Best things to do in New York with a baby
New York is such an amazing city - one of our favourites actually! After living there for 6 months before having a baby we were very intrigued to see if we'll love it just as much with our son and whether there would be enough things for us to do!
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Here are our top things to do in New York when visiting with kids:
1. Summit One Vanderbilt
A relatively new viewing deck which is so unique and one to remember! A bit pricey to go up ($47 for adults) but it's so worth it. There are different rooms and apart from the stunning views they are also very interesting to kids! Most rooms have mirrored floors which make them a lot of fun, another room is full of balloons (our baby's favourite room!) and another room has screens that make it look like you're standing in the clouds. Definitely a must if you want to do 1 viewing deck while there.
2. Statue of Liberty and Staten Island Ferry
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You have 2 options if you want to see the Statue of Liberty by boat. The first option is to pay for a tour which includes dropping you off on Liberty Island and the other option is to take the free Staten Island Ferry which doesn't stop at the statue but goes past it close enough to be able to see it and take pictures with it! We opted for this option this time round as it was shorter and more fun for our baby. It takes 25 min to get to Staten Island, you then get off and rush to the take the boat back that departs 5 min later. And then you see the Statue of Liberty again on your way back to Manhattan! And all that absolutely free!
3. Restaurants
We found all restaurants we went to to be child friendly but I wanted to call 2 of them out:
If you want to eat or have a drink with a view then I would recommend the rooftop bar/ restaurant "260 fifth" which has an amazing uninterrupted view of the Empire State Building!
And if you're looking for a quick breakfast/ lunch then check out Assen which is a chain and you can find buffet style food that you weigh in the end and pay accordingly. There is hot and cold food and our baby loved the porridge with fresh fruit for breakfast!
4. Central Park
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This is the perfect place to go to with kids! 3.4km² gives them plenty of space to run around but that's not all. You can see many spots where movies and series were filmed including Friends, King Kong, Spiderman, Gossip Girl, Home Alone, etc. There is also a lake where you can rent a boat and row around which we did before having a baby but this time we opted for renting bikes! You can rent bikes by the hour and explore the whole of Central Park. They also provide you with a child seat to put at the back of your bike! And lastly you can visit the New York Zoo which is also inside the park!
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5. Playgrounds
We found a few very good ones but our favourite was in Maddison Square Park right next to the Flat Iron Building! Appropriate for all ages and full kids running around.
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6. Museums
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Plenty of interesting museums including some that have kids sections but I'd say if you go to the American Museum of Natural History then your kids are sure to love it! Tickers cost $28 for adults, $16 for over 3s and free for babies and toddlers.
Things to watch out for:
Public Transport
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There aren't lifts in all stations unfortunately or escalators. So if you have a stroller with you you'll definitely have to carry it up and down the stairs a few times. We decided to stay near Grand Central Station so at least we knew that our home station has lifts and escalators!
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New York is one of the best cities in the world! You'll have things to do no matter if you stay for 3 days or 3 weeks! The best time to go is during the shoulder months when it's not too hot or too cold but then again visiting New York for Christmas is a dream of many!
For baby travel tips and inspiration follow: https://www.instagram.com/sophiefamilytravel/
