our 8 yr old wants to goto NYC to see the statue of liberty and ground zero.. he doesnt want to go until winter. we are thinking bout taking the train from NH to NYC.. just looking for thoughts,, ya i know its a while away.. but we need to plan stuff ahead due to SHMBO work schedule..
Train's the way to go if you can; no worries about exorbitant parking, no Van Wyck thrill rides from the airport.
new yorker here - nyc is its dirtiest in the winter (if theres snow on the ground)! but ok lets see:
statue of liberty - can get the ferry straight to it, not particularly cheap. or ride the staten island ferry (free) and it passes by it, tourists take it and snap their pics then. then when the ferry gets to staten island, either jump off and jump back on the ferry coming back, or take a walk a few blocks from the ferry and get lunch at Cargo, they have good food and its a generally fun place. around lunchtime it would be family friendly, later on at night its a bit louder (theres a bar inside the restaurant).
ground zero - whats there these days. i havent been, but ive heard that the security is pretty intense, and lots of scanning/bag checking/etc, so be prepared for a pain-in-the-neck experience, i'd say. i think theres a lil museum somewhere in there or around to see some random things, like a harley with an airbrushed memorial mural on it, stuff like that.
now is your little one a budding motorhead?
-there the classiccarclub on hudson st, cool to walk through and scope the cars: classiccarclubmanhattan.com
-if cooper is open/has something going on, it could be a fun stop: http://www.cooperclassiccars.com/
-the ferrari store on park ave
-take him for a walk on the highline in chelsea if its open then, that might wow him
hmm, if i think more stuff i'll post again.
In reply to BARNCA:
oh, and duh, gotta go to museum of natural history! seeing the big blue whale should be part of every lil kid's trip to nyc. and check the schedule for the planetarium, they have free shows and thats always a blast.
hell, now i wanna go now that im remembering this stuff.
Intrepid. The have a Concord and an Blackbird. Doo-eeet.
Take him to the Intrepid. I took a troupe of young Boy Scouts there years ago and they really loved it. Lots of stuff to see above and below deck. The view over the Hudson and the NYC skyline is very memorable.
EDIT: Wow, Apple...beat me to it!
http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/
I'll second the Staten Island Ferry. We did the Circle Line a year or so ago, and it is a neat trip. For free, though, the Staten Island Ferry is pretty cool. Plus it runs 24/7. I took a midnight run last winter. Got some cool pics, too. Either way, go see Lady Liberty.
I also like High Line park: http://www.thehighline.org/
How about FAO Schwarz? It seemed more magical when I was a kid, but it's still pretty cool.
Another favorite cool thing to do that happens to be free: Take the train to Brooklyn and then walk back over the Brooklyn Bridge.
I also love Chinatown. Get some chow fun while you're there.
Also, taking the train into the City is super-easy. I stay on 32nd Street, so it's like a two-block walk to my hotel.
Mmmm, the more I think about it, the more I could go for some chow fun.
I saw a Blackbird in Huntsville, AL when I was in the fourth grade. Amazing plane, still one of my faves.
Barca, my wife's girlfriend had her friend visiting from South Dakota and wants to visit NYC. She asked my wife to act as tour guide as she takes the train down to visit our son. They visited WTC this morning, security is like TSP in an airport, but with no tickets in hand (purchased in advance) you won't get near the place.
Can I have her PM you with information? Gather up some questions.
Dan
I live in NJ and I take the train to NYC.. just not worth the effort of parking and driving. You could probably do like I do.. drive till about an hour out and park at a commuter train station
The train is the way to go. I take it in to work and it's much easier than driving, and kids love trains. My nephew was also fixated by the Statue of Liberty. If you go try to be their when they open because going through security is like getting on a plane. Also be ready for him to look up and say "That's it?" The Museum of Natural history is a must, every kid I've taken loved it. On the other side of Central Park a bit south of there is the Central Park Zoo which is also a good stop. If you are going to be here a couple days take the 7 train out to Flushing Meadows Park for the Children's Science Museum. When I get a few minutes I have a bunch of other stops too that my nephew liked
great bits of info guys.. thanks alot.. may have to try and push it up before snow flies...and 914 driver no questions that i can think of off the top of my head. and wally, we are hopefully going for 3 days....
there's the greyline tour buses that loop around manhatten. You pay once. Get on and get off as you need. And get to listen to somebody tell ya what you just passed. :) Empire State Building is cool to do once. Be prepared for a long lines, even on weekdays, if the weather is nice. +1 on FAO Schwarz, but be prepared to tell the youngster, "We have no more money to spend" with a straight face. If you all are up for a show near Times Square, New Victory Theater usually has kid friendly productions.
And do the train. I believe the accela runs from Boston to NYC. Or a sleeper car with your own facilities, plus a dining car. It's nice for the kid not be stuck in a car for seven hours let alone a car seat for that long. and it's nice for the grown ups.
David S. Wallens wrote: I also like High Line park: http://www.thehighline.org/
That's pretty cool. I never heard of that before.
highline park is cool. Great way to repurpose old elevated tracks
Getting to NYC, from NH, the bus is cheaper. The train is more comfortable, but considerably more expensive. The family visited Manhattan a few weeks ago - tons of things to do. It was too windy to be on deck of the Intrepid - we'll have to try again the next time.
The 911 Memorial is amazing but somber. We had no tickets, but just stood in the standby line. No problem getting in. Remember to leave your pocket knife at home. They will take it. You can get it back at the end, but it is a hassle. You get to walk through metal detectors, just like at the airport. Nonetheless, it was worth going to.
One last thing, be prepared to spend $$. Things are more $$ in the city - food, lodging, transportation. But it is sure a fun place to visit!
it's funny.. I was there when they decommissioned the Intrepid (the second time) and went aboard.. I don;t remember much, but I do recall being awed by how big it was in the hanger.
If you get the chance, the "fighting I" was one of the most distinguished ships in WWII.. take a look at her waterline, she has a LOT of patches
I'm reading this and it occurs to me that your 8 year old was not alive for September 11, and wants to see Ground Zero. I'm not sure what this means, but it is pretty... cool? Not sure what word goes here, but it just seems to me that 8 years old is fairly "old" and yet September 11 seems like yesterday.
In reply to mtn:
If he's like my nephew he's seen it on the news and History channel He just turned 9 this year and had a million questions, sometimes they know more than they should from tv.
Not everything has to be expensive, $1 a slice pizza makes a quick cheap lunch and here are some museuns that offer free admission http://gonyc.about.com/cs/museums/a/museumdeals.htm.
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