This New York City Family Vacation post has been in the works for about a week. Getting all the photos we took off our phones and onto the computer took all of 3 minutes to do, but a week and a half to get done if you know what I mean. 🙂 We get so busy and other things come up that the small “jobs” get pushed back over and over again. Why is that? Until I figure that out, I am so happy to finally be sharing a little of our NYC trip. The entire family had New York City on the bucket list so when this opportunity came up, we were all beyond excited.
If you have signed up to receive my newsletter, you know about this trip already. Hometalk contacted me and said “I was in” for an all-expense paid trip to NYC to visit their headquarters! WHAT! YEP! It was real! I had to read the email a few times and then I flipped out. Our bucket list trip was about to happen so I booked the flights and started planning our trip.
Tips For A New York City Family Vacation:
#1. Talk to anyone and everyone you know who has been to New York City. We talked to so many family and friends who had been there and they were a wealth of knowledge on what to see and do and everything else we wanted to know about visiting the big city. Talking to people who have already been to a place you are visiting means you will learn all the little tips and tricks they found out while being there.
HomeTalk Headquarters
#2. The next tip for a New York City Family Vacation is to learn the subway. We took a cab from the airport to the hotel, but our favorite way to travel around the city was the subway. It was easy and cost effective. It is not hard to do once you learn how to use it. I would recommend buying a week pass if you are going to use it a lot. It costs $3 each way, per person so it adds up.
#3. My third tip for a New York City Family Vacation is to wear tennis shoes! You will be walking a lot so pack your most comfortable walking shoes. The subway is great, but walking is the best way to see the city and every time you get off the subway, you have to walk a ways to get to your destination. If you are traveling in the winter, pack boots. We thought we would get away with tennis shoes alone because of the warm winter we had, but we actually got stuck in NYC an extra day because of a snow storm. We wish we had our boots for our trek through the city during the snow storm.
#4. Make a list of all the things you want to see while in the city. Then, make a secondary list of things you want to do if you have time. We had a long list and were able to see it all (thanks to the extra day), but you want to be able to enjoy each place you stop and not have to rush through it. You won’t be able to do every single thing unless you are staying for an extended period of time so choose the things you absolutely don’t want to miss and enjoy them fully while you are there.
#5. Carry a backpack! If you are taking kids to NYC, carry a backpack for snacks, gloves, hats (if traveling in winter), water bottles and anything else they may need while you are exploring the city.
#6. Utilize the concierge in your hotel. They are a wealth of knowledge. We asked ours about buying tickets to the Knicks game, where to get a good NYC-style pizza and other random questions that came up. They are there to help. USE THEM!
#7. Learn the streets. We found out that NYC is set up in a “grid-style” so that “streets” run one way and “avenues” run the other. If you are on a street, you know how to get to the next place easily by learning which way the streets and avenues run.
#8. Carry cash. There were a few things that we needed cash for so make sure you always have some on you.
#9. When you find a restroom, use it. There aren’t tons of public restrooms available so when you see one, make sure to go (especially if you have kids in toe).
#10. Have fun! NYC is amazing! We are still talking all about it and would recommend it to all of our family and friends.
I hope these 10 Tips For A New York City Family Vacation helps you plan your family trip. I will be posting about our favorite spots to visit while in NYC soon so you can get a glimpse into some of the different things you can see and do while you are there.
Have you been to New York City? What is the #1 tip you would give a family visiting for the first time?
Not planning a NYC trip today? Pin this post for later!
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