Some friends from China and Chile were visiting NYC for the first time and we compiled these notes based our own recent extensive time spent visiting our son at college in Manhattan.
- Google Maps is great for manhattan, very easy to take subway everywhere. You can use your iphone to automatically enter the subway, you have to turn on TRANSIT feature in Wallet, then, you just put iphone on the reader and you beep in/out. Not sure about the kids…
- Broadway musicals are amazing, shows with lots of singing and dancing and great costumes. NYC and London are the two best places in the world to see these type of shows, they are really incredible. The Lion King is superb, amazing costumes and songs and the kids will love. This website is the industry website (the group of theaters team up to market the industry) and has links to tickets. All the shows are great, just a matter of finding family friendly ones. They are SUPER. You can sometimes get same-day tickets for really cheap, if you go the day of to Times Square booth at 10am there is a booth, and you can get really cheap last minute tickets. This last-minute booth is THE OFFICIAL booth of the industry–so safe, and cheap. They want to sell out the shows so they tend to release the tickets to that the theater is full, better for everyone. but, since you only have 4 days, better to plan ahead and just buy–i use SeatGeek app sometimes, or, the show website if there is available.
- The “East River Ferry” is super fun and cheap. It is a public ferry much like a subway, that stops in various places and goes north/south up and down the east-river, so you get great views of the city. It is only like $3 a person… so a really fun way to get a boat ride with nice views. We sometimes take between manhattan and brooklyn, such as getting on here and getting off here. That gives you a nice 20-25 minute ride, and you get off in DUMBO which is a fun neighborhood in Brooklyn.
- In Dumbo (very fun outing), great coffee from japan brand, and walk along the water-front where there is kid playgrounds and fun things to see and GREAT views of manhattan. Walk here, here, here. If you take the ferry to Dumbo, you can take subway back to manhattan very easy. Kaustubh and Tywen live in Brooklyn, so close to here.
- The “HighLine” is a old railroad track that has been turned into a walking path, super pretty and not too long for kids. Start here at this new mall Hudson Yards which has some nice tall buildings and a very very high up observation deck (much better than the Empire State Building observation deck which is famous but old and not great), walk along here, to here, and end up here at the Little Island which is delightful for kids. If still energy, all of this water front park is also fun and has more pretty park so keep walking south along the river. Our favorite adult modern art museum is here too, The Whitney, so you can do that quickly so the kids don’t get bored–30 minutes worth it, always good art and a neat building with good views.
- Central Park is amazing and big and has lots of really pretty areas to walk and it is safe during day (at night be more careful of course). There is a famous zoo, pretty lake paths, and much more. You can rent bikes or skates or other wheels and poke around. The natural history (night of museum movie) museum is right by the park so good to do that on same day.
- The 9/11 memorial park is a must see, the museum is there too but we haven’t gone–maybe too sad. but the park and fountains are lovely and the buildings around there nice and close to this famous subway station (famous architect, worth quick visit) and famous Wall Street statue where the financial center is.
- Tours and ferry to statue of liberty leave from here if you want to actually stop on the island where the statue is to get close to it. What a lot of people do instead, is take the FREE ferry to Staten Island which goes right by the statue… we’ve done this. It is a nice commuter ferry full of locals, and you can see the statue great. Just take ferry to staten island, and then get back on and take back. It is free, or very cheap, can’t remember. The tour is expensive, crowded, etc.
- The “wangfujing” of nyc is called Times Square, super crowded with stupid tourist brands but must see, and, the broadway shows are here, so good to go the day you go to a broadway show.
- Washington Park is famous and worth walking through, safe, but you will not think it is, lol… it has more street people and students as it is center of NYU University. This is where people play chess outdoors (in many movies) and lots of other famous movies take place here. The neighborhood just south is full of restaurants, lots of college kids.
- Chelsea Market is a nice “market” with lots of restaurants and things to see in a nice neighborhood.
Some restaurants in NYC to try
- Most good restaurants in nyc use RESY app for reservations (owned by american express).
- This is a really famous pizza restaurant in Brooklyn, 100+ years old I think. If you go to DUMBO during the day, you could try to go to this restaurant for lunch (they may only be open for dinner) or get there right when they open for early dinner. VERY GOOD pizza. Super famous, no reservations.
- Eataly is a super fun lunch “italian market” full of dozens of different italian food stalls, pizza, fish, sandwhiches, cheese/meat plates, etc. They have indoor and outdoor seating… it simulates a “italian market” and is a famous chef/owner. Really fun and great food. It is by nice park/plaza, and, there is a “harry potter world” thing i always see big lines for and lots of kids, never been.
- Shukkette is a sensational and super popular middle eastern restaurant hard to get reservations family friendly, use RESY app. Same owners have Shuka which in some ways is just as good and in a better neighborhood close to SOHO, so either one is great.
- Brunch in soho at this place is amazing, a little fancy, but pretty and very special (indoors best, outdoors too hot)… requires reservations on RESY. This is also good for brunch, famous but #2 of these.
- Near soho, famous ice cream with 20 minute lines, good for after dinner at night on a hot night. Fun to wait in line and people watch.
- if you miss china, sizchuan, and
- Korea town GREAT KOREAN, our #1 bbq, new york times favorite a bit fancier, and a general tofu/korean that is superb and cheap and has a michelin bib gourmand (some waiting out front)
- there are SOOOOOOO many great restaurants, i think the best food in the world… so you really can’t go wrong. if you tell me what neighborhood your airbnb is in i can make more recommendations.
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