After my two very short blogtrips in 2011 and 2014 and a "business" stay for Man, it was time for us to discover THE Big Apple as a family . New York it is a bit (a lot) the dream destination. It must be said that this city had a crazy effect on me and that I really wanted to go back there with the children. Done. Thank you to the man who fell in love at the start of the year and who came back in a hurry to go back with us!
So I'm taking you to New York today (ok virtually). I want to share here our "program" (not prepared at all in advance due to lack of time), our visits, our favorites for a 4-day stay in New York , with "big" children, come on, let's say 1 child (who celebrated his 12th birthday there) and a teenager!
How long to leave? I want to say everything depends on the budget, of course you have to "make the most of" the plane tickets but daily life on site is extremely expensive and at 4... it goes very quickly. Looking back, 4 full days on site is short but we still have time to do a lot of things. The main thing we will say.
For the Newark/Manhattan airport trip, there is a bus connection. There are 3 stops in town and in particular at Grand Central (East 41 st so right next to the Hotel where we were) to limit costs, it's ideal!
When should you go to New York? Well then I want to say, when you can huh! At the end of June it was packed, but I think it's a bit like that all the time. We were very hot BUT there is air conditioning everywhere (we will come back to this) so it is easy to take the cool (cold) often. In the middle of winter, I see only one problem:the snow which can even prevent you from landing/taking off.
Where to stay? We chose the Club Quarters hotel (vs renting an apartment) given the short duration AND the late arrival which always scares me, I am more serene with a reception open 24 hours a day. To find, given my cruel lack of time, I got help again from Isabelle from Vers le Monde, who found me a "reasonable" hotel in the heart of Manhattan , very close to Grand Central Station. We were able to visit a lot of things on foot, and find many metro lines 3 minutes away. The rooms were obviously small but very comfortable and clean. We were quiet and that, in the heart of New York, it was not won. The little extras:access to a rooftop, free snacks at any time on the 27th floor and filtered water fountains on each floor. The receptionists are also lovely.
Weekend in New York with the family:day 1
For this 1st day, we focused on the "surroundings" of the hotel and on shopping. So we went to MOMA (the Museum is closed at the moment, but not the shop and we wanted to go there), then the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. On the way down, we took a trip to the big Schwarz toy store, the Lego Store, then lunch and a walk, still, to Time Square . From there, metro to Soho and do a few more shops there (notably the Flagship Converse). We ended up in Little Italy and after a good ice cream, we took the subway back to my beautiful Grand Central station. . Back to the hotel for a big sleep. Thank you jet lag.
Day 2
Saturday morning was dedicated to visiting the MET (this museum is crazy, these Americans are strong, I think that's what will remain in our memories). A word of advice go there at the opening, leaving in the early afternoon, the queue was gigantic! So we walked to Central Park , we had breakfast what we had bought on the way. Then we joined the MET quietly by the park saying hello to the squirrels.
In the afternoon (you can have lunch on site, it's overpriced, ultra air-conditioned but it helps out...), we wanted to go cycling (I recommend it) but it was so hot and the children weren't super open, we decided to go to the end of the island to discover Ground Zero and the One Trade Center . Visit oh how moving, I highly recommend it. If you organize yourself better than us, I advise you to book your entrance tickets to the Memorial on the Internet but hey, we survived the queue and then… it’s really worth it (even if once again we seriously curdle…)
On your way out you can pop into Eataly, it's really crazy to see and it's possible to eat on the spot or buy little things to take away.
Day 3
For this 3rd day, we took off. Indeed, we absolutely wanted to discover a rather crazy place, the entrance to which is included in the MET ticket:The Cloister. Located 25 minutes (line A) by subway from midtown Manhattan, the Cloister is a replica of one of our medieval European "abbeys". Wealthy Americans went copiously to help themselves in Europe to build it, furnish it, decorate it. It's BLUFFING. It really feels like it, especially since it is located in the middle of greenery (Fort Tryon Park ), along a river that could almost be confused with the Dorgogne. But no, it's the Hudson, much wider. Haven of peace, the only clues that reminded us of our presence in the United States were ... those air conditioning units outside under the windows, the electrical outlets, the "beaver"? who ate the salads from the garden and the freezing cold in the rooms. Nobody told them that the stones kept cool in the summer? So it was both magical, funny, in short, no regrets!
