Single Parents and Travel: 5 Things To Do in New York City Over Spring Break
New York City is a wonderful and exciting place to visit any time of the year. It can also be an extremely kid-friendly destination (and a great place to spend quality time bonding with your kids as a single parent). When visiting The Big Apple, during the winter or spring, there are countless activities you can enjoy, including seeing and experiencing some of NYC’s most famous landmarks and tourist attractions.
Making advanced travel reservations in NYC (especially for hotels) is essential. However, tickets for shows and tours should also be purchased in advance to insure availability when they’re wanted. It’s also important to wear comfortable shoes, since you’ll be doing a lot of walking around the city.
TOP FIVE FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES
If you’ll be visiting New York City during the winter or spring months, when the weather is still chilly, you can experience countless indoor and outdoor activities which are family-friendly. The following is just a sampling of five popular activities and attractions worth experiencing:
1. Broadway Show.
There are plenty of Broadway musicals that are kid and teen friendly, especially those based on Disney movies. Disney’s The Lion King, for example, is a visually stunning show featuring amazing costumes, sets and life-size puppets. The show retells the story from the movie, but offers a handful of additional songs. Also on Broadway, you’ll find Disney’s The Little Mermaid (opens January 10th) and Disney’s Marry Poppins.
To learn more about the award-winning Disney musical, visit http://disney.go.com/theatre/index.html. Other family-friendly Broadway musicals that are well worth seeing include: Hairspray, Legally Blond, Rent, Grease and Mamma Mia!. Wicked (a prequel to The Wizard of Oz) is also an extremely popular musical, but it’s not suitable for kids under the age of ten. To pre-order Broadway show tickets, call (800) BROADWAY, visit www.broadway.com, or contact any Ticketmaster location (www.Ticketmaster.com). While in NYC, tickets can also be purchased at a theater’s box office.
Expect to pay at least $50 to $150 per ticket for a Broadway musical, even for matinee performances. One way to save money is to buy same-day, half-price tickets at the TKTS booth located in Times Square. Tickets are based on availability. The temporary location of the TKTS booth, which only accepts cash payments, is at 46th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue.
Once you have your tickets in hand, arrive at the theater about 15 minutes early. Most Broadway theaters don’t have lobbies, so if you arrive too early, you’ll have to wait outside until just before show time. If you’re picking up tickets at the theaters box office, do this at least one hour in advance, but plan on exploring the Time Square area until just before the show.
2. Empire State Building Observation Desk.
Address: 350 5th Ave.
Phone Number: (212) 736-3100
Cost: $17.61 (Adults), $15.76 (Kids, ages 12 to 17), $12.07 (Children, ages 6 to 11)
Hours: Open daily (365 days a year), between 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Website: www.esbnyc.com
The Empire State Building is one of New York City’s most popular landmarks, as well as its tallest. On the 86th floor (soaring about 1,050 feet above street level) is the Observation Desk, which offers a truly breathtaking panoramic view of Manhattan. There’s both a glassed-in and open-air observation area. Since 1931, when the Observation Deck opened, more than 110 million people have visited. From the ground floor of the Empire State Building, guests are whisked up a high-speed elevator. Be prepared to enter through a security checkpoint, which is similar to what you’d find at an airport. The view is impressive during the day, at sunset or at night.
3. American Museum of Natural History.
Address: Central Park West and 79th St.
Phone Number: (212) 769-5100
Cost:$15 (Adults), $8.50 (Kids, ages 2 to 12). Hayden Planetarium Space Show, Special Exhibitions, and IMAX Theatre have additional admission fees, but money-saving admission packages are available.
Hours: 10 a.m. until 5:45 p.m. daily
Website: www.amnh.org
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the most famous museums in the world. It’s also one of the most kid-friendly. It’s easy to spend an entire day here experiencing all of the shows, exhibits, and attractions. The main museum encompasses four massive (indoor) floors, which house all of the exhibits, an IMAX theater, plus the Hayden Planetarium. There’s also a food court, several cafes and five gift shops on the premises.Perhaps the most popular attraction here, at least amongst kids, is the two dinosaur halls which feature the world’s largest collection of vertebrate fossils, including several full-size dinosaur skeletons.
4. NBC Television Studios Tour.
Address: 30 Rockefeller Plaza
Phone Number: (212) 664-3700 Cost: $18.50 (Adults), $15.50 (Kids, ages 6 to 12)
Hours: Mondays through Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; and Sundays, between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Website: www.nbcuniversalstore.com/index.php?v=nbunbcmktnbt
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the New York studios of the NBC Television Network. Tours depart every 15 to 30 minutes (depending on the day) and last about 70 minutes. During the tour, you’ll visit the actual sets of The Today Show, Dateline NBC, NBC Nightly News, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Saturday Night Live and other popular shows. This is primarily an indoor walking tour, but there are some interactive elements. The tours are presented by NBC Pages, who offer history, trivia and comical anecdotes throughout the tour.
5. Toys ‘R Us / F.A.O. Schwartz / American Girl Place.
Kids love toys, and there’s no better place to shop for toys than in New York City. Here, you’ll find the world’s largest Toys ‘R Us. It’s located in the heart of Times Square. There’s also the original F.A.O. Schwartz toy store, and American Girl Place. Each of these famous toy stores offer toys and souvenirs that are unique to New York City, plus a vast selection of traditional and unusual toys from around the world.
Address: Toys ‘R Us, 1514 Broadway (at 44th Street)
Phone Number: (646) 366-8800
Cost: Free admission
Hours: Vary (usually remains open until 9 p.m. or 11 p.m.)
Website: www.toysrus.com/timessquare/
The giant (110,000 square-foot), multi-floor Toys ‘R Us store has a 60-foot-tall Ferris wheel in the lobby, plus hundreds of interactive toy testing kiosks and displays. Here, you’ll find all of the latest and greatest toys and video games. The LEGO Shop, for example, has a New York skyline statue on display that’s built out of, you guessed it, Lego. This includes a 25-foot-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty. The Jurassic Park Exhibit features a five-ton, 20-foot-tall, 34-foot-long animatronic T-Rex dinosaur.
Address: F.A.O. Schwartz, 767 5th Ave.
Phone Number: (212) 644-9400
Cost: Free admission
Hours: Mondays through Saturdays, 10 am until 7 p.m.; and Sundays, between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Website: www.fao.com
In addition to featuring thousands of popular toys from around the world, F.A.O. Schwartz is famous for its unique plush toys. At the main entrance, you’ll be greeted by a doorman dressed as a toy soldier. This is a 50,000-square-foot store offering many interactive displays, plus play stations where toys can be tested first-hand.
Address: American Girl Place, 609 Fifth Ave. (at 49th Street)
Phone Number: (877) 247-5223
Cost: Free admission
Hours: Mondays through Fridays, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.; Saturdays, between 9 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.; and Sundays, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Website: www.americangirl.com
The American Girl Place store showcases and sells all of the popular American Girl dolls, accessories, outfits, books, and related products. There’s also an American Girl-themed café (reservations are an absolute must), plus the live American Girl show (presented several times daily). Ticket prices for the various show are $20 to $34 per person.
At this American Girl Place store, you’ll also find a photo studio and doll hair salon, plus a one-of-a-kind shopping experience designed primarily for young girls. Plan on spending one to three hours here, depending on the activities you participate in. It’s also very easy to spend hundreds of dollars on the dolls, clothing, and accessories.
