How We Enjoy a Family Vacation in New York City with Ages Ranging 10 to 49!
From quick tips to our favorite experiences, there is something for everyone in NYC
Currently, the best cookies in the city: Funny Face Bakery
We actually like vacationing together as a family and spend lots of time planning so that everyone enjoys themselves. This year, we finally took the plunge and headed to NYC! You will find quick tips for a good experience and the low-down on our itinerary.
TRIED AND TRUE QUICK TIPS FOR A GREAT VACATION EXPERIENCE WITH KIDS:
Let everyone have something they want to experience on the itinerary. Did the adults want to visit the Museum of Ice Cream? No. Did the kids want to walk the entire 9/11 Museum with the audio headphones? Also, no. But we all actually enjoyed parts of both of these museums. And this often happens on our trips.
Leave time for the unexpected…whether you want to go back to something you noticed earlier or you discovered something you want to do. I have come to learn, I despise “check off the box” vacations where you make sure you see the obvious highlights but feel drained at the end of every day. We always add “nothing” time for these reasons.
Strolling vs. going. Have one place booked and then stroll around before or after that scheduled event. This brings calm to a family and creates a space for bonding and discovering.
Don’t book anything early on your very first morning. Remember, this is a vacation even if you are sight-seeing. Use this morning to find a good grab and go breakfast place that you will want to go back to multiple days or find a grocery to have things in your accommodations. Nothing will sink a ship faster than hungry kids.
Plan to get a special treat daily. Find the best ice cream place or bakery and give everyone a little pick me up while out and about…try to make this an experience.
Kids will not get bored as quickly at museums if they use the audio tour devices…it buys the adults more time which makes the paying adults happier.
New York City is one of my favorite places to spend time; but, I didn’t want to bring my kids there until they were willing to walk a lot without complaining and were able appreciate the uniqueness of the city. With expensive flights to destinations that would guarantee warm weather, this spring break seemed like the right time to make NYC our family trip. We spent 6 nights there, with our accommodations in Harlem and close access to the Express A Train. Yes, we were going to include walking by Columbia University, NYU and Pace for college campus “peaks” with the thought of whether or not our teens would like a campus with a city-type feel. This was a good idea as they both had very set opinions on this question.
Did we need 6 nights in NYC? No, but the extra days make it so we could sleep in without having to rush to make sure we get to all of the places in the city. On vacations, I crave the balance between exploring and seeing it all and also feeling rested and relaxed. I am a vacationer at heart and my husband and kids are travelers. I don’t want to cram everything in a few days and visit sights with just a “checking off the box” glance. I want to feel the soul of the city, I want to move at a pace where I don’t miss the little moments of people connecting or art happening and being beautifully unexpected. I know this is a privilege; but, it’s one I don’t mind being selfish about, saving up for a longer trip in one spectacular location. Plus, I want to have enough time to visit every cookie bakery I wish!
This list of highlights is organized by neighborhoods, as an a la carte menu. It is a list, but it’s accompanied by details. As for this trip’s cookie tasting endeavor, yes, there was a winner and close runner up.
HARLEM- probably where we had our best meals
Apollo Theater Icon on 125th and full of history.
Bo’s Bagels are legit and one of the best bagels in Manhattan. We came back more than once.
314 Pizza, Pasta and Cocktail Bar. I got the Smashed Burger and I have to say that it was one of the best burgers I have ever had. Also, I want to make a national campaign to have Salsa Rosa always added to burgers; burger sauce elevates. The gnocchi was pillowy and wonderful, spaghetti and meatballs were also very good. Great spot for a family to brunch.
The Handpulled Noodle for take-out. The dumplings and noodles are homemade and you could tell. Very good food!
Sottocasa. This was amazing pizza! If you like Neopolitian style pizza, your mind will be blown. Our only regret is that we didn’t have another meal from here to try all of their pizzas on the menu. Can’t recommend this enough.
Levain’s Bakery, Harlem I loved the chocolate chip walnut cookie and give it an 8. The oatmeal raisin was also delicious according to my family members that enjoy raisins in their desserts, I don’t. The chocolate peanut butter was a solid 9 in my opinion. A nice surprise was the cinnamon sugar brioche.
