NYC with a 4 year old?

kandr10

Has anyone travelled to NYC with a kid? Thinking of booking a week around New Years. there seems to be plenty of attractions for kids, just wondering logistics wise if it'd be doable. Obviously walking around would be tiring. Would you bring a buggy? Has anyone made the trip before that you could give advice? Thanks!

salmocab

Never been with a kid but the first thing that strikes me is it would be bloody cold with a fair chance of snow, that could be a right pain with a child.

redcup342

salmocab wrote: »

Never been with a kid but the first thing that strikes me is it would be bloody cold with a fair chance of snow, that could be a right pain with a child.

+1 It's bitterly cold !! Especially in Manhattan since the tall buildings act like a wind tunnel

cactusgal

redcup342 wrote: »

+1 It's bitterly cold !! Especially in Manhattan since the tall buildings act like a wind tunnel

+2, it will be absolutely freezing and possibly icy as well. Not fun to walk around, and walking around is the best thing to do in NYC (visit in the spring or autumn for that reason!)

Sunny Dayz

We did NYC end of Nov/start of Dec a few years ago now. Himself was 4 years & 2 months. We brought a cheap fold up buggy from Argos for him, the streets are quite busy and crowded and it just made it easier to be on the go all day if he had somewhere to rest himself. Try not to pack too much in though and give yourselves time to relax when you get there, we found the flight over took a lot out of him, it was his first ever flight.
He enjoyed the M&M store, Toys r Us, the "teeny weeny" taxis from the top of the Empire State Building and getting the ferry over to Staten Island. We brought him to see The Lion King on Times Square and he enjoyed that, at that age though he found it a bit long.
Naturally enough he had no interest in shops so myself and the other half were like a tag team, taking turns to entertain him while the other had a quick run around a store.
Weather-wise it was cold but dry for us. Overcoat, hat, scarf & gloves.

kerry4sam

Thread moved to where it would be better suited.

Thanks,
kerry4sam

coylemj

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

We did NYC end of Nov/start of Dec a few years ago now.....

OP is talking about 'a week around New Years' which is guaranteed to be much colder than end of Nov/early Dec. I've been to NYC four times for Thanksgiving and the weather has varied from cops in short-sleeve shirts to bitterly cold with light snow flurries. I believe it's much colder by late December when the OP is planning to travel.

Did you manage to avoid using the subway with your buggy? Because the first thing that came to mind when I read 'NYC with a 4 year old' was how you'd manage with the steps down to the subway stations, especially if there was slushy ice on the steps.

kandr10

Thanks for replies. The cold weather is definitely a consideration.
In terms of getting around, the subway is obviously handy, but if restricted is it a major pain to walk around? A lot of tourist sights seem to be located close enough together (or is my interpretation of google maps wishful thinking?!)

kandr10

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

We did NYC end of Nov/start of Dec a few years ago now. Himself was 4 years & 2 months. We brought a cheap fold up buggy from Argos for him, the streets are quite busy and crowded and it just made it easier to be on the go all day if he had somewhere to rest himself. Try not to pack too much in though and give yourselves time to relax when you get there, we found the flight over took a lot out of him, it was his first ever flight.
He enjoyed the M&M store, Toys r Us, the "teeny weeny" taxis from the top of the Empire State Building and getting the ferry over to Staten Island. We brought him to see The Lion King on Times Square and he enjoyed that, at that age though he found it a bit long.
Naturally enough he had no interest in shops so myself and the other half were like a tag team, taking turns to entertain him while the other had a quick run around a store.
Weather-wise it was cold but dry for us. Overcoat, hat, scarf & gloves.

Thanks for your reply! How did you find walking around? Was it accessible enough with the buggy? did you try any of the kids museums by any chance?

cactusgal

coylemj wrote: »

OP is talking about 'a week around New Years' which is guaranteed to be much colder than end of Nov/early Dec. I've been to NYC four times for Thanksgiving and the weather has varied from cops in short-sleeve shirts to bitterly cold with light snow flurries. I believe it's much colder by late December when the OP is planning to travel.

Did you manage to avoid using the subway with your buggy? Because the first thing that came to mind when I read 'NYC with a 4 year old' was how you'd manage with the steps down to the subway stations, especially if there was slushy ice on the steps.

+1, January is bitterly cold. And the majority of NYC subway stations don't have escalators - no fun for parents grappling with strollers (not to mention the elderly or disabled).

