NYC with 4yo boy--what to do?

[tlw]

We'll be there for 2 full days, so I'm thinking about:

the Natural History Museum (for the dinos)
Central Park (zoo, carousel)
FAO Schwartz

What's the best playground in Central Park?
Other destinations? Dining ideas?

We're staying in Midtown, and we're going in mid-May.

Let me know if any of my ideas are duds! And please suggest others!

Thanks so much!

[Fairy]

Been to NYC many times, but always seem to need advice on where to go and what to do, myself. Personally, I'd recommend -->

Serendipity for lunch. Very fun. Same place as in the Cusack movie. I'm a huge nerd for the place, and it's just fantastic. I mean, it's not like the food is the be all and end all, but the atmosphere is great, especially with all the kitsch, and the frozen hot chocolate is a great order to share with him. Plus you can take some home in a packet!

There's an M&M store near 30 Rock. Lots to do around there, actually, including hang out and watch the Today Show being taped.

Bronx Zoo? We've not done this, but it's a thought.

Tour, like Statue of Liberty, or Empire State Building?

Is Beauty & the Beast still playing on Broadway?

[ilfaith]

I was born in NYC and moved back for a decade (pre-kids) in my 20s-30s. We live in Florida now, but go back several times a year.

Since you're planning on FAO, you might also enjoy the Toys R Us store near Times Square, which has an indoor ferris wheel.

In Central Park, in addition to the Zoo and Carousel, I'd suggest the following...
My boys love the big rock slide in this playground (near the zoo)
http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/south-end/billy-johnson-playground.html

And the "boat pond"
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/conservatory-water.html

Really the entire park is pretty fabulous.

The Children's Museum can be fun...my son loved the Mythology exhibit when he was that age...although he did get stuck in the Trojan horse and I had to climb up and rescue him.
http://www.cmom.org/

This summer I'm planning to take my kids (they'll be 6, 4 and 1) to the Transit Museum
http://www.mta.info/mta/museum/

Take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty...or just hop on the Staten Island Ferry (which I believe is actually free) for a little cruise with great views
http://www.siferry.com/

NYC is really more family friendly than ever.
http://newyorkkids.timeout.com/

I'll probably post again when I can think of some more ideas.

[LMPC]

Wow -- so many good suggestions. I used to live in NYC (pre-kid) and love going back with DD each year! I second the Staten Is. Ferry -- so great and indeed, free! Don't be deterred by the HUGE lines you will see. They are enormous boats.

Get to the Natural History Museum early if you are there on the weekend....it gets crowded.

Take the subway ;)

Have a great time!!! I'm going in June and can't wait!!!

[DrSally]

We did the Staten Island Ferry, FAO Schwartz, Central Park zoo and other misc. places, random pizza place.

[DrSally]

This thread also reminds me of when we stayed in a Marriott with DS when he was 2.5 ish. He still really needed his nap, but it was hard to get him down in an unfamiliar place, so I nursed him down, lying on the bed and then slooowly rolled away---to find that a guy in the next building over had been looking down at us the whole time!! Still skeeves me out everytime I think about it.

[ilfaith]

This thread also reminds me of when we stayed in a Marriott with DS when he was 2.5 ish. He still really needed his nap, but it was hard to get him down in an unfamiliar place, so I nursed him down, lying on the bed and then slooowly rolled away---to find that a guy in the next building over had been looking down at us the whole time!! Still skeeves me out everytime I think about it.

Back when I lived in Manhattan we called that "watching the neighbor channel"

[DrSally]

Back when I lived in Manhattan we called that "watching the neighbor channel"

OMG, I was so skeeved and mortified. The guy was sitting on his window ledge, talking on his phone, looking at us. DH for some reason always wants hotel drapes open when we stay somewhere. I kept telling him to close them, but he doesn't care who sees what. I forgot to close them in the midst of trying to tend to a screaming toddler.

[LD92599]

Our usual list includes:

Toys R Us in Times Square
time to just sit in the middle of times square and relax (seriously.....there's tons of chairs now in the middle of the road to sit and take it all in)
Serendipity (make reservations NOW)
FAO Schwartz and the Apple Store on 5th (best bathrooms but the kids can play on the computers)
Central Park/Carriage Ride/Zoo
Duck Tour
Hershey's Store and M&M (M&M store is MUCH MUCH larger than Hershey's - they are across the street from one another)
Nintendo Store in Rockefeller (?)

My DS loves the Empire State Building, the ferry (we take NY Waterway over, but Staten Island Ferry from Battery Park is free)

You already have a great list of suggestions!

[Karinyc]

I work with kids and do many trips during the year. For his age, these are my favorites:
Central Park Zoo (penguins & polar bears)& the little feeding zoo/farm adjacent to it with Carousel (manageable but can get crowded on weekends)
Children's Museum of Manhattan
FAO Schwarz
Toys R Us in Times Square (okay, kids love it, but it can be a complete madhouse-prepare yourself)
Serendipity has awesome desserts & it's a landmark, but the lines can be ridiculous

NYC is an experience onto itself, so I 'd take it easy & pick out what would seem the most interesting for your son. Heck, even just riding the subway can be fun for little boys (especially the elevated #7) and the ferry is also nice. Really, there's tons of stuff to do (and a lot is low-cost or free). I highly second the Time Out New York Kids suggestion (great resource) and these two sites:
http://mommypoppins.com/
http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com/region/new-york-ny-usa

[daniele_ut]

In Central Park, in addition to the Zoo and Carousel, I'd suggest the following...
My boys love the big rock slide in this playground (near the zoo)
http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/south-end/billy-johnson-playground.html

And the "boat pond"
http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/conservatory-water.html

Really the entire park is pretty fabulous.

I second the rock slide in that playground. We planned to spend a hour or two in Central Park playing after a few hours at the zoo on our last trip home to visit my family. It ended up that we spent 90 minutes at the zoo and then 3 hours playing at 2 different playground in the park. Both kids had a blast. We actually ate hot dogs and soft pretzels in the park for lunch and then walked to Serendipity for dessert. We were there around 3pm so the line wasn't terrible. We waited 15 minutes for a table. We then walked back to TRU in Times Square. It's a long walk, though, and dh whined (yes, dh. DS was riding in a stroller)

If you do decide you want to see a show, I highly recommend Mary Poppins. It was one of my favorite Broadway shows ever. We didn't take DS, who was 4 at the time, but I actually think he would have sat through it and enjoyed it.

We're visiting again in June and we may try the Transit museum this time. I think DS will enjoy it.

[llama8]

1. Museum of Natural History (kids love the dinosaur bones)
2. Central Park (a lot to do there)
3. Statue of Liberty (the boat ride there is cool too) (I would pass on Ellis Island...it is extremely awesome, but probably boring for a 4 year old).
4. Times Square (make sure to see the Toy's R Us with rides)
5. Kid-friendly broadway show (Disney, etc.). I have heard the off-broadway Gazillion Bubble Show (not sure if it is the correct name) is awesome for that age group.
6. Southstreet Seaport (on the water, with shopping, but lots of boats to see) or USS Intrepid tour (if you like big boats and water).
7. One of the hop-on hop-off tour buses/Duck tours may be fun (depends on the route).