New York City - Father son weekend trip to NYC help

Hello everyone. I am taking my 12 year old son to see the Mets play the Giants for his birthday. This is our first trip to NY. We will be there the weekend of April 20th. We fly in to lga. I am needing help on where we should stay. I am looking to spend around $200 a night. Th game is at 1pm on Saturday, so we probably won't do anything but eat before we go to the game, but would like some ideas of what we could do Saturday evening and Sunday before our 5pm flight home. I was thinking maybe the wtc site Sunday morning??? I will probably need to check the pizza thread after we pick the hotel because my son is just as excited about eating NY pizza as he is about the game.......things like that are exciting when you live in small town Missouri.

That's in advance for the help.

I am needing help on where we should stay. I am looking to spend around $200 a night.You can probably stay on budget using hotwire or priceline, but that of course means sacrificing being able to choose the specific property you stay in.

Slightly above your budget, the Bryant Park has rooms for $266, and the Paramount for $242. Both have the advantage of being very close to the 7 train, which goes to Shea Stadium (Citi Field). I'm a fan of the Bryant Park for its comfortable rooms and location overlooking Bryant Park.

If you can bear not being right in Manhattan, there are a number of reasonably priced hotels (several Choice Hotels properties as well as a Holiday Inn) in Long Island City, Queens. The area's not the most exciting, but it's near a couple of huge subway stations with lots of trains, and you can be in Manhattan in about 10-15 minutes. The 7 train, which goes to the Mets game, is right there at Queensboro Plaza. The Verve Hotel has surprisingly nice rooms - I've stayed there in the past for around $100/nt. The Holiday Inn also looks quite nice from the outside, although I've never been inside. The other Choice properties are more low-budget but serviceable.

As to what to do in the city, it really just depends on your and your son's interests. Maybe take the Staten Island Ferry to get a view of the skyline? Central Park is a beautiful place to hang out. Kids tend to like the natural history museum. You could wander around the West Village, which has picturesque streets and some interesting shops.

The 9/11 idea sounds, frankly, morbid, especially if it's your first visit to NYC. For those of us who live here, the whole spectacle is a bit grotesque. While I haven't been to the memorial, the entire area down there is (apart from being a thriving if quite boring business district) now a 9/11 theme park where mostly illegal street vendors sell mostly unlicensed 9/11 and NYPD/FD merchandise to tourists, who treat the tragedy as a tourist attraction and then generally go buy cheap designer clothes at Century 21 across the street.

Check out hotels in Flushing - it's one subway stop away from Citifield at the end of the 7 train line and many have shuttles to/from LGA. I've stayed in the Sheraton LaGuardia East (for my wedding) and there are a Holiday Inn Express and a Best Western.

Some museums I'd recommend include the American Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), and the Museum of the Moving Image. Admission to the Met includes admission to the Cloisters, which is the Met's medieval collection.

If you're going to the 9/11 Memorial, get free tickets online at http://www.911memorial.org/visitor-passes . You have to pick the date and time when you want to enter. Book early online to avoid disappointment. Buy your souvenirs from the memorial museum - many of the things being sold on the street are pretty offensive to those of us that were there.

I second the Sheraton LaGuardia East in Flushing as you are right by the stadium and the #7 subway which takes your directly to midtown, plus there is a free shuttle from and to LaGuardia. Hope the trip is a great success.

I strongly encourage you to stay in Manhattan. It will be a lot more exciting and will be much more convenient for the other things you likely will want to do over your weekend.

I strongly encourage you to stay in Manhattan. It will be a lot more exciting and will be much more convenient for the other things you likely will want to do over your weekend.I agree. Stay in Manhattan. You'll get a deal using Priceline with your budget. You and your 12 year old son will LOVE the experience of being in Manhattan.

I recommend Shake Shack at Citifield. ^ Looks like Saturday is a promo day as they are giving away at tote bag to the first 25,000. That shouldn't be a problem. ;)

What does your son want to do after the game? His ideas and suggestions that come from Flyertalk might be completely different! :D The game will probably be over not much later than 4pm so you've got PLENTY of time.

Thanks for all the help so far.

I would ask him what he wants to do, but it's a surprise trip.... I will be getting him from school early and going to the airport. He always talks about wanting to go to ny to watch baseball and eat pizza :)

The reason I picked the wtc is because they just talked about it in his 6th grade class. If it was up to him, he would probably pick something that was very interactive, or involved an actual activity.