Source: used to live in NYC.

Sunny Dayz

coylemj wrote: »

OP is talking about 'a week around New Years' which is guaranteed to be much colder than end of Nov/early Dec. I've been to NYC four times for Thanksgiving and the weather has varied from cops in short-sleeve shirts to bitterly cold with light snow flurries. I believe it's much colder by late December when the OP is planning to travel.

Did you manage to avoid using the subway with your buggy? Because the first thing that came to mind when I read 'NYC with a 4 year old' was how you'd manage with the steps down to the subway stations, especially if there was slushy ice on the steps.

Well I've only been to NYC once at that time - I wouldn't be aware of the huge variance in weather conditions, I can only go by what the winter weather was like the time I was there.


We didn't use the subway - I was terrified we'd get lost or end up somewhere unsavoury! Plus we didn't really need it. We were quite centrally based and walked/wandered most places or took a cab - we found them to be quick, handy and not as dear as we expected. You need very comfortable shoes for NYC.

Sunny Dayz

kandr10 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply! How did you find walking around? Was it accessible enough with the buggy? did you try any of the kids museums by any chance?

We didn't try any kids museums - we were in NYC for a few days and really there is so much to do! Bring very comfortable shoes, we found ourselves walking quite a bit, wandering about looking around us. The streets are busy and I probably clipped a few heels with the buggy. The stores are massive, we spent ages in Toys R Us just looking! Book as much as you can in advance, cuts down on the queuing.

coylemj

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

Well I've only been to NYC once at that time - I wouldn't be aware of the huge variance in weather conditions, I can only go by what the winter weather was like the time I was there.

I appreciate that and obviously one month doesn't make a huge difference in terms of weather here in Ireland but at that time of the year in the north-eastern USA the weather changes significantly and a month make a huge difference. The post (#10) from poster cactusgal (who lived there) confirms this.

The Toys R Us store on 5th Ave. closed a few years ago, the only store they have now in Manhattan is on the Avenue of the Americas and is described on their website as an 'outlet/express store' so I'm guessing nothing like the old 5th Ave. store.

I agree with you that you need good shoes, you do a lot of walking in Manhattan.

Sunny Dayz

coylemj wrote: »

The Toys R Us store on 5th Ave. closed a few years ago, the only store they have now in Manhattan is on the Avenue of the Americas and is described on their website as an 'outlet/express store' so I'm guessing nothing like the old 5th Ave. store.

Ah no way! We spent hours in there! The lego displays were amazing. And the indoor ferris wheel!

coylemj

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

Ah no way! We spent hours in there! The lego displays were amazing. And the indoor ferris wheel!

+1 I'm sure it was impressive, based on the permanent queue outside over Thanksgiving weekends.

But the fact that you 'spent hours in there' was probably part of it's downfall - not enough footfall (customer throughput) to pay 5th Ave. rent!

kandr10

So my pal google says it can go from +2-3 deg c in early December to -2/3 in late December with some colder days reaching -9/10. For those of you with experience, would that sound about right? Just trying to quantify what people perceive bitterly cold to be? I lived in Poland for 2 years so have some experience of cold winters. Wondering would it be similar?

coylemj

The 'urban canyon' effect caused by tall buildings tends to magnify cold winds. And remember that 5th Ave. with all of the major stores runs roughly north/south so if there is a cold northerly wind coming from Canada, it will feel like a bitterly cold wind tunnel.

Not saying that you shouldn't go but for January I have a plan which would minimize casual strolling around so I'd have a list of destinations to go with minimal street walking in between and I'd stick to it.

kandr10

coylemj wrote: »

The 'urban canyon' effect caused by tall buildings tends to magnify cold winds. And remember that 5th Ave. with all of the major stores runs roughly north/south so if there is a cold northerly wind coming from Canada, it will feel like a bitterly cold wind tunnel.

Not saying that you shouldn't go but for January I have a plan which would minimize casual strolling around so I'd have a list of destinations to go with minimal street walking in between and I'd stick to it.

I see what you mean. Its good advice to have a plan of action between destinations. To be ho eat it kinda goes that way with the little one anyway. Thanks for your help!

Jentle Grenade

Having done a lot of the kid-focused attractions in NYC repeatedly two things stick out to me.

