The Big Apple – one of my favorite cities to go to, with so much character and much to do and eat! We have visited many times and with kids is a different experience, but still so much fun. Before kids, in 2012, we briefly lived across the river in Jersey and would constantly be going into the city for our outings. One of my favorite things was the walkability of it. If my destination was within a 2.5 mile walk, I’d walk it. Partly because of my love for walking, but also partly because I wanted to avoid the subway! I’d usually take the PATH train and try to get to where I needed to go by walking. Obviously, that wasn’t always possible so, there were certain subway lines I’d take over others. With kids and no longer living nearby, we do more driving, but parking can be quite a pain.

One of my favorite days in NY was walking from WTC to Brooklyn. One of my dear friends lived a couple blocks from us and so, whenever I came up with my city outing for the day, I’d text her to convince her to join me, which she often did, sometimes reluctantly lol. This was one of those outings – I swung by her place to walk together to the PATH station and head to WTC to start our trek. I planned out food spots to try along the way and our first stop was for some fried plantains and Mexican street corn at Cafe Habana, followed by some macarons from Bouchon Bakery (it’s not longer open). I don’t recall where we had dinner that day. I loved walking across the Brooklyn Bridge though and spending some time in Dumbo by the river.

Another favorite spot of mine was Battery Park – getting something to eat at Shake Shack, or somewhere nearby, walking around there and then going to see a movie at the Battery Park theater. It was a lot less crowded than Midtown, which made it more peaceful and enjoyable. It was also easy to get to with the PATH and didn’t require a subway ride. We recently visited the Battery Park area with the kids and enjoyed some waffles from Wafles & Dinges – one of my absolute favorite dessert spots! 

We would try to avoid the busier, more touristy areas like Times Square, especially at night, but whenever someone was visiting us, Times Square was a must-see. It’s iconic and there are some interesting stores and spots, but we’d still try to avoid it as much as possible. Sometimes it would be the spot we’d go to for a specific restaurant or, when we went to see The Lion King on Broadway, which I highly recommend. Walking around Times Square wasn’t as bad during the day though. I would especially suggest avoiding it during Christmas time – oh my goodness! My friend and sister were visiting during that time once so, we went to the touristy spots. We were leaving Times Square to go elsewhere and we couldn’t even cross the street in the direction we wanted to go because of the mob of people going the other way. We had to just go with the flow of people and head towards an emptier street.

Living so close to New York, with all of the different cuisines and restaurants to try, I became a pretty big foodie. I also became a little obsessed with afternoon tea and had to try multiple spots, taking my dear friend with me. The first spot we had tried was the afternoon tea service at Bergdorf Goodman. It was good, not the best, but the decor and atmosphere made it a really nice outing. Another one we tried was Bosie Tea Parlor. I really enjoyed that one, but it’s no longer open. Bergdorf still is and also Alice’s Tea Cup, which I also enjoyed. Alice’s is a cute one to take kids to, I recommend going. 

Central Park was another frequent spot we’d go to, exploring different parts each time. We all love going there and it’s free! Sometimes we’d go to the top, but most of the time we wouldn’t venture that far and stay at the bottom of the park. I recommend trying to see the whole park and finding what you like best. There’s definitely a lot to be seen there. You have the Conservatory Garden and Reservoir at the top which are both nice; the Belvedere Castle, Bethesda Fountain, Terrace, and Boathouse in the middle of the park; and the carousel, zoo, and pond at the bottom. I would say the middle of the park is my favorite to walk around. It’s also near the MET, which I would enjoy going to. I recommend the MET and the Museum of Natural History (especially for kids). MET tickets cost $30 for adults and kids under 12 are free; Natural History Museum tickets cost $30 for adults and $18 for kids 3-12.

