So you’ve visited New York City before. You’ve been to the top of the Empire State Building and once in Times Square is enough.
Or maybe you’re staying long enough in the city that you’d like to expand your horizons. You’re in luck! Today’s post is part 2 of my family’s favorite places in NYC.
In my last post, I talked about some the best spots for kids in New York City. Start there if it’s your first time visiting. This post will also stay in Manhattan (mostly). We’ll have to save the amazing outer boroughs for another time.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
I make no secret of my love for Central Park. After hours of pounding pavement and dodging cabs, the park is heaven. Nestled on the east side of the park is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. If you get a rainy day, it’s a great place to go. Kids of all ages love the Egyptian wing. Make sure you get to the Temple of Dendur (below).
If your kids are into Percy Jackson, they’ll enjoy the Greek and Roman wing. The Met even has a printout with a scavenger hunt to locate items from the books. A more interactive visit keeps everyone busy and having fun!
Got a kid into knights? They’ll enjoy the Hall of Arms and Armor. Check out the Japanese swords, Iranian daggers, and weaponry of all types. Bonus for the boys: several of the knights made much of the size of their *ahem* nether regions, enhancing their armor in a way that provokes giggles. No pictures. Sorry, you’ll have to do your own scavenger hunt on that one. You’ll know when you find it. 😉
The American Wing is notable for being open and airy. Kids can’t exactly run around, but the little café is a good spot to grab a snack or a drink. Check out the Tiffany window “Autumn Landscape” while you’re there. Impressive in its size and artistry. The children’s gift shop has unique art supplies for your little Picasso.
Bonus bonus: If you visit in the summer months, go up to the roof! You’ll find rotating exhibits, along with a bar and fabulous views of Midtown.
Behind the Met is the Great Lawn (below) and the Belvedere Castle. Just to the north is the Ancient Playground. There’s plenty, plenty of room to run around here. Note: there aren’t a lot of places to eat. Think ahead for meals, because you can spend hours in this area and then have overtired and famished little ones with quite a walk to find food. Personally, I find the Upper West Side a little more family friendly with restaurant choices. (There’s a Shake Shack on Columbus at 77th in case you didn’t give it a try when you were visiting Brooklyn…I swear burgers are not the only food we eat.)
American Museum of Natural History
Across the park on the west side is another beloved institution, the AMNH. It’s a must see for kids, and another great activity on rainy days. This museum is huge so you’ll want to plan wisely. Don’t try to cover it all in one day- pick a couple of exhibits that look most interesting. Several self-guided tours are available. The Dinosaur tour is a hit from young to old. The T-Rex is one of the hottest fossils in the museum. The Whale Tour will take you to the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. (Find the squid and the whale in the dark corner!) The Earth and Space Tour can include a show inside the planetarium (extra fee). The food court at the bottom level has decent food choices, if you want to take a break. We often took breaks in the gift shop. It’s amazing what kids can find with $5.
For an off-the-beaten-path choice (especially as the main exhibits can get overrun on foul weather days), head to the Hall of Gems and Minerals. Fewer people go there, and kids often have the run of the place. You know I won’t finish a section without telling you there’s a playground nearby: The Diana Ross Playground. Often there’s a musician outside the playground, so it’s cool to enjoy live music for free (just block out the joyous screaming of little ones).
The High Line
Say it’s a glorious day and you’re not in the mood to be inside. If you don’t want to head uptown, check out the High Line. Formerly an elevated rail line, now a public park, the High Line gives visitors a unique view of the city. Don’t feel that you need to walk the entire thing. The most popular section is below 23rd Street. Several vendors dot the walkway- Melt Ice Cream Sandwiches are a summertime favorite! The park terminates at the newly built Whitney Museum, a home for modern American art.
If you’ve got adventurous eaters, get a dinner reservation at Spice Market. It’s a bit of a splurge, but the restaurant is gorgeous. It was hot-hot-hot years ago. The glitterati have moved on. Fortunately, the service and food is still good. This is our “special dinner out” place if we are in the city on a holiday and I don’t want to cook. For the not fancy option, we seem to keep finding ourselves at Rocky’s Pizza on 14th Street. Fold your pizza in half and eat it like a true New Yorker. I’ve been known to leave the kids to their pizza while I run over to Istanbul Grill next door. If you didn’t splurge on an ice cream sandwich at Melt, go ahead and get some Insomnia Cookies. Or do both. It’s vacation!
Williamsburg Bridge
If the Brooklyn Bridge is old news, how about the Williamsburg Bridge? My family likes bridges. Usually because there’s ice cream on the other side. You could visit the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side first. This museum would be a highlight for a history lover – late elementary ages and up. Combine it with a trip (on another day) to Ellis Island, and you have a pretty poignant view of immigrant life in the 1900s.
After visiting the museum, walk the bridge. It’s likely you will see some of large Hasidic population, who settled in the borough after WWII. While you’re in Brooklyn, visit some of the shops and restaurants lining Bedford Ave (We like Goorin Bros. Hat Shop and love The Meatball Shop for lunch). You’ve reached the epicenter of hipsterdom. The (re)birth of beards, poured-on denim and single speed bikes happened here. Have fun people watching.
The waterfront has nice spots for photo–ops:
Take the L subway line back into Manhattan. If you’ve got time, stop off at Union Square and visit the fabulous bookshop The Strand. The kid’s section is in the back. 18 miles of books. It’s a book lover’s nirvana.
Don’t like books? Check out the astonishingly expensive sneaker collection for sale at Flight Club, billed “the world’s #1 sneaker market.” Or for the comic book geek, Forbidden Planet. Max Brenner has all things chocolate (you’ll want reservations). If you’re up for more walking, head over a few blocks to people watch at Washington Square Park. Because of its proximity to New York University, the park is a lively place. Anything goes around here. If you hear music you like, join in and dance!
In my opinion, I prefer planning only one “event” thing where we have to stand in line with other “free play” things where kids can run around. The parks are a great place to hang – they’re the neighborhood backyard. Enjoy your visit to NYC! It’s a beautiful, crazy city.
Coming up next: I’ll tackle Times Square
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://ccandmike.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/headshot-rhesa-1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Rhesa currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two kids- a high schooler and a middle schooler. For several years the family lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. She drags her kids to a lot of museums. Find her on Twitter or Instagram: @rhesastorms[/author_info] [/author]
