There is just so much to see and do in NYC. However, Adventures of Abby Girl can you tell readers five absolutely awesome family adventures in NYC that are great for all ages.
1. Ride the train into Grand Central
Yes, even with COVID, the train is safe. In fact, there is a mask mandate in place on Metro-North. My husband took our daughter to the bathroom on the way home and said the bathrooms are the cleanest he has ever seen them. He went in armed with disinfecting wipes by the pile because we all remember those nights coming home on the train when you had to use the onboard bathroom. It was almost as bad as the downstairs Grand Central Bathroom where all the homeless people used to take “showers” in the sinks. So germs are definently being conquered on the train
The price is still fairly expensive if you come from the last stop on the train line like us. However, you can cut costs by purchasing round-trip tickets, going off-peak and children four and under are free.
Metro-North also is Fido-friendly for dogs under 65 pounds. Over 65 pounds is an additional fee. However, remember that the city can be crowded and your dog might be scared of the crowds. A lot of places might not be dog friendly and on the subway, they have to fit in a carrier. However, for a day in Central Park, let your pooch ride the rails with the family!
2. The American Museum of Natural History–
This is a great spot! In fact, there is so much to see and do that a family might not cover all four floors in one day. This is especially true if you have young children. However, asking them what they are interested in and going with that, makes just as much fun.
Tips at Museum to make for the most amazing adventure:
Purchase tickets in advance online. There is timed entry currently.
NY, NJ, and CT residents are pay what you want. However, make sure you bring an ID! They will not honor this without the proper ID.
Layer. A lot of the museum is really hot. So layer.
Bring a pack. Bring a pack to shove your kid’s coat in or you will be dragging it through the museum.
Sketch pad. Abby had the awesome idea of bringing a sketch pad and pencils. When she got to her favorite floor (the 4th floor, dinosaurs), she took a lot of time sketching various dinosaur fossils and creating dinosaur images based on what she saw.
Take a taxi one way and foot travel the other. This way families can experience a nice piece of Central Park.
3. Central Park is the Ultimate Family Adventure in NYC-
Central Park is great and covers 843 acres of land. Just walking through the park heading back toward Grand Central is a lot of fun. There are street musicians that fill the air with a variety of music. There’s a big rock to climb and the pond. If you have money to spend, you can even take a carriage ride. This is how my husband proposed. My exact words as he got on one knee were, “what did you drop something?” Overall with our without children, it’s a very magical place. You will also see a lot of other types of vendors and it’s great for a bicycle ride too.
4. Take in the sites-
We prefer walking because you take the time to stop wherever and take in all the sites and sounds. Since we visited shortly after Christmas, a stop at Rockefeller Plaza was a must. There are a lot of really neat stores to go into also. Most, are super expensive, however, they are stores not found in the Hudson Valley, and great to pretend for a bit that you maybe are one of the Rockefellers. If you need any emergency items, a Duane Reade can be found on what feels like almost every block. Only thing we found disapointing is waiting in lines (children get antsy) and you couldn’t get very close to the tree at all.
5. Sarge’s Deli-
Once everyone is back at Grand Central, go beyond Grand Central Station and eat at Sarges. It’s only a short walk from the train absolutely worth every penny. Their corned beef on rye is huge and their brisket is amazing. There isn’t a food we haven’t tried that isn’t amazing from here. Writing about it makes me want to hop back on the train and grab a bite to eat right now. There is nothing that compares around the Hudson Valley. Right now with COVID, you have to grab your food and eat on the train.
side note: We don’t have any pictures for you. We were too busy stuffing our faces! So you will just have to go see for yourself.
Final Thoughts-
Spending a day in the city is still a great family excursion and 99 percent of people wear masks all the time. At least the time we were there. Even on the streets. It’s not as crowded as I remember either. So go have awesome adventures in NYC with your family sometime soon. Let us know if you find any other cool things to do. Still, prefer adventures in the wilderness? Then take a look at this article!
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