New York City
A Bite of the Big Apple
by Tony Cottonwald
by Tony Cottonwald
“New York, New York, is every thing they say, and no place I’d rather be…Where else can you do a half a million things all at quarter to three” say the lyrics of a famous 1980’s song. Only thing is, it refers to things that you do in the morning! Walking down the ramp at JFK International Airport with my wife and two young children, I’m afraid my mind was mapping out what we could do and see on the other side of the day, in the afternoon.
Settling into our pleasant digs at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square, we looked out over that most famous of American landmarks, Times Square. Midtown Manhattan is probably the most exciting plot of land on the planet, and there’s no better place to centre yourself in order to enjoy a classic New York vacation. All transportation lines seem to run through it, including most of the subway lines, and, of course, Broadway, which cuts diagonally through this city of gridded streets.
Judy, my wife, and Jack and Nancy, my 12 and 10 year olds, gathered around the coffee table in our room as we got to work on our daily itineraries. We had printed out HotelTravel.com’s New York City travel guide, which was a great help in finding out what to do. By the time we were done, we had a really good idea of what we wanted to do.
Setting out to the Bronx the first morning, we headed to the Bronx Zoo Wildlife Conservation Park. Clearly the kid’s favourite pick, the Bronx Zoo is famous worldwide and is actually the largest in-city zoo in the world. Though things have been cleaned up over the last twenty years in nearby neighbourhoods, the trip by subway to the park is still a fascinating one.
As you emerge from underground tunnels to elevated tracks, you are treated to a bird’s eye view of the Bronx. With a lot of areas still run down, you begin to appreciate what an economically diverse city New York is. The park is spectacular, and the highlight for the kids was the Bengali Express Monorail, which glides above acres of African animal habitat.
The next day we spent riding out to Coney Island, the iconic amusement park boardwalk. As it was a nice May afternoon, we enjoyed a little sunbathing and sand play before walking the ride grounds. Don’t miss the Cyclone roller coaster ride if you visit, but make sure you don’t ride right after stuffing yourself with cotton candy or a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog! After a tiring day we all trudged back to Manhattan, and exiting the subway tunnel at Times Square we had to stop for a New York-style pizza slice, which seem to abound everywhere on street corners.
One of the best values for families visiting New York is riding the Staten Island Ferry. You board it downtown for the cost of a subway token, and then ride across the harbour to Staten Island. The view of Wall Street and downtown is just fabulous and breathtaking. Glancing to the west you can spot the Statue of Liberty and if you look just right you can see Ellis Island on a clear day. The enormity of Manhattan is never as stark as from New York Harbour. The kids were thrilled!
Rounding out the trip were visits to Yankee Stadium, a hallowed shrine for American baseball, and several museums. The American Museum of Natural History was especially entertaining for Jack and Nancy because of fascinating displays showcasing all things natural science and anthropology.
No kid can help but be transfixed by huge fossil skeletons of animals and dinosaurs that once ruled the earth millions of years ago. In fact, there’s no museum in the Big Apple that doesn’t hold out something for kids, no matter the age. Most of the museums in town are so large and have so many exhibits that there’s always something for everyone.
Above all else, the city itself is an attraction that everyone can enjoy. Whether it’s Central Park, walking the theatre district, stepping around panhandlers, or sampling many of the thousands of great restaurants that abound in Gotham, no city in the world can top it for the sheer exhilarating buzz it generates. Taking the kids there turned out, after all, to be the best educational adventure of their young lives.
For other reports on New York, go to our archive
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