Part two of our 2008 trip was our first of many, hopefully, New York vacations. It took us about three hours to drive from Hershey Park, Pennsylvania. We went through the Lincoln Tunnel to enter the Big Apple to start our New York vacation. Our New York City hotel was the Hampton Inn and was at 8th Avenue and 50th – just a few blocks northeast of Times Square. We parked our car in the hotel’s garage and walked, used taxis and rode the subway during our New York family vacation.
Times Square
After getting settled in our room, we headed to Times Square and grabbed a
What New York Vacations would be complete without a visit to Hard Rock Cafe
late lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. They had a lot of cool things from the world of rock including a Billy Joel motorcycle, the gray “collarless” Beetles suits, Jimi Hendrix’ purple suit, an awesome display of guitars and more! Other than London, it’s probably the coolest Hard Rock Cafe I’ve been to. After lunch, we headed to the Time Square Toys R Us – which is definitely the coolest toy store ever. They even have a 60′ tall ferris wheel right inside this amazing 110,000 square foot toy store. If you have a Lego fan like we do, be sure to visit the Lego Shop which features 25-foot-tall replicas of the Statue of Liberty, Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. The selection was good, too. Our little guy settled on an Indiana Jones set. Be sure to see the five-ton, 20-foot-high and 34-foot-long animatronic Jurassic Park T-Rex dinosaur on the second floor. It even roars so if you have a little one who scares easily, you might want to avoid it. For those of you with Barbie fans, be sure to check out the Barbie Dollhouse – a 4,000-square-foot, two-story dollhouse filled with dolls, clothes, accessories, collectibles and more. For more on the Times Square Toys R Us, click here.
New York Vacation At The Top Of The Empire State Building
We then took a quick walking tour around the area. First we walked into Grand Central Station to get a look at the ceiling which was featured in Madagascar. The blue ceiling is covered with painted or electronically twinkling constellations. We then got a good view of the Chrysler Building and then walked by the New York Public Library which unfortunately was closed as it was Sunday. We really wanted to get a look inside as we our big Ghostbusters fans and wanted to see the site of the opening scene of the movie. We at least got a pic with one of the two lions that stand guard. Next it was time to go to the top of the Empire State Building. We were in NYC prior to 9/11 and security and waiting was much different. This time, we had to wait quite a awhile and go through more security. At the time we visited in 2008 you could go to the 86th or 102nd floor. We opted to go to the 86th floor as my husband and I both had been to the 102nd floor before and we knew our 7-year-old would be satisfied with the 86th; plus it was an additional $15 per person to go to the top, so that would have made it an additional $45. Currently, it appears from the ESB website that you can just go to the 86th floor. The cost is $18.45 for adults and $12.92 for children. You can also purchase an express ticket for $41.52 each which will put you at the front of the line. This might be good if you are limited on time and don’t mind spending the extra cash as we did have to wait in line a while. You can purchase tickets on line which also might save a little time. While at the top, be sure to take pictures in each direction – north, south, east and west. Try to find the five most looked-for sites from the top – Statue of Liberty, Chrysler Building, Ground Zero, United Nations Building and the Brooklyn Bridge. Also, be sure to have someone take your family pic at the top. Be sure to explore the ESB website as there are lots of cool facts and information like the lighting schedule and other special events.
New York Vacations Ferry Ride to Liberty Island
Statue of Liberty
We woke early the following morning and caught a cab to Battery Park to take the ferry to Liberty Island. I definitely recommend buying your ferry tickets in advance at statuecruises.com. Ferry tickets for those age 13+ are $12 and those for children ages 4-12 at $5. There is no additional fee to visit the statue. Even though our ticket was a “timed” ticket, we still had to wait quite a bit to board the ferry. It may have been because we were the first ferry…I’m not sure. Just be prepared to wait a bit once you arrive. If you have little ones, pack some simple activities to keep them occupies. You can talk discuss statue of liberty facts with older children while you wait. Click here for a great site featuring Statue of Liberty facts. Our son enjoyed the boat ride to the island. Once on the island, we had to go through the most thorough security I’ve ever experienced. I had some applesauce in my purse that I had planned to give my son at lunch and they took it away. I didn’t think about it being a “liquid.” Click here for the security and safety guidelines.
Original Statue of Liberty Torch
Before climbing up to the pedestal or crown, be sure to check out the Statue of Liberty exhibit to see the original 1886 torch which was replaced in 1986 with a copper torch covered in 24k gold leaf. Be sure to get a family pic in front of the original. The exhibit, located on the second floor in the pedestal of the Statue, traces the history and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty through museum objects, photographs, prints, videos and oral histories. The exhibit opened in July 1986. In addition to historical artifacts and descriptive text, full scale replicas of the Statue’s face and foot are also on display. These make for fun pics as well. Our son stood next to the nose (which was bigger than him) for a pic.
Be sure to visit the Information Center. Pick up a brochure and view a short video chronicling the story of the Statue of Liberty. You can also learn about the day’s schedule of events and review the ferry departure times.You might even want to catch one of the Ranger Led tours. Tours are free and the daily schedule is posted at the Information Center.
