Tourist stuff in NYC

[NewRVLady]

Some tips on getting around with small kids...
Keeping the infant in a front carrier or sling is a good idea. I would actually consider bringing a lightweight umbrella style stroller for the 3 yr old. You'll be doing a lot of walking, and it'll give him a place to nap when he gets tired.

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she wants advice for a 3 year old AND a 3 month old
I envision a double stroller
So I still stand by my original post-the lines of some things-like Empire State building- are Super long-its not like sanding in a line at WDW...I just cant imagine keeping two small kids entertained for that

Maybe do Central park and one kids museum

 

[Prose]

I Honeztly would not take kids that young to NYC- for a vacation-it's just not baby toddler friendly
Bathrooms are very hard to find- , it's better for older kids like 10-12ish

Strongly disagree. We have been visiting NYC since DD was a baby and she loves it. When she was little, she would chat with the pigeons and was fascinated by all the people and traffic. Now she's a teen and hails taxis and navigates with ease.

As for finding restrooms, simply download an app like Toilet Finder that gives you locations and cleanliness ratings (I think there's also one called Sit or Squat....).

Don't forget that everything in the city will be fascinating....go to Chinatown and see the roasted ducks in the windows. Stop by a pizza place and have some garlic knots. Go to Eataly and watch them make handmade pasta. Go to Times Square and look at all the flashing signs, stop by the Hershey Store and see all the different M&Ms. Go to Economy Candy on the Lower East Side and dive into floor to ceiling candies from around the world. Try a black and white cookie. Stop at a neighborhood park and let the little ones run around. Get the flavor of the city - not just the major attractions. Have fun!

 

[KateP85]

I Honeztly would not take kids that young to NYC- for a vacation-it's just not baby toddler friendly
Bathrooms are very hard to find- , it's better for older kids like 10-12ish

The majority of DH's family live in Manhattan/Long Island/Staten Island, plus most of his friends still live in the city or NJ. Unless that changes, we'll be taking the kids there pretty often, so we need to get used to it (and the kids need to get used to it too!) It's not so much a vacation, more a chance to see people, if that makes sense.

The bathroom situation will just require a little pre-planning!

As far as food, I'm sort of concerned about that. DS is picky, but not in a typical kid way; he hates pizza, mac and cheese, typical kid fare. He likes steak, grilled chicken, pasta, etc so I'm hoping we'll cope.

One of DH's friends is a food critic and has suggested a bunch of places to eat, but I'll take the advice offered and look at the menus first!

 

[KateP85]

she wants advice for a 3 year old AND a 3 month old
I envision a double stroller
So I still stand by my original post-the lines of some things-like Empire State building- are Super long-its not like sanding in a line at WDW...I just cant imagine keeping two small kids entertained for that

Maybe do Central park and one kids museum

We don't plan to take a double stroller, we don't actually own one! The umbrella stroller is a good idea, we might pick up a cheap one and just not bring it home. The baby will be in a baby carrier.

I definitely think we'll skip the Empire State Building and do Top of the Rock instead.

 

[NewRVLady]

The majority of DH's family live in Manhattan/Long Island/Staten Island, plus most of his friends still live in the city or NJ. Unless that changes, we'll be taking the kids there pretty often, so we need to get used to it!

so wouldn't they be good people to ask for tips? Granted, I have visited there only as a tourist-people who live there know more "inside" tips
(My son went on a food tour and learned many "secret" bathroom places in NYC(one was a Ballroom/Party place-door was open so we used the restrooms at entrance)-we duplicated the tour with them later)

 

[KateP85]

so wouldn't they be good people to ask for tips? Granted, I have visited there only as a tourist-people who live there know more "inside" tips
(My son went on a food tour and learned many "secret" bathroom places in NYC(one was a Ballroom/Party place-door was open so we used the restrooms at entrance)-we duplicated the tour with them later)

None of DH's friends have kids so they're not the best people to ask about visiting the city with young kids. The family members have older kids so they're not up to date.

