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

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.