Vacation time-first trip to NYC (New York, Liberty: homes, transfer, to buy)
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I'm very excited to be taking a family vacation to NYC. We plan on doing all the touristy stuff and have tickets to The Lion King but what should we not miss? We have to do the Statue of Liberty and I'm thinking the Bronx zoo as well. Is Coney Island worth the trip? We'll be there for a week so I want to make sure we at least hit the good stuff. Living in a tourist trap myself I must say it's exciting to be on the other side of the equation. Don't worry I promise to be respectful I realize people actually live in vacation spots unlike the droves who come to VA Beach.
I'm very excited to be taking a family vacation to NYC. We plan on doing all the touristy stuff and have tickets to The Lion King but what should we not miss? We have to do the Statue of Liberty and I'm thinking the Bronx zoo as well. Is Coney Island worth the trip? We'll be there for a week so I want to make sure we at least hit the good stuff. Living in a tourist trap myself I must say it's exciting to be on the other side of the equation. Don't worry I promise to be respectful I realize people actually live in vacation spots unlike the droves who come to VA Beach.
Walk through central park/walk the brooklyn bridge.
I want to do that for sure. Is the highline worth the walk?
We plan to get a week subway pass to helps get around.
For someone who has never been, I would say it is. I've been to NYC quite a few times and always find stuff like that pretty cool. I didn't use the subway very often. I walked more than anything just so I could see what goes on, check out some stores, restaurants, etc. If you're staying for a week then I think the pass would be a good idea. The first time I went with a friend, we walked from Battery park all the up to the reservoir in Central Park just making "stops" along the way. Tiring, yet fun.
The Bronx Zoo might be a big walk Maybe well just do a few day passes. My husband is disabled and walking a lot can be hard for him so I'm thinking the subway might help when going more than a few blocks or is that not really practical? We used the Metro in DC but it wasn't terrobly convenient I was hoping the subway was better.
The Bronx Zoo might be a big walk Maybe well just do a few day passes. My husband is disabled and walking a lot can be hard for him so I'm thinking the subway might help when going more than a few blocks or is that not really practical? We used the Metro in DC but it wasn't terrobly convenient I was hoping the subway was better.
The subway system in NY is pretty good if you ask me. Not the cleanest or anything like that but in terms of getting to and from places I think it's pretty solid. There is a subway station close to pretty much any tourist spot if I recall correctly.
The subway system in NY is pretty good if you ask me. Not the cleanest or anything like that but in terms of getting to and from places I think it's pretty solid. There is a subway station close to pretty much any tourist spot if I recall correctly.
The Bronx Zoo might be a big walk Maybe well just do a few day passes. My husband is disabled and walking a lot can be hard for him so I'm thinking the subway might help when going more than a few blocks or is that not really practical? We used the Metro in DC but it wasn't terrobly convenient I was hoping the subway was better.
I personally love the high line. It's a great thing to do in the morning. Start uptown and work your way down, have brunch is the west village.
The subway really is the quickest way to get around, especially if you are going far(if you are staying in midtown both the bronx zoo and the ferry to the statue of liberty are pretty far) . I am not sure what sort of disability your husband has, but not all stations have elevators. If he can do steps it shouldn't be a problem.
Brooklyn Flea is something fun to do. On Saturday's it's all food vendors and called Smorgasbug, Sunday's it's the flea. There is a great view of Manhattan too.
DISABILITY and TRANSPO: If your husband's disability has him on Medicare, bring that card so he can buy his subway pass for half price. Always buy his ticket in person, not by machine. You show the Medicare card with him present. You can buy one roundtrip ticket at a time, costing $2.50 instead of $5.00. It's non-transferrable to others in the family, just for him (SERiOUS penalties, don't mess).
Since the ticket can be used all week, and some stations don't have live agents, it's wise to buy one or two ahead, in case you want to start out on a bus or walk into a station with only machines selling tickets. Just get one ticket as you begin your trip, and stop to buy another as you exit a station, so you stay one trip ahead of yourselves.
Depending on the disability, he might prefer a bus which all have "kneeling steps" that come down to curbside level for him to board. As for which subway stations do have elevators, that's online somewhere under New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), if that's helpful to you. Bus and subway all use the same tickets, and you can transfer from one to the other as the same ride. Bus is slow, stopping every two blocks, but you get to see the city as you travel. Naturally, there is disability seating preference on every bus and subway car.
If you are a family going from one point to another in Manhattan, it might sometimes be nearly cost-equivalent to take one cab together instead of paying all the individual subway or bus fares. It's hard to generalize, because rush hour traffic can make a cab ride very slow, in which case the subway is much faster underground.
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TOURISM TIPS FOR A FAMILY:
Around here, many recommend a ride on the Staten Island Ferry for a good view of the Statue of Liberty.
The HighLine is unique, a great way to see the city from above without spending time and money to go up the Empire State Building. Highline has some elevators at key entrance points, and plenty of benches along the way, so you can all stop and start however you please. Of course, look up their website for special events, tour-talks and so on.
If you want your children to be grateful for their homes, try booking a date/time to tour the Tenement Museum. to see and hear great stories about how new immigrant families lived in the early 20th century. They will rock their social studies classes next year in school.
I think a family visit could happily include a day at the Museum of Natural History (science and nature) or the Metropolitan Museum of Art (shining armor, paintings, sculpture, an Egyptian tomb). Something for everyone in those two very large museums.
If they love film and TV, it might be worth a trip to Queens for the Museum of the Moving Image. Lots of hands-on activities there that help them understand how movies are made.
Since you live at Virginia Beach, I'm not sure why you'd want to shlep out to Coney Island, to see a boardwalk, some rides and a tame ocean. If the kids want rides, you can find that in a woodsy setting by going to the rides in Central Park. If you don't want to go all the way to the Bronx Zoo, there's a smaller zoo in Central Park, alongside the Tisch Children's Zoo also in CP.
If your kids like Math (really???), there's the Museum of Mathematics -- huge hands-on experiments and displays, very exciting.
Last edited by BrightRabbit; 07-29-2014 at 11:23 PM..
I recently visited 2 weeks ago, and have been there 3 times now. The subway if very easy to access, with many stops. I recommend you download the NYC subway map to youre phone. My friends were "heavier set" and we would hop on the subway even to get 10-12 streets up as a break, and to cool off in the air conditioning. The World Trade Center memorial site is very close to Battery Park (where you will go to get on the Ferry to the Statue of Liberty). Next to the memorial site is a store called "Century 21". Its the worlds largest discount store, quality items at amazing prices!
I recommend you go the the "Top of the Rock" at the Rockeffeller Center. Its just as good as the Empire State Building, and its cheaper and the wait time is much less than the Empire State Building. Not to mention you can explore the Rockefeller center/NBC studios, Radio City Music Hall, etc at the same time. Chinatown isn't too far from the WTC memorial, and is a great place to explore. The museum of Natural History in the Upper West Side is a great place to visit. Lots of stuff to look at and read. Food court buffet was great as well.
Grand Central Station is pretty amazing to see, and if you have "Apple" phone products, etc, the Apple Store nearby on 5th Avenue is pretty sweet......Glass cube exterior in the middle of a block, store is underground. Madame Tussauds wax museum on W42nd street is expensive, but also pretty amazing.
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Maybe well just do a few day passes. My husband is disabled and walking a lot can be hard for him so I'm thinking the subway might help when going more than a few blocks or is that not really practical? We used the Metro in DC but it wasn't terrobly convenient I was hoping the subway was better.
