My Wife And Two Year Old Are Going To New York City For Christmas. What Are The Three Things We Must Do When We're There

[Moketoveto]

My wife and two year old are going to New York City for Christmas. What are the three things we must do when we're there? Good restaurants that would not be out of place to have a 2 year old. Attractions? Etc.

[Orbert]

Here's my 3 things: 1) The Statue of Liberty is awesome, very historic and my favorite thing about New York(even if it's a tourist trap to a degree). I love it and want to go back.  You can visit Ellis Island while your there too.  These two are essential but I'd count them as 1 thing because you basically do them both at the same time.   2) Go see a game at Madison Square Garden.  I know the Knicks are a joke, and the tickets are pricey, but MSG is one of the more historic venues(I would recommend Yankee Stadium first and I've never been, but that's not open during the winter).  So yes I'd have to say that is a place to go(they play the Lakers on the 23rd), tickets are available at www.stubhub.com for $70/ea.  You'll get a chance to see Kobe Bryant and the madness that is MSG.  It's worth the high price in my book just to say you've been there, but then again I'm a ridiculously huge NBA fan(Bulls fan) and would love to go there to root against the Knicks.....even if I'm rooting against them by rooting for the Lakers.  That's a good game to go to though in my book.   3) Finally and like #1 much more reasonably, go to Lombardi's pizzaria.  http://www.firstpizza.com/ Like 4 years ago or so I was flipping through the channells and somehow stopped on the food network, and they were going through all the original pizza chains in the US.  There were a bit of arguments, but whatever is said Lombardi's per this show was the store that pizza's were made(the argument is on which chef made it, Lombardi or his deli chef who left to form his own restaurant)....anyway, I was actually heading to New York the very next week(and at the time never watched the food network), and I made a point to check this place out.  The Pizza is out of this world.  It also was pretty reasonably priced and when we went, the wait time(I don't believe they took reservations) was only maybe 30-40 minutes on a Friday night at like 7:30, not bad at all when you consider its New York, and especially so when you consider how great the food is and how reasonably priced it was....totally worth going to in my book, I can't hardly wait to go back now that I'm thinking about it.     Sources: Personal experience and web sites above. majoyenrac 74 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Newlin]

There are a few incredible experiences for both your wife and 2-year-old in New York. My favorites would inlcude the Bronx Zoo. Even in winter, the zoo will charm them both. The American Museum of Natural History has both adult and child-friendly stuff. My kids adored the dinasaurs and the life size whale. Part of the museum is the Hayden Planetarium. Be careful what show you choose. Some of the shows will either scare or bore a young child. They generally have a few that are aimed at the kiddies. I would avoid the Radio City Christmas Show. It's too much for a little kid. Do visit Macy's and Santa there. It's an experience they will both remember for a lifetime. It's the last of the great department store Christmas setups. See the tree in Rockefeller center. They will both love it. I would suggest avoiding the theater district and Broadway shows...no 2-year-old will sit for that long. Avoid the typical chain restaurants(McDonalds, etc.). There are thousands of great places that are kid friendly and will offer some seriously new experiences. Greenwich Village is a good place to look. Follow the strollers and mommies to the really cool places to eat.   The key to enjoying a NY visit is to avoid the obvious stuff. Remember, if you go to tourist places you pay tourist prices. I lived in Manhattan most of my life and managed to have a great time at prices regular people can afford.

[Jennalyn]

tree, fao, radio city spectacular You MUST:   See the world famous NYC Xmas Tree, while you are there visit the skating rink and take a tour of the NBC studios. http://www.rockefellercenter.com/home.html (Click on THE TREE)   Go to FAO Schwartz, one of NY's most famous toy sotres and gaurenteed to delight a 2 yr old. http://www.fao.com/home.jsp Also a great sotre to visit is the Toys R US in Times Square(they have a FERRIS WHEEL inside!!!!) http://www1.toysrus.com/TimesSquare/dsp_home.cfm   The Radio City Xmas Spectacular is fun for a family! http://www.radiocity.com/   Also if you ever wanted to know what it felt like to walk into Willy Wonkas Candy factory you must go to Dylan's Candy Bar, plus its really close to FAO. http://www.dylanscandybar.com/   Happy Holidays!!! tvmoviegirl 74 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Wambleesha]

