First time in the States- Please help!

amother

Sat, Jun 11 2022, 3:51 pm

I'm coming from England Bezras Hashem with my family (6 kids ages 5-15) for medical reasons to the states and are making it into a vacation as well. We will be landing at JFK and will just have one and a half days to spend in the area. We are absolutely clueless and would appreciate very much if you could help with the following:
What are the must sees in Manahttan and what is the best way to get around (we will have a car)? We also need a cheap hotel/motel to stay in for the night. (It could be up to a 45 minute drive away). Maybe near American dream mall if that's worth a visit?
We also need a cheap hotel in or near Washington as we will be flying out from there early morning.
Any ideas will be greatly appreciated as I really want to make it fun for the kids instead of it being all around the medical visit.
Thanks so much!

amother

Lilac

Sat, Jun 11 2022, 9:59 pm

You’re taking 6 kids from England to NY and are staying for a day and a half? Did I read that correctly?

That sounds brutally hard and honestly not worth the expenses of flights and the agony of jet lag.

(My husband is British so this is a trip we know well)

That said. American dream is not an attraction to me. It’s a mall/amusement park. Is much rather take them to something uniquely American (ha ok a huge mall is uniquely American) But then again you know your kids and what they would enjoy. Make sure of course to account for their exhaustion and not over plan.

amother

Gray

Sat, Jun 11 2022, 10:11 pm

Good luck with your trip and hope that your medical issues are successful. Here are some of the things that I would recommend in Manhattan: Boat ride to Statue of Liberty(downtown) www.circleline.com, Empire State Building (Mid town) https://www.esbnyc.com/, Natural History Museum (West Side)https://tickets.amnh.org/select/. You might also like Rockefeller Center, which has an observation tower and outdoor Roller skating rink https://www.rockefellercenter.com/

Hotels are very expensive in Manhattan. You would probably do better in Brooklyn, Queens, or New Jersey. You might also qualify for a bikur cholim apartment if the medical institution you are going to has one. If you post the name of the hospital, maybe imamothers can help.

Washington, DC is also expensive. You might try for a hotel in Silver Spring or Alexandria. I would recommend calling or checking websites for hotels in all locations. Some of these places may have kitchenettes and may offer free breakfast (yogurts and fruit and sometimes cereals are often kosher):
Marriott Residence Inn www.marriott.com
Hilton www.hilton.com
Fairfield Suites (also hilton)
Doubletree (also marriott)

As for getting around, subways and buses run all over the city, but can be confusing for those who are unfamiliar and have recently been experiencing increased crime. That being said, thousands of people ride them daily without issue. If you do ride them, keep your kids close by, hold onto your purse, and do not stand close to the platform until the train pulls in. Buses are safer, but they can be very slow in city traffic. Here is a link to subway and bus information https://new.mta.info/ You are too big a group for a taxi or even an uber. I would if you are able to spend the money, consider getting a minivan with driver (it might be expensive, but it might save you aggravation for the day and a half. Again, perhaps some imamothers can suggest a frum person who drives and you can arrange a rate). If you are going to New Jersey, you will likely need a car rental.

amother

Maroon

Sun, Jun 12 2022, 3:59 am

Maybe rent an apartment in a Jewish neighborhood here
https://reservekosher.com/inde.....oklyn

Or even vrbo can have jewish owned rentals ( of course it doesn't need to be jewish owned but you don't want to end up in a bad neighborhood).( laugh all you want but you can spot them if you search in jewish neighborhoods & see 2 beds per room with duvet covers LOL

)

In Manhattan traffic is usually really bad & parking can be very expensive- like $85/hour unless you find street parking which is almost impossible. Most people take the subway. You can use Google maps to find your way around the subway system.

amother

Cyclamen

Sun, Jun 12 2022, 6:02 am

Definitely take them by train to Manhattan. I remember coming from Israel as a little kid and looking down from the Observation Deck in the Worid Trade Centre and being awed. I'm not sure where you can go now but there are many attractions. Empire State Building, South Street Seaport, Circle Line... And pizza, restaurants..
I would say half day in Brooklyn wherever you find accommodation- either Boro Park like 13th Ave or Flabush like Ave J will be an experience and then a day in Manhattan.

amother

Gray

Sun, Jun 12 2022, 7:32 am

I cannot give this a personal recommendation, but found the information posted on imamother:
Heimish woman driver (NY area, I think)
646 372 0729

Here are some attractions in Washington, DC:
All the national museums are free, although a few require reservations and tickets. Kids generally like the Air and Space Museum https://airandspace.si.edu/and the Smithsonian Natural History. The Zoo is also lots of fun and free. Here's a link-- https://www.si.edu/museums. Not sure if this is your thing, but you can visit George Washington's house called Mt. Vernon. You can see the main house, farm areas, and blacksmithing, etc. Magnificent views of the river. https://www.mountvernon.org/plan-your-visit/ As was mentioned upthread, some places require masks and proof of vaccination for indoor sites, but that is changing. It's probably a good idea to carry both with you just in case and you can check the museum websites I posted for current requirements.

