New York City {with a toddler}

Welcome to New York - the city that never sleeps! We spent a busy 4 days in NYC exploring the city and visiting family that recently moved there. We stayed in Manhattan and spent most of our time there as well. There is so much to do in the city for people of all ages and interests! I was pleasantly surprised at how many kid-friendly things there were to do!

Check out my other post on how to travel with a baby! Emma was 2 years old during this adventure. And don't forget our other pages for our FULL itinerary & highlight video!

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The 5 boroughs of NYC: New York City is home to hundreds of distinct neighborhoods, but can be largely categorized into 5 main boroughs that each have unique character & history. We only explored Manhattan and some of Brooklyn, and look forward to going back to experience more!

• Manhattan

• Brooklyn

• Queens

• The Bronx

• Staten Island

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Manhattan

Ess-a-bagel

Best Eats

Foods to try:

• Pizza

• Pastrami sandwich

• Bagels

• Cheesecake

• Cookies

• Cheeseburger

• Hot Dog

• Shawarma

• Ramen

• Chop cheese

Places to check out:

• Ess-a-bagel: order online & skip the line!

• Katz Deli: outstanding pastrami sandwiches

• Tony's Italian: iconic but touristy

• Levain bakery: cookies

• Lafayette Grand Bakery: viral circular croissants, only baked 3 times daily (8am, noon, & 4pm) & sell out in less than an hour

• Ichiran Ramen: our favorite from Tokyo!

• Chelsea Market

  • Los Tacos No. 1: great tacos (but if you're from Texas and used to good tacos, may not be worth the wait)

  • Miznon: great Israeli & Mediterranean food

• 7th Street Burgers

• Bagel Market

• 787 Coffee: amazing Puerto Rican coffee in a bag

• Liberty Bagel: home of the rainbow bagel

• Xeno's Pizza

• Sophia Pizza Shoppe

• Grimaldi's Pizza

• Shake Shack

Must do, Must see

• Grand Central Terminal

• New York Public Library: also has free public restrooms!

• Time’s Square: busy busy busy! Considering checking it out at daytime and night time.

• Rockefeller Plaza

• Top of the Rock: awesome skyline views! [Citypass option]

• The Met

• American Museum of Natural History: consider checking out the subway entrance for a shorter line than the main entrance [Citypass]

• Central Park:

  • Lost in the Ramble

  • Bow Bridge

  • Bethesda Fountain

  • Billy Johnson Playground

  • Central Park Zoo

  • Heckscher Playground

• Financial District

  • Wall Street

  • Bull Statue

• World Trade Center Station

• Ground Zero

• 9/11 Museum: we recommend considering the audio tour ($10 extra) or the guided tour ($20 extra). [Citypass option]

• One World Observatory: great skyline views

• Brookfield Place: shops

• Pier 25 Playground

• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise: 2.5 hours cruise around Manhattan island including sights of Statue of Liberty [Citypass option]

• The Intrepid [Citypass option]

• Washington Square park

• Flat Iron Building

• Empire State Building

• Battery park & playground

• Little Island: private park with food trucks, trails, amphitheater, great views of the city, and public restrooms!

• Chelsea Waterside Area

• The Vessel

• Walk the Highline: old rail tracks turned into a walkway/park. You can walk straight on from the plaza around the Vessel. There are a few other access points via steps & elevators. We chose to walk from the Vessel to Chelsea Market!

• Explore Chelsea Market: lots of good food and shops

Tips and Tricks

• Air Travel: We flew into La Guardia which was a beautiful airport! Very easy to get to Manhattan as well. You can also fly into Newark Airport (across the Hudson River in New Jersey) or JFK Airport (southeast part of Queens) which are a bit further away.

• Transportation: There is no need to rent a car in NYC. Public transportation is definitely the way to go! You can get around easily with the subway, busses, and uber/taxis.

  • We opted to take an Uber from the airport to our accommodations in Manhattan; we had the option to take the subway which would have been cheaper, but taken longer and required a few transfers with all of our luggage.

  • For public transportation, you can get an unlimited 7-day MetroCard for $33. Or each trip (including any transfers) costs $2.75. We looked at our plans for the trip and chose to just tap in for each trip. You can use any form of contactless payment by tapping your credit card, watch, or MetroCard if you have one.

• NYC City Pass: $138/adult, $118/child (ages 6-17), children under 6 are free! It includes access to 5 attractions:

  • Empire State Building

  • American Museum of Natural History

  • plus 3 others from the following list:

    • Top of the Rock Observation Deck

    • Ferry Access to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

    • 9/11 Memorial & Museum

    • Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises

    • Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

    • Guggenheim Museum

• Public restrooms: While out and about, public restrooms aren't very easy to find! There are a few scattered about Central Park. But your best bet is to go in any restaurant you're at. Starbucks is also a reliable option! Nearly all Starbucks have restrooms and they have a policy allowing anyone from the public to use them. Good news is, there are Starbucks shops all over NYC!

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Brooklyn

Best Eats

• Beepublic: bee-friendly coffee shop with great vegan options

• Lucali: pizza

• Roberta: pizza

• Time Out Market Foodhall

Must do, Must see

• Walk the Brooklyn Bridge: starting on the Brooklyn side is less busy and offers better views of the city! There is a set of stairs to get up to the promenade here.

• DUMBO: Down under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Check out this spot for a great photo op!

• Manhattan Bridge Park: stops at John Street park, Pebble Beach, Main Street park & playground

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Don't forget to check out my other post on how to travel with a baby/toddler!

XOXO, Tom, Katie & Emma

"The Wandering Olivers"

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