Statue of Liberty
Last year, we were only able to climb to the pedestal. Now they have reopened the crown for the first time since 9/11. It is quite a climb – 192 steps – to the pedestal, so be prepared for a strenuous climb (354 steps up a winding staircase) if you plan to go to the crown. I’m sure it’s worth it, though. I’ve been to see Lady Liberty twice and have not climbed to the crown. Well, you know what they say…third times a charm. We’ll have to go back so we can climb to the crown.
We walked around the island a bit before catching the ferry back to Manhattan. Be sure to get picks of yourself and your family wit hthe statue in the background.
Central Park
We caught the subway back up to Central Park. I think our son preferred the cab, but the subway is quite a bit cheaper and part of the whole New York City experience if I say so myself. Central Park was the thing I was most looking forward to on this trip. When we were there on one of our previous New York City vacations, we didn’t get to come to the park because it was raining.Be sure to visit the Central Park website for everything you need to know about the park. You can also print out a map. They also have information kiosks and a visitor center where you can get a map.
Strawberry Fields
Strawberry Fields
We entered the park near the Strawberry Fields – the memorial to John Lennon designed by Yoko Ono. It is circular with the word “Imagine” at the center. People had places flowers, a tiny walrus and posters around the memorial. A group of guys were singing “All You Need Is Love.” Our son has loved this song since he was very little. He called it “The Love Song.”
Bethesda Terrace & the Boathouse
We then headed to the Bethesda Terrace and took some pictures in front of the fountain that has been featured in so many of my favorite movies
Lunch at the Boathouse in Central Park
including Fools Rush In, Enchanted, One Fine Day and 27 Dresses. For a list of all movies featuring Central Park, click here. We had lunch at The Boathouse which is also featured in 27 Dresses. I think you can eat inside, however, we just grabbed burgers and hot dogs and ate outside. It was fantastic. I love to eat outside and Central Park is the ultimate place to eat outside.
Central Park Statue Scavenger Hunt
We then stumbled upon the awesome bronze sculpture of Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Children were climbing all over it. We managed to get a good pic of our son. There are many, many wonderful sculptures in the park. I got this idea from the excellent travel guide “New York City with Kids” by Holly Hughes. I definitely recommend picking it up. Click here, to get the guidelines to find the statues. We didn’t find them all, but in addition to Alice, we saw the Hans Christian Andersen statue and Balto the Sled Dog (one of our son’s favorite stories…he loves huskies).
Sailing Boats in Central Park
Conservatory Water
Right by the Alice and Hans Christian Andersen statues, is the Conservatory Water. I was hoping we’d find it as I had seen it featured in movies (Stuart Little) with kids sailing small boats on it. It ended up being our son’s favorite thing. He and my husband each rented a one-quarter scale radio-controlled model sailboat from a stand beside the boathouse. The sailed the boats for a half an hour before we headed south down East Drive to hit the zoos.
Central Park Zoo and Tisch Children’s Zoo
Tisch Zoo is the smaller of the two zoos. Our son, the bird lover, enjoyed the aviary. There are animals the children can pet and lots of things for the children to climb and play on. The Central Park Zoo was really nice. We really enjoyed watching their polar bears which were very active. They also have penguins, puffins, harbor seals, snow monkeys and more. The center piece of this lovely little zoo is the Sea Lion Pool. We caught the Sea Lion Feeding and it was a must-see. The show the sea lions and their keepers put on was fantastic. Be sure to grab a map and check the signs for feeding times right when you enter. Feedings are usually crowded, so grab a spot early. Of course we had to stop at the gift shop for souvenirs then it was back on the Subway to Times Square to grab dinner at ESPN Zone.
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
We slept in this morning, packed up everything and checked out of the hotel. We had our bags stored and caught the subway to the American Museum of Natural History. I wanted to see this museum for a couple of reasons: I love history and thought it would be a great museum for kids AND it was featured in the movie Night at the Museum which we all loved! First, we grabbed lunch in the food court which was pretty good, but very busy. Then we explored as much as we could before closing. There is no way you can do this entire museum justice in one day, so we tried to see the highlights. We enjoyed the Ocean Life exhbit which featured a huge model of a blue whale. They had a lot of hand-on activities throughout the museum. Our son got to look at some tiny fish under a microscope. Our son really enjoyed the areas of Human Origins (lots of skeletons!), meteorites, minerals and gems. We saw the Halls of Asian Peoples (couldn’t find Atilla the Hun Hun), African & Asian animals, North American Animals, Eastern Woodlands and Northwest Coast Indians. We were searching for things from Night at the Museum. We finally found one in the Hall of Pacific Peoples – the Easter Island statues that call Ben Stiller “Dumb Dumb” in the movie. After visiting the museum, I realize the movie was not actually filmed on site…therefore…the museum is different from the movie. We ended the day on the fourth floor – in the dinosaur exhibits. Be sure to stop by the Museum Shop. They have so many cool things. I would recommend two days at the American Museum of Natural History especially if you also want to see the Rose Center for Earth and Space featuring the Hayden Planetarium.
We caught a cab back to the hotel, got our car and headed west back to Indiana. What a great and hopefully one of many New York vacations! We love New York!