 

[NewRVLady]

OP- this is my fave tour book of NYC- it breaks up things to see in small walkable tours with nearby things to see- small fits in purse- I have several tour books of the city- this is fast and easy to use

 

[Patch'sD]

Don't forget the Carnegie Deli is open again. Stop in for a Pastrami on Rye, Best Sandwich you may ever have.

 

[shoney]

I wouldn't worry about feeding a 3 yo. When my boys were little, my DH and I would just order something that they would eat. We never bought them kids meals, they just shared our food. When they got older, but still had little appetites, they would often order one adult meal and split it between them.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I would recommend you take a trip to the new One World Trade observatory. It's a beautiful way to see the city, especially on a sunny day.

 

[Missy1961]

The majority of DH's family live in Manhattan/Long Island/Staten Island, plus most of his friends still live in the city or NJ. Unless that changes, we'll be taking the kids there pretty often, so we need to get used to it (and the kids need to get used to it too!) It's not so much a vacation, more a chance to see people, if that makes sense.

The bathroom situation will just require a little pre-planning!

As far as food, I'm sort of concerned about that. DS is picky, but not in a typical kid way; he hates pizza, mac and cheese, typical kid fare. He likes steak, grilled chicken, pasta, etc so I'm hoping we'll cope.

One of DH's friends is a food critic and has suggested a bunch of places to eat, but I'll take the advice offered and look at the menus first!

My older brother and his family (twin boys, 1 girl) used to visit NYC at least once a year from the time the boys were 11 months old. (and holy moley, they are now 25!). But one of the things we would when we went to restaurants is we would order appetizers for the boys. They had similar tastes to your son, so that often worked. Some restaurants might be willing to give him some of your meal - they may charge a sharing fee, but that would be better than paying for an entree that he would only eat a part of.

It should be lots of fun!

 

[ladyelizabeth]

The majority of DH's family live in Manhattan/Long Island/Staten Island, plus most of his friends still live in the city or NJ. Unless that changes, we'll be taking the kids there pretty often, so we need to get used to it (and the kids need to get used to it too!) It's not so much a vacation, more a chance to see people, if that makes sense.

The bathroom situation will just require a little pre-planning!

As far as food, I'm sort of concerned about that. DS is picky, but not in a typical kid way; he hates pizza, mac and cheese, typical kid fare. He likes steak, grilled chicken, pasta, etc so I'm hoping we'll cope.

One of DH's friends is a food critic and has suggested a bunch of places to eat, but I'll take the advice offered and look at the menus first!

So for bathrooms - if you are in midtown, like the theater district/Times Square, all the hotels have public restrooms. Just a thought. Most of the bathrooms are on the second floor.

 

[AppleDumpling]

You might want to check out the new sea glass carousel. A friend just went and showed me photos- quite unusual and beautiful. It's in Battery Park, near the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island and Staten Island ferries.

 

[akhenaten]

DH grew up in NY and we visit NYC about three times a year, however we very rarely do the touristy stuff since we're there to see friends and family. We haven't been back since December 2013 because there were other places that were easier to visit with a young child, but this June we're going back for a week.

DS just learned about NYC in preschool, and he told his teacher we were going this summer. She talked to him about famous landmarks, and now he wants to visit them all! He wants to see the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building and visit Central Park, and I have no idea the best way to see these places. I'm looking from advice from people who have been there recently: what's the best way to buy tickets to the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building? Should I buy them in advance or pick them up while we're there? If the teacher showed DS a picture of sail boats on a pond and told him it was in Central Park, whereabouts might I find that?! His teacher also mentioned the T-Rex skeleton, that's at the Natural History Museum, right?

Also looking for any advice on travelling to the city with a 3-year old and a 12 week old baby. We last went when DS had just turned 1, and realized very quickly that a stroller was not the way to go. DS can walk around (and we can carry him if he gets tired), we can have the baby in a carrier, and we plan to utilize the subway if we have to.

Any advice would be welcome!

 

[akhenaten]

Ride the glass elevators in the Marriott marquis ... watch the movie Madagascar before the trip and see the Delacorte clock chime by the central park zoo.....