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The Young at Heart Will Have a Blast in the Big AppleKids of all ages love New York City—it’s a place full of the world’s greatest toy stores, ballerinas, space shows, tigers, dinosaurs, parks, ships, speedboat rides, circuses, great stuff to eat, hands-on museums, behind-the-scenes tours and so much more that they might mistake this world-class city for a giant theme park. Here are some best bets in the Big Apple, great for toddlers, teens, and the little ones in between. Not Your Everyday Museums
In Queens the New York Hall of Science (47-01 111th St., 718/699-0005, www.nyscience.org) features 400 interactive exhibits and an outdoor science playground. For a multimedia experience, consider the Museum of Television & Radio ( 25 W. 52nd St., 212/621-6800, www.mtr.org), the Museum of the Moving Image (35 Ave. at 36 St., Queens 718/784-0077, www.movingimage.us), and the Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art (594 Broadway, 212/245-0072, www.moccany.org). At Madame Tussaud’s (234 W. 42nd St., 800/246-8872, www.nycwax.com) in Times Square, visitors can get up close and personal with more than 175 amazingly lifelike wax figures of top celebrities and world leaders. All aboard the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum (12th Ave. at 46th St., 212/245-0072, www.intrepidmuseum.org), a converted World War II aircraft carrier that features multiple displays on two of its decks. One favorite kids’ feature, “The Navy Flight Simulator,” lets them virtually land a fighter jet in the middle of the ocean. There’s also a submarine to tour and a Concorde to see. Around town there are so many places to learn the ways of the world. Experience ancient civilization at the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Pkwy., 718/638-5000, www.brooklynmuseum.org), home to a rich collection of Egyptian antiquities; or explore Eastern traditions at the Asia Society and Museum (725 Park Ave., 212/517-ASIA, www.asiasociety.org).
Fire and police museums are a draw for family members young and old. At the Midtown FDNY Fire Zone (34 W. 51st St., 212/ 698-4520, www.fdnyfirezone.com), the city’s fire-safety learning center, kids can climb onto a real fire truck, try on bunker gear, and meet New York’s Bravest. Downtown, the renovated 1904 firehouse that has become the New York City Fire Museum (278 Spring St., 212/691-1303, www.nycfiremuseum.org) presents the history of firefighting through its collection of historic NYC Fire Department artifacts including uniforms, tools, and fire engines. At the New York City Police Museum (100 Old Slip, 212/480-3100, www.nycpolicemuseum.org), headquartered in the city's First Precinct stationhouse, visitors can learn how detectives look for clues, tour the Hall of Heroes, and see exhibits on old police uniforms, cars, and motorcycles and NYC's notorious criminals. Of course, you can’t go wrong at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (145 Brooklyn Ave., 718/735-4400, www.brooklynkids.org), the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (The Tisch Building, 212 W. 83rd St., 212/721-1234, www.cmom.org), and the Staten Island Children’s Museum (1000 Richmond Terrace, 718/273-2060). More Family Fun
Every borough has a zoo -- the biggest and most famous is the Bronx Zoo (2300 Southern Blvd., 718/220-5100, www.bronxzoo.com), with more than 6,000 animals in beautiful settings. There’s also the Prospect Park Zoo (450 Flatbush Ave., 718/399-7339, www.prospectparkzoo.com) in Brooklyn; Queens Zoo (53-51 111th St., Queens, 718/271-1500, www.queenszoo.org); Staten Island Zoo (614 Broadway, 718/442-3101, www.statenislandzoo.org ); and the Central Park Zoo (830 Fifth Ave., 212/ 439-6500).
Cruise the rivers on a sailboat, speedboat, water taxi, ferry, catamaran, or yacht; take the free Staten Island Ferry, or a speedboat ride on Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise’s The Beast (Pier 83, W. 42nd St. and 12th Ave., 212/563-3200, www.circleline42.com). The South Street Seaport (19 Fulton St., 212/732-8275, www.southstreetseaport.com) is a 12-square-block historic district that includes the South Street Seaport Museum (12 Front St., 212/748-8600, www.southstseaport.org), ships to tour or cruise in, shops of all sorts to browse, and many concerts and other family-friendly events.
New York City is famous for special events the whole clan will enjoy such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, CultureFest, Broadway Under the Stars, Downtown NYC River to River Festival, and the Museum Mile Festival. Shopping and DiningAdventures await around town with cool stores and fun places to eat.
