2 day field trip with family (New York, Newark: apartment, hotels, townhomes)
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I'm trying to get a feel and a way to make this educational trip short, cheap and sweet.
I've checked through some of the threads here to see if there is any advice I can use but I need more.
Our Itinerary is as follows:
Day 1:
MOMA - Tim Burton exhibit
Central Park
Museum of Natural History
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Rockefeller Center
Boutique shops
Day 2
Ellis Island
Statue of Liberty
Charging Bull/Bowling Green Park
Ground Zero
Let's face it, NYC drivers are one of a kind and so are Orlando drivers. I would like to eliminate driving through the city, what are my options? Bus/Subway?
Is my itinerary realistic? For instance, a visit to NASA space Center should be a 7 hour visit where tourists think it's a quick walk through of 2 hours. If a visit to Ellis Island is 4 hrs and Statue of Liberty is 4 additional, then I won't have time for the visit to Ground Zero. YKIM?
We are weighing out our options to either stay in Manhattan (near MOMA) or Newark (INTL airport). However, I'd noticed on a previous thread a poster stated it's not a good choice to try to save a few bucks by riding the train from Newark to NYC.
What would NEW YORKERS do or HOW would you plan this field trip? Envision yourself with 4 kids (11-18) and trying to plan a field trip on a budget.
I'm trying to get a feel and a way to make this educational trip short, cheap and sweet.
I've checked through some of the threads here to see if there is any advice I can use but I need more.
Our Itinerary is as follows:
Day 1:
MOMA - Tim Burton exhibit
Central Park
Museum of Natural History
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Rockefeller Center
Boutique shops
Day 2
Ellis Island
Statue of Liberty
Charging Bull/Bowling Green Park
Ground Zero
Let's face it, NYC drivers are one of a kind and so are Orlando drivers. I would like to eliminate driving through the city, what are my options? Bus/Subway?
Is my itinerary realistic? For instance, a visit to NASA space Center should be a 7 hour visit where tourists think it's a quick walk through of 2 hours. If a visit to Ellis Island is 4 hrs and Statue of Liberty is 4 additional, then I won't have time for the visit to Ground Zero. YKIM?
We are weighing out our options to either stay in Manhattan (near MOMA) or Newark (INTL airport). However, I'd noticed on a previous thread a poster stated it's not a good choice to try to save a few bucks by riding the train from Newark to NYC.
What would NEW YORKERS do or HOW would you plan this field trip? Envision yourself with 4 kids (11-18) and trying to plan a field trip on a budget.
This is no where close to a realistic schedule is more like what you described about visiting NASA. You are going to have to pick and choose among your lists about what you wish to see.
Pick a section of Central Park that you want to see. You are not going to stroll through the entire park. Also, the weather is very cold right now.
I am not sure what you mean by Boutique shops. If you are referring to high-end small clothing stores, they are not in the location of Rockefeller Center and it is not a place to drag 4 kids with you. If you mean places like Tiffany's, yes that is near Rockefeller Center.
The Museum of Natural History is pretty much a full day event, especially if you wish to visit the attached planetarium and/or take in the IMAX movie. Even if you allow a full day, you still won't have the time or stamina to see every single exhibit. Make sure you see the dinosaurs because there is no other place in the country to see this type of exhibit. It is not near any of the other places on your list, except for an entrance into Central Park. You could combine the museum with a short detour to Strawberry Fields in Central Park. Strawberry Fields is on 72nd Street and the museum main entrance is on 79th Street.
You could probably see all of MOMA properly in about 3-4 hours, but be aware that you need advance tickets for the Tim Burton exhibit. You could rush through the museum, minus the Tim Burton exhibit, in about 2 hours.
The easiest tourist site on your list is ground zero. You could take a look at it any time of day or night, even at 3 AM if you wish. You are not going to be spending all that long there. You will take a look at it outside in the freezing cold and then you will be ready to move on.
It has been a really long time since I've been to Ellis Island or Lady Liberty. When I went, the wait for the ferry was hours. You also have to go through security checks. I would imagine there is a wait to go inside the statue as well. It will probably be less crowded now in February than in the spring or summer, but there are always lines. As you say, both sites require a great deal of time to fully appreciate your visit. Ellis Island has a lot to see.