Thanks again.

I agree as well. Stay in Manhattan. My recommendation for places to visit would be:

1. Sony Wonder Technology lab - If your son is into gadgets and electronics he might like this free technology and entertainment museum.

http://sonywondertechlab.com/

2. Top of the Rock - A great place to see NYC from up above. This is a little pricey, $25 for adults and $16 for children (6-12), but in my opinion definitely worth it.

http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/

3. Stop by the 34th street heliport - This heliport is right on the East River and has great spots to watch the helicopters coming and gong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_34th_Street_Heliport

4. Eat a hot dog at Gray's Papaya - Arguably one of the best hot dogs in NYC. Cheap eats - 2 hotdogs and a 16 oz juice for $4.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray's_Papaya

5. Walk through Chinatown

I hope some of the above ideas sound fun. If you would like any further information please let me know. :)

Have a great time!

Thanks for all the help so far.

I would ask him what he wants to do, but it's a surprise trip.... I will be getting him from school early and going to the airport. He always talks about wanting to go to ny to watch baseball and eat pizza :)

The reason I picked the wtc is because they just talked about it in his 6th grade class. If it was up to him, he would probably pick something that was very interactive, or involved an actual activity.

Thanks again.

Thats pretty awesome. I live in Manhattan and Im jealous of you and your son. If i were you, I would not wait on the 45 min - 1 hour line at Shake Shack at Citi Field. You can visit any of the 5 other locations in Manhattan.

I would recommend the Museum of Natural History for a 12 year old. A lot of cool stuff in that museum. You also have the Bronx Zoo which could be interesting (not sure if thats proper for a 12 year old). If you guys are really into baseball, maybe a tour of Yankee Stadium? Unfortunately they are not home that weekend. Maybe tickets to a kid friendly Broadway show (Lion King, etc?)

Thats pretty awesome. I live in Manhattan and Im jealous of you and your son. If i were you, I would not wait on the 45 min - 1 hour line at Shake Shack at Citi Field. You can visit any of the 5 other locations in Manhattan.

I would recommend the Museum of Natural History for a 12 year old. A lot of cool stuff in that museum. You also have the Bronx Zoo which could be interesting (not sure if thats proper for a 12 year old). If you guys are really into baseball, maybe a tour of Yankee Stadium? Unfortunately they are not home that weekend. Maybe tickets to a kid friendly Broadway show (Lion King, etc?)

Of course lines at the Times Square location or the original location are also likely to be 45-60 minutes!

+1 on Museum of Natural History for the kid. Circle Line tour might be fun, also.

Of course lines at the Times Square location or the original location are also likely to be 45-60 minutes!

+1 on Museum of Natural History for the kid. Circle Line tour might be fun, also.

Then they should go to the UES location. I have been there numerous times and never had to wait more than 10 mins.

If I book a hotel thru Hotwire, which area of Manhattan would you recommend I pick?

This is going to be way different for us..... I am a scuba instructor and our son is a diver as well, we usually go somewhere to dive, not to the city!

If I book a hotel thru Hotwire, which area of Manhattan would you recommend I pick?

This is going to be way different for us..... I am a scuba instructor and our son is a diver as well, we usually go somewhere to dive, not to the city!

I would select midtown being that it is close to Grand Central (you can take the 7 from here directly to Citi Field). Prices will generally be higher in this area during the week but maybe not on the weekend. I don't have too much experience staying at hotels in NYC.

NY Hall of Science is nice, might be interesting for a 12 year old (probably will be) and is walking distance to Shea Stadium. Also, Queens Zoo is walking distance. You can walk around Flushing too, which is like mini-Chinatown.

for lots of things for kids, check out http://www.mommypoppins.com

Thats pretty awesome. I live in Manhattan and Im jealous of you and your son. If i were you, I would not wait on the 45 min - 1 hour line at Shake Shack at Citi Field. You can visit any of the 5 other locations in Manhattan.An hour line? LOL Try 5-10 minutes max if you go before the game begins. We go to lots of Mets games because the tickets are so cheap. :-:

If I book a hotel thru Hotwire, which area of Manhattan would you recommend I pick?

This is going to be way different for us..... I am a scuba instructor and our son is a diver as well, we usually go somewhere to dive, not to the city!

There are a lot of hotels in Midtown, but the area itself is one of the least interesting in Manhattan - it's a business district and at night tends to be filled only with tourists. The prices for restaurants, shops, etc also tend to be very high in this area.