As for food, there is one kosher meat place called Char Bar in the downtown https://charbardc.com/. There was a sandwich truck (meat) operated by Chabad called Brooklyn Sandwich https://www.brooklynsandwichcompany.com/. Check to see if it is still active. There is a small soup and sandwich place that is kosher and vegan called Souper Girl. https://thesoupergirl.com/

Additional Kosher restaurants and food shopping are located in Silver Spring, Maryland. Here's the Vaad list https://www.vaadgw.org/restaurants.html
For grocery shopping try Shalom Kosher Market and Bakery, 2307 University Blvd West, (301-946-6500). Their hours are: Sun: 8A-6P, M-W: 8A-7P, Th: 8A-8P F: 8A-3P (winter 2P). For meat try Max's Place, 2311 University Blvd West, (301-949-6297). Please check hours since things have changed a lot during pandemic.

One more suggestion. Since you are coming to the US for medical reasons and need assistance with your plans, you could contact Chai Lifeline (generally helps with medical issues for children, but also in some cases can assist families) https://www.chailifeline.org/ could also contact the Bostoner Rebbe, who runs a very special medical advisory program called Rofeh https://rofehint.org/about-rofeh. Hatzlacha.

Sarah S

Sun, Jun 12 2022, 8:47 am

If I had a day and a half in ny this is what I would do.
Ferry ride around Manhattan. It u want to keep it budget friendly u can do the nyc ferry from south brookly to pier 11 Wallstreet.
Then I would do 1 of the observation towers.
Next I would take kids to a trampoline park in jersey. We travel a lot in the US and we always take an hr or 2 to go to a trampoline park. It's fun and physical activity for the whole family.
Also I highly recommend eating at the Ice Cream House in boro park. It's a fun easy place to eat
If ur leaving early morning I would try to find a cheap hotel next to the airport.
I personally would not get onto a train now even though I know the system in my sleep. To much crime there. Definitely wouldn't recommend it when u have no idea where ur going.

amother

Babyblue

Sun, Jun 12 2022, 9:08 am

Okay so I wouldn’t plan on driving in Manhattan — it’s scary. To say nothing of the parking nightmare. I always take ubers but with 8 people you’re too many people, so I’m not sure what your best option is.

Do you want to see Jewish (frum) NY? Or prefer touristy stuff? I would pick a hotel based on that.

Also your kids are going to be cranky and jet-lagged, so you have to plan around that.

How much of a budget are you on?

When my family goes to NY, we stay by my sister in Brooklyn. There are hotels in the area too. You could stay in Brooklyn and take the train to Battery Park, from there take the Staten Island Ferry (free ferry that takes you sort of near the Statue of Liberty and you also have a good view of lower Manhattan). Or you can pay for the ferry that stops at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty if you want to actually visit there…but I wouldn’t since your kids are little. Then if your kids are still ok you could walk around lower Manhattan (esp Wall Street), then stop at a playground since there are a few in the area and your littles are going to need a break. Then I would head back to Brooklyn and check out the restaurants and do a little shopping/people watching.

srbmom

Sun, Jun 12 2022, 9:16 am

How are you getting from NY to Washington DC?
Honestly, I would probably just go straight to Washington DC and pick things to do there. The traffic from NY to that area can be horrendous and I don't think your day and a half is really going to leave you much time to do anything.
If you're driving you can stop off somewhere for food (Five Towns to start or in New Jersey ater on depending on your route) or find something else along the way, but to start with touristy stuff in such a short amount of time is a gamble

Raisin

Sun, Jun 12 2022, 3:33 pm

Sarah S wrote:

there are trampoline parks in the UK she can take her kids too, she doesn't need to shlep across the world for that.

Empire state building is pretty expensive, but probably really cool and a real NY experience. (never did it because of price but might be worth splurging on)

We did the high line walk which was free and fun.

I've done the subway in NY many times, last time a few months ago. it was fine, obviously be careful of pickpockets etc.

amother

Babyblue

Sun, Jun 12 2022, 3:39 pm

Oh gosh, yes, I agree that if your 1.5 days includes driving to D.C., skip the touristy stuff in NY. Traffic out of NYC can be really bad, same with traffic near D.C. NY is hot and dirty this time of year anyway. You could stop in Philly if you want some interesting historical tourist sites along the way. Then enjoy the Smithsonian museums when you get to D.C.

I haven’t stayed in D.C. hotels because we have family there, but I’m sure most near the airport are decent. You could try an Airbnb since hotels for 8 get pricey.

The largest Jewish community near D.C. is Baltimore, but it can be almost two hours’ drive in traffic.