I certainly hope that you do not expect to be driving from site to site in Manhattan. That is never ever going to happen. Where would you park your car? You could drive your car to Manhattan and then park it for the day in a garage, but expect to pay a premium for parking, especially on a weekday. Otherwise, you could take public transportation to Manhattan. Once in Manhattan, you could take cabs or public transportation. The subway is faster than a cab or bus. But be prepared to allow quite a bit of travel time between the places that you wish to visit. Between walking through the staition and up and down the stairways, just getting out of a subway station can take 15 minutes. Bring your walking shoes and some warm boots. And if I were bringing 4 kids with me, even 4 well-behaved teenagers with me, I would add a couple of extra hours to each place you plan to visit. You are going to need to stop for food, bathrooms and to rest your feet. BTW, the Museum of Natural History, does have a cafeteria, even if it is extremely overpriced.
Allow extra time for getting lost, including inside a large museum such as the Museum of Natural History.
You don't need advanced tickets to see the Tim Burton exhibit...just the movie portion of it. However if you have CHILDREN i wouldn't take them as it really isn't aimed toward kids...Its actually kind of graphic at parts. Also the last time I was at the Moma for school I saw a group of boys yelling BOOBS at all the paintings...so i don't really feel like that is the most family friendly museum out there.
I would do the Natural History Museum or even the MET which is suggested donation so it won't cost you much. The Moma is much more expensive.
I am assuming you mean the high end boutique stores along madison. I wouldn't even bother going there. All they will do is look down their nose at you unless you are planning on dropping 5k. I intern at the head quarters of one of the flagship madison ave stores and they are even rude to me.
Your itinerary is completely unrealistic for several reasons:
1. You have listed an entire week's worth of sights, if you want to see them properly
2. Budget- don't know what "on a budget" means to you, but are you aware admission for a family of 6 to the MOMA will be around $100, not including the Tim Burton exhibit upcharge (another $50-75 or so). Do you really want to pay over $150 and not even see Van Gough's Starry Night, Dali's Persistence of Time, and all the other world-class textbook paintings & sculptures at the MOMA?
What is the budget you have for tickets/ admission?
3. Weather. Are you planning to visit in the next 30-45 days? Beware a lot of your itinerary is outside (Bowling Green, Ground Zero, most of Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Trip, etc). Unless your kids are prepared to walk about 5-7 miles a day touring the sights & city and spending possibly 3-4 hours outside in 20-30 degree temps with a possibility of blistering wind/ sleet/ snow, I don't know if I would include all those sights on this trip.
I would suggest staying in the city, in Midtown/ Rock Center area.
Day 1- walk through Rock Center (30 min max)
St Patrick's Cathedral is directly across the street & takes 1 hr max to tour
Walk up 5th Avenue so you can window shop the famous stores- Saks Fifth Avenue, NBA Store, Henri Bendel, Juicy Couture, Bergdorf Goodman, Tiffany & Co, FAO Schwarz. This can take about 30-90 min, depending if you zip up Fifth Ave or actually pop into a few stores
Cut through Central Park at the 59th & Fifth entrance. Walk past the skatig rink, carousel, and generally cut straight west across the lower part of the park.
Exit Central Park in the lower West 60's. Head over one block to Columbus, which is lined with many restaurants & delis. Good place to pick a lunch spot.
Walk north on Columbus (if you want to see more "real" NY neighborhood living) or back to Central Park West for more park and a walk by the grand old apartment buildings lining the street. Walk up to 77th for the.....
Museum of Nature & Science. Spend the rest of your afternoon here.
Day 2:
Not on your list, but certainly educational about the Great Depression and how skyscrapers are built-> start at the Empire State Building on 34th & Fifth.
If warm weather, hop the 4-5-6 train down to the Bowling Green stop. You can spend the rest of the day touring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. This is at least a six-hour ordeal.
