re: Spur of the moment NYC trip w wife and kids

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One of the tall arse buildings

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Empire State Building is the iconic one. The kids will see it and the observation deck in movies and TV the rest of their lives and be able to say, "We went up there."

It gets long lines, and you can pay $$ for an express ticket. I chose instead to get my arse their a few minutes before the doors opened. We walked in and went to the top with minimal wait. When we came down an hour later, the line was down the street. I can't imagine how long they had to wait.

Today Show: You mentioned the kids wanted to go. Good Morning America is just down the street from your hotel, and we could see it out our window. We walked by on the way to the ESB, and Robin Roberts was outside chatting with fans. We jumped in line and had a nice visit, talked about Louisiana, etc.

If you're in Times Square and need to pee, but don't want to go back to your room, buy a drink at the McDonald's and save the receipt. Their bathroom code is on it. (Was the way it worked when we last went.)

The elevators in the Marriott Marquis can be confusing. You type your floor in a keypad on the wall, and it gives you a letter of the elevator to take and an arrow pointing toward it. The keypad is near where you enter the elevator lobby, not by an individual elevator, so may tourists, especially foreign ones, miss it and get confused. Once you get the hang of it, you can help someone every time you pass through there.

Sounds like a good quick trip. I have kids and live in NYC, though mine are younger. Here's a few thoughts/ideas--wish I would have seen this sooner.

If you're looking for places to eat on Friday, you can check out Fraunces Tavern. It's about a 5 min walk from Battery Park where you will go to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The food is decent, but it's the place were George Washington gave his farewell to his officers--you can check out the museum part without eating. You can then wander up through to see Wall Street, Federal Hall, Trinity church on your way to WTC. They have some good spots on Stone Street as well if you don't want to eat at Fraunces--there's a magic/fantasy inspired bar called the Cauldron on Stone Street. Some friends took their pre-teen kids there and had fun.

If you can't swing that, Eataly by the WTC is a good stop. It's an Italian market, but they have quick grab food and restaurants inside. Los Tacos #1 about 2-3 blocks from WTC is a killer quick stop, as well. They have a couple more locations including one in Times Square and one by Grand Central.

I would try to work Chinatown in to that day if you can because it's about a 10-15 min walk from WTC. If you can't work it in on Friday, I would skip it because you won't be near it the rest of your trip.

For Saturday, you can also check out The Edge at Hudson Yards. It's not far from the Intrepid and offers a completely different view of Manhattan. Hell's Kitchen isn't far from the Intrepid and has become a food Mecca over the last 10 years. A bunch of diverse and affordable spots all along 9th/10th. It's not the Hell's Kitchen of old, but they do have some weed spots around if you're into that. If you go to Central Park in the evening, you can wander over to Lincoln Center. They have dance parties in the plaza all summer complete with a massive disco ball.

The Yankees game is going to take out a huge chunk of your Sunday, so I wouldn't plan too much that evening. For brunch around midtown, you can check out Le Grande Boucherie. It may be tough to get in this late, but your wife will probably like it. Not as fancy, but I like Friedman's and Blue Dog. If you want to venture away from Midtown for brunch, I could give some other recs.

For Monday, you can checkout the Highline (which could also be an option if you go to Hudson Yards). If you walk the Highline, you can also go to Chelsea Market, Little Island, and/or the Whitney Museum. There are some decent food options in Chelsea Market and a James Beard food hall in the pier next to Little Island. There's also a fancy Starbucks Roastery nearby if your wife is into that crap. If you're into golf, you can go to Chelsea Piers and hit golf balls at the driving range on the Hudson. There's also putt putt a little further down the Hudson.

I would suggest just getting the boat that ferries you around the Statue of Liberty. Unless you want to get up close and stop at Ellis Island too.

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USS Intrepid

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My dad spent 1945 on that ship.

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John's Pizza by Times Square

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My favorite NYC pizza place. Another fun thing to do is walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to the original Grimaldi's which is right under the bridge. The Manhattan skyline is quite a sight to see on the walk back.

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Through many decade I’ve been a frequent traveler to NYC for business and pleasure. never again will they get a penny from me.

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thanks for your contribution

You have lots of great recs already. As far a getting around you can still hail a cab, but services like Uber are very popular. If you are a popular place like the Met, walk a few blocks away before getting a ride. Carefully watch the fares... peak surcharges! Subway is quickest for long hauls like Yankee Stadium...still not the must user friendly experience.

Sounds like a great trip so far, weather is looking perfect for tomorrow too

Hi-line is cool

Tasty hand rolled noodles (literally the name) in China Town is awesome.

There’s plenty to do with a two year old. There’s a Children’s museum in the Upper West about four blocks from the Natural History Museum and Central Park. Just inside Central Park from the Natural History Museum is a marionette theatre. The Central Park Zoo is small but has a sea lion show and petting zoo.

There are playgrounds and carousels all over the city. If you’re here during the summer, most playgrounds have splash pads. Bring a swimsuit, towel, and water safe shoes and your kid will have a blast. Some of our favorites are Waterside near Chelsea Piers (a block from the Highline), Ancient Playground by the Met, Waterlab on the Brooklyn Waterfront, and the two near Battery Park—one is in Battery Park city not far from WTC and the new one by the Statue of Liberty and Staten Island Ferry terminal. If you’re going to the Statue of Liberty, then do the Seaglass Carousel. My kids love it. Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn and the old one in Bryant Park are favorites too.

Throw in other things like the ice cream museum, toy stores, candy stores, children’s libraries, and the ferry (kids love cruising on the top deck and there are great views).

You can check of some sites like Mommy Poppins that will tell you what kid activities are going on around the city each day.