We chose New York City because, at least in the United States, there's no place like it to get the bright lights, big city / the city that never sleeps / if you can make it here you can make it anywhere experience. Our kids ranged in age from 4-10 for the trip - so old enough that they could follow instructions and do some walking, but young enough that they are still filled with wonder and eagerness for family adventures. Also the perfect ages where a steady diet of pizza, hot dogs from carts, and ice cream seems like a foodie paradise. (But let's be honest, is there an age where that's not the case?)
For our itinerary, we made a list of sights and neighborhoods that we would like to see, but mostly avoided booking tickets to places to allow freedom in the schedule. We saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island via the Staten Island Ferry; Brooklyn Bridge and the South Street Seaport area; Times Square; an Anglican church that met in an off-Broadway theater on the upper Westside; Central Park; the World Trade Center memorial; Grand Central Station; and Brooklyn Bridge Park. (And other neighborhoods around Manhattan as we walked between these different places, or to the nearest subway stop.)
The highlights:
- Seeing a place so totally different than where we live - skyscrapers everywhere! Street performers! The way you can step outside your hotel and walk to any service you need; but also, the way that you have to walk for several blocks to any service you need, you can't just go into the garage and hop in your car. The variety of transportation (kids' first times on a ferry and the subway). Most everything about how people do the details of daily life is different in a crowded urban setting than in our suburban setting, and I was glad for the kids to get a taste of that.
- Seeing such a variety / diversity of people - I mean this in the obvious ways of racial / ethnic diversity, but also in the way that big cities bring out the big personalities. The guy strolling along with a python around his neck. The woman rollerblading around the city square with an old school walkman, singing at the top of her lungs. The various people starting the various protests about the various things. Just walking the streets, never a dull moment!
- The food! There are so many ways to enjoy food in New York - the rich variety of ethnic food, the amazing Michelin starred restaurants - but, as mentioned above, pizza by the slice and hot dogs from a food cart are also a delicious, classic, kid friendly way to enjoy New York cuisine.
- My specific three favorite sites with younger kids in tow:
- Staten Island Ferry viewing the Statue of Liberty - because the ferry ride itself was a fun new experience for the kids, and because the Statue of Liberty is such an iconic American landmark.
- Central Park - this is a beautiful, expansive park with beauty and walking paths and playgrounds and outdoor things to do galore. But crossing from the busy, noisy, crowded streets of Manhattan into this green space is what really makes it feel like an exhale.
- Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn side - Josh has been fascinated with the major American suspension bridges for years, so it's always fun when we get to see one in person. The view of both the bridge and the Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn side was incredible.
The main challenge: Manhattan is not a city that is built for family travel. Kenny and I have both been there before, so we weren't going into this reality blind, but at times it was almost comical how much the city is built for adults. For example - when we were leaving JFK to try to taxi into the city, we told the cab director that we needed a ride for five, and he looked at us like we had asked for transportation to Mars. So then he goes and tells his supervisor that we were asking for a ride for five, and that person had the same reaction of utter disbelief. After multiple attempts, they find a minivan cab that will accept us, but after we are loaded up and buckled in, the cab driver tells us that they really aren't supposed to be transporting five and we will need to pay an extra off the books fee because of it. Welcome to New York!
Our kids were very cooperative throughout the trip, thankfully, but we needed to keep not just eyes but also hands on them all the time when walking on Manhattan sidewalks or in the subway system. It's crowded and fast paced and very easy to get separated from your group, and meanwhile there's always something to gawk at and distract you from staying close to your group. So we, the adults, really had to be paying close attention as we walked out and about. Also, it took some work to get our bearings as far as the layout of the city and how to maneuver through the various forms of public transportation (Kenny really took the lead on this, much appreciated!!).
Even the challenging aspects added to the memories and the adventure of the trip. Figuring out things like how do we get from here to there, or how are we possibly going to walk another half mile - they were things we got to tackle together. Also, they made us appreciate the ease and space of life in Reno. I'm really grateful we got to do this trip, and really grateful the kids got to have the New York experience at these younger ages. And now, I'm grateful to be back to wide open spaces :).
