I have always wanted to take my kids to New York City. After I returned to the Big Apple for a conference in February 2025, I decided to take my kids for a few days for their spring break. Since it’s just a short 2-hour train ride away, I hope that this will be the first of many trips there.
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My AI prompts to plan the trip
I used chatGPT and gave it this prompt on the area I wanted to stay (Times Square), the types of activities I wanted (low cost or free, kid-friendly, walkable or accessible by public transportation, good food) and didn’t want (no shows this trip). The suggestions I received included the Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, Central Park activities, The American Museum of Natural History, and a couple public libraries. The response also included subway stops, restaurant recommendations, and estimated costs of the attractions.
Preparing my kids for what to expect
Since we were only going for 3 days and 2 nights, I decided to narrow down our visits to just the libraries, Times Square, Central Park, and the American Museum of Natural History. Then I watched a few YouTube video introduction tours to Central Park and showed them to my kids so that we would have some sense of direction in that expansive and sometimes reception-sparse green oasis. I also had the re-read some books that included scenes in New York City, such as City Spies: Mission Manhattan and Stacey’s Mistake.
Transportation and Hotel
I did not want to drive to the city, so we took the train. Remember, the earlier you book the tickets, the less expensive they are! Also, I heard (and also found myself) the tickets are less expensive on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. So, book early and check on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for best deals. While the cost of train tickets was multiplied by many family members, do also keep in mind that taking the train also saves on gas, parking, and toll fees. I think it ends up being about the same but with a lot less stress to take the train.
I used my Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card points (at the time of publication, there’s an amazing bonus for 100,000 points to sign up – check it out >>>>here<<<<) and transferred them to Hyatt to reserve two rooms (2 queen beds each) at the Hyatt Centric in Times Square. Once we got there, the receptionist offered to upgrade us for a $90/night to a 1 bedroom king suite that connected to a room with 2 queen beds, and didn’t charge a resort fee. I took her up on the offer, and I’m glad we did – it was a lot of more room for my 5 year old to run around in!
Sign up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card >>>here<<<<. I get a small referral points bonus if you sign up and are approved. I love this bonus so much I got my husband to sign up for a card, too!
The hotel offered a tour to their roof-top lounge for families mid-morning everyday. To actually got to the lounge when it’s open, one has to be 21 years old. It’s open to anyone staying anywhere, but the other families with us were also Hyatt guests. It was a nice view where we could see the old Paramount building so ancient it doesn’t have an electronic billboard in Times Square (see below). We could also see the One World Observatory building, too.
The Places We Visited
Times Square
The excitement in Times Square is just palpable – the bright billboards and . Walking up to 7th Avenue is like walking into a wall of people. I usually walked behind my kids to make sure I didn’t lose them. I warned them to keep walking past the Megatron and Minnie characters who were trying to get tourists to take photos with them. Hmm.. I’m not selling this very well huh? Well, we went into the Disney store to look around, and did actual shopping for shirt and fashion jewelry at Old Navy and H&M and looked for deals at the closing Forever 21 store. Not much luck on shopping.
Central Park
There are 843 acres to explore in Central Park, including a zoo. I was hoping to go to the pond and float along in some paddle boats, but we didn’t make it that far. We barely made it past the edge on the south end, distracted by a playground with a large rock formations. An hour was easily lost climbing up and down the rocky landscape and slide ladders. Then we kept walking towards the direction of the American Museum of Natural History, taking a few detours since the windy paths all seem to look the same and reception was not cooperating with the phone’s GPS map system.
American Museum of Natural History
After researching the prices and cross checking to make sure this museum wasn’t on the reciprocal membership list of any other museums I had annual memberships to, I ended to purchasing the level with 4 adults so that my parents could also enjoy the museum any time they are in town. The museum membership includes the cost of all the exhibits so we could see all the things. There’s even a separate entrance members can use. The exhibits at this time were butterfly house, journey of elephants, and invisible worlds.
The kids enjoyed watching the butterflies, though the 5yo was a little scared. The elephants exhibit had an interesting short documentary about rehabbing orphaned elephants. It was very cool to see them communicate via vibrations on the ground that they sensed with their feet. And finally, the kids enjoyed an interactive experience with the invisible worlds exhibit. Run around and the virtual butterflies follow you. Skip around and make virtual splashes. We only had time for the exhibits, taking a break in between to sit at a local cafe across the street and rejuvenate with refreshing drinks. We look forward to going back to explore the rest of the museum, including the planetarium.
Public Libraries
On our first day in New York, walking from the train station to our hotel, we only had energy to stop midway at one library, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation library. We went to the 7th floor for a free view from up high. Then we headed all the way to the basement to check out the children’s section. And if you take a pediatrician to the library, she’s gonna sit on a comfy chair and read a book with her kid. And that’s exactly what we did. Three books read twice later, we skipped the larger public library across the street and trudged wearily towards our hotel.
On the third day, on our walk from the hotel to the train station, we stopped by the flagship building of the New York Public Library where my mom sat at the cafe to enjoy a cup of coffee while the kids and I explored. The kids were very excited to see the original Winnie the Pooh stuffies on display. The walls and ceiling on the third floor aka the McGraw Rotunda is composed of ornate carvings and detailed painted panels. I thought it was very worthy of an extra few flight of stairs, but my children only noticed their tired legs. Finally, my non-fiction writing heart skipped a few beats when I saw the New Yorker exhibit, but sadly my children pulled me away to continue on our journey.
Bryant Park
Another green space in New York City, Bryant Park is situated behind the New York Public Library. There’s a tiny carousel. That I had the 5 year old take a photo in front of but we did not have time to ride it. Bryant Park was difficult to navigate with a stroller, so accidentally traversed it trying to find our way out stumbling up and down steps through cobblestone walkways flanked by copper seats and tables. By the time we exited the obstacle course, we were eagerly headed towards only one final destination for the day – our hotel!
Lessons From Our First Trip to NYC
Here are three things I will do differently on our next trip and three things I will keep doing:
What I will do differently:
- I will use the subway. To see more places, I will need to use the subway system.
- Since I plan to use the subway system next time, we will not need to walk as much, which means that I will not bring the stroller. The 5 year old should be able to handle the shorter distances and being stroller-less will allow us to get up and down the subway and other building stairs more easily.
- Research restaurants better. I wanted to go to Ellen’s Stardust Diner, but the line was so long we ended up eating at the McDonald’s across the street. I also ordered take out from a Chinese restaurant that just soaked the rice and noodles in the same sauce. On the other hand, we did enjoy ourselves at the restaurants above, so maybe it’s just normal to miss the mark on some food picks.
What I will do the same:
- Bring and buy groceries – This allows us to always have snacks on hand for the hungry kids, and saves money! I love buying a salad kits that includes all the extra toppings and dressing. I’ll also get easy fruits like bananas, oranges, and grapes, and adding in some mandatory veggies (yes, you have to eat at least one) such as grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers.
- Back pack – Each person brought only a back pack for clothes, toiletries, and snacks. It was not very heavy for such a short trip (we’ve carried heavier bags on longer trips in Europe and Taiwan). My hands were free to hold the kids’ hands and a nice cold drink at times.
- Take the train – The kids and I enjoyed the train ride. It was smooth and short. On the train, New York is just a breezy chapter book away!
Check out our visit to DC >>>here<<<<.