New York New York Family Aventure

I have been to New York a few times but a family trip to New York was on my wish list for quite a while and now with my kids now 16, 15 and 12 it felt like the perfect time to go. I picked February midterm to travel as it was good value for both flights and hotels. January and February can get quite cold in New York, but we went prepared and set off on our 4 nights/5-days adventure to the city that never sleeps.

We flew out direct from Dublin to New York JFK airport and got a taxi yellow cab to our hotel, costing around $80 dollars. The subway also brings airport passengers right into the city and only costs $12 dollars. There are hundreds of hotels in New York and lots of trendy areas to choose but this time decided to stay right in the middle of midtown in the New Yorker hotel. We had a 1-bedroom suite for the 5 of us which was great as it gave us the extra room we needed and came with an amazing view of the Empire State Building.

As we arrived in the early afternoon, we headed off down to Time Square to get the real feel of New York and the kids’ necks were sore from looking up at the billboards and lights! We battled through the jet lag and did our first attraction by night which was “the Empire State Building”. We took the elevator to the 102nd and took in the unforgettable 360 degrees views of 360 the city all lit up at night.

Shopping was top of the list in our planning of New York and I decided to get it over and done with on day two. We travelled from Port Authority, which was only a 5-minute walk from our hotel. From here we got the bus to Woodbury Common premier outlets, which is about an hour away from Manhattan. Woodbury Common has over 200 designer discounted shops and is a shopper’s paradise. We spent the day shopping and we definitely fell into out beds that night. A top tip if you’re planning on doing a lot of shopping bring one of your small wheelie cases to carry purchases.

To see more of the city, we got a 24 hour hop on hop off bus ticket and there is two types of tickets available one for uptown and one for downtown. We headed to ground zero and the memorial museum which was so sad and hard to believe the devastation it caused on Sep 11 many years ago. My children were blown away by it.

We got the subway (even if it’s just once you must experience the subway it’s crazy but it’s the real New York) to Central Park and had a walk around you. If you’re looking to get off your feet an alternative to walking around the part is getting a horse and cart, which allows plenty of time for people watching. In Central Park you can see the John Lennon memorial and the park has also featured in many films such as Ghostbusters and Home Alone 2. The National History Museum is off Central Park, and we headed there to soak up some knowledge. We arrived in early afternoon and when we came out of the museum the place was covered in a blanket of snow. It was an amazing sight to see Central Park in a blanket of snow and a memory I will never forget.

On our last day we decided to get up early and see more of what this amazing city has to offer. Our hotel was opposite the Madison Square garden and the kids wanted to see where Conor Mc Gregory fought, so we did a guided tour of the venue. There was ice hockey practice on while we were there so that was exciting to see. Then we did a boat trip on the Hudson to see the Statue of Liberty and when came into view we were just blown away. The boat tour also stops for a while, so you have the chance to get them memorable photos.

We then headed to Rockefeller Centre to do Top of the Rock (which I’d advise pre-booking day to avoid a wait) and then we went to the ice-skating ring. We spent our last hour in Macys to fit in the last of the shopping.

As it was a family holiday, we started every day with a big breakfast in a diner near the hotel (Tick Tock) One of our most memorable dining experiences was our dinner at Ellen’s Stardust diner. This is a diner where singers and performers who are trying to make it on Broadway, serenade you while you eat. It was one of our favourite memories of the trip!

New York has so much to see and do and we are excited to head back for another trip (without the kids). On our next trip we’re planning to walk the Brooklyn bridge and the High Line, sample some cocktails which enjoying a view of the skyline and take in a Broadway show. Another top tip purchase an explorer pass before you go, these will grant you entry to a number of attractions, we got 7 attractions included in our ticket and it covered everything we did above.

If you thinking of bringing your family on a magical trip to New York, why not give me a call? With my expertise and first-hand experience, I can make your travel dreams into a reality.