Category Archives: Parents Love Travel

PARENTS LOVE TRAVEL – CLASSIC NYC ITINERARY – Greenwich Village and Midtown

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Macy’s / Bryant Park / NY Public Library / Greenwich Village / Subway

Check out of hotel. Leave luggage with hotel front desk.

Small party? Let’s do breakfast at: Johny’s Luncheonette – 124 W 25th St (betw 6th&7th) Come.Sit.Eat is their motto. With only ~16 seats, mostly at the counter, you will likely have to wait a bit to get in – but, it’s so worth it! Once seated, you’re greeted with a cup of coffee and menus. We ordered the basic egg breakfast – eggs fried or scrambled, bacon or sausage links. Yummy home fries come with breakfasts.The chef busily whips up your order – all on a seasoned grill – while sharing stories and joking with regulars. This is old school breakfast food, served by long time New Yorkers. Traditional breakfast/lunch food served daily 8am-2pm only.

  • NY Public Library – est 1911/Rose Reading room/476 Fifth Ave (42nd&Fifth)/10am-6/8pm,Sun 1-5pm. Every room and hallway of this huge library is filled with artifacts and architecture. Magnificent! (reading room only open to researchers except 10-11am tours)
  • Bryant Park – Behind NY Public Library and really a surprise. Bryant Park is one of the world’s busiest public spaces. More than 19 million people per year visit the park and enjoy gardens with seasonal displays, free daily amenities, cultural programming, exercise classes, and more! This is a social haven for young and old, from ice cream stands to open-air chess games.
  • Macy’s Herald Square 151 West 34th Street Macy’s, established in 1858, is the Great American Department Store. Wooden escalator. 10am-9/10pm. Shopping selection in there is endless! Go to the Children’s Department for a snack and right in the middle, the coveted wooden escalator!

Take 34th St Penn Station Line 1 Downtown Local to Christopher St

  • Joe’s Pizza – 7 Carmine St (near Bleeker St & Sixth Ave – slices – 10am-3am. My favorite in NYC – a little greasy & sloppy, but the flavor!
  • Bleeker St Pizza – corner of Bleeker & Seventh Ave – slices
  • John’s Pizza – 278 Bleeker St – pies, no slices
  • Murray’s Cheese –
  • Friends Apt/Central Perk(Little Owl) – 90 Bedford St (& Grove St) Now a little Italian cafe
  • Sex in the City – 66 Perry St – Carrie Bradshaw Apt. Beautiful street of tree canopied brownstones.
  • Magnolia Bakery – 401 Bleeker St (& W 11th) – original store – cupcakes/banana pudding. Best ever banana pudding!

Christopher St Line 1 Uptown. Pick up luggage at hotel and walk to Penn Station/Moynihan Station to board train back to Philly

ADDED NOTE: We took Amtrak train into Penn Station, right in the heart of it all. Will easily do that again. Subways – in 2 1/2 days in NYC, we used the subway 7 times. Easy to just touch charge card or phone wallet and go thru. Nice alternative when walking is just too much.

PARENTS LOVE TRAVEL – CLASSIC NYC ITINERARY – Downtown

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Staten Island/ 911/ Wall Street/ Brooklyn Bridge/ Lower East Side

Grab bagel breakfast near Subway (Liberty Bagels – my favorite is their toasted sesame bagel with scallion cream cheese) near 34St. station (on 35th). Liberty Bagels is home to the best bagels in New York. The old-fashioned, hand-rolled, kettle boiled, and baked bagels are a NY staple and is a stop you cannot skip during a trip to NYC.

Take the 1 Downtown to Battery Park/South Ferry (10 min)

Staten Island Ferry (late 1800s)– free ferry past Statue of Liberty. Stay right side Over, left side Back. Departs every 15-30 minutes/20-25 minutes each way.

Subway up to World Trade Center/Oculus station to:

911 Memorial / Museum – 180 Greenwich. Just going close to the twin towers memorial takes your breath away and your heart sinks once you peer into the endless hole in the middle. The design captures your heart, for sure. FDNY Station #10 is right there, too. Stop in Ohara’s Pub for a pint after – 120 Cedar St (one block south of ground zero / 11a-late). The New York Irish pub that became a hub for first responders after 9/11. O’Hara’s walls are covered with police and fire badges from around the world. The pint of Guinness eased our emotions before we ventured on…

Trinity Church – 120 Broadway – Alexander Hamilton grave/Natl Treasure. Dark gothic vibe. Unbelievable architecture.

Wall Street – Bull – NYSE

Lunch at Fraunces Tavern (1762)– 54 Pearl St – Museum on 2nd Fl ($10A/$5C) daily Noon-5pm/ guided tours (60 min) weekends/Lunch daily 11:30am-3:30pm. As you turn a corner south of the Financial District, the historic preservation building begs you to enter. Once inside, you’ll notice all the furnishings are period late 1700s, even the servers are dressed in period costume. This is the oldest building in Manhattan. We really enjoyed the Tavern Burger but next time I’d like to try the Pot Pie. I’d encourage you to visit the museum upstairs. This is the site of George Washington’s emotional farewell to his officers at the end of the Revolutionary War win!

Brooklyn Bridge (1883) (Walk or Subway to NY City Hall) – the pedestrian walkway begins just across from the northeast corner of City Hall Park along Centre Street. Walk a little ways towards Brooklyn, turn around, get the photo op or go all the way across, grab a snack in Brooklyn, then walk back over with the Manhattan skyline as your view. We felt walking on the wood-planked path, the bridge is bigger and grander in person. A must do!

