Critique my NYC itinerary

[SnuggleBuggles]

Serendipity really isn't that good. Honestly.

[nfowife]

I know! I've eaten there before. We might just skip it. I'll talk to MIL this evening. We can always do the shake shack at GCS because I think we will be very hungry for lunch after a 5-hour bus ride.

[BunnyBee]

The walk from Grand Central to the hotel may be more than you anticipated while dragging suitcases through the crowded sidewalks. The cute little squares on the map just don't do the actual mile distance justice with the obstacle course of NYC sidewalks that comes as a bonus. We did it once pre-kids and vowed never again! Our hotel was closer to Grand Central where the bus/van thing dropped us off from LaGuardia than yours is. I'd do it if everything fit in a backpack. Maybe.

I'd be prepared for everything to take twice as long as you think it will take. The security line for Statue of Liberty is a beast, and just the trip there and back would be an hour (ferry ride is 15 minutes long, but you have to wait for a ferry and get on it...).

Top of the Rock wasn't a walk-up experience for us a couple of years ago. You can buy timed tickets to avoid the wait, so we wound up doing that then getting dinner and coming back for our time.

Shake Shack will have a line, everything has a line!

Times Square and FAO Schwarz aren't near each other really. Did you mean TRU? It's a haul from Times Square up to FAO, but maybe you were planning on a cab?

Have a great trip! There's so much to see and time goes so, so fast.

[mmsmom]

Serendipity really isn't that good. Honestly.

I agree with this but OP says it is a priority to go & it is fun for kids. Since your MIL is flying & taking a bus I would count on delays. So you will need a plan B. If MIL is on time then I would cab it to hotel & to Serendipity to get your name on list as early as possible. Go to Dylan's while you wait. Then go to Top of the Rock then see how much time you have before dinner for anything else on the list. If your MIL is late, you & DD should go drop bags & get to Serendipity & have MIL meet you there. She can bring her bag with her and get it to hotel later.

[Giantbear]

the food isn't, the desserts are, or used to be, been a while since i have been.

[nfowife]

So I discussed with my MIL and she thinks it's worth it to go to serendipity for lunch. So what we are going to do is she and dd are going to take a cab or subway directly there from GCS while I go take our stuff to the hotel, then I'll meet them there.

[boolady]

I hope you have a great time! Your thread has made me want to plan a girls' weekend in NYC with DD later this spring.

[SnuggleBuggles]

So I discussed with my MIL and she thinks it's worth it to go to serendipity for lunch. So what we are going to do is she and dd are going to take a cab or subway directly there from GCS while I go take our stuff to the hotel, then I'll meet them there.

Sounds great! Enjoy!

[vtmom]

First off, I LOVE how detailed your itinerary is! Totally my style! And it sounds like you are going into it with a good attitude that you might not get to everything but want to be prepared. Good way to approach a visit to NYC!

Just my two cents, I would skip the skating (you can watch for a few minutes, take pictures etc. but skipping it will make the whole rest of your Friday so much more relaxed. Also, if you are so inclined, you might consider letting your DD have desert for lunch at Serendipity. I thought the food portions were large to then eat a desert and desert is where they shine!

I LOVE Ess-A-Bagel! Curious why it is a priority for you to go there? We go every time we are in NYC but the apartment we stay in is a few blocks away...Some mornings getting that bagel is a very NYC experience in and of itself!

My kids love both the Met and AMNH. I think it all depends on your own DD and how you prepare for the visit. My kids are much younger than your DD but when we go (to either museum) I always have a focus that I prepare them for by reading about for a few weeks before hand and then we also look at the website and they each choose a gallery they want to see and we try to learn a little background about those and then when we get to the museum we focus on those galleries we've prepared for but also stop and take a look at others that catch our eye. IMHO both museums are too big to just walk into and try to "see it all". I agree with a PP who said the children's guides to the museums are fun (my DC are still too young). Has your DD read "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler"? It's a great story about two children who run away to the Met. There used to be a museum guide to go with it when you visit the Met. It's a good story and an easy read for a 9 year old.

Have a great time!

[nfowife]

Thanks vtmom! Yes we are skipping ice skating since we've done that a bunch this season and it's just not necessary. I think we will end up doing a 1-hour "highlights" tour of the Met that starts every 30 minutes during the weekend if we end up getting to the Met. Unfortunately we don't have much time to prepare for the visit (nor likely much time at the actual museum) so my DD won't have time to read Basil E Frankweiler (which I loved as a child, and was looking forward to reading and discussing with her next year- she's not quite 9 and in 3rd grade right now).

I wanted to do Ess-A-Bagel because all the research I've done indicates it's the best bagel in NYC and also I really want to have a good bagel while we are there and there are pretty much no other bagel shops in Midtown near out hotel! I know it seems like a trek but it is right at the green line of the subway which will take us directly down to Battery Park for the SOL tour. We can talk to the hotel concierge and re-evaluate as well once we are there if another bagel shop would be closer or better. I'd also like to pick up some black and whites to bring home for DH at some point but we'll see about that.
Probably for lunch tomorrow at Serendipity we will split an entree and then have dessert. Right now I'm going to keep our dinner reservations pre-theater and if we are just still stuffed by then we can cancel. But I think it will be much much too late after the show to get something to eat when we have an early start for SOL on Saturday.

Thanks again, everyone, for your input! It's very helpful!