HAVE to on our next trip!
Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? says
What a perfectly fun little get away! I like the balcony/patio tip! That’s definitely handy when you have kiddos traveling with you! My hubby wants to go to NYC!
Pilar says
LOVE your family selfie! It looks like you all had a wonderful time, and I’m totally going to keep that Staten Island Ferry tip in mind. Great little getaway.