Taking kids to Manhattan for the first time..

amother

Seashell

Mon, Jan 21 2019, 8:11 am

doctorima wrote:

Many (most?) hotels in NYC don't have pools, and finding one in midtown near kosher food and attractions will be really expensive. What's your budget for the hotel?

Thanks doctorima, I was hoping you'd weigh in Smile

I'm seeing that most don't have pools, and that's fine, we can do without the pool. It'll really just be one night and we're willing to pay for the room, not like Four Seasons prices but not Budget Inn either. We'd need a suite or adjoining rooms, and we really don't want to stay in NJ (that's where we live!).

I'm tentatively considering staying near Times Square (somehow DH and I always end up there when we go alone), doing Ocean Odyssey one day and Gulliver's Gate the other day, going out to restaurants (not something we do often) and maybe taking the train somewhere else fun. Spyscape doesn't seem like the right place for my 5-year-old, so we'll skip that one. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated!

amother

Amber

Mon, Jan 21 2019, 9:23 am

amother wrote:

Thanks doctorima, I was hoping you'd weigh in Smile

For a 5 year-old, walking around Times Square should be fun. Have you thought about a carriage ride in Central Park?

Gazillion Bubble Show

Empire State Building

The Intrepid will probably be too cold, so the Natural History Museum

NY Transit Museum

amother

Amber

Mon, Jan 21 2019, 9:24 am

amother wrote:

FAO Schwartz is still in business?
Googled it, thought it was closed.

A smaller store has reopened in Rockefeller Center, in the plaza. Not sure if its seasonal, but it was definitely still open last Friday.

doctorima

Mon, Jan 21 2019, 12:29 pm

amother wrote:

Thanks doctorima, I was hoping you'd weigh in Smile

Check out the Doubletree in Times Square. Their location is amazing, they offer lots of suites, and their prices are surprisingly quite reasonable. I've never stayed there, but they have lots of positive reviews in TripAdvisor.

amother

Seashell

Tue, Jan 22 2019, 8:18 am

Amelia Bedelia wrote:

Gulliver's Gate and Ocean Odyssey will only "kill" about an hour and a half of the day. What will you do for the rest of the time?

I want this to be a low-key kind of vacation, take time eating out (something we don't usually do), chilling in the hotel for a bit, going to have to spend time taking care of the baby too.

Thanks all for your suggestions! FAO Schwarz is a great idea and we can do Rockefeller Center while we're there (check out American Girl and LEGO, maybe we'll split up boys/girls for that Wink

, maybe ice skating if it's not too freezing. The Gazillion Bubble Show looks right up our alley! And the kids will be excited to take a train to Grand Central, it'll be an adventure. One kid is obsessed with the Freedom Tower, that's an option too, and it's BOGO now (and some of us are afraid of heights, so we can split up). Ripley's is also BOGO. doctorima, the Doubletree looks like it may be perfect, thank you!

Any suggestions for child-friendly (or at least not totally child-unfriendly) restaurants? We love Milk & Honey for breakfast.

Thanks again everyone, this is so helpful!

doctorima

Tue, Jan 22 2019, 8:59 am

Sounds like a lovely itinerary coming together! Just get ready for your jaw to drop when you see the rates to ice skating at Rockefeller Center. If you're interested in doing it, it's much more affordable at Bryant Park, which is just a few minutes away from Milk and Honey.

Mr. Broadway is a reasonably-priced (for NYC) fleishig option in the area. The Freedom Tower is in a different part of town; if you want views without traveling so far, check out Top of the Roc.

amother

Seashell

Tue, Jan 22 2019, 9:02 am

doctorima wrote:

Thanks! I love Mr. Broadway, forgot about that place. Rockefeller rink is also BOGO now, but Bryant Park is a great idea. Freedom Tower isn't set in stone (I know it's far) and said kid will probably be happy just to see it on the drive in and out.

amother

Seashell

Tue, Jan 22 2019, 11:42 am

So I think we will do this trip! The Doubletree does have one-bedroom suites and I just booked two adjoining suites at $139 apiece. I'm working on the itinerary and getting excited! I love the city and I think the kids will have a blast even just wandering around, it's been quite a while since we were there last.

Thanks everyone for all of your ideas!

Raw

Tue, Jan 22 2019, 12:31 pm

amother wrote:

I know you didn’t ask but in a recent thread I wrote that a few Double Trees in the city take the overflow from homeless shelters. I’m not sure if you are concerned about that but if so, you can always call and ask them.

Le Marais is a decent family option, as is Bravo Pizza. Both are in midtown area.