Another birthday for Buddy, another weekend in New York City. Although if you follow me on social media, you probably figured that out by now.
In what has become our birthday tradition for Buddy (and eventually for Mimi), we opted for another birthday “experience” rather than a thing, because really, the kid doesn’t need anything. We presented him with the choice of going back to NYC or the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and he opted for New York City for the second year in a row.
Which I was secretly hoping for.
I love that he loves the city as much as I do. That he’s so comfortable walking – or dancing, or prancing, or busting out karate moves – down the street, that he’s unfazed by the crowds of people and doesn’t seem the least bit overwhelmed in a city bustling with millions of people. In fact, he kind of seems right at home.
That’s my boy.
Last year, our trip has a dinosaur theme, and this year we decided to focus on engineering. Buddy’s one request, which he made over and over again, was to go to the top of the Empire State Building. Neither Dr. G. nor I were thrilled with this (such a tourist trap), but this was the only thing he said he really wanted to do (well, that and go to Dylan’s Candy Bar), so we agreed, with the caveat that on Sunday we would walk the Brooklyn Bridge over to Brooklyn so Buddy could see the intricacies of bridge engineering up close.
Plus, selfishly speaking, it was something I’ve always wanted to do.
It’s interesting. People always complain about New York City being soooo expensive. And, to be fair, much of it is. Food isn’t cheap, and the hotels are ridiculous (disclaimer: we usually cash in some of Dr. G’s Marriott points so we can stay for free). And don’t even get me starting on how much it costs to see a show.
But traveling there with kids? It’s actually much cheaper than you would think.
The best part about our trip is that, aside from the Empire State Building, much of what we did with the kids was free or relatively inexpensive (especially since the hotel stay was free, thanks our saved Marriott points). Playgrounds, exploring the city, taking the subway, walking around Time Square, watching the ice skaters in Rockefeller Center, riding the carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park, grabbing some New York pizza for lunch…none of it really broke the bank. And much of it was free.
And for suburban kids like mine, this is all so new and exciting and stimulating…and fun. “I’m bored” is a phrase I’ve had yet to hear on any of our New York City excursions.
Here are some of the high (and low) points from this year’s trip, along with a few tips and suggestions:
Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge Park
I can’t recommend this enough for families looking for fantastic views of the city…and something free to do. You can easily take the subway to the Manhattan side of the iconic bridge, and crossing over is only a mile, which took us about 30-45 minutes considering we were walking at a leisurely pace, taking photos, dodging other people’s photos, etc.
It was pretty cool being up close to the engineering marvel of the bridge—even for someone like me, who has had a slight fear of bridges (I think it helped that you were walking above the cars; if I looked down and saw the water, I probably would have lost it). It just offered such a different perspective.
The best part is when you exit in Brooklyn (in the neighborhood known as DUMBO, or Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass, which was a scary industrial area when I lived in the city 15+ years ago, but it now thriving with hip stores and lofts and restaurants), there’s so much for you to do with your kids!
You can’t go wrong with Brooklyn Bridge Park – 3.5 acres along the waterfront complete with beautiful landscaping, playgrounds a plenty, beaches, carousel, etc.
We entered in the Main Street section of the park after making a pit stop at 99 Plymouth, home of the new Conservancy’s Environmental Education Center, where there were nice, clean bathrooms (perfect since Mimi announced she had to go as soon as we exited the bridge) and a board where you could write a note with advice you would like to give others.
This was Buddy’s <insert smile of pride>.
Both kids loved the shipwreck-themed Main Street Playground and throwing rocks into the East River on Pebble Beach.
From there we wandered down the path to Jane’s Carousel, a glass-enclosed, old-school merry-go-round with spectacular views of the city. And it’s only $2/ride, which felt like a steal in NYC.
Five minutes away from the park, we grabbed pizza for lunch at Juliana’s which was amazing…because, hello, it’s Brooklyn pizza. (It’s gonna be hard to go back to suburbia and Papa Gino’s.)
Juliana’s is a block or so from Fulton Ferry Landing, a pier with breathtaking city views (including One World Trade Center) and the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, which was incredible. Fun fact: Fulton Ferry Landing is the location of the first ferry service between Brooklyn and Manhattan in 1642!
And if you need to get back to Manhattan, the subway is a 10 minute walk away or you can hop on the East River Ferry right there.
In hindsight, I wish we’d had more time to explore both the park and Brooklyn, since we only covered about one-eighth of it, not to mention exploring Park Slope, Prospect Park, Brooklyn Heights, etc. Something for next time.
Playgrounds and parks
A trip to New York with kids is not complete without visiting Central Park, one of our favorite destinations. In years past we’ve done the zoo, Belvedere Castle, the Sheep’s Meadow, etc. Because we were hoping to get to the Empire State Building by 4pm, and Sunday was dedicated to the Brooklyn Bridge, we didn’t have much time for Central Park adventures this year – maybe an hour at most.
So we hopped in a cab over to the Upper East Side/75th Street section of the park to check out the Alice in Wonderland statue and Conservatory Water pond – that iconic area from Stuart Little (and Gossip Girl!) where you can sail model boats, stopping by the 72nd Street Playground on our way out. Like with the Brooklyn Bridge Park, I wish we’d had more time to explore. We’ve only just scratched the surface of Central Park!
Empire State Building
I’ll get right to my biggest issue with this: it cost $150 for four of us to visit the 86th and 102nd floor observatories. And that’s with Mimi being free. Honestly, that is just insane. Especially since the 102nd floor viewing is enclosed.
Sure, the views were beautiful…
…but Buddy was done after 20 minutes on each floor and when all was said and done, we were probably only there for 90 minutes, with a good chunk of that time spent waiting for elevators. What does that come out to, like over $75/hour? Totally not worth it, in my opinion.
AmyC says
Hoping to head over for the day on Saturday with my husband…putting the bridge walk on our list, but NOT the Empire State Building!! Yikes!
Rachel says
Love NYC! Glad you had a fun time- and how cool that he wanted to spend his birthday in NYC!