We have taken so many fabulous trips to New York! Below are our most favorite stops:
Hotel
Kimberly Hotel: We love this hotel in midtown East – it’s a
convenient walk to many places (Times Square, Bryant Park) but also has many
MTA spots nearby. Best of all, the family
suites have a closing door for the living room + bedroom so the kids have their own space and it’s
rather spacious for NYC standards.
Things to Do
Natural History Museum. We spent nearly a whole day here in 2024 and both
of our girls absolutely loved it. The
architecture of the recent renovation is truly stunning – the girls loved the dinosaurs
and insects exhibits. We bought add on
exhibits for the butterfly room and the light show and both were big hits
(girls were 2 + 5). We also really
enjoyed this and easily could have spent a second day!
Central Park Zoo. We have been twice – it’s a small zoo and
could easily be done in 2 hours but super fun!
Girgirls enjoyed the red panda and penguins especially. Also note that there is a small farm exhibit
about 10 minutes away included in your ticket and our girls enjoyed this when
they were little.
MoMa.
We enjoyed a cool, very rainy day at
Moma. Moma has so much famous, modern art
– from Warhol to Haring and everything in between. For kids, there’s an awesome kids art area in
the basement that both of our girls enjoyed. Q did a bunch of magnetic art and
B enjoyed tracing with light projections.
Highline: We love walking the Highline from the Whitney
to Hudson Yards. The views of the city
are great and the girls always found interesting things to see (checking into
people’s windows, the sculptures, etc.).
At the end of the highline is Hudson Yards and the incredible Vessel installation
which is truly an incredible work of art.
To take a break off the highline, hop off at:
Pier
62 Carousel. The girls loved riding the Pier 62 Carousel and
the views of the city for photos are awesome.
Also, there is an awesome playground in this park – the Chelsea
Waterslide Playground – it’s truly one of a kind!
Little Island. We stopped at the Little Island shortly after
it opened – it’s a GREAT place for the kids to run around the architecture of
it (unclaimed spaced!) is truly amazing.
The views are also fantastic – this is near Chelsea Market so a great spot
to stop before or after lunch
Places to Eat – Kid Friendly
Chelsea Market
[Near Little Island]. If you’re checking out Little Island, grab lunch at
Chelsea Market. So many amazing vendors
and high quality food here – you’ll be able to find something for everyone. Plus, the shopping nearby is super fun!
Gallows
Green [Near Chelsea / Little Island]. This is the coolest open rooftop restaurant /
bar – we took the girls for brunch here and they loved it. It’s like eating in a rooftop garden,
complete with swings and special hiding spots!
The food was also lovely, though slightly pricey! Note that in the
evenings this is a hopping bar, so a great adult happy hour
Eataly
[Multiple Locations]: We all can find something we love at Little Eataly. Pasta, pizza, cheese plates, lovely wine! We
have been to the Eataly in the Flat Iron district and the financial district
(and in Milan) and every meal has ben delicious
Mercado Little Spain
[Highline / Hudson Yards]. This is a
Jose Andres Spanish food court – I have been here twice (once for work and once
with the kids) – something for everyone and always great to have our famous Spanish
tapas – patatas bravas, montaditos, and corquettas (YUM!)
Ellen’s
Stardust Diner [Time Square]: This is a 24 hour diner that has all sorts of
off-broadway singers who sing broadway songs while you enjoy a meal. It can get a long line, so try to get in
super early on a weekday morning if you can
Essa-Bagel [Midtown East]. Right near the Kimberly is Essabagel – this is
my favorite bagel spot in NYC and their chive cream cheese is divine
Places to Eat – Non Kid Friendly
Serra
– Eataly. This is a gorgeous rooftop
restaurant that has seasonal changes of décor.
I went with girlfriends at Christmas and it was truly lovely and festive. They do flowers in the spring, etc. Plus, the food is fabulous, Italian
Becco – Theatre District.
This is a Lydia Bastianich
restaurant near the Broadway Theatre. We’ve
been twice and both times got the unlimited pasta sampler and both times were wildly
impressed. The ambiance is fantastic and
they can
Angel – Queens. This is a really amazing Indian
restaurant. Note that this is in the Jackson
Heights neighborhood which is full of Indian stores, restaurants, and
people! This is where P was born and it
was fun seeing where his family lived
