NYC+ weekend trip somewhere we can go without a car with teens

[JustMe]

I am originally from NYC and my sister still lives in Manhattan. I have not been back in about 8 years but before that dd and I went annually; it just became too expensive when ds joined the family. Also, I find it stressful and when I have vacation I'd rather stay home or go someplace where some relaxation is involved. The kids have been wanting to go and I think it would be good for them. So, to make a long story short I was almost ready to buy some decently priced tickets. We would be going at the very end of June as that is the only time that works for both my sister and me work-wise.

--We would be staying with my sister in her Manhattan sized studio/1bedroom (not sure what it is officially,b ut there is a curtain to a bedroom area); anyway, the main point is its tiny. It was hard when dd and I went and I can't imagine all of us there now. My sister points out its bigger than a hotel and, yes, but not by much and she has much more stuff than a hotel room does!

--I would want to go somewhere for a 2-3 days outside of the city. We will not have a car, as I have never driven in the East Coast and am a very hesitant driver so I don't want to. Sister has not driven in a long time and also does not feel comfortable driving. Kids would love to go to Hershey, PA, which I would be okay with if there is a decent public transportation way to get there and a hotel nearby we could taxi or get to somehow...but I very much want to hear more ideas. Also, I have a friend in Rochester, NY I really want to see..I would not go there, but she would probably come visit in NYC unless someone has an idea for a place it would make sense for us to mee.

--I'm also looking for ideas on what to do in NYC. I know there is a ton, so just trying to use our time wisely. My sister knows all about how to get discounted Broadway show tickets and the like..but thinking about things that the kids would specifically like (they're 12 and 15). Dd is very into celebrities so going to any kind of tv set or something like that would be awesome.

thanks!

[Philly Mom]

It’s possible you could take the keystone Amtrak line to Harrisburg and then a cab/lyft to Hershey. It wouldn’t be that far. Hershey has two hotels on site. It would take you a while though.

You could go out to the hamptons or rent something down by the jersey shore. There are trains to the northern jersey shore areas. You can also just take the train to philly. Very easy to get around without a car between public transportation and the walkability of the city.


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[mmsmom]

You will be cramped at your sister’s but it is doable and certainly worth the savings on a hotel room. You can not get to Hershey with public transport. You could easily go to Philadelphia (train or bus) and would not need a car there. You could go to Fire Island... train then ferry there and there are no cars on the island. Washington and Boston are further but also easy to get to and explore without a car.

In NYC: many of the TV shows will not be filming in June. There may be some studio tours- I would check Trip Advisor. I think Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island are a must see but you need tkts now for Statue of Liberty. If kids are into food there are fun walking tours you can find on Trip Advisor. There are also bike tours the kids might like. Empire State Building, Museum of Natural History, Freedom Tower, Central Park, Bronx Zoo, Metropolitan Museum... depending on kids interest.

[nfceagles]

Most of the route from NYC to Hershey is pretty rural and highway driving. If you could take the Path train to somewhere in north jersey (Edison or Princeton come to mind but I'm not expert on jersey commuter trains) and the Uber to a car rental place, I think the rest of the drive would be easy. You drive wherever you currently live I assume?


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[JustMe]

[QUOTE=nfceagles;4286886]Most of the route from NYC to Hershey is pretty rural and highway driving. If you could take the Path train to somewhere in north jersey (Edison or Princeton come to mind but I'm not expert on jersey commuter trains) and the Uber to a car rental place, I think the rest of the drive would be easy. You drive wherever you currently live I assume?

Yes, I do drive but I never drove on the EAst coast. What concerns me are things like merging onto a highway and changing lanes on highways. Here people will let you in. My memories may be different, but I remember that looking much scarier when I lived on the East coast. Also, I think I would probably lean towards going somewhere we could get to and, at most, take an Uber from some public transport there.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Things we enjoy in NYC- Top of the Rock (go a bit before sunset- beautiful- and buy timed tickets vs just showing up)
Rockefeller Center (my kids love the Nintendo store and I love the promenade and architecture)
Central Park
Walk the High Line and eat in Chelsea
Go to Battery Park and see the SOL. Or take the free Staten Island ferry past the SOL. My kids have been satisfied with that level of touring the Statue of Liberty. Advanced tickets are a must if you want to do SOL, especially if you want to go in the crown.
Walk around Wall Street and to The 9/11 Memorial.

With a short amount of time, unless your kids love theater, I might skip a show.

See Times Square but be prepared for it. We hate it. Too crowded. But, it’s a must see.


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[lizzywednesday]

Most of the route from NYC to Hershey is pretty rural and highway driving. If you could take the Path train to somewhere in north jersey (Edison or Princeton come to mind but I'm not expert on jersey commuter trains) and the Uber to a car rental place, I think the rest of the drive would be easy. You drive wherever you currently live I assume?


...

Edison and Princeton are on the Northeast Corridor Line from NY-Penn. They are also decidedly NOT in "North Jersey" - I live about 20 minutes away from Princeton proper and I consider myself to be in Central Jersey.

[lizzywednesday]

PATH would get you to Jersey City, Hoboken, and Newark.

It's not worth it to take PATH to Newark-Penn for the NE Corridor train to Edison or Princeton Junction (then catch the Dinky to Princeton Station) if you can pick up NJ Transit from Penn in the first place!

Princeton is a great place to poke around on foot - it's a lot more walkable than many places because it's a college town (home to Princeton U and Westminster Choir College) and the train station has undergone a lot of great improvements in the last couple of years. Nassau Street and the Palmer Square area have a lot of really interesting shops and restaurants, including the Yankee Doodle Tap Room at the Nassau Inn and The Bent Spoon ice cream shop.

Uber is also available in/around Princeton - again, the university makes it lucrative - so if you're tired after a day exploring the area, you can usually hail someone within 20 minutes.

If you're interested in hitting the beach, the North Jersey Coast Line trains run between NY-Penn and Bay Head (NJ), with stops in Red Bank and Asbury Park.

Red Bank is kind of cool to explore, and if your kids are fans of Kevin Smith's Askewniverse films (I think they might be a bit young for them, if I have their ages right) or Comic Book Men on AMC, there's Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash comic shop.

Asbury Park is also cool to walk around, but I'm not 100% on where the train station is in relation to the beach.

[lizzywednesday]

Yes, I do drive but I never drove on the EAst coast. What concerns me are things like merging onto a highway and changing lanes on highways. Here people will let you in. My memories may be different, but I remember that looking much scarier when I lived on the East coast. Also, I think I would probably lean towards going somewhere we could get to and, at most, take an Uber from some public transport there.

It depends. The further you get from the cities and densely populated areas, the more chill the drivers will be.

You may have to drive a little more assertively than you do now, but you might be just fine.

I drive a bit more defensively when I'm in heavily traveled areas and I definitely do NOT drive in NYC if I can help it.

But, hey, not driving is OK too.

[candaceb]

How come you want to get out of the city? It doesn't sound like you have that many days total. With the driving limitation, I think I'd stay in the city and spend time in more far flung places - Coney Island, spend a full day exploring Central Park (possibly renting bikes), go to the Bronx Zoo and/or the NY Botanical Gardens, go to Governor's Island, etc. Most of the places that you could easily explore without a car are either going to be another city or (based on your previous posts) out of your price range - like heading out to the Hamptons. If you wanted to do another city, I'd take the Acela to Boston. You could possibly fly in to one city and home from the other. The train trip along that stretch of the coast is gorgeous.