Showing posts with label New York tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York tours. Show all posts

My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids (Day 5: Empire State Building, Departure from New York)

March 20, 2014


My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids
(Day 5: Empire State Building, Departure from New York)


DAY 1. MONDAY: 
ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK
DAY 2. TUESDAY: 
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN TOUR by FREE TOURS BY FOOT
TIFFANY'S STORE FEATURED IN "BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S"
FIFTH AVENUE
UNITED NATIONS TOUR

Read more of Day 2 of My New York Itinerary with Kids 

DAY 3. WEDNESDAY: 
STATUE OF LIBERTY, LIBERTY ISLAND, ELLIS ISLAND 
911 MEMORIAL 
BROADWAY SHOW: LION KING
TIMES SQUARE

Read more of Day 3 of New York Itinerary with Kids


DAY 4. THURSDAY: 
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA)
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
PLAZA HOTEL
CENTRAL PARK

Read more of Day 4 of My New York Itinerary with Kids 


DAY 5. FRIDAY: 
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
DEPARTURE FROM NEW YORK


View New York City in a larger map


10:00 AM - 12:00 PM 
Late breakfast at the Hotel
Packing for today's departure from New York

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Check out of the New Yorker hotel and leave your luggage at reception


At the lobby of the New Yorker after checking out of the hotel.


At the front entrance of the New Yorker


Walk from the New Yorker hotel to the Empire State building.
Across the New Yorker hotel entrance
Just a short walk to the Empire State Building


1:00 PM-3:00 PM
Empire State building




Why go up the Empire State Building on the LAST DAY of the trip:


1. In our case, it's only walking distance from our hotel, the New Yorker, so we save more time by doing  it on the day we check out of our hotel. Since checkout time at our hotel is 12 noon, we can still use the whole afternoon to visit the Empire State Building. With the little time that we have in the afternoon, the tourist site nearest to our place, in our case, the Empire State building, is the most feasible place to visit.

2. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLYafter extensively touring New York City the past few days, viewing how New York City is laid out from the top of the Empire State building puts into perspective all the tourist sites you've seen. You remember where the tourist sites were, whether on Midtown Manhattan, Upper East side, Downtown, etc. You have an aerial view of how far you actually walked to explore the place and where those places are located.




Midtown Manhattan, where we went on Day 2


Downtown, Liberty Island and Ellis Island,
where we went on Day 3


You can see the Statue of Liberty at a distance


MOMA, the MET and Central Park,
where we went on Day 4


Going up the Empire State Building on the LAST DAY of your trip 
is the BEST WAY to end your visit to New York City!!!




3:00 PM-4:00 PM
Walk back to hotel


4:00 PM-4:30 PM
Late lunch at Famous Famiglia Pizzeria across the hotel.


4:30 PM
Left Manhattan to go to Yonkers to visit relatives

My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids (Day 3: Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, Ellis Island, 911 Memorial, Broadway Show, Times Square)

January 3, 2014


My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids
(Day 3: Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, 
Ellis Island, 911 Memorial Site, 
Broadway Show, Times Square)


DAY 1. MONDAY: 
ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK




DAY 2. TUESDAY: 
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN TOUR by FREE TOURS BY FOOT
TIFFANY'S STORE FEATURED IN "BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S"
FIFTH AVENUE
DAY 3. WEDNESDAY: 
STATUE OF LIBERTY, LIBERTY ISLAND, ELLIS ISLAND 
911 MEMORIAL 
BROADWAY SHOW: LION KING
TIMES SQUARE




The map below shows our itinerary for the day:




View New York City in a larger map


9:00 AM -10:00 AM

One hour travel time from the  A  New Yorker hotel to the  B  Battery Park.

Directions: Walk to 34th Street Penn Station, board the   1  to South Ferry. Get off at South Ferry and walk to Battery Park. 


10:00 AM -12:30 PM
Ride the ferry at  B Battery Park to go to  C  Liberty Island


This is the line that goes to Liberty Landing ferry.
People go through the white security tent before riding the ferry.
On the ferry going to Liberty Island


At Liberty Island, waiting for the Ranger tour guide


The 45 minute Ranger tour is a free guided tour of Liberty Island.





