My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids (Day 4: Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Plaza Hotel, Central Park)

January 4, 2014


My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids
(Day 4: Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Plaza Hotel, Central Park)


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


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


The map below shows our itinerary for the day:


View New York City in a larger map


11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Since we had a very late night at Times Square the day before, we started late today.

Go to 34th St - Penn Station. Board   E   going towards Jamaica Center, get off at 5Av/53 St. Walk to the Museum of Modern Art at 53rd Street


12:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Museum of Modern Art
Finally saw Van Gogh's "Starry Night" at the Museum of Modern Art



2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

From the Museum of Modern Art, walk to Madison Av/East 52-53 St. Board M2 bus going towards Washington Heights Broadway -168st via Madison. Get off at Madison Ave/83rd St. Walk towards 5th avenue to the entrance of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.



3:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Metropolitan Museum of Art
Arrival at the Met


Before going in, we had a 15 minute hotdog sandwich lunch at the steps of the Met.
Hotdog stand in front of the entrance of the MET

My tip: DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF PAYING FOR ADMISSION TICKETS AT THE MET. 

Contrary to what people think, tickets at the Met are FREE!!! The entry desk indicates that adult tickets are $25 but it's also stated below that they are only recommended, which means it's optional. New Yorkers know this but visitors are misled by the signs.

Check out these two articles:
Don't Pay the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 'Recommended' $25 Fee
Seeking Clarity on Fees at the Metropolitan Museum

  3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Metropolitan Museum of Art
The collection of the Met is so vast that it's not possible to see them all. 

My tip: The best way to be satisfied with your visit to the Met is to know beforehand what particular collection you want to see and go see it. This means you must read about the Met before your visit to know where to go. In our case, even if we knew what we wanted to see, because of the sheer size of the museum, it took a while to find it. I wanted to see the works of my favorite painter Johannes Vermeer, but I couldn't find it on my own. I had to ask for assistance of one of the museum employees stationed in the area to find it.

On the other hand, one of  my daughters wanted to see the Egyptian collection where all the sarcophagus and other artifacts were, another wanted to see the sculpture section, but all of them unanimously enjoy looking at the work of Impressionists: Monet, Renois, Cezanne, Latour. 


Self-portrait in a Straw Hat by Vincent Van Gogh


Bouquet of Sunflowers by Claude Monet


Marguerite-Therese (Margot) Berard by August Renoir

 


Young Woman with a Water Pitcher by Johannes Vermeer

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Walk to 5th Av/East 80th St. Board the M@ bus going to East Village 8th st via 5th ave. Get off at 5av/West 60-59th St. Walk to the Plaza Hotel

6:00 PM - 6:30 PM 


The Plaza Hotel



WHY THE KIDS WANTED TO SEE THE PLAZA:

Because my kids watched the 2003 Disney TV movie "Eloise at the Plaza". The film was based on the famous Eloise series of children's books.


Eloise at the Plaza (2003) Poster
Photo taken from IMDB

In front of the Plaza Hotel



Inside the Plaza Hotel


6:30 PM - 7:30 PM 


Central Park


At the Pond


My kids pretending they're at the movie "Enchanted"





7:30 PM - 8:00 PM
From Columbus Circle, walk to 59th st - Columbus Circle. Board   to Gar Rockaway Mott Ave. Get off at 34th St - Penn Station



DAY 5. FRIDAY: 
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

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