First, a lot of them would be unimaginable in January weather. I'm talking about all the parks and playgrounds (there is a lot), the boat tours, the Intrepid Museum etc. Like the person above I also lived in NYC and make no bones about it, the weather in January is absolutely freezing. The second thing is that I'm not sure a 4 year old would enjoy some of the more popular inside attractions but only you know your kid. I'd recommend the Museum of Natural History and the Children's Museum by Central Park (the one in Brooklyn is much better IMO but some people don't like leaving Manhattan which is fair enough) particularly for a four year old. There are a lot of indoor playzones down by Chelsea Piers too.

I don't have kids myself but my wife and I have brought our niece (5) to New York plenty of times during the last three years for family reasons and we always manage it fine. Its easier in the summer for sure, and truth be told we've never taken her in the actual winter, but I imagine a child of 4 would love the holiday decorations etc. Just have low expectations about seeing some of the outside sights and be prepared to do a lot of carrying. People do use strollers but it limits you a bit with taxis and the subway.

dev100

kandr10 wrote:

So my pal google says it can go from +2-3 deg c in early December to -2/3 in late December with some colder days reaching -9/10. For those of you with experience, would that sound about right? Just trying to quantify what people perceive bitterly cold to be? I lived in Poland for 2 years so have some experience of cold winters. Wondering would it be similar?

I was in NY good few years back 3rd week of December and weather changed over night , I had been warned by cousin who lives there it can go from extreme to the other in NY . Sweet god never felt bitter cold like it . I'm used to cold weather doing mountain biking and being out in the elements but never experienced anything like it before. Jeebus it was bitter I had to put on base layers so fort

kandr10

dev100 wrote: »

I was in NY good few years back 3rd week of December and weather changed over night , I had been warned by cousin who lives there it can go from extreme to the other in NY . Sweet god never felt bitter cold like it . I'm used to cold weather doing mountain biking and being out in the elements but never experienced anything like it before. Jeebus it was bitter I had to put on base layers so fort

Yikes! That's crazy! I'd say you were running into the nearest building every time you went out! What was the jump in temp would you reckon?

kandr10

Jentle Grenade wrote: »

Having done a lot of the kid-focused attractions in NYC repeatedly two things stick out to me.

First, a lot of them would be unimaginable in January weather. I'm talking about all the parks and playgrounds (there is a lot), the boat tours, the Intrepid Museum etc. Like the person above I also lived in NYC and make no bones about it, the weather in January is absolutely freezing. The second thing is that I'm not sure a 4 year old would enjoy some of the more popular inside attractions but only you know your kid. I'd recommend the Museum of Natural History and the Children's Museum by Central Park (the one in Brooklyn is much better IMO but some people don't like leaving Manhattan which is fair enough) particularly for a four year old. There are a lot of indoor playzones down by Chelsea Piers too.

I don't have kids myself but my wife and I have brought our niece (5) to New York plenty of times during the last three years for family reasons and we always manage it fine. Its easier in the summer for sure, and truth be told we've never taken her in the actual winter, but I imagine a child of 4 would love the holiday decorations etc. Just have low expectations about seeing some of the outside sights and be prepared to do a lot of carrying. People do use strollers but it limits you a bit with taxis and the subway.

Thanks that's really helpful!

kandr10

Just one more question while I have you all here, is there much open on New Year's Eve/ New Year's Day? Just trying to decide whether to arrive on either of those days or be there for them?

Jentle Grenade

Pretty much everything will be opened. Some places might close earlier and the classier places will be shut to give employees the day off but the absolute majority of places will be open. N.B. New Years Eve in NYC is crazy without a kid. Not sure how I'd manage with one tbh!

rameire

my Friends went last year to NYC on New years, with their 5 year old,
they had cold weather but they kind of planned what they were going to do.
so they managed very well, and did the sights, including outside sights, but they did wrap up well.
they are walkers so walked everywhere, and hardly used the subway.

I myself am off with a 7 year old this year to NYC, thankfully our daughter is in to museums so we will be doing a lot of inside expeditions.
I am planning to do outside trips aswell, but will bring warm thick clothing.
I also would recommend Chelsea Piers. on the west coast of the island, they have a webpage and facemuck page so check it out before you go.
I have never done the bus tour around manhattan, but we have decided that if there is a really horrible day where we dont want to walk around we will do the bus tour, and just sit down for a few hours and relax.