New York Attractions - timings

[Aimee_K]

Originally Posted by Smilesonfaces

The first ferry to the Statue of Liberty was 8.30. We arrived at 8am for our 9am ticket. We had crown tickets and finished there at about 1pm ish. There is a lot to look at and we could have spent all day in the museum. We went for lunch and straight to One World observatory mid afternoon.

Empire State Building. We checked the sunset times and timed it to go about a half hour before. We then saw the skyline in the day time, sunset and the night sky.

No advice about grumpy kids except maybe shop online ! Make plenty of stops, involve them in planning and let them choose places to go and maybe a bit of bribery.

We were all up so early, leaving the hotel no later than 7am every day and then we were in bed for 9 !

Have a great time in New York.

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Do you mind me asking when you went and had crown tickets?
I can't seem to find them anywhere, each website keeps saying that it is currently closed with no reopening date.

[Smilesonfaces]

Originally Posted by Aimee_K

Do you mind me asking when you went and had crown tickets?
I can't seem to find them anywhere, each website keeps saying that it is currently closed with no reopening date.

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We went in February 2019 so a while ago now. I don’t think the Crown has reopened after the covid lockdown. It is such a tight space in there I can understand it.

[Rac20]

According to the official website, Crown tickets are still not on sale. DS is desperate to see the Statue of Liberty and so I’ve booked for the Sunday rather than the Saturday in case our flight is delayed and we’ve got pedestal access. That’s the best he’s going to get.😊

[Smilesonfaces]

Originally Posted by Rac20

According to the official website, Crown tickets are still not on sale. DS is desperate to see the Statue of Liberty and so I’ve booked for the Sunday rather than the Saturday in case our flight is delayed and we’ve got pedestal access. That’s the best he’s going to get.😊

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The Statue of Liberty was fantastic. A real highlight of our trip. Your son will love it. I did exactly the same and booked the Sunday in case we were delayed. We could have spent much longer in the museums but there was so many other places to see.
We went February and had fantastic weather right until the last day.

I can’t see the Crown opening any time soon. It was closed for 8 years after 9/11.

[Steve Florida]

Originally Posted by Rac20

Wondering if anyone can help with my New York itinerary - mainly timings really.

We land in New York on Friday afternoon, then have Saturday and Sunday there before leaving on Monday.

Plan on getting tickets for:

Statue of Liberty Pedestal
One World Observatory
Empire State Building

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We are doing for the same duration as you and we've booked Empire State Building for a visit when the sun sets on the first evening and Rockafella Plaza 'Top Of The Rock' on the Sunday for a day time view.

I've done One World Observatory and Top Of The Rock before and much prefer Top Of The Rock so you may want to consider it as an alternative option.

I've been to New York a few times before so I know what it is I want to do and this is my itinerary if useful. This time we are taking the kids so it's full on but more than doable as long as you focus on specific areas. We will be booking a Subway pass which is approx £30 each for unlimited travel and makes a massive difference getting around.

Friday Evening

• Check in - 4pm
• Walk to Restaurant (Hard Rock Cafe)
• Empire State Building (86th floor - Sunset - 7:00 PM)
• Walk up to Times Square

Saturday Morning

• 9/11 Memorial
• One World Observatory
• Wall Street (charging bull statue)
• Staten Island Ferry for view of Statue Of Liberty

Saturday Afternoon

• South Street Seaport (lunch)
• Walk the Brooklyn Bridge (subway back)
• Maddison Square Garden
• Grand Central Terminal
• Macy’s

Saturday Night

• Baseball - New York Mets

Sunday Morning

• Central Park (John Lennon Memorial), Carousel, Bridge, Ice Rink

Sunday Afternoon

• Serendipity3 (lunch)
• Bloomingdales
• Rockefeller Center
• Top of the Rock Observation Deck - 4:30pm

Sunday Night

• Restaurant - Margaritaville Times Square

Monday

• The High Line
• Chelsea Market (lunch)

[Rac20]

Originally Posted by Steve Florida

We are doing for the same duration as you and we've booked Empire State Building for a visit when the sun sets on the first evening and Rockafella Plaza 'Top Of The Rock' on the Sunday for a day time view.

I've done One World Observatory and Top Of The Rock before and much prefer Top Of The Rock so you may want to consider it as an alternative option.

I've been to New York a few times before so I know what it is I want to do and this is my itinerary if useful. This time we are taking the kids so it's full on but more than doable as long as you focus on specific areas. We will be booking a Subway pass which is approx £30 each for unlimited travel and makes a massive difference getting around.