If it's cold, to help show your kids the same period in US history, take the subway to the Lower East Side and visit the LES Tenemant Museum. It is a family narrative (audio) of immigrant life at the turn of the last century housed in an old tenemant building. The LES is where many European immigrants first came in NYC and is just now becoming a "trendy" neighborhood in the past 5-10 years.
Then walk south to Chinatown, which is still today a real immigrant community in NYC. Be sure to eat dim sum- a cheap and authentic way to feed your family.
Afterwards, I would walk west to the Washington Square Park area and show your kids how the other half of NYC live at the same time- stately townhomes, authors such as Henry James and later Faulkner, Hemmingway, and Salinger lived & wrote. You can google "walking tours of Greenwich Village" and read to your family as you go.
That's a pretty full day!
Do not underestimate the blistering cold of being out on the water in the winter! Esp if you are from Florida.
While snoot behavior doesn't phase me (it's laughable for me), I'll skip the shops. Plus the advice on the temps is a good one. We no longer live in FL and now live in central KY, I'll be sure to triple up on the clothing.
I'm going to narrow it down to MOMA and the MUSEUM for Day one. If there is time left, I'll visit the memorial and cathedral. We are huge fans of Tim Burton's work and wouldn't miss it. The cost to get in to Tim's exhibit is free for kids under 16. I didn't realize of the cost upcharge and the movie, so thanks for that info. (very helpful )
Turtle Creek80, I like your 2nd day itinerary and am going to use it.
I've been looking for garage/parking costs and phew....pricey. Yeah, I agree, the term budget doesn't exist.
You don't need advanced tickets to see the Tim Burton exhibit...just the movie portion of it. However if you have CHILDREN i wouldn't take them as it really isn't aimed toward kids...Its actually kind of graphic at parts. Also the last time I was at the Moma for school I saw a group of boys yelling BOOBS at all the paintings...so i don't really feel like that is the most family friendly museum out there.
I would do the Natural History Museum or even the MET which is suggested donation so it won't cost you much. The Moma is much more expensive.
I am assuming you mean the high end boutique stores along madison. I wouldn't even bother going there. All they will do is look down their nose at you unless you are planning on dropping 5k. I intern at the head quarters of one of the flagship madison ave stores and they are even rude to me.
Both TurtleCreek and Chava offered some excellent advice. I would have to agree with Ohiogirl regarding the high end boutiques and the Tim Burton exhibit. We found that tickets for Tim Burton sold out quickly but that was when the exhibit was new. Admission is free for kids under 16. I went to MOMA as a kid and took my own kids there who also went there on a school trip in middle school. It really depends on your kids' interest and maturity if they would like the museum. Some of the artists and artworks displayed there are included in many elementary, middle school, and high schools' art curricula, including Van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Picasso, and Jackson Pollack. You will find plenty of families visiting the museum, as they offer classes for children. The Museum of Natural History does have a suggested donation, but be aware that there are separate fees for the IMAX, live animal exhibits, and planetarium shows.
I'm going to narrow it down to MOMA and the MUSEUM for Day one. If there is time left, I'll visit the memorial and cathedral. We are huge fans of Tim Burton's work and wouldn't miss it. The cost to get in to Tim's exhibit is free for kids under 16. I didn't realize of the cost upcharge and the movie, so thanks for that info. (very helpful )
I would really chose one or the other. Depending on ages you may want to take the older kids to the Moma and the younger kids to the natural history museum. As I said the Tim Burton exhibit is a bit gory and has almost nothing from the Nightmare Before Christmas and NOTHING from Coraline. Mostly sketches from his life most of which are very morbid. I've seen the exhibit. I know these things.
Forgot to mention that MOMA is closed on Tuesdays and open late on certain Thursdays if that helps with your schedule. The Museum of Natural History is open everyday, but they got rid of their evening hours. The two museums are not near each other and it would be too far to walk from one to the other.
I suggest you see New York if you're taking a trip to New York. Take a few hours to walk from lower Manhattan to midtown or beyond. In some cities, just walking around neighborhoods to see buildings and people may not be very special, but deep in New York City you will find one of the most interesting and unique urban landscapes in the world, something that I found to be several times more intriguing than the museums and tourist destinations that I visited.
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