Sugar Hill Creamery The flavors are non-traditional, although they do have a vanilla flavor called Andy Griffith. I got the Hello, New World which was caramel ice cream, vanilla wafers, oreos, and a caramel swirl which is a combination that deserves an award in my opinion. Everyone liked their ice cream!
Columbia University A respite from the hustle & bustle of the city; a charming walk through the center of campus.
The Express A Train quickly gets you from Harlem to midtown. I heard a local New Yorker say the only people who like the subway break-dancers are the tourists. I am not sure if that is true but as a tourist, I have to say we loved it. These dancers are so skilled; once coming so close to kicking my husband in the face during a poll flip, yet not and also landing it perfectly. Exciting and technical! My 10yr old son put these impromptu performances in his top 5 favorite things about this vacation. The A train is good for this!
UPPER WEST SIDE
The American Museum of Natural History We did the Hayden Planetarium Space Show Exhibit. It was fantastic, narrated by Tom Hanks, and we all enjoyed it. I would recommend it.
Note: To avoid museum overload our family voted on the American Museum of Natural History and the Met. I was outvoted.
Billy’s Cupcakes is located right outside of the Natural History Museum in case you need a little treat. The cupcakes rival Magnolia Bakery and they also have a really good chocolate chip cookie. You will see a theme here with cookies.
Friedman’s on 72nd St. for lunch. Classic NYC restaurant with great ambiance. The best entree ordered at our table was the brunch blueberry pancakes. Delicious!
Central Park connects the east to the west. From the American Museum of Natural History, it’s a pleasant walk to 5th Ave and gives a sense of the scale and beauty of Central Park.
MID-TOWN
FAO Schwartz. It is still a must stop if you have kids/teens. 2 highlights are the Jellycat Diner and the custom slime/putty making experience. The employees (actors) at the JellyCat diner are SO entertaining. Even if you don’t want to wait in the long line to purchase a jellycat from the diner, you want to stop and watch them interact with their customers. My daughter made a custom putty and it was so fun. She could pick out color, mix-ins, etc and then they run it through what looks like a fun pasta making machine before it’s packaged up in a tin. We loved this!
Rockefeller Center Lots to do here including ice skating, shops, and NBC studios
The Louis Vuitton Flagship Store at 57th and Fifth Avenue While under renovation the store is disguised by a stack of signature luggage trunks and is quite the site see. Work is expected to continue until 2027. There are interesting notes on design choices here.
Macy’s Herald Square The largest Macy’s in the world with very cool wooden escalators.
Madison Square Park A vibrant park next to the Flatiron Building and great for people watching.
Grand Central Station Terminal A spectacular main concourse
New York Public Library A beautiful library featured in many films but the inside is also worth a look.
Summit One Vanderbilt was a unique immersive experience. Our kids loved it and the views are amazing. Highly recommend!
WEST VILLAGE- Classic NYC Pizza day
L’Industrie Pizza opens at noon and plan to wait in a line on the sidewalk. We waited for about 30 minutes and it was worth it! The pizza was phenomenal but my spur of the moment purchase of a slice of their olive oil cake at check out was a great decision- a perfect slice of cake.
Mama’s Pizza would have been our 2nd stop but it is a block away and we were full from our first slice. It also has a line to wait in but I hear it is really great pizza as well.
Joe’s Pizza was our next stop for pizza. An excellent slice of pizza without a long line to wait in! Not as good as L’Industrie but a classic NYC slice.
Chip City Cookies…I had to taste all of the best cookies in NYC. A great feature of Chip City is that they have their classic cookies that they are known for, but they also have “Thin Chips” which is a thinner version and I discovered, I liked better. I would rate these cookies an 8.5 with the thin chips and the classic Cookies & Cream being the best.
Banter is an cozy, excellent brunch spot
Washington Square Park/NYU Campus is the center of NYC
Ghostbusters Headquarters A fun photo-op in Tribeca
The MoMa Gift Store Plan to spend some time exploring the gift store of all gift stores.
Glossier Store and the lounge they waited in while their purchased order was being put together. My teens loved this so much!