FAO Schwarz (767 Fifth Ave., 212/644-4900, www.fao.com), the 143-year-old toy emporium, has just had a dramatic renovation. It now features an old-fashioned ice-cream parlor in the center of the store, exclusive toys like Madame Alexander dolls made on the spot to a child's specification, a Hot Wheels factory, an older kids' rec room with arcade games and Vespa scooters, and, of course, its stunning menagerie of stuffed animals. Pokémon Center (10 Rockefeller Plaza, www.pokemon.com) which opened this spring after a renovation, offers Pokémon toys and merchandise. Disney magic comes to life through an interactive shopping environment at the World of Disney (711 Fifth Ave., 212/702-0702, www.worldofdisney.com), where Cinderella's Princess Court is an engaging experience for young girls. Kids with a passion for reading will adore Books of Wonder (18 W. 18th St., 212/989-3270, www.booksofwonder.net), New York's largest and oldest children's bookstore and the Scholastic Store (557 Broadway, 212/343-6166, www.scholastic.com), which is chock-full of books, toys, games, and puzzles. Theme restaurants add entertainment to the pleasure of dining out. Have a meal with the dolls of American Girl Place (609 Fifth Ave., 877/247-5233, www.americangirlplace.com). Afterwards check out more dolls, clothes, accessories, a doll hair salon, and theater featuring live musicals. Girls and boys under six dine free at City Lobster & Crab Company (121 W. 49th St., 212/354-1717, www.citylobster.com). At Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (1501 Broadway, 212/391-7100, www.bubbagump.com), a wooden "shrimp shack" based on the movie Forrest Gump, there's an extensive children's menu, and the waiters play movie trivia games with their young customers. Many other of the city’s 18,000 restaurants
cater to kids including Mars 2112 (1633
Teens will likely go for the fun, memorabilia, and dazzle of restaurants like ESPN Zone (1472 Broadway, 212/921-3776, www.espnzone.com), which has sports-themed video and participant games on a top floor; the Hard Rock Café (221 W. 57th St., 212/489-6565, www.hardrock.com); and Planet Hollywood (1540 Broadway, 212/333-7827, www.planethollywood.com). The Great OutdoorsTake in the beauty of botanical gardens and the charm of our parks: New York is the greenest large city in America based on percentage of parkland. Parents can rent boats at lakes in Central Park, Brooklyn's Prospect Park, Queens' Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Staten Island's Clove Lakes Park. (Information on seasonal park activities is at nycgovparks.org), or enjoy the gardens at Wave Hill (675 W. 252nd St., www.wavehill.org) in the Bronx. Kids can mount the beautifully carved horses that grace carousels in Central Park, Bryant Park, and Riverbank State Park in Manhattan, Forest and Flushing Meadows-Corona parks, Greenbelt-Willowbrook Park in Staten Island, and Prospect Park. From Belvedere Castle, a stone mini-fortress set high on a hill, kids get a wonderful panoramic view of Central Park. Prospect Park's Lake and Central Park's Harlem Meer are stocked for catch-and-release fishing. (Fishing tackle is lent out at Central Park's Charles A. Dana Discovery Center.) From a pier in Brooklyn's Sheepshead Bay, step aboard a deep-sea fishing boat. A horse-and-carriage ride through the southern end of Central Park is a treat. And starting on May 21, Central Park's Wollman Rink (north of park entrance at 59th St. and 6th Ave., 212/439-6900, www.wollmanskatingrink.com ) turns into a Victorian-themed amusement park, with rides, games, and entertainment. Teens can go rock climbing, hit golf balls, bowl, swim, and much more at Chelsea Piers (23rd St. and the Hudson River, www.chelseapiers.com). They can rent bikes and explore with (or without) a guide; go in-line skating; and ride the half-pipe in skateboard parks in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. That's Entertainment
For budding patrons of the arts, Carnegie Hall (881 Seventh Ave., 212/247-7800, www.carnegiehall.org) and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (70 Lincoln Center Plaza, www.lincolncenter.org ) offer engaging children’s programming year round. Then, of course, there's theater. The Manhattan Children's Theatre (380 Broadway, 212/226-4085, www.manhattanchildrenstheatre.org), TADA! Youth Theater (15 W. 28th St., 212/252-1619, www.tadatheater.com), Camp Broadway (145 W. 45th St., 212/575-2929, www.campbroadway.com), Paper Bag Players (www.thepaperbagplayers.org), and All Stars Project (212/941-1234. www.allstars.org), among others, introduce children to the pleasure of live performance. And some comedy clubs like Chicago City Limits (318 W. 53rd St., 212/888-5233, www.chicagocitylimits.com) have shows for all ages. The beautifully renovated New Victory Theater (229 W. 42nd St., 646/223-3010, www.newvictory.org) was built by Oscar Hammerstein in 1900. Today it offers families high-quality, affordable productions of dance, theater, new vaudeville, and circus from around the world. Its Junior VicTeens and VicTeens programs (for kids 11-plus and teenagers, respectively) provide parent-free seating in a special section, as well as pre- and post-show events like dinner, dances, and discussions with cast members. Playing on Broadway are Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Fiddler on the Roof, Mamma Mia, Wicked, and Hairspray while Blue Man Group and Stomp enthrall audiences off Broadway. The interactive web site www.generationbroadway.com encourages young people's interest in theater. For more information about family travel in New York City log onto www.nycvisit.com. Edited by Erika Wright |
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Two
quintessential New York attractions are the Statue of Liberty (www.nps.gov/stli)
and the Empire State Building (350 Fifth Ave., 212/7363-3100,
In
Brooklyn, Coney Island has games, rides, a boardwalk, beach, and the wonderful
New York Aquarium (Surf Ave. and W. 8th St., Brooklyn, 718/265-FISH) with its
dolphin shows and children’s programming. Astroland (1000 Surf Ave.,
718/372-0275,
Older
kids will love to see the sets of their favorites TV shows. Take a
behind-the-scenes tour at the
Toy
shopping is a thrill at Toys "R" Us Times Square (1514 Broadway, 800-TOYSRUS,
Broadway,
212/582-2112,
New
York City's entertainment opportunities are endless. Sports fans will not be
disappointed with big-league teams (the Yankees, Mets, and Knicks); minor-league
baseball (the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Staten Island Yankees); the New York
Liberty women's basketball team; and more.