If you stay in Midtown, I'd recommend something in or around Hell's Kitchen (say, in the 50s, west of Broadway or 8th Ave.) That area has a pretty sizable residential population, and a fair number of good restaurants that are reasonably priced.

You may also want to check out the Upper West Side - say, above 72nd St or so. There are a fair number of hotels there, and my parents have stayed in the area before. This area is far more of a NY neighborhood, it's very close to Central Park and Riverside Park, and has great subway and bus links.

After reading the other replies, I have to say that I change my vote to Manhattan too. For a 12 year old's first trip to the Big Apple he should have the full treatment!
As far as your itinerary, can you book a later flight out on Sunday? That way you could catch on Broadway matinee before heading to the airport.
Also keep in mind that walking around the city is a great activity in and of itself; you could see Bryant Park, Times Square and then walk to Central Park. I would just advise eating anywhere other than the Times Square area where you are likely to see only other tourists and pay a lot for very little.
Your son might also enjoy riding in the top deck of one of the open air tour buses (I think that would be a big hit for a 12 year old).

http://www.graylinenewyork.com/

And a boat trip:

http://www.circleline42.com/new-york-cruises.aspx

If you are not up to committing the time to the full Circle Line tour then taking the Staten Island Ferry over and back might be just as interesting for him (plus it's FREE)!

Thanks to everyone for your input. We will probably be staying in manhattan. The hotel taxes are HIGH!!!

I just remembered staying at the Chelsea Savoy once upon a time. The rates were pretty reasonable by Manhattan standards, and it's in Chelsea, which is a pretty happening neighborhood.

If you can bear not being right in Manhattan, there are a number of reasonably priced hotels (several Choice Hotels properties as well as a Holiday Inn) in Long Island City, Queens. The area's not the most exciting, but it's near a couple of huge subway stations with lots of trains, and you can be in Manhattan in about 10-15 minutes. The 7 train, which goes to the Mets game, is right there at Queensboro Plaza. The Verve Hotel has surprisingly nice rooms - I've stayed there in the past for around $100/nt. The Holiday Inn also looks quite nice from the outside, although I've never been inside. The other Choice properties are more low-budget but serviceable.

But realize that the MTA seems to be in the habit of killing the 7 train between Manhattan and Queens on weekends of late.


The 9/11 idea sounds, frankly, morbid, especially if it's your first visit to NYC. For those of us who live here, the whole spectacle is a bit grotesque. While I haven't been to the memorial, the entire area down there is (apart from being a thriving if quite boring business district) now a 9/11 theme park where mostly illegal street vendors sell mostly unlicensed 9/11 and NYPD/FD merchandise to tourists, who treat the tragedy as a tourist attraction and then generally go buy cheap designer clothes at Century 21 across the street.

Agreed - but people keep going. Note that if you want to go to the memorial, you need to get a (free) ticket online ahead of time. You also have to go through BS airport-style security about which they're fairly strict. As a friend said, I'm not sure who won on 9/11 but freedom sure lost.

But realize that the MTA seems to be in the habit of killing the 7 train between Manhattan and Queens on weekends of late.

Ah - yes, you're right! I completely forgot about the 7 construction, as I almost never take that line on the weekends. This could be an annoyance for the OP, as it would mean the need to change trains somewhere in Queens on a trip to the game.

We are staying at a hotel close to penn station. We can take LIRR straight to the game right? When I went to the website to see the fares and schedule, I put in the date of the game and it came back with an error saying" only available on event days"

yes, LIRR stops at Citi Field when there are games. They may have not loaded the schedule yet.

Museum of Natural History seems cool for a 12yo kid (I'd have loved to visit it when I was 12, I'm a dinosaurs fan; but all kids are different of course, surely you know if your son will enjoy it or not).

I found also The Intrepid more cool than WTC for a boy. I didn't find WTC morbid, though I agree there are several vendors taking advantage. Maybe the new tower progress will be cool to see it too, and not focusing in the tragedy that much.

If you decide to go to Top of te Rock, I strongly recommend going by night. The views are really breathtaking. You may combine it with the Empire State by day.

+1 on staying in Manhattan. It's such a different experience that you should do it at least once. Anywhere in Midtown East, Midtown West, or Times Square on the Priceline map should be fine. (You could also try Hell's Kitchen, which is a great area, but probably a 10-15 minute walk to the subway.)