The Museum of Ice Cream!!! My kids’ favorite part of the trip! The “museum” is done so well…colorful, engaging staff, and really good ice cream samples throughout the experience. The Pink Vanilla soft serve was something my family kept talking about for the rest of the trip.
Chelsea Market and The Doughnuttery located about halfway down on the first floor. These mini doughnuts are a real melt-in-your-mouth treat that I would not pass on. There are 20 different topping flavors so there is something for everyone. We got a dozen and it wasn’t enough for us!
Highline…we walked it but honestly I would only go here if the weather is nice. Wind on the Highline is not my favorite.
Farley Post Office was our next stop. A very cool redevelopment project with a great food hall within called Moynihan Food Hall. We were not quite hungry for dinner but I did buy a chocolate chip cookie from La Maison Du Chocolat because I was on a mission and heard these cookies were very good as well. If you like a chocolate chip cookie with many chocolate chunks and a crispy edge, this is the cookie for you. I hear the fried chicken biscuits at Jacob’s Pickles are epic. Next time…
FINANCIAL DISTRICT
Liberty Bagels. The fun part about Liberty Bagels is the brightly colored Tie-dye and Liberty bagels. My son loved his red, white and blue swirled bagel! My daughter said her red-velvet muffin was really good as well. Were these bagels as good as Bo’s? No, but they also have a big menu with many other items to order for breakfast and lunch so everyone can enjoy their meal.
Alexander Hamilton’s burial place at Trinity Church. For fans of Hamilton: The Musical the small cemetery is very cool and the gravestones extremely old.
Statue of Liberty’s Crown This was a highlight for each of us! The experience of going up into the crown was unforgettable. It is lots of steps on a spiral staircase made for short people. Hot tip: you must book crown tickets well in advance as they sell out quickly. Afterwards, the Ellis Island Museum was a moving experience. For adults, I feel the audio tour is optional if you’re a reader. Most kids would likely benefit from using these devices.
SeaGlass Carousel is right at Battery Park in case you arrive early to the ferry and have a little wait. It was a charming ride.
9/11 Memorial and Museum. Heavy, emotional, moving. Again, purchase the self guided audio tour devices…it is done so well. All of us were touched by this museum. It opened a great conversation about our personal experiences.
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge…well, only halfway across, but that’s enough!
Funny Face Bakery was recommended by a local friend for their amazing cookies. I have to say, these cookies were the BEST of the whole trip. We got a Chocolate Chip, Crumbfetti, and S’mores. Their chocolate chip was perfection, a 10 out of 10.
Toro Loco was our lunch spot and it did not disappoint. Tasty food, great vibe. Casual and perfect for a family lunch where everyone was happy with their meal.
CHINATOWN AND LITTLE ITALY
Gelso and Grand. Excellent restaurant! Pizza and pasta were outstanding and I enjoyed a serious Sangria that hit the spot.
The Meadow is a charming store that we stopped in after dinner and it carries an impressive assortment of chocolates, bitters, and salts. One of the things that is great about NYC are the specialty stores which you don’t often find en masse in the US. I could have spent an hour there and they had a nice little window bench inside for my tired kids to sit and rest…so we can call this family friendly.
BROADWAY
Times Square was so exciting for my kids. They loved all of the lights and big screens. To make it even more special, every night at 11:57pm all of the screens synchronize to run the longest digital public art program featuring a different artist every month. What a stunning moment!
The Outsiders musical…absolutely incredible. We all loved it! The fight scene has to be one of the best moments on stage that I have witnessed, I was captivated. Some people recharge while hiking in the woods, some while sitting on the beach listening to the ocean, but I experience this while watching great musicals.
I love hearing everyone’s favorites from a trip. When I asked my family members to tell me their pick, here were their answers:
The family connection is often found in the “in-between moments” of a trip: the discussions while waiting in lines for pizza or walking the neighborhoods. You sort of partner up while walking and you chat and bond. After the 9/11 museum, my kids asked me details of that fateful day when I was working on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. It’s important to pass down these stories; but, only when they ask to hear them, when they want to absorb. Each day the in-between moments were happening, subtly, but meaningful. This is the gift of family travel. -C