We’ve been talking about New York for a long time. My husband has no desire to go to the city because there are no golf courses and he’s worried about navigating such a bustling place, especially with kids. I’ve been to New York several times – my first job’s headquarters were there, and I’ve been there for BlogHer.
But now we’ve got our plane tickets booked and we’ll have a weekend in Manhattan before heading out to some resorts in upstate New York and Pennsylvania.
We have a full day on Saturday to fill, as well as most of Sunday. So far, my list of attractions include:
- Ground Zero: I took the subway to the towers from New Jersey in the mid-90s. I’d love to see the memorial.
- Statue of Liberty: The inside is closed for remodeling but I’d still like to take the ferry to Ellis Island and see it up close.
- Empire State Building: I’ve never been in it.
- Central Park: I know there are a lot of activities here. I need to do some research and see what would be fun with the kids.
- Times Square: Definitely a walk-through with the family for the experience.
- FAO Schwartz: A family landmark in the city.
- Dylan’s Candy Bar: Found this in a search and it sounds like an amazing store.
- NY pizza: I need to find a family-friendly place to get some New York-style pizza. Our family loves our Chicago style, though!
I’ve thought about a Broadway show but the tickets are pretty expensive and the kids are still young, so I’m not sure how much they would get out of the experience for the money that we’d pay. I’d rather wander around the city and have that for the first-time experience.
Tonja's Travels 
Make sure you reserve a ticket online for the 9/11 Memorial. It’s very much worth going to.
The NYC Fire Museum is great. It has a wonderful 9/11 section as well. The kids will love it. My son did. http://www.nycfiremuseum.org/
I recommend Times Square at night. They get the experience AND the lights all at once.
Ride the wooden escalators at Macy’s. My niece thought they were the coolest thing ever!
Serendipity 3 for frozen hot chocolate and a fun atmosphere!
The Central Park Zoo was a lot of fun.
Your daughter may like the Eloise tea at the Plaza. http://www.theplaza.com/shops/eloise-at-the-plaza/
Mini Munchers has great ideas for kid friendly eating. http://www.minimunchers.com/
Hmm… there’s a lot more, obviously, but maybe that’ll give you some ideas.