Three years ago my husband and I took Eleni for a visit to New York. The trip then was so different than the trip I recently went a few weeks ago. Here is how we traveled with 3 kids to New York City.
Eleni is 7.5 years old, Nico 5.5 years old and Nolan 21 months. The challenge was on Nolan, but surprisingly he did amazing.
Traveling with a big family can be challenging. Few tips that helps me get through the chaos at the airport. If possible, I try to fly out of a small airport like Burbank or John Wayne. It’s always a breeze and never a hassle to get through the security line. But I understand this is not always an option.
By now we all know this but getting to the airport early is a MUST! Domestic flights we time 2 hours before boarding and International 3.5 hours. It’s nice to be able to walk around the gate before you sit in the plane. We usually do bathroom runs, snack runs, and buy to go food so we can eat inside the plane. Lastly, if you have an infant or toddler boarding last. I make my party board first with the carry-ons and Nolan and I would be the last to board the plane. Depending on the time, I usually take this time to put him to sleep if it’s around his nap or bedtime.
iPad App Kids Love – somewhat educational and games that require thinking.
- Speedrill (math, my 5 years old learned multiplication playing this game)
- Flow Free (puzzle game, it’s actually pretty challenging)
- Wordbrain2 (word puzzle)
- Donut Maker (making donuts, who doesn’t love donuts??)
- Block! Hexa Puzzle (puzzle, also pretty challenging)
Would I fly at 9:30pm again??? Hmm, I’m not so sure if would take a red-eye or night flight. I mean the kids did amazing job since they practically slept the whole way. But I was unable to sleep. It was uncomfortable having 2 kids on top of me almost the entire flight. I think my right butt cheek officially went numb for a few hours after landing. For a full 5.5 hours flight to NYC I got zero sleep. From 9:30pm to arrival in NYC 5:30 am (3:30 am LA time) I was a walking zombie until I checked in to our hotel which we weren’t able to check in until 11am!! At least the hotel was able to accommodate us with an earlier check in time.
Hotel: We stayed at 2 different hotels.
JW Marriott Essex House: Right across Central Park and Columbus Circle. We had a 1 bedroom suite. Sleeps comfortably all 6 of us. Lots of family at this hotel, I think because of the size of the rooms. Our suite was super roomy 1.5 baths with a dining area which helped those nights we did take out for dinner.
West 57th Street Hotel: Love this place. Modern and clean. We had the penthouse and a studio room. The penthouse is like a 1 bedroom suite. It has a bedroom with a king size bed and living area with a pull-out couch. I was surprised how the mattress in the pull out couch was actually really comfortable. It has a full size bathroom with a nice bathtub facing the city. Blocks away from Fifth Ave and walking distance to almost anywhere in Midtown.
Taxis: We used Lyft everywhere, but occasional rides we took the cab. I don’t recommend the cab for one main reason, their crazy way of driving through the city. We didn’t travel with a carseat, so Nolan was in my lap or ergo. Lyft was good, but can add to your traveling cost since we needed a suburban for our party of 6.
Here are few highlights of our 5 days in the city. Three days we had a set schedule of activities, the other 2 days was just hanging out and doing nothing, just in the hotel room ordering yummy NY pizza and watching a movie.
Central Park— Climbing up the big rocks and playing in the playground and carousel.
Watched an Opera at the Met Opera House. January-May is opera season. We watched Rusulka by Dvorak, the story is based on the fairytale of Little Mermaid; Eleni was totally immersed, but Nico fell asleep most of it. The operas usually starts at 7:30 pm and it’s 3.5 hours long with 2 intermissions. We bought the cheapest ticket and sat at the highest balcony. We were able see everything but maybe not the facial expressions from above. The acoustic was so beautiful. We also spotted some children as well.
Walking everywhere for 30+ minutes. It might not be a big deal for New Yorkers, but commuting from place to place by foot was something my kids had to get used to. It took a day for my son. Oh, and we also brought an easy umbrella stroller for Nolan which was a life savior.
The Met Museum. Eleni and Nico both study Greek Mythology and takes Art History class. I was very impressed how they recognized most of the sculptures and was able to interpret art with an understanding of recognition of art style during the time period. I can’t agree with enough with English teacher, Susan Barber ‘I like to incorporate using art to teach critical thinking skills. “A picture is a poem without words” meaning art and written word are different mediums of expression. Art offers children a break from written words while continuing to develop the same skill set needed to be successful readers through challenging children to think both critically and analytically.’
Carnegie Hall. Such a beautiful concert auditorium.
Some of the highlights of our city trip that the kids got to experience. Also, mommypoppins.com its an awesome source that helps your get around the city with a calendar events during your travel times.
We purchased all tickets prior to our trip and I had a word document of basic itinerary of things to do. We also had days with nothing to do so we just roamed around and got silly. We built lasting memory of the city by doing lots cultural things and simple things like a day in the park. Balancing a full day of things to do and a day doing nothing is also highly recommended when traveling to a city. It can get very hectic and stressful when you are always on a go, go, mode. We learn to appreciate the full day when we were just in our rooms watching a movie or looking down from our window at all the cars and people walking. We can’t wait to go back again soon! 
Re-Aloud Book: The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright.
Review: Eleni and Nico both really enjoyed this book. We read it twice! It is about an adventure of 4 siblings taking turns in spending their own Saturdays in New York City. Even though the book was written half a centuries ago, it kept the kids very engaged throughout the entire book. Our New City trip was very inspired by this book.
