The Logistics of a baby in NYC...

[lmariana]

Calling all New York City dwellers! I often have the opportunity to visit Manhattan, but I decide against it because I can't work out all the logistics in my head.

Here are my questions:
* What do you do about cab rides? Bring a car seat or ride on lap? After you get out of the cab, what do you do with the car seat? (We're talking a convertible one here, not infant carrier)

* What do you do with your stroller if you go into a restaurant?

* Is Manhattan baby-friendly? (dining in particular)

* Can you bring your stroller in to museums?

* What are some good places to take little ones? Bad places?


My mother visits NYC every couple weeks to spend some time with her aunt, who lives in Greenwich Village. They always invite me to come along, and I desperately want to, I just dont' know how everything would go with the baby stuff...you know?

Thanks in advance!

Mariana
www.heinzandmariana.com
Mother of Gabriel, 08/14/2003
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[Marisa6826]

People tend to put their kids on their laps in cabs here. I personally would NEVER do it unless it was an utter emergency. I'd just rather take the subway or a bus instead.

There are many, many child friendly restaurants. Check out urbanbaby.com to see a list. You can also go to www.zagat.com (you have to subscribe, but it's like $4 for a month or $20 for a year - not sick expensive if you use it constantly like we do). Zagat has advanced searches where you can select child-friendly places. Another trick is to call a place and see if they have highchairs. That will give you the answer straight away.

You can bring strollers into the majority of the museums, although there are a few that don't allow it. You can sling Gabe in that case. Again, your best bet is to call ahead and ask.

There are TONS of places to bring kiddos. Central Park Zoo is one of my hands down fave places, Rockefeller center is fun, there are children's museums, story book readings, etc. Again, I recommend urbanbaby.com for lists. I know that NY Magazine recently did their family issue. I think you can order a back issue from their website. It was just a couple of weeks ago.

The only places I wouldn't take a child is to a Broadway play - even one like Lion King at such a young age. They are just too young for all the noise and sights, and likely won't have an attention span long enough. Sophie's almost two and her attention span is about 20 minutes max.

I've also found that shopping - big shopping - Macy's, Bloomie's, Saks, etc. is kind of rough. The stores simply aren't laid out for strollers. The elevators get packed, etc. If you sling Gabriel, that would probably easier. Most of these big landmark stores have conceirges that will hold your strollers/packages/coats for you while you shop.

Greenwich Village has many families, don't be afraid to come visit up here.

If you come up and it's not too close to Amelia's due date, I'd love to meet you for lunch or brunch!! I'm 12 miles outside the city!!!

Let me know!

hugs

-m

[dotgirl]

We didn't run into any museums that weren't stroller friendly - although a few areas at the Met weren't - one of the Egyptian tombs, for example.

The biggest thing I have to point out is - make sure your stroller can fit through the turnstiles if you plan on taking the subway. Ours couldn't, and it was a nightmare. Two days into the trip we bought the narrowest stroller we could find, and that helped a lot. (Also, if you plan to use the subway, lots of the stops don't have elevators, so having a light stroller really helps.)

[papal]

BTDT! :)

Keep in mind that Leela was 6 months old when we went to NYC.

1. Cab rides- I put Leela in the sling in hip-carry position. We only took a cab ONCE and took the sub-way all the other times. I told the cabby I would tip him $5 extra if he went SLOWLY. He looked at me like I was crazy but obliged.

2. Stroller. I had my dh, sis and bil to help out so we would just carry Leela like a queen in the stroller down the stairs to the metro train. If you just holler to the guy in the little cage who sells tickets, he will open the handicapped entrance for the stroller. We had no problems with this.

3. Restaurants. We went to the hangouts that my sis and bil love and talk about. Sadly, NONE were baby friendly. No high-chairs. Leela was happy to sit in the Maya sling but it was not too comfy for me to scarf down the food with her hanging onto my side like that.. heehee.

4. Stroller in restaurant. Bad idea. Small spaces, and with the MBUS, Leela was way too low to be happy to sit in it while we ate.

5. Museums. Dunno. We only focussed our days around Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

6. Places to go. Central Park hands down!! Loved it there. Did not go to the zoo but it was nice just to stroller her and let her play in the grass. :)

Have FUN!!!

[AvasMama]

Ava and I are going to NYC this weekend. It's her first trip there and my first time traveling alone with her. Against my better judgement, we are NOT taking the car seat (Roundabout) because there is no way I can manage that plus stroller, suitcase, diaper bag and baby.