As described, aim for the 7 train, which will take you straight out to Queens for the game.

You're here for just a weekend so you will probably want to do a couple of more "touristy" things (like see Times Square, the Natural History Museum). But I strongly encourage you to do some non-chain things. If you're in Times Square, walk just a few minutes over to 9th Avenue and you'll see dozens of great restaurants of all strips -- don't go to to the Olive Garden or Hard Rock! If you're into ethnic foods, Queens is sort of a mecca for that kind of thing. Might be a good place to get a bite before the game. Central Park is nice, and if you're so inclined you can also rent bikes -- but don't bike in Central Park. Instead, walk to the west side and rent bikes around Pier 84 (44th St.) and bike downtown. You'll go by the Hudson River the whole way, which has been relatively recently turned into a beautiful park. The ride isn't too taxing (5ish miles?). And then you'll be in the financial district/downtown, where you can see the WTC site. Or bike uptown to Inwood and see a totally different part of New York -- much more diverse, residential, and non-commerical than the usual spots.

So much to do! With a little more info as to your/his interests I'm sure people here could be very helpful.

Oh! and pizza! You can damn near start a civil war with that question, but Di Fara's in Brooklyn is considered the best -- but it's in Brooklyn and kind of hard to get to. Artichoke Basile's has a few locations in Manhattan and is considered probably one of the top 5. (Their artichoke slice is very good, but very heavy. Their Sicilian is great, and probably my favorite). Lombardi's is the original ("first pizza in New York"), and is in the Greenwich Village/SoHo area (which is a nice area to visit just generally, to walk around).

Chinatown for Chinese food; K-Town (near the Empire State building) for Korean food; Little Italy for Italian food; Washington Heights for Dominican food; Queens for anything.

But realize that the MTA seems to be in the habit of killing the 7 train between Manhattan and Queens on weekends of late.The 7 will run during home game series. The MTA doesn't typically plan service interruptions when the Mets are in town or during the US Open.

Sounds like fun for you.

Intrepid has always been a hit with my son. More suggestions: Times Square, especially at tnight when all the lights are on. Grand Central Terminal, with an Apple Store as big as most Best Buys.

For pizza, let us know where you're staying and then we can recommend a good pizza place.

One note, it sounds like you might be planning to go right from LGA to Citifield. You probably won't being able to bring your bags in. So, you'll need to find same place to drop them off.

ADDED: Oh, and since you're baseball fans, maybe try to Yankee Stadium tour. It's not the old historic stadium, but it's still baseball.

Thanks again everyone for the help! I decided on the Hilton garden inn in Chelsea. Would love to hear your thoughts on pizza places close by. I know there is a slice place close by that we will probably hit up on Friday night, but am looking for a sit down pizza place that a 12 year old would like. I think I will compile a list of the different activities everyone has mentioned and have him pick while we are on the flight out.

Thanks again everyone for the help! I decided on the Hilton garden inn in Chelsea. Would love to hear your thoughts on pizza places close by. I know there is a slice place close by that we will probably hit up on Friday night, but am looking for a sit down pizza place that a 12 year old would like. I think I will compile a list of the different activities everyone has mentioned and have him pick while we are on the flight out.
What a great idea to have him look over the options during the flight. Maybe print some things (like mini-brochures) from on line. ^

John's Pizza (http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/index2.htm) on 44th has good atmosphere and good pizza (reasonably priced) and it's right in the theater district, so should be a fun destination for your son.

I like Artichoke Basille's Pizza, which has a location in Chelsea. http://www.artichokepizza.com/ It's a little bit of a hike (17th & 10th), but you can walk through some interesting parts of NYC. You could also walk down into Greenwich Village, where they have another location, but I think that one is takeout only. Their signature slice is the artichoke slice, which I think is very heavy; get the sicilian instead -- it's great.

Closer to you, and not "typical" New York pizza, but still excellent, is Lazzara's on 38th St.: http://www.lazzaraspizza.com/html/home.php They make a square thin crust pizza, and it's great -- easily one of my favorites.

By the way, one morning, you can easily walk over to Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Co. in Chelsea -- http://www.brooklynbagelandcoffeecompany.com/ordereze/default.aspx . They have great bagels, and my favorite cream cheese -- a spicy chipotle cream cheese. If you like spicy food, you'll love this. And even if you don't, it's a great place to get a bagel.