New York City Through the Eyes of a Child

We recently spent a weekend in New York City, the first time we have taken our children who are 9 and almost 12. This was a great age, as they were very excited about seeing famous landmarks as well as movie sights such as the Trinity Church (National Treasure) and the American Museum of Natural History (Night at the Museum). And they were also old enough to handle the long walks that were required in our jam-packed schedule.

I asked them to tell me in their own words what they liked best. The part written by my son is probably obvious (hint: it’s about the food).

“I liked seeing the Statue of Liberty and going inside the pedestal. I learned that it is actually copper instead of concrete painted green. It was AMAZING! From the Empire State Building I could see for miles from up there! It was so cool! I experienced what it was like to ride on a subway and a train.”
“It was really cool to be just a few feet below the Statue of Liberty. I also really liked the pizza and hot dogs. My favorite part was seeing Manhattan from the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building.”
Since we had a relatively short amount of time, I purchased as many tickets in advance as I could to avoid waiting in lines. This turned out to be a big time savings when visiting the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. On a summer weekend the lines to purchase tickets can be exceptionally long. And we saw several disappointed families who didn’t realize that a limited number of tickets were distributed each day to enter the Statue of Liberty, so if they didn’t get there early enough, they could only walk around the island. We had reserve tickets for the Liberty Island ferry, so we breezed by the crowds! We also visited Grand Central Station and Rockefeller Center, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset, had dinner at the South Street Seaport, and took a carriage ride in Central Park. That was a lot packed into one weekend, but there is still much more to do and see in New York City, so we plan to go back and enjoy it at a more leisurely pace next time. Maybe take in a Broadway show, and use one of my local connections to visit the actors backstage and get a close-up view of the make-up and costumes!

New York City has several Virtuoso hotels which offer exclusive rates and amenities for my clients.

- Ritz Carlton Central Park offers daily breakfast for two and a $100 food & beverage credit.
- Hotel Plaza Athenee offers continental breakfast daily and choice of afternoon tea or 2 cocktails. Their Pillows & Penguins package includes 50% off a connecting room for children, milk & cookies, a children’s gift bag, and 4 tickets to the Central Park Zoo.

- The Plaza offers daily breakfast for two and $100 hotel credit, and through Sept. 7 the 3rd night is free.
- The St. Regis has a Summer Suite Family Package including 3rd night free, daily continental breakfast for four, afternoon tea, and four tickets to two museums of the family’s choice. Kids receive milk & cookies with St. Regis teddy bears, and enjoy two in-suite movies with a popcorn and ice-cream sundae bar delivered by room service! (Available through Sept. 7)

All these hotels also automatically upgrade clients of Virtuoso agencies, if space is available.

For help with your next family vacation, contact Suzette Mack at suzette@family-treks.com.