As much as I would love to take my Bugaboo, I am going with the Mac Volo (the one I bought from you -- love it!). My plan is to put Ava in the Ergo in the cab to and from the airport and take the subway the rest of the time. I used to live in NYC, so I am pretty comfortable with the subway. I plan to alternate between Ergo, hotsling and Volo depending on where we are. I love that I can throw the Volo over my shoulder with the carrying strap if I need to while subway-ing or shopping or whatever.

I'm not too worried about restaurants. Unless you're going to the very high-end places, most are fine with babies, though as a PP said, not all have high chairs. I'll definitely opt for those that do.

I love love love NYC and I can't wait to introduce Ava to the city. Go when you have the chance -- it's really a wonderful place for kids. Take Gabe to see the remote-controlled sailboats in Central Park, the gigantic FAO Schwartz store on 5th Ave., the even bigger Toys R Us (with ferris wheel!) in Times Square, and to Serendipity 3 for frozen hot chocolate (well, that's more for you :) ).

Robyn & Ava

[lizamann]

Love NYC! We were there last Halloween when Nora was 5 months, and will be there again in about 3 weeks. We have a Sit N Stroll, but I don't know if we'll be taking it or not - we would only use it on the cab ride from the airport. We are very comfortable on the subway, and will use a carrier (probably the Ergo) and be basically stroller-free the entire weekend, but we are already used to lots of slinging at home. I will definitely check out the restaurant ratings on UrbanBaby.com. So excited!

[chrissyhowie]

You definitely should take your mom and her aunt up on the offer to visit NYC! It's not as daunting of a place as you'd think with a little tyke :).

Okay, onto your questions:
>* What do you do about cab rides? Bring a car seat or ride
>on lap? After you get out of the cab, what do you do with the
>car seat?
It is not illegal to ride in cabs without a carseat. You have to go with your comfort level on this one. I pretty much walk everywhere, but I do take cabs once in a while. If I have a stroller, I only take a subway if I'm with someone. While it is possible alone, it's WAY easier if you have one another set of hands to help. Slinging your DS will make subways and buses much more manageable.

>* What do you do with your stroller if you go into a
>restaurant?
Usually you fold it up and tuck it in a corner somewhere. We have a Bugaboo (have yet to take the double e3 into any restaurants). It's helpful if you have a portable booster chair. We have the inflatable First Years one. It stays in the basket of the stroller and I pull it out if I need it (ie: no highchairs in the restaurant or they are all being used).

>* Is Manhattan baby-friendly? (dining in particular)
It can be! Generally stick to larger restaurants (sometimes I search for "good for groups" criteria versus "kid friendly").

Some specific, fun suggestions:
Chinese: Joe Shanghai -- fantastic crab or pork soup dumplings. Gets crazy busy, so go during off hours. The Chinatown location has no highchairs.
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/pages/details/2469.htm

Pizza/Italian: Otto Enoteca -- Mario Batali's pizza joint. I've never been there myself, but DH and some other friends with a baby have. Supposed to have a great wine list. Surprisingly child-friendly. Pricey.
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/pages/details/9051.htm

French: Artisanal -- Amazing cheese selection. This is good for a more upscale meal or for Sunday brunch. It's large and kind of loud which makes it suitable to bring a child. Still, I'd go during off hours.
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/pages/details/2000.htm

Sandwiches: Wichcraft -- Fanatastic panini-type sandwiches, especially the hot ones. Great place to go for lunch.
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/pages/details/9154.htm

>* Can you bring your stroller in to museums?
The only museum I've been to post-babies is PS 1 in Queens. Easy subway ride out there, and worth the trip if you want to visit a more alternative type modern art museum.
http://www.ps1.org

>* What are some good places to take little ones? Bad
>places?
Another great park other than Central Park is Madison Square Park. It's much smaller, but has a great playground for your toddler and the best burgers at the Shake Shack:
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/pages/details/10163.htm
They also have these delicious ice cream blizzard-type concoctions there -- soooo yummy and IMHO worth the calories!

As for shopping, I tend to stick to the big stores if I have a stroller and am alone. Check out H&M for cheap, fun clothes and accessories. There are several locations now around the city. If you are shopping in the stores in the Village or Soho, you can get away with having a stroller but just know that it won't fit in all stores. Some of those shops are TINY.

Have a great time hanging out with your mom and her aunt! I'm sure you'll have a blast!

HTH,