What to do on Liberty Island:

1. Do the free Liberty Island Ranger tour.
NOTE: Since the crown and pedestal were closed at the time of our visit, we were only able to do the Ranger tour, which is a free outdoor tour that introduces the visitor to the history of Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty.
2.  Enter the pedestal and the Liberty Museum

3. Go up the crown.


12:30 PM -12:45 PM
We left Liberty Island to go to  D  Ellis island


Approaching Ellis Island


12:45 PM - 2:30 PM

At the  Great Hall of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.
This is where immigrants waited to be processed before being allowed into the US


What to do on Ellis Island:

1. Make sure to watch the documentary "Island of Hope, Island of Tears" on the first floor. It provides a great introduction to the immigrant history of America and what occurred on Ellis Island.

2. Go through the different exhibits. The exhibit that my kids found interesting  is the Peopling of America exhibit.

  2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Ride the ferry from Ellis Island to  E  Battery Park

From Battery Park, walk to Bowling green station and board  4   towards Woodlawn, and get off at Fulton. 

Walk to Maiden Lane

Lunch at  F  Subway Restaurant or Papa Johns at Maiden Lane


3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
From Maiden Lane, walk to  G  911 Memorial Preview Site to get the tickets to the 911 Memorial Site.

Walk from Maiden Lane to Albany Street entrance of the 911 Memorial.


4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
 H  911 Memorial Site




4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
From the 911 Memorial site, walk back to Fulton Street, board  A   towards Inwood, then get off at 34th street Penn Station. Walk to  I  New Yorker hotel.


5:30 PM - 7:00 PM 
Rest at New Yorker hotel


7:00 PM - 7:30 PM 
Walk to 34th street Penn Station, board  A   towards Inwood, then get off at Port Authority Bus Terminal


7:30 PM 
Pick up Lion King tickets purchased online at will call window of  J  Minskoff Theater     


8:00 PM-10:30 PM
Watch Lion King
At the lobby of Minskoff theater


Inside Minskoff theater after watching Lion King


10:30 PM-1130 PM
Walk around  K  Times Square









Visit Hershey's store



11:30 PM-1230 PM
From the  L  Hershey's Store, walk towards 50th street and board  A   towards Ozone Park or  E   towards World Trade Center, get off at 34th Street Penn Station.


Passing by the Majestic Theater where Phantom of the Opera is shown
on the way to the Metro station to ride the subway back to our hotel.


Outside the Majestic Theater.
Phantom of the Opera is the longest running show in Broadway history.

Walk to the  M  Famous Famiglia Pizzeria right across the  N  New Yorker hotel and buy take out food to bring back to the hotel for late dinner

Famous Famiglia Pizzeria 
Open from Sun-Thurs: 10am to 1145 pm, Fri-Sat: 10am-245am 
Website: www.myfamousfamiglia.com

DAY 4. THURSDAY: 
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA)
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
PLAZA HOTEL
CENTRAL PARK
Read more of Day 4 of My New York Itinerary with Kids 


DAY 5. FRIDAY: 
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
DEPARTURE FROM NEW YORK
Read more of Day 5 of My New York Itinerary with Kids 

NEW YORK: United Nations Tour with Kids


NEW YORK: United Nations Tour with Kids



WHY DO THE UN TOUR

Mainly to visit the General Assembly Hall. We always see on TV the General assembly meetings held in the General Assembly Hall. It's a great way to pique the interest of the kids (and adults) on the work of the United Nations thru a visit to the General Assembly Hall.


HOW TO BOOK:

Visit the UN online ticketing page to get tickets for the UN guided tour. 


For Guided Tour tickets starting 1 January 2014:Adults  $18.00Senior Citizens (60 and older)  $11.00Students (with valid ID)  $11.00Children (5-12 years old)  $9.00

For more information on the UN Visitor's Center,visit the website of the UN Visitor's Center


WHY BOOK IN ADVANCE:

To ensure entry to the United Nations on the day of your  visit. Tickets are limited. And guided tours are conducted during weekdays only.


MAIN HIGHLIGHT OF THE UN TOUR: 

To enter General Assembly Hall

Our first impression of the General Assembly Hall  is that it's not as big as we imagined it to be on TV

Note: the General Assembly Hall is currently being renovated.It will be opened in fall 2014.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS THAT MY KIDS FOUND INTERESTING:
1. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki Exhibit at the Disarmament Section
This exhibit shows the remnants gathered after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.