Depends on if you have been to New York before and what your interests are but here goes: Try to see the tree at Rockefeller Center.  It's kind of cliche but I like the feeling I get walking through the beautiful art deco buildings and watching the skaters in the rink below the tree as well as the tree itself.  I grew up in nearby Connecticut and currently live in Manhattan.  Rockefeller Center is THE Christmas spot for me.  Also check out the Promenade that runs from Fifth Avenue into Rockefeller Center.  Throughout the year the plants and flowers are changed to reflect the season and during the holidays a display of angels full of white lights is placed down the Promenade.  Across Fifth Avenue from Rockefeller Center is Saks Fifth Avenue.  They have great window displays and the first floor is decorated for the holidays. The shopping is excellent if wildly expensive.  In fact strolling Fifth Avenue to look at the decorations at night is nice as is the shopping.  Be sure to catch the huge snowflake suspended at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th St.  If you like going to the top of tall buildings you might consider the Top of the Rock which is the observation deck at 30 Rockefeller Plaza aka the GE Building.  The big advantage over the Empire State Building is that you can see the Empire State Building in its entirety. Also check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The also have great Christmas displays and occasional choral concerts. http://www.metmuseum.org/   Oh yeah, the art is pretty good too.  They recently renovated the Greek and Roman galleries.  The Museum of Modern Art is amazing too.  They added onto the museum a few years back and added lots more gallery space.  If you have never been it is pretty impressive.  You end up going from room to room and seeing famous paintings that you actually know from school or books.  I'm not an art scholar and even I knew many of the paintings. If you have limited time, don't let anyone talk you into going to South Street Seaport.  It's essentially an outdoor mall with limited charms.  You will waste too much time getting downtown.  Only do it if you plan on seeing other attractions like Wall Street and Ground Zero. As for restaurants, I would be happy to help you further if you give me some idea as to the type of food you like and how much you like to spend.  People take their kids just about everywhere these days and a two year old would be out of place only at the priciest and most formal establishments. For Italian I like Remi on W 53rd in Midtown.  I also like Po on Cornelia Street for Italian.  In fact, all of Cornelia Street is great.  It's a short block in Greenwich Village but it has about seven great restaurants on it.  All are moderately priced.  From memory there is Po, Home, Pearl Oyster Bar, Le Gigot, Cornelia Street Cafe, and Palma.  For Thai I like Holy Basil on Second Avenue at Ninth St.  For Indian try Darbar on E 46th.  It's near Grand Central Terminal which also is worth checking out for the architecture and for the Christmas decorations. I live in Manhattan so feel free to ask follow up questions in the comments section. Sources: I live here simsandwich 74 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Bernie]

Advice from a native New Yorker There are a few incredible experiences for both your wife and 2-year-old in New York. My favorites would inlcude the Bronx Zoo. Even in winter, the zoo will charm them both. The American Museum of Natural History has both adult and child-friendly stuff. My kids adored the dinasaurs and the life size whale. Part of the museum is the Hayden Planetarium. Be careful what show you choose. Some of the shows will either scare or bore a young child. They generally have a few that are aimed at the kiddies. I would avoid the Radio City Christmas Show. It's too much for a little kid. Do visit Macy's and Santa there. It's an experience they will both remember for a lifetime. It's the last of the great department store Christmas setups. See the tree in Rockefeller center. They will both love it. I would suggest avoiding the theater district and Broadway shows...no 2-year-old will sit for that long. Avoid the typical chain restaurants(McDonalds, etc.). There are thousands of great places that are kid friendly and will offer some seriously new experiences. Greenwich Village is a good place to look. Follow the strollers and mommies to the really cool places to eat.   The key to enjoying a NY visit is to avoid the obvious stuff. Remember, if you go to tourist places you pay tourist prices. I lived in Manhattan most of my life and managed to have a great time at prices regular people can afford. mtnlion 74 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Wadanhyll]

