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

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

Read more of Day 1 of My New York Itinerary with Kids 

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

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)

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

Read more of Day 1 of My New York Itinerary with Kids 

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:

View Larger Map

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

For details and photos of this tour, see my post "Free Walking Tour of Midtown Manhattan by Free Tours by Foot: A Traveler's Review"

The places we visited thru Free Tours by Foot:

 A  Walgreens Store meeting place

 B  Times Square Theater District

 C  Bryant Park

 D  New York Public Library

 E  Chrysler Building

 F  Grand Central Terminal

 G  Waldorf-Astoria Hotel

 H  St. Patrick's Cathedral

 I   Saks 5th Avenue

 J  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

DEPARTURE FROM NEW YORK

Read more of Day 5 of My New York Itinerary with Kids

My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids (Day 1: Arrival in New York)

My NEW YORK Itinerary with Kids: 
(Day 1: Arrival in New York)

This is our actual itinerary when we visited New York. We did everything and saw everything listed in this itinerary. So, this has been time tested and proven to be possible, even if you have kids travelling with you. 

Things to note about this itinerary

1. I have to let you know that my kids, who were with me, range from 13 years old to 18 years old. They are fit and capable of walking long distances. They were able to see all the sights listed in this itinerary. 

2. The choice of sights were made in consultation with my kids. So it's a blend of sights that both adults and kids will enjoy.

3. We traveled by public transportation (mainly by walking, riding the bus or the metro) so the itinerary includes directions from the New Yorker hotel to the sights and between sights. Being 6 in a group, we didn't see the taxi as an option.

4. The timing includes lining up for tickets and going through security checks. The only ticket I purchased ahead of time is the United Nations tour tickets, the Statue of Liberty tickets and the Lion King tickets.

Cost

The total cost of this itinerary can be computed as follows: 

Hotel accomodation for 4 nights: The New Yorker Hotel

Meals: see McDonalds New York prices

• Mcdonalds meal rate x 10 meals (breakfast is free with hotel) x 6 people 

•  Why use the McDonalds meal rate? I always use the McDonalds meal rate in   places I visit to estimate my meal budget because there's  McDonalds restaurant almost everywhere in the world, and a website that will show you the menu prices. 

Tip based Manhattan walking tour: see Free Tours by Foot: New York

UN tour: see UN website, Online guided tour tickets

Statue cruises to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: see Statue cruises website, Statue cruises tickets

Broadway tickets: see Ticketmaster website

Museums: see Metropolitan Museum website, Museum of Modern Art website

Empire State building: see Empire State building website, Empire State building tickets

Metro/bus tickets: see New York Metro ticket website

MY NEW YORK ITINERARY WITH KIDS

DAY 1. MONDAY: 

ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK

2:00 PM

Arrival in New York 

Directions from the JFK airport to the New Yorker hotel: We used the NYC airporter. After baggage claim, we went outside the airport arrival area and walked further to the left where the dispatcher of the NYC airporter is located. We purchased 6 tickets from the dispatcher. Instead of paying $12 each, we availed of the family rate for 4 people at $35, and the child rate for the 2 kids at $10 each, for at total of $55 for the 6 of us. 

It took very long for a NYC airporter shuttle bus to pick us up. Eventually, we were picked up by a Supershuttle van and brought to the Grand Central terminal, where we rode another airporter bus, that took us at the doorstep of the New Yorker hotel.

My tip: If you are in a hurry to arrive at your Manhattan hotel, do not take the NYC airporter. Better book Carmel Cars. The minivan will only cost $60 + $6.50 toll + 20% tip for 6 people, with 4 checked size luggage.

But if you are 6 in a group and have 6 checked size luggage, it will be cheaper to ride the NYC airporter because 1 person is entitled to 1 checked size luggage. But take note that it took us almost 2-3 hours to arrive at our hotel, because of the length of time it took for the van to pick us up at the airport, then to transfer to another bus that will take us to the hotel, and then to wait for your turn to be dropped off at your hotel. 

5:00 PM

Actual check-in at New Yorker hotel (Read more about the New Yorker hotel)

7:00 PM

Dinner options across the New Yorker hotel: McDonalds, Famiglia Pizza, Burger King. Since we were tired already, we chose to stay in and enjoy the view of the Empire State building from our hotel room window. Two of my kids chose McDonalds, the other two wanted Burger king and my husband and I bought pizza and lasagna at the Famiglia pizzeria.

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

Read more of Day 5 of My New York Itinerary with Kids

SINGAPORE: My List of Best Food Souvenirs to Bring Home

SINGAPORE: My List of Best Food Souvenirs to Bring Home

The most famous Singaporean dishes are Laksa, Hainanese Chicken and Chili Crab. If you were to bring home a piece of Singapore, the best is to bring home these three dishes. Prima Taste premix is my favorite brand to bring home. 

Why I Love Prima Taste Premix

1. Prima Taste premix captures the authentic taste of Laksa , Hainanese Chicken and Chili Crab. 

2.  It's easy to cook.

3. Each package has all the complete ingredients to make up the dish. You only add the meat. For instance, the Hainanese Chicken premix not only contains the hainanese flavor mix, it also has a pack of chili, soy sauce and ground ginger that are side sauces to the dish.

4. A box of premix is not expensive. As of August 2013, one box cost 7.40 SGD.

5. It's easy to buy. It's available at any Cold Storage supermarket located all over Singapore. Checkout Cold Storage website for the location of branches.

Below is a preview of what's inside the box and what it looks like when cooked:

Chili Crab

Above photo taken from Prima Taste website

What's inside the box:
Chili Crab paste
Chili Crab premix
Extra Hot Chili Mix

You only need to add crab to make this dish
Suggestion: add crabmeat to sauce 

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Above photo taken from Prima Taste website

What's inside the box:
Hainanese chicken rice premix
Hainanese chicken rice fragrance oil
Sesame soya sauce oil
Chili sauce, Chicken rice dark soya sauce, Chicken rice ginger sauce

You only need to add chicken to make this dish

Laksa

Above photo taken from Prima Taste website

What's inside the box:
Laksa paste
Laksa premix
Sambal chili

Cooked sauce

You only add shrimp, tofu, spaghetti, mongo sprouts.
You can add other ingredients depending on your taste.

Food Tripping at UP Diliman: Tapsilog at Rodic's

Food Tripping at UP Diliman: Tapsilog at Rodic's

What is Tapsilog?

Tapsilog is a Filipino term coined from the words tapa (fried beef), singangag (garlic fried rice) and itlog (egg). It's a Filipino meal of fried beef, garlic fried rice and egg.

Inside Rodic's

Price of Tapsilog

80 pesos per meal

Location

University Shopping Center

UP Diliman

View Larger Map

You can see the branches and the telephone number above

Hours of Operation:

Monday to Sunday. 6:30 AM - 9:30 PM