This Labor Day weekend we took a couple of "first timers" to the BIG APPLE. Our kids, Wallis & Grant, just loved it!!! They were totally in "awe" from the moment we got into a "yellow" cab at the airport for the 30 minute ride across the bridge into Manahattan. Of course a 15 year old girl and a 13 year old boy have far different "highlights" of their experience. Wallis was enthralled with Fifth Avenue (and the sight of all the store windows prominently displaying "Gossip Girl" decorations) while Grant almost cried at the first view of Yankee Stadium!
We stayed at the Peninsula Hotel on Fifth Avenue, which proved to be a great location for walking to Central Park and shopping Fifth Avenue. We were also very close to subway for uptown and downtown touring.... The rooms was very large (for NYC) and had windows that actually OPENED! It was another highlight to watch TV from the tub looking out onto the spires of a beautiful cathedral and feeling the warm autumn air waft through our window. I would have been happy to stay there all day.....The colors are very soothing beiges & warm tones and the lighting is soft and subtle. We found it a very relaxing place to "come home to". The hotel spa and pool were under renovation but the rooftop lounge, Salon De Ning, offered a nice afternoon tapas & cocktail experience. This place is a "happening" spot after dinner until the wee hours of the morning with NYC hipsters chaise lounging and looking out over the lights of Manhattan. There is only 1 restaurant (not the focus, here) but you can easily walk to some of the best in the city.
A trip to the newly opened Sports Museum is a MUST for kids & teens (although JC & I enjoyed it as much as the kids). It is located near Ground Zero on Broadway and highlights every sport known to man. Grant was able to touch the Heismann Trophy (let's see if it brings him good luck in his middle school football season) and Wallis got a kick out of shooting "hoops" with the professional women's basketball team! This museum pays homage to sports and atheletes with wonderful photos, memoribilia, and virtual experiences. We planned on being there for an hour and realized 2 1/2 hours later, we needed to get going or we would miss the ACTUAL Yankee game.
A trip to the newly opened Sports Museum is a MUST for kids & teens (although JC & I enjoyed it as much as the kids). It is located near Ground Zero on Broadway and highlights every sport known to man. Grant was able to touch the Heismann Trophy (let's see if it brings him good luck in his middle school football season) and Wallis got a kick out of shooting "hoops" with the professional women's basketball team! This museum pays homage to sports and atheletes with wonderful photos, memoribilia, and virtual experiences. We planned on being there for an hour and realized 2 1/2 hours later, we needed to get going or we would miss the ACTUAL Yankee game.
We can now say we have experienced history. We caught a game in Yankee Stadium before it was demolished. The new stadium, right next door, is going to be fabulous....but I'll bet the hot dogs won't taste as good and I know the view past the outfield of those white turrets and the pennants flying won't be as awe inspiring.
Ah, and then there's the food. Little Italy, Chinatown, Tribeca, the Meat Packing District, so many restaurants and so little time! We did happen to eat at our favorite french bistro, Pastis, and grab some fab pizza @ Lombardi's in Little Italy. A morning walk from the hotel to Third Avenue also produced some of the best bagels and bially's I have ever tasted. And to top it all off, we happened to experience one of New York's famous street festivals on Madison Avenue on Saturday. They closed the entire street and vendors from food, arts, crafts, and musicians provided a true sense of what it is like to "live in the city".
Another "must do" is the Tenemant Museum on the Lower East side. This is the only original remaining true tenemant building in NYC. They do a wonderful job appealing to all ages with tours from a "family perspective". They trace several families back to the late 1800's and you can experience it through the age of the tenant as to what life was like back then. We ALL enjoyed it!
Shopping with a 15 year old on a budget is quite the experience anywhere, but in New York....the only place to go is SOHO and Canal Street. Wallis came home with several "designer" finds all under $100.00....so needless to say, she was the hit at school on Tuesday!
An appropriate finale to our wonderful weekend was a trip to Ellis Island and a night cruise around Manhattan! I had forgotten how truly majestic the Statue Of Liberty looks as the sun is setting. The kids really understood Ellis Island (enhanced by taking the audio tour) and were impacted by what our ancestors endured to come to the New World. I was so glad we could experience this as a family! A return to Manhattan by moonlight with millions of sparking lights made for a perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
Ah, and then there's the food. Little Italy, Chinatown, Tribeca, the Meat Packing District, so many restaurants and so little time! We did happen to eat at our favorite french bistro, Pastis, and grab some fab pizza @ Lombardi's in Little Italy. A morning walk from the hotel to Third Avenue also produced some of the best bagels and bially's I have ever tasted. And to top it all off, we happened to experience one of New York's famous street festivals on Madison Avenue on Saturday. They closed the entire street and vendors from food, arts, crafts, and musicians provided a true sense of what it is like to "live in the city".
Another "must do" is the Tenemant Museum on the Lower East side. This is the only original remaining true tenemant building in NYC. They do a wonderful job appealing to all ages with tours from a "family perspective". They trace several families back to the late 1800's and you can experience it through the age of the tenant as to what life was like back then. We ALL enjoyed it!
Shopping with a 15 year old on a budget is quite the experience anywhere, but in New York....the only place to go is SOHO and Canal Street. Wallis came home with several "designer" finds all under $100.00....so needless to say, she was the hit at school on Tuesday!
An appropriate finale to our wonderful weekend was a trip to Ellis Island and a night cruise around Manhattan! I had forgotten how truly majestic the Statue Of Liberty looks as the sun is setting. The kids really understood Ellis Island (enhanced by taking the audio tour) and were impacted by what our ancestors endured to come to the New World. I was so glad we could experience this as a family! A return to Manhattan by moonlight with millions of sparking lights made for a perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
We even got a genuine "thank you" from our children who were "ripped from their weekend with friends" to spend the time with Mom & Dad.
To learn more about travel in New York City, you can contact Debbie by clicking here. To learn more about Sterling Brownell, click here.
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