After this timeless parenthesis, we headed all the way south (long live the direct metro) to discover the famous Chelsea Market . So, there, indeed, this "covered market" is bonkers. Already in New York there are restaurants of all styles and origins without worry, but here everything is gathered in the same place. You can have a slice of pizza at the Italian, a beer at the wine shop, a brownie 10 meters away, there's EVERYTHING. Mexican, Thai, Japanese… Then you find a small table and sit down with everyone to eat. Another great idea/tip of the day. You take out and you eat everything outside on the High Line so one of the entrances is located just at the end of Chelsea Market. Going south you will find deckchairs and there are about 300 meters to go, then you can go north to do the entire greenway (a former railway) of 2.3 km. It is simply magnificent. The view of the "rooftops" of New York is superb. I sincerely recommend it.
Going down to 30th Street, we didn't really know where to go, so we decided to go to a movie in Times Square. We saw Toy Story 4 there and it was hot. We even tasted the blue and salty American popcorn! On leaving, night was falling, we took the opportunity to discover the neighborhood in a different light (it is the case to say it) and to return on foot through Bryant Park where one can find at that time open-air concerts. Another good day's walk! But the children are never complaining.
Day 4
In front of our hotel we spotted a Comics store great where we went so that the P’tit Grand chose his birthday presents, since it was July 1st! 12th birthday! Then check out and after having entrusted our luggage to the reception, we left for our last day! This time, we took the metro directly to reach Battery Park and take the Ferry "tourists" for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty . I had chosen not to go to the feet of the statue:too many people and in my opinion "useless", you can see it so much better from the ferry! Everyone agreed, we only went down to Ellis Island to discover the history of immigration in this incredible and once again quite moving place. Note that a 30-minute video is accessible "for free" and even if it is obviously in English, is really well done and allows via period images to discover the daily life and the history of these millions of migrants fleeing the 'Europe and poverty… Suffice to say that this brings to mind subjects that are unfortunately far too contemporary…
On returning to dry land, we headed for the financial district, to reach the City Hall and his garden. We nibbled on pretzels (Filly Pretzel Factory in Chambers Street) with the squirrels and sipped delicious smoothies (from Lyfeping Tribeca Juice and Smoothie Station at 107 on the same street). Fancy a nice coffee? I recommend the Birch Coffee in Beekman Street. Enough to take strength to… cross the Brooklyn Bridge ! So, I was advised to do it from Brooklyn to Manhattan, we finally did… both ways and indeed of course, the best is the return since we can see the whole island of Manhattan perfectly. And it is FABULOUS. Note that to take the famous photo that everyone takes (except us) to see the beginning of the bridge in the background, you have to go to Washington Street .
So New York with the kids?
Clearly, I am delighted to have gone there with adults. They walk a lot without moaning, can wait if we can't find something nice to eat "quickly", they are independent, speak English, I wasn't afraid of losing them, there are so many people on the sidewalks , in transport… I would not have had peace of mind for a single second if they were younger. My recommendation would therefore clearly be to wait until I have 8/9 years old or so, toddlers in pushchairs/baby carriers at the limit.
Here at 12 and 14.5 years old, they really enjoyed it, they loved it. I only heard "it's stylish" and casually it's nice.
Here, the post is a bit long but... I wanted to be very precise, I searched a lot for blog articles to find tourist "tours" type 1st time in New York in 4 days . I hope this post can help some. Don't hesitate to put your ideas/addresses/good tips in the comments to enrich it.
Finally, on instagram, you will find my stories of New York (including the interior of the Cloitre and the Chelsea market to complete my photos.)