Try to see the tree at Rockefeller Center.  It's kind of cliche but I like the feeling I get walking through the beautiful art deco buildings and watching the skaters in the rink below the tree as well as the tree itself.  I grew up in nearby Connecticut and currently live in Manhattan.  Rockefeller Center is THE Christmas spot for me.  Also check out the Promenade that runs from Fifth Avenue into Rockefeller Center.  Throughout the year the plants and flowers are changed to reflect the season and during the holidays a display of angels full of white lights is placed down the Promenade.  Across Fifth Avenue from Rockefeller Center is Saks Fifth Avenue.  They have great window displays and the first floor is decorated for the holidays. The shopping is excellent if wildly expensive.  In fact strolling Fifth Avenue to look at the decorations at night is nice as is the shopping.  Be sure to catch the huge snowflake suspended at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 57th St.  If you like going to the top of tall buildings you might consider the Top of the Rock which is the observation deck at 30 Rockefeller Plaza aka the GE Building.  The big advantage over the Empire State Building is that you can see the Empire State Building in its entirety. Also check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The also have great Christmas displays and occasional choral concerts. http://www.metmuseum.org/   Oh yeah, the art is pretty good too.  They recently renovated the Greek and Roman galleries.  The Museum of Modern Art is amazing too.  They added onto the museum a few years back and added lots more gallery space.  If you have never been it is pretty impressive.  You end up going from room to room and seeing famous paintings that you actually know from school or books.  I'm not an art scholar and even I knew many of the paintings. If you have limited time, don't let anyone talk you into going to South Street Seaport.  It's essentially an outdoor mall with limited charms.  You will waste too much time getting downtown.  Only do it if you plan on seeing other attractions like Wall Street and Ground Zero. As for restaurants, I would be happy to help you further if you give me some idea as to the type of food you like and how much you like to spend.  People take their kids just about everywhere these days and a two year old would be out of place only at the priciest and most formal establishments. For Italian I like Remi on W 53rd in Midtown.  I also like Po on Cornelia Street for Italian.  In fact, all of Cornelia Street is great.  It's a short block in Greenwich Village but it has about seven great restaurants on it.  All are moderately priced.  From memory there is Po, Home, Pearl Oyster Bar, Le Gigot, Cornelia Street Cafe, and Palma.  For Thai I like Holy Basil on Second Avenue at Ninth St.  For Indian try Darbar on E 46th.  It's near Grand Central Terminal which also is worth checking out for the architecture and for the Christmas decorations. I live in Manhattan so feel free to ask follow up questions in the comments section.

[Blakelie]

Some basic ones I took a trip to New York about 2 years ago last Christmas. I would visit the huge Christmas tree is must! The huge Toys R' us is another and the holiday train show i think its in the botanical garden not to sure i was only there for one day. I'm sure other people have better answers but hope that helped :) Sources: My travelling experiance Justinb24 74 months ago Please sign in to give a compliment. Please verify your account to give a compliment. Please sign in to send a message. Please verify your account to send a message.

[Bebhinn]

You MUST:   See the world famous NYC Xmas Tree, while you are there visit the skating rink and take a tour of the NBC studios. http://www.rockefellercenter.com/home.html (Click on THE TREE)   Go to FAO Schwartz, one of NY's most famous toy sotres and gaurenteed to delight a 2 yr old. http://www.fao.com/home.jsp Also a great sotre to visit is the Toys R US in Times Square(they have a FERRIS WHEEL inside!!!!) http://www1.toysrus.com/TimesSquare/dsp_home.cfm   The Radio City Xmas Spectacular is fun for a family! http://www.radiocity.com/   Also if you ever wanted to know what it felt like to walk into Willy Wonkas Candy factory you must go to Dylan's Candy Bar, plus its really close to FAO. http://www.dylanscandybar.com/   Happy Holidays!!!

[Adika]

I took a trip to New York about 2 years ago last Christmas. I would visit the huge Christmas tree is must! The huge Toys R' us is another and the holiday train show i think its in the botanical garden not to sure i was only there for one day. I'm sure other people have better answers but hope that helped :)