Chinatown Wo Hop (1938) – 17 Mott St basement/Marvelous Mrs. Maisel/10:30a-9p – or any of the street vendors. This area encompasses many blocks forming a V shape and the food is fresh and delicious. (cash only in Chinatown)

Tenement Museum – (early 1900s) 103 Orchard St (&Delancey) / reserved tours 60-90 minute ~ $30/ As you explore the Lower East Side neighborhoods, learn how various early 1900s immigrant communities influenced American culture and cuisine. These tours are so authentic – in one tenement, you are touching the same banisters 7,000 immigrants used over the last 100 years!

Dinner: Katz’s Deli (1888) 205 E Houston St 8a-11p/ NYCs Oldest Jewish Deli. OMG! That quote from When Harry Met Sally (filmed here), “I’ll have what she’s having!” – so true! Best Pastrami on Rye! Grab your ticket at the door and line up to your favorite “cutter”. Place your order. While they slice your meat for the thick sandwiches, the cutter may give you a sample and ask if you want more lean or fatty ends? Ask for the deli mustard. It comes with pickles on the side.

Cocktail: The Back Room Speakeasy (1920s) -102 Norfolk St. 6p-2a. This is one of only two speakeasies in NYC that operated during Prohibition and is still in existence today. Once you find the rickety Toy Factory gate, walk down the steps, across the way and then knock at the *unmarked door. The bouncer looks you over and asks the gentlemen to remove their caps. The drinks are prohibition style – beer bottles served in brown paper bags and cocktails in tea cups! So cool! Gangsters once used the space for “business meetings”.

Beer: McSorley’s Old Ale House (1854) – 17 E 7th St / Noon-1am. McSorley’s can boast of being NYC’s oldest continuously operated saloon (everyone from Abe Lincoln to John Lennon). Enter the sawdust strewn floors and history patched walls for a trip back through time. Be prepared: walk thru the swinging doors and you’re asked light or dark and soon after two short mugs of your choice appear. Old-timey, friendly vibe. Daily food specials. Cash only. No draft list here, lol.

Nearby, NYU campus/Washington Sq. Subway back to Hotel to refresh and walk or subway to: Times Square nighttime view & Serendipity 3 ice cream, Juniors cheesecake or numerous Times Square rooftop bars.

PARENTS LOVE TRAVEL – CLASSIC NYC ITINERARY – MIDTOWN

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Times Square / Central Park / Fifth Avenue / Grand Central / Empire State Building

NYC Midtown – Walk past Times Square, grab a coffee and dessert at Carlos or Krispy Kreme (loved the big apple donut) and take it to the red steps in the middle of Times Square to eat (get some pics of the daytime scene).

Then walk uptown Broadway to Original Soup Man @ 259 W 55th St. Take soup to nearby park. This is the Seinfeld episodes spot of Al, the Soup Man and “No soup for you!” legend. Carryout only. I’m glad I got Soup for Me! The lobster bisque (chowder) was so flavorful! And, my bag included bread and a piece of fruit! I’m craving that soup again already …

Central Park by foot tour: (start at Columbus Circle on the southwest corner. Subway line 1 Uptown to 59th St/Columbus Circle stop)

Tavern on the Green – 11am-11pm wkdays/ 9am-10pm wkends – Classic wood beamed ceiling interior – expansive patio w/ dozens of tables with red umbrellas. Meals with reservations. Cocktails and lite bites at the main bar and patio bar. Snack bar. We were there during Sunday brunch and the champagne was popping non-stop for mimosas.

  • Strawberry Fields / Imagine Mosaic (memorial to John Lennon – an acoustic musician was singing Lennon songs as we passed by, adding to the feel)
  • Rock outcroppings all along your path east, along with open patches with ball fields (we saw two softball games)
  • Bow Bridge (classic pedestrian bridge)
  • Bethesda Terrace & Fountain (street vendors and musicians line the perimeter – also great views of rowboats and the Lake – this is Friends fountain)
  • Loeb Boathouse (many movie scenes, where you can rent rowboats)
  • Conservatory Water (model boat pond)
  • The Mall & Literary Walk – The Mall is a wide, tree-lined walkway located in the southern part of Central Park. It runs from the southern entrance at 66th Street to the Bethesda Terrace. The Mall is a popular spot for walking, jogging, and socializing. It often hosts street performers and artists, adding to its vibrant atmosphere. The Literary Walk, which features statues of famous writers (William Shakespeare), runs along the Mall. (I think this was my favorite park of Central Park)
  • The Pond at Central Park (far view of the Plaza, where we’re headed next)

Fifth Avenue walkabout starts at the Plaza!

  • The Plaza (1907) – Champagne Bar – cocktails and meals/ 6:30a-11p. Palm Court Bar – especially fun during afternoon tea for people watching. Best Manhattan in Manhattan! Creative, tasty small plates.
  • Trump Tower / Tiffany & Co / Gucci
  • St Patrick’s Cathedral (1878) / Rockefeller Center / Radio City / NBC Studios

Head back towards hotel to freshen. Evening ideas:

  • Hotel Rooftop Bar
  • Grand Central (1913) –  the Campbell Room  (Noon-Midnight/jazz 6p Sundays/limited seating, make reservations) – cozy speakeasy vibe – order traditional cocktails and small plates.
  • Empire State Building (1931) – 8am-MN (last elevator at 11:15pm) $44+ Eateries on street level. Observation deck and displays. The Disney-like exhibits engage you, including the elevator ride up to the 80th floor and the movies/King Kong “grab”! Then, you go up to the 86th Floor and wow, the views are breathtaking! We arrived at dusk and stayed til dark. Very quiet and surreal up there… magical!