Central Park

Natural History Museum & MET

We took the tram once from Midtown East area to Roosevelt Island and it was a nice walk around there. There wasn’t a whole lot to do, which is probably why we only went that one time, but I feel like it’s something that kids would enjoy – not so much the walking around part, but taking the tram over. I think they would be fascinated with seeing the Queensboro Bridge up close. We might do that sometime on a future visit with the kids. It was interesting to see the ruins of the Smallpox Memorial Hospital on the island. Anyway, it’s something to do and see and what’s pretty awesome about it is that it’s part of the MTA and MetroCards can be used – you don’t have to pay some ridiculous price. Another spot for something different is to visit The Met Cloisters, at the northern-most part of Manhattan. That visit was without kids. I wouldn’t highly recommend it, just something do if you’ve run out of ideas. Tickets for that are $30 for adults and kids under 12 are free.

New York before kids was a lot of eating, movies, and walking. New York with kids now includes a lot of eating, walking, and playgrounds. We’ve been waiting to take them to see The Lion King on Broadway, but we have been waiting for the right age and also maybe a good discount on tickets, ha! The spots the kids really enjoy when we go are Central Park, the big LEGO store, and the Natural History Museum. They love playing Heckscher Playground in Central Park. Who knows, you may see a celebrity when you visit as we did once (Anne Hathaway and her family). Most of our visits have to include kid-friendly food and lots of Wafles & Dinges! Our last visit we stopped there each day for a waffle. 

NYC is definitely a fun spot to go to with and without kids, spring being a more pleasant time. I especially recommend Brooklyn Botanic Garden in the spring when the cherry blossoms are blooming. One of my favorite spots to sit and enjoy a book among the flowers. The esplanade was a beautiful spot to sit and read a book. The magnolia trees are beautiful as well, but don’t bloom at the same time as the esplanade. So, if you don’t live near there, it would be hard to experience both. New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx was nice as well and very big, but I was more drawn to the Brooklyn one for the cherry esplanade. The Brooklyn one is easier to get to as well from lower Manhattan or Midtown and doesn’t cost as much.

The Cherry Blossoms, Magnolias, and Japanese Garden At Brooklyn Botanical Garden

New York Botanical Garden

Now with my recommended sights listed, I will list all of the food spots I enjoyed from years ago (and that are still open) as well as the more recent ones we’ve gone to with kids that we enjoyed…My friend and I went to ROBERT in Columbus Circle and though I don’t remember what I ordered for lunch, the bombolini for dessert I couldn’t forget. Absolutely delicious. It’s a classy restaurant, not one for kids. Be sure to reserve a table near the windows for a nice view. Afternoon tea at Bergdorf is another one that I would recommend trying, but not sure about with kids. I would take kids to Alice’s Tea Cup instead. Lombardi’s and Artichoke Basille were some good pizza spots. Though, one slice of the artichoke pizza at Basille’s is enough – very heavy, but good. A lot of places in New York don’t have much seating so that’s usually something we factor in when choosing where to eat with the kids. I’ll list more places below that I recommend trying. As New York is somewhere we like to visit at least once a year, I’ll periodically update this list with new places we’ve tried and enjoyed.

My main hotel recommendation with kids would be the Residence Inn by Marriott in Weehawken. It’s not the most convenient since it’s not in the city, but the suites are spacious. Most hotel rooms in NYC are quite small and can be challenging with kids so, the Marriott in Weehawken works for us. It’s along the river which is nice and there’s a little playground nearby. It also works for us since we usually stick with Marriott hotels to earn points to use on future stays.

Listed Restaurants (not recommended with kids):

Bergdorf – Afternoon Tea

Restaurants/Dessert Spots to go to with kids:

Alice’s Tea Cup – Afternoon Tea

Lombardi’s –  White Pizza

Artichoke Basille’s – Artichoke Pizza (the location we had gone back in the day didn’t have much seating, but another location might)

Beard Papa’s – Cream Puffs

Zooba – if you want to try Egyptian food

Keki – delicious Cheesecake

Sweet Churros – my favorite Churros

Dominique Ansel Bakery – the original Cronut and their DKA, among other things

Wafles & Dinges – obviously

Tanoreen (Brooklyn) – one of my favorite Middle Eastern restaurants. Loved everything I’ve had, especially the Fetti.

Lava Shawarma  – Shawarma

Mama’s Too – Pizza and Sandwiches

Up Next – Guanella Pass