1. Central Park: It has 8000 acres of greenery in the middle of a bustling city. This is my favorite place in New York, if I’m in New York for my birthday, this is where I always spend my day. There is so much to see and do in Central Park. You can just stroll, which can be very romantic, almost at any time of the year. If you are with the children, during the summer you can sit in any of the green areas and have a picnic or play ball. There are benches throughout the park under large oak trees, where you can sit and enjoy the music of local musicians, watch people dance on their skates, or just people watch. There are 2 zoos for children: the Tisch Children’s Zoo and the Central Park Zoo, which is free for children under 3 years of age. If you don’t want to go in, you can enjoy watching the seals and sea lions for free, which are visible. from outside. If your kids like to sail in toy boats, there is a small pond just for this. For children 6 years and older, who like to watch birds, if you pass by Belvedere Castle they will lend you binoculars, guide, map and sketch pads. In summer, if you want to cool off by a fountain, there is a beautiful one. During winter, there are 2 ice skating rinks in the park.
2. Staten Island Ferry – This is a great way to see the wonderful view of New York Harbor along a 5-mile stretch, on this 25-minute trip, as it goes from Manhattan to Staten Island and back. . It’s free, you can’t beat it! This is one of the main means of transportation used by Staten Islanders to get to Manhattan, so try to avoid rush hour.
3. Times Square: Yes, it is very touristy, but I’m still in awe of all the lights and the tall billboards building every time I see it. If you want to take a break from the bright lights and window shopping, you must visit the multi-story Virgin store, Toys R Us, Hershey’s, MTV, etc. If you want to go see a Broadway, tickets can be purchased at a discounted price, up to 50% off, at the large-poster TKTS box office on 42nd Street on the day of the show.
4. Rockefeller Center: If you can get up early enough, the Today Show on NBC runs from Rockefeller Plaza. We went there once with 3-month-old Seth, even though it was pretty cold that morning, I guess it was worth it to be on TV for 2 seconds! To see the view of New York from the observation deck at Top of The Rock, buy the Sunrise Sunset ticket, this allows you to visit the platform twice in the same day. If you don’t want to spend that money on the NBC Studio Tour or Radio City Tour just yet, there is plenty to do in and around Rockefeller Center. My favorite thing is to sit by the food court near a window that overlooks the ice skating rink. Or, instead of paying full $ 10 to $ 14 ice skating ticket price, go for lunch Monday through Thursday (excluding holidays) between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm, and you can enter for only $ 5! The subway stop is right at Rockefeller Center, a few levels down. St. Patrick’s Cathedral Church is right across the street.
5. Saint Patrick’s Cathedral: This 125 year old Gothic style Catholic cathedral built with white marble has the most amazing architecture, stained glass windows and marble sculptures. It is very peaceful and gives you a feeling of calm from the hustle and bustle right outside your door. After September 11, many people took comfort in visiting this quiet cathedral.
6. Brooklyn Bridge – You can see one of the oldest suspension bridges in the country up close. It spans the East River that connects Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan. There is a water taxi that you can take from here to Manhattan. You get a spectacular view of Manhattan from this side of the East River. It’s also nice to walk through Brooklyn Heights and see all the beautiful Brownstone homes.
7. South Street Seaport: Most recently, the evacuation scene for Will Smith’s movie I am Legend was filmed here. We were just there as the filming continued with thousands of extras. Look, you never know what you’ll find in New York! At Pier 17 Pavilion there are many places to shop and eat. It’s nice to sit by the window in one of the restaurants overlooking the river and Brooklyn. Or you can get this view from one of the decks. You may see and enjoy some street performers or live music during the summer. The South Street Seaport Museum consisting of 12 artifact blocks and a collection of historic fleets. It shows the history of New York as a port city. It is quite a sight to see the skyscrapers, the big ships and the Brooklyn Bridge, all in the same view.
8. Grand Central Station: The interior of the main concourse with a beautiful painted ceiling, tall arched windows, marble floors, is as impressive as the exterior design, with a large sculpture of Hercules, among others, around a clock of 13 feet and a great Corinthian. columns. It is amazing how this center connects all forms of transportation; It is the busiest train station in the world, with 150,000 daily commuters. On Wednesdays and Fridays, at 12:30 pm, there is a free tour of the station.
9. Metropolitan Museum of Art: If you love art, and it’s never too early to start exposing your little one to this. The museum is free the first weekend of each month if you are a Bank of America customer with a BOA debit card, ATM or credit card, under Bank of America’s Museum on Us program. We have visited and enjoyed more museums now than ever, once our son was born.
10. Shop Windows: As long as you’re willing and enjoying walking around, there are plenty of places to shop window in New York. Take your husband or boyfriend to the Diamond District on 49th Street, walk down Fifth Avenue or the Upper West Side, along Columbus Avenue and Broadway. Sometimes just being there among all that makes you feel like a million dollars! Of course, during the Christmas season, you want to take a window tour, with beautiful Christmas-themed displays at stores like Bloomindales, Barney’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue, etc.
How has your experience been in some of the places mentioned above?
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