Friday Evening

• Check in - 4pm
• Walk to Restaurant (Hard Rock Cafe)
• Empire State Building (86th floor - Sunset - 7:00 PM)
• Walk up to Times Square

Saturday Morning

• 9/11 Memorial
• One World Observatory
• Wall Street (charging bull statue)
• Staten Island Ferry for view of Statue Of Liberty

Saturday Afternoon

• South Street Seaport (lunch)
• Walk the Brooklyn Bridge (subway back)
• Maddison Square Garden
• Grand Central Terminal
• Macy’s

Saturday Night

• Baseball - New York Mets

Sunday Morning

• Central Park (John Lennon Memorial), Carousel, Bridge, Ice Rink

Sunday Afternoon

• Serendipity3 (lunch)
• Bloomingdales
• Rockefeller Center
• Top of the Rock Observation Deck - 4:30pm

Sunday Night

• Restaurant - Margaritaville Times Square

Monday

• The High Line
• Chelsea Market (lunch)

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Wow! Thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to post that!

I’m resisting booking anything for the Friday night in case of delays. So will wing that but I’m definitely going to be studying your itinerary carefully! Thank you. 🥰

[sunshines]

Originally Posted by Steve Florida

We are doing for the same duration as you and we've booked Empire State Building for a visit when the sun sets on the first evening and Rockafella Plaza 'Top Of The Rock' on the Sunday for a day time view.

I've done One World Observatory and Top Of The Rock before and much prefer Top Of The Rock so you may want to consider it as an alternative option.

I've been to New York a few times before so I know what it is I want to do and this is my itinerary if useful. This time we are taking the kids so it's full on but more than doable as long as you focus on specific areas. We will be booking a Subway pass which is approx £30 each for unlimited travel and makes a massive difference getting around.

Friday Evening

• Check in - 4pm
• Walk to Restaurant (Hard Rock Cafe)
• Empire State Building (86th floor - Sunset - 7:00 PM)
• Walk up to Times Square

Saturday Morning

• 9/11 Memorial
• One World Observatory
• Wall Street (charging bull statue)
• Staten Island Ferry for view of Statue Of Liberty

Saturday Afternoon

• South Street Seaport (lunch)
• Walk the Brooklyn Bridge (subway back)
• Maddison Square Garden
• Grand Central Terminal
• Macy’s

Saturday Night

• Baseball - New York Mets

Sunday Morning

• Central Park (John Lennon Memorial), Carousel, Bridge, Ice Rink

Sunday Afternoon

• Serendipity3 (lunch)
• Bloomingdales
• Rockefeller Center
• Top of the Rock Observation Deck - 4:30pm

Sunday Night

• Restaurant - Margaritaville Times Square

Monday

• The High Line
• Chelsea Market (lunch)

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Steve, HOW can you do so many things in one day? Do you have a secret time turner up your sleeve?

[Steve Florida]

Originally Posted by sunshines

Steve, HOW can you do so many things in one day? Do you have a secret time turner up your sleeve?

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I've done it a couple of times before and it's all based on areas in NYC so an area for a morning and an area for an afternoon etc... completely doable with time to spare in my opinion.

[sunshines]

Originally Posted by Rac20

I’m resisting booking anything for the Friday night in case of delays. So will wing that but I’m definitely going to be studying your itinerary carefully! Thank you. 🥰

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I would suggest that you consider how much time you'd like to spend appreciating/enjoying each place in your itinerary. For my family, we can easily spend half a day at one museum, or at Central Park, or walking over the Brooklyn Bridge and then pattering about in Brooklyn (food, a walking tour or a self-guided walk, amazing views of Manhattan). Are there some places you just want to check off your list (snap a selfie and done!) and others where you may want more of a deep dive?

I remember one walk I took with a friend from Columbus Circle down to Chelsea Market. We walked along the river on a breezy day (lovely), walked the length of the High Line (with pauses and photos), explored the entire Chelsea Market (picked up snacks), and ate lunch there. Then we walked back and sat on the stairs on the pavement on corner of 65th and Broadway (by Juilliard) to do some people watching. This took about four hours, but we got in plenty of yummy food, took in the views, and got some great photos.

[sunshines]

Originally Posted by scottish mama

You could also pop into Central Park first as I think there’s a play park (Heckscher Playground) quite near the entrance at Columbus Circle, and the carousel is not far from that either. All depends on your energy and where you’re staying. We’re staying at the New York Hilton Midtown so will be close to CP, and as we all want to see something different there, we’re going to take a picnic and spend most of the day there.

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Scottish Mama has some great suggestions. And we love hanging out in Central Park! One thing I would share, though, is that Hecksher Playground really is for smaller children, not teens. More teen-friendly, I would suggest, would be hiring bikes (either from the Citi bikes kiosks around the city or from one of the touristy bike rentals near the Columbus Circle entrance to the park, which often have tandems that might be fun) and ride the loop. Take a look at citibikenyc (website) for info. Or perhaps walk over to the pond and hire a rowboat. Be aware that Central Park gets very busy on Saturdays in the summer, so morning is better than middle of the day. Carry plenty of water with you, don't forget your suncream, and a hat wouldn't be out of place.

My teens have enjoyed walking the High Line and we've gotten some interesting photos there. We also took them over the Brooklyn Bridge and got pizza on the other side (took it over to sit by the water with views of Manhattan). I think we did a walking tour that time with a graffiti theme. (There are tours like this in London too.)