Top of the Rock
Get 360-degree views of
the skyline from the top
of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. (Image: Kathryn Holloway)
“Is New York a real place?”
It was a question my 4-year-old asked at least once a day for months. Watching “Secret Life of Pets” and singing Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York” had her wondering if this place existed. And no matter how many times I would answer, “It is real,” or “Yes, Mommy lived there one summer,” she wasn’t convinced.
With a week’s vacation from school looming, I set out to prove it to her. I booked a girls trip to the city, invited my mom along for the fun, and planned our kid-friendly itinerary by neighborhood.
Central Park and the Upper West Side
You cannot go to NYC with kids and skip Central Park, with its rolling lawns, woodland walks, and The Central Park Zoo, which squeezes a ton of animals into a small footprint. My bird-loving girl was obsessed with the zoo’s free-ranging tropical birds.
If you walk around Central Park long enough, you’ll run into a playground. We spent time at Heckscher Playground near Umpire Rock before heading up the pathway to the Central Park Carousel, featuring 57 hand-carved horses. I somehow negotiated my daughter down from an infinite number of rides to two.
At the edge of the park, the American Museum of Natural History spans five floors with more than 40 permanent exhibits. My advice: don’t miss the giant dinosaurs, African mammal dioramas, or the hall of ocean life (a giant blue whale hangs from the ceiling).
Nearby: Conservatory Water, Alice in Wonderland statue, and The Guggenheim.
The Staten Island Ferry (Image: Kathryn Holloway)
The Financial District
We enjoyed the play space at The Battery, which is divided into five ecology zones: the bluff with granite slides, a riverbed with a sand basin, the marsh with tree houses, the dunes with a climbing wall and improv theater, and the meadow.
My daughter couldn’t pass the SeaGlass Carousel without a ride. Here iridescent fish dance and spin and LED lights create an underwater effect.
Save money by skipping Ellis Island and taking the free Staten Island Ferry. It passes right by The Statue of Liberty. Twice.
Nearby: Brooklyn Bridge and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
Chelsea
Chelsea Market, a food and retail marketplace, has something for everyone, no matter the age. We enjoyed burgers and milkshakes from Creamline, and bought souvenir postcards and magnets from Posman Books.
Next we hit the High Line, an old elevated railway track transformed into a walking path with gardens and art. Stop at the overlook at 10th Avenue Square and climb exposed steel at Pershing Square Beams.
Nearby: Dylan’s Candy Shop and the Little Island, a park suspended over the Hudson River.
Times Square. Feeling the energy and see the
lights at night. (Image: Kathryn Holloway
Midtown
Behold the mecca of toy stores, FAO Schwarz, where soldiers perform an opening ceremony each morning. For her one toy, our girl settled on a unicorn she named Sparkle Horn.
For an unforgettable, 360-degree view, ride into the sky at Top of the Rock (the top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza). My daughter loved looking through the view finders, even though I didn’t put in money.
We had to see Times Square at night at least once so we made a stop on the way back to the hotel after dinner one evening — plenty of time to see the lights and feel the energy, but quickly.
Nearby: FDNY Fire Zone, Bryant Park, and the New York Public Library.
“Planning the trip for a 4-year-old made us slow down,” my mom, Erin Palagonia, said after our trip. “Spending time playing in the parks was as much fun as watching her see the Statue of Liberty.”
My daughter now believes that New York is a real place. But she has started asking if other places are real, like Paris!
Good to know
Ideal trip length: We packed a ton into three full days, but you could easily spend a week in the Big Apple.
Cost: $2,500 for three (includes flights and four nights at the Romer Hell’s Kitchen)
Ideal kid age range: Activities could be catered to a wide range of ages, toddlers to teens.
Stroller-friendly: Rent a stroller if you don’t need it for the airports.
Getting around: Walk, take taxis or Ubers, and hop on the subway
Reality hit: Avoid taking photos with the costumed characters in Times Square unless you intend to tip.
