fresnelly

My Wife's new job is taking her to NYC for 10 days in September and I'm tagging along with our son and daughter, aged 2.75 years and 8 months old respectively. My wifes going to be working some long hours, leaving the three of us to explore the city.

Can any of you NYC types offer some advice on what do do with ourselves? I've got a couple of books and there's lots of resources online, but I'd love to get the inside scoop on kid friendly attractions and restaurants. They're still pretty little so the more active the better.

For sure we're going to hit the Museum of Natural History, the MOMA, a Zoo, the Aquarium and the NYC Transit museum. Other than that I expect to spend a lot of time in Central Park, making it a sort of home base. We're staying in Midtown near Bryant Park.

So here are some more specific questions:

Where are the coolest playgrounds in Central Park?

Bronx Zoo or Central Park Zoo? Both?

Where else in the city besides the park can a toddler just run around and burn off steam?

Any simple takeout recommendations around the Park for picnics?

How is that BBQ joint you guys last met up at for kids?

What about a bustling Chinese restaurant that offers Dim Sum?

On a more serious note, what happens on the 11th? Do businesses and city services shut down for part or all of the day?

That's all I can think of for now. I'm open to absolutely any ideas or tips.

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maleficent

the carousel -
if you're up for a workout you can rent a rowboat at the boathouse - not sure the 8 month old would apppreciate it though


Based on the ages, if it's for the kids, the central park zoo, but the bronx zoo is way cooler for the adults, though the almost 3 year old might appreciate the train ride to the zoo... subways are kind of cool to some...

toys r us
or hop on the train and go to the brooklyn botanic garden
My most favorite place in the city though is the Cloisters - in upper manhattan - take the A train to 190th street and it's quick walk to fort tryon park - the park is beautiful and the museum is really cool.

any grocery store would have a take out section but my personal choice would be Balducci's - a fantstic italian deli on 8th avenue and 14th street that just has amazing food...

Go to chinatown and find a place that isn't full of caucasians


you also might want to check out the Children's Museum of Manhattan -it's more interactive stuff for kidlets... and at least walk by the guggenheim - cuz it's a cool building... The musuem of televison and radio is great for a rainy day..
A ride on the staten island ferry is also kind of neat - you get to do a drive-by the statue of liberty and ellis island - and last i checked it was still free

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Cynthetiq

right now in Central Park there is the Victorian Gardens, I don't know much about it, but it looks like a more respectable carnival than say Coney Island. I do recommend that Coney Island be taken in, but the kids are a bit young for the rides. Coney Island may be developed and this may be the last year of it as it is.

BBQ place is kid friendly I guess, I don't know 100%, but I'll pay attention to kids tonight.

dim sum, I'll have an answer for you, I can't find the link.. there is a recommendation near where you are staying it's upscale but still good dimsum on par with Chinatown, just not as cheap.

9/11 everything is open, just a somber mood over the city.

gazillion bubbles is recommended for a "off broadway" show, of course they may be too young.

http://timeoutnykids.com

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Phant84

my advice, call up family in the area and have them entertain you. thats atleast wha my family always does to me and my wife. hmm, on that note, if you have no family in the area, you can use my family.....

on a serious note, you have my respect to be daring enough to attempt all that on your own. nothing that i would be will to try with 2 kids.

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Phant

Irrationality is the square root of all evil

Midnight

http://travelwithkids.about.com/od/n..._with_Kids.htm

this might also help a little. its geared more toward families with kids tho - not toddler/infant age children. I myself avoided traveling at all costs until my daughter was 4 or 5 because it was too much hassle (single mom) but thats just me. Kudos to you for trying it and I hope its a nice trip for all of you

guyy

Just took the kids to NYC. My son really wanted to go up to the top of the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a letdown for him, because the ESB, which was the focus of his entire visit, is not the best place to see the Empire State Building. Once you're up there, there's nothing to look at but Other Stuff.

We were staying in NJ, and truly, the highlight of the trip for los ninos was the Port Authority Bus Terminal. They loved it. Both of my kids like riding public transportation, so the subway was also fun for them. (They have a subway at home, but it's not part of their daily routine.) I imagine it would be even more interesting to other kids. Both wanted to go to Central Park, so i'd recommend that. Lots of space to run around in, always a good thing.

As a kid, i enjoyed just walking around the city.

ubertuber

Picnic near the park is easy. Balducci's has a location on 66th, just west of Broadway. That's upscale, so if you want a regular grocery store, Food Emprium is at 68th and Broadway. The even easier option is that It's a Wrap (69th and Broadway) delivers to people in the park. ALl of these things are right outside an entrance to the park, at 67th and Central Park West, which itself is right outside the Sheep's Meadow - a HUGE field perfect for what you're planning. Take the 1 train to 66th street to get to this stuff. The Central Park Zoo is a fantastic idea - very kid oriented.

Toys R Us is famous for having a ferris wheel inside. Not sure if that was mentioned before.

If you go to Coney Island, there's an aquarium there. To an adult's eyes it's a little run-down. Kids might find it cool.

Regarding the 11th, in past years things have not shut down. However, many places offer a moment of silence. Just remember that a lot of people will be thinking about that day.

There's the Sony Wonder Technology Lab at 56th and Madison. It's neat and has hands on stuff, but I don't know if a 3 year old would appreciate it for very long.

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fresnelly

Thanks everybody!

Two of you have mentioned Toys R Us. Is FAO Schwartz no longer the toys store to visit?

Regarding the Empire State Building, is there much of a lineup during the week?

Two Dim Sum places that sound good online to me are the Golden Unicorn and Jin Fong, which is supposed to be huge.

One attraction I've been reading about and will be going to is Rockefeller Park with its whimsical "Real World" sculpture Garden. It's supposed to be great for kids.

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Cynthetiq

FAO Schwartz is nothing like TRU. It is no longer the toy store in Manhattan and hasn't been for years. In fact there was a point where it closed during bankruptcy reorganization.

It's still a neat toy store but after going to TRU it's boring in comparison.

TRU has an animatronic TRex, a life size Barbie house...

http://www5.toysrus.com/timessquare/

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