Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Widgets

NYC with a Toddler? YES!

Hi there! I’m Tina and you can find me over at my little blog,  Twinkle Toes, where I write about sewing, crafting and little anecdotes from our everyday life. I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart for 10 years and am mom to one precious girl. I recently left my corporate job to be a stay at home mom as our little family prepares for our biggest travel adventure yet – my husband's company is sending us on a 3 year expatriate assignment in Europe!

New York City is, hands down, my favorite city in the world. Living in NE Ohio, it’s always been easy to hop on a quick, cheap flight to The Big Apple. Since it is such a short flight, it makes for a great little weekend getaway. Before our daughter was born, the mister and I did this quite often.

Last fall, my husband had a business meeting in Queens and at the last minute, he sent me a text and asked if we’d like to join him and spend a few extra days in Manhattan. Umm…yes, please!
So I booked our tickets, packed our bags and we headed to the airport with him.
I can’t tell you how excited I was to introduce our daughter to The Big Apple.
We started out with her very first cab ride from the airport into Manhattan.
Then this happened. So much for the city that never sleeps, right?
After settling in to our hotel, we headed out for some NYC pizza. One of our favorites is John’s Pizzeria on 44th Street. The pizzas are huge and delish!
I admit - Times Square is not my favorite place in the city, but I wanted to make sure my daughter got to see it. We zipped through, took in the sights and then headed to Toys R Us.

My opinion is that this store is more of a tourist attraction than an actual shopping experience, so if you want to buy anything, well, I’d probably just wait until you get home.  The Ferris Wheel, however, is another story.  As you can tell from my little girl's face, it was worth every penny and minute spent standing in line.
We rarely take cabs in the city, mostly because my husband loves the subway system.  Over the years he's become quite an expert and can get us where we want to go almost without looking at the map.  Don't knock the subway, he'll tell you, because it's the fastest way around town. 
Just make sure you carry some instant hand sanitizer in your bag, mmmkay?
Since my daughter was just shy of 3 when we took her to NYC, a stroller was a must.
The only problem? Getting down into the subway stations.
The solution? My husband carried her, stroller and all.
A must see for anyone visiting NYC is the top of the Empire State Building. Here we are on our way down 34th Street…

And, finally at the top. We tried to make it in time to see the sunset, but when we got there, it was already dark.  We didn't mind.  Either way it is an incredible view and an amazing experience to leave the noise and  view the busyness of the city from the 86th floor observation deck.
The weather was perfect one of the days we were there, so we spent some time in Central Park, specifically the southeast section which is known as “the children’s section." There is so, so much to do here – The Carousel, The Central Park Zoo and the boat pond, where you can rent remote controlled boats and race them around.

Our final day in the Big Apple was cold and rainy, so we headed to the American Museum of Natural History, located on Central Park West at 79th Street, where we spent a significant amount of time looking at the dinosaurs.
As I was working on this post, I thought who better to ask about traveling to NYC with kids than my own kid?
"What was your favorite part about our trip to New York City?"
"Jumping on the bed at the hotel!"
Of course.  Jumping on the bed at the hotel.
I could probably list 100 more things to do with kids in NYC, however, we have found that slowing down and enjoying a few things is better than cramming it all in.  We also try to stick to regular nap and bed times when we travel with our daughter.  While this limits time available to visit sights, it really makes a more enjoyable experience for everyone.
As you can see, our spontaneous weekend trip was a complete success. 
And I'm happy to report that this little girl loves the Big Apple as much as her parents do.

What a wonderful recap of a fun weekend trip to NYC with your toddler, Tina!!  Thanks!

We would love to feature your weekend trips, vacations, or local fun.  Please email me to get signed up!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great idea. I've been wanting to take my kids but thought they were too young. Sounds fun.

Emmy said...

You made it sound so easy! I would love to go to NYC someday...but since I am on the oppose coast not sure if it will happen

Shawn said...

I love NY and cannot wait to take the girls there...hopefully soon!

Tina said...

Thanks, Becca! It was great working with you! We'll do it again soon!

--Tina