HIROSHIMA, JAPAN 1945
Charred remnants of uniforms worn by teenagers in the blazing heat
of the atomic bomb explosion
at Hiroshimam, Japan
6 August 1945

(Taken from the caption at the right of the exhibit)


"HIROSHIMA, JAPAN 1945
Cans and coins melted and fused together
in the heat from the atomic bomb explosion at Hiroshima, Japan
6 August 1945"
(Taken from the caption at the right of the exhibit)



STATUE OF SAINT AGNES
NAGASAKI, JAPAN 1945
"This stone statue of Saint Agnes was found face-down in the ruins of Urakami Tenshudo, a Roman Catholic cathedral that was totally destroyed when the atomic bomb exploded in Nagasaki, Japan." 
(Taken from the caption at the foot of the statue)


"The charring and mottling on the back of the statue
were caused by the intense heat and radiation."
(Taken from the caption at the foot of the statue)


2. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
designed by the Brazilian artist Octavio Roth

3. Projects of the UNICEF


School-in-a-box kit:
"supports a classroom of 80 students in any setting"
(
http://www.unicef.org/supply/kits_flash/schoolinabox/)

For more information on guidelines for use of the school-in-a-box kit, check out http://www.unicef.org/supply/files/School_in_a_box_guidelines.pdf
Sports-in-a-box kit:
designed to support "up to 90 children, who can participate in team sports and games under the guidance of a teacher" (http://www.unicef.org/supply/index_cpe_education.html)


4. Millenium Development Goals



The UN Millenium Development Goals:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
2. Achieve universal primary education. 
3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
4. Reduce child mortality. 
5. Improve maternal health. 
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.  
7. Ensure environmental sustainability. 
8. Develop global partnership for development.

My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids (Day 2: Midtown Manhattan, Tiffany's Store, Fifth Avenue, United Nations Tour)

January 2, 2014

My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids
(Day 2: Midtown Manhattan, Tiffany's Store, Fifth Avenue, United Nations Tour)


DAY 1. MONDAY: 
ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK




DAY 2. TUESDAY: 
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN TOUR by FREE TOURS BY FOOT
TIFFANY'S STORE FEATURED IN "BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S"
FIFTH AVENUE
UNITED NATIONS TOUR



 The map below shows our itinerary for the day:



9:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Walk from the New Yorker Hotel to the meeting place of Free Tours by Foot.

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM


The places we visited thru Free Tours by Foot:

 A  Walgreens Store meeting place

 B  Times Square Theater District

  Bryant Park

  New York Public Library

  Chrysler Building

  Grand Central Terminal

  Waldorf-Astoria Hotel

  St. Patrick's Cathedral

 I   Saks 5th Avenue

  The Rink at Rockefeller Center


1:00 PM - 2:00 PM




In front of the rink at Rockefeller Center


From Rockefeller Center, we passed by  K  Radio City Music Hall.


In front of Radio City Music Hall



After taking pictures in front of the Radio City Music Hall, we walked to  L  Bocca Restaurant to eat lunch.

Pizza lunch at Bocca Restaurant


From Bocca Restaurant, we walked to Tiffany's store to checkout where Audrey Hepburn shot the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's.



2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Visit and enter the  M  Tiffany's store at 727 Fifth Avenue.




Why see Tiffany's:

1. To see where Audrey Hepburn shot the classic movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's". My kids watched this movie so they're interested in seeing this movie location.


Check out the video below of the famous opening scene of the movie, "Breakfast at Tiffany's". 


The video is brought to you by deepsandwich at youtube


2. Make sure to enter Tiffany's to see the unique jewelry they produce that are really works of art. You realize why Tiffany's is so famous and why Tiffany's jewelry is sought after.


3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Walk around and explore Fifth Avenue.

From Fifth Avenue, walk to the   N  United Nations building


4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

In front of the United Nations building

Do the UN tour.

Why do the UN tour: That's the only way you're able to visit and enter the UN General Assembly. Everytime the kids see the UN General Assembly on CNN, they exclaim "We were there!!" 

Other things we saw during the UN tour:
Hiroshima and Nagasaki exhibit: Aftermath of the bombing
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
UNICEF Projects
UN Millenium Development Goals

For details and photos of this tour, see my post "NEW YORK: United Nations Tour with Kids"



5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Walk to the nearest subway station and return to the New Yorker hotel




DAY 3. WEDNESDAY: 
STATUE OF LIBERTY, LIBERTY ISLAND, ELLIS ISLAND 
911 MEMORIAL 
BROADWAY SHOW: LION KING
TIMES SQUARE
Read more of Day 3 of New York Itinerary with Kids


DAY 4. THURSDAY: 
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA)
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
PLAZA HOTEL
CENTRAL PARK
Read more of Day 4 of My New York Itinerary with Kids 


DAY 5. FRIDAY: 
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING