Hi
Taking my son to NYC for his 18th in Feb - been a few times before with my sister on shopping trips but as that%26#39;s not his scene - well apart from the Apple store any suggestions on suitable places after we%26#39;ve done Empire, the Lady and Central Park etc
he%26#39;s not really a cu;lture vulture but will do smallish museams.
Ps is it possible to visit Niagra Falls in a day - coach or train?
NYC with an 18 year old!The American Museum of Natural History, on Central Park West, is interesting to the 18-year-old boys I know. http://www.amnh.org/ Go to the museum%26#39;s planetarium for the space show.
NYC with an 18 year old!What is suitable for your son depends a great deal on his tastes. Waht does he like?
The distance between New York city and Niagara Falls is a bit more than the distance between London and Aberdeen in Scotland -- except the train service between London and Aberdeen is much better. Would you consider Aberdeen a place that you could visit in one day?
Note that the drinking age in New York is 21. Regardless of how he might celebrate at home, he may not legally order, purchase, or consume beer, wine, champagne, liquor, or alcohol of any kind at any pub, club, restaurant, grocery store, or liquor shop here.
waytogonyc, There was a recent post here on Niagra Falls in a day, Yes, it can be done with a flying round trip one day tour.
Niagara Falls is not an easy day trip and February is not really the time to do it.
Niagara Falls is a seven hour drive from New York City however we have an excellent low-fare / high-quality airline called jetBlue, they have nine nonstop flights a day from JFK to Buffalo, very reasonable airfares. Delta, Continental and others also fly the route on Regional Jets.
I think Gray Line offers a one-day tour, they pick you at some ridiculous hour of the morning, throw you on a plane (whatever they can get the cheapest), take you from the airport to the falls, back to the airport and back home at some late hour. And they charge what sounds like highway robbery (except they organize it and that is worth it to some people).
If you%26#39;re going to do it, you can book your own airfare to Buffalo and simply get a taxi from Buffalo Airport to the falls or rent a car and drive yourself, it is only a 25 - 30 minute drive from Buffalo. It%26#39;ll be frigid up there in the winter but they don%26#39;t shut the water off (j/k)
Let us know if you have any questions.
The NYU and Columbia University neighborhoods are great for young people. There are great coffee shops like Gizzi%26#39;s Coffee Shop on 8th Street. You%26#39;ll find places like Bagel Buffet, Gray%26#39;s Papaya, Insomnia Cookies and other places your son might enjoy.
Ask lots of questions, you%26#39;ll get lots of answers.
The NYU area (union square) is a really cool place to hang out.
Check out Max Brenner%26#39;s Chocolate by the Bald Man- Great Restaraunt with an all chocolate menu.
Hi
We took our teenage son and daughter last summer and our son particularly enjoyed the Natural History Museum (especially the space part) and they both were fascinated by the Bodies exhibition - so was I.
He also loved open top bus tour - but this may be a bit cold in February. Top of the Rock was popular - good view of central park.
Hope you have a good time.
take the staten island ferry....cold but free and great views. also intrepid air and sea museum. ice skating in central park. niagra too far in february.
Okay. (Cracking knuckles) Here is what I think (and I am sorry, as always, I have much to say on the matter:
First, I know you said he is not too big on culture or big museums, but please, please consider taking him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art; it is on the opposite side of Central Park from the Museum of Natural History. Before he turns his nose up at the prospect of dusty rooms filled with paintings, inform him that there actually is plenty for him to see and be adamant about going: the rewards shall be great if you do. The Met features, for example, a full permanent exhibit of Arms and Armor, including its centerpiece, a group of knights on horseback, fully armored, charging into battle, and descriptions of warfare at the time (this ties in nicely with medieval lore, so think Arthur and Guinevere!) In the Asian section of the museum he can go back in time to the time of the Japanese shogun: there are several samurai figures in full gear, a few kitana blades, and he can read all about the real code of the Samurai, and the customs of the Imperial court (includes some rather interesting liner notes about geishas, so careful not to make the boy blush;)
The Metropolitan also carries a newly restored section of Greco-Roman art: remember, these two cultures worshipped blood, guts, and glory. The Roman swords are sure to be a hit with him as will things like real Roman chariots and busts of some actual rulers of Rome (some, like Caligula, were bloodthirsty.) As for the amphoras, tell him not to be too bored if you decide to go: many of them tell stories from Greek myth and from Homer%26#39;s Odyssey or Iliad.
If he prefers stuff that is of a non-macho nature, take him to the museum%26#39;s very large exhibit of Egyptian Art: the centerpiece of this is a real temple, The Temple of Dendur, that the museum saved from destruction when Egypt built the Aswan Dam and rebuilt on spot; you can even see the graffiti on it in Greek and later Arabic. It is located in a part of the museum that has a huge window overlooking Central Park and it is truly amazing to behold: it was my favorite as a child and it STILL holds a place in my heart. Other parts of the collection include posessions of Hatshepsut, Tut, and Cleopatra, and LOTS of mummies. NONE OF THE ABOVE ARE COPIES!!
For a great Broadway show, I would recommend trying to get tickets to Avenue Q, a parody of Sesame Street. I am aware that this plays in London, but there are some differences into how the original production is scripted (some of it is actually a little bawdier, but absolutely HILARIOUS: you haven%26#39;t seen anything until you%26#39;ve seen their parody of Cookie Monster!) It is truly one of the best tickets in town that I have seen for a long time and it is a great way to spend an afternoon. If you cannot get tickets to Avenue Q, try getting tickets to a television taping-I recommend Late Night with Conan O%26#39;Brien (http://www.nbc.com/Footer/Tickets) Conan is one of the top rated prime time shows, and it is a guarantee that your son will spot a celebrity or two here (it is similar to Graham Norton in format.)
For other things, I would take him to Chinatown: it is a good place to stop if you are heading back from the Statue of Liberty as it probably shall be on the way to the hotel anyway. Chinatown, I should tell you, will look and feel NOTHING like the one in London. Why? Because New York%26#39;s Chinatown is much larger than London%26#39;s, it bears a resemblance in local culture and looks more like Shanghai or Xiamen than NYC, and its immigrants are very recent (there is a portion on East Broadway where all signs are in Chinese, seldom English.) If you come here you will see old Chinese men playing Xianqi in the square making bets and their wives doing Tai Chi in the park, where wooden cages with swallows in them hang. Here, electronic stores sell little gadgets for a fraction of what they retail uptown, some of very good quality. Here, markets sell things like dried goji berries and (of all things) chicken feet, and other foodstuffs that are as exotic as they are weird: Chinatown is the only place I know where whole buckets of frogs are haggled over and sold before they are butchered, one by one.
On the food end of things, Chinatown would be perfect for lunch: unlike London%26#39;s Chinatown, residents in New York%26#39;s Chinatown come from several different areas of China, like Fujian, Guangdong, and even the borderlands between China and Vietnam. What this will translate to will be a much broader variety of foodstuffs to eat (chicken feet and frogs aren%26#39;t normally served in the restaurants, relax.) You will get to taste dishes that are usually more authentic than you%26#39;d expect, like buddha-jumps-over-the-wall and whole, crispy Peking duck, or jasmine teas. If you are fortunate enough to try it, go for dim sum from one place and try Vietnamese pho noodles in another: they are fabulous dishes. Or how about Zuipaigu, wine marinated spare ribs?-delightful!
Take him to dave and busters or ESPN Zone for a few hours. he can play video games. That will make him happy. Trust me I have an 18 yr old boy and NO WAY would he go to any art musuem. At this age it is all about them.
He may like the wax museum as well. I agree Chinatown would be okay to do. A must is to visit times square and go by MTV as well as the hard rock and planet hollywood restaurants.
A trip to the site of wtc might be good as well.
Have you decided on any place to eat?
I%26#39;d recommend enlisting your son%26#39;s input. Get him involved in the planning, since eighteen-year-old Londoners I%26#39;ve met tend to be hipper, edgier, and more worldly than their American counterparts. Can anyone here recommend a travel guide aimed younger travelers? Have him do a bit of reading, and bookmark anything that looks cool or interesting.
If he%26#39;s into music, have him check out the listings on TimeOutNY: http://www.timeout.com/newyork/
Don%26#39;t know that I%26#39;d recommend the Wax Museum, only because London has the original Madame Tussaud%26#39;s. He might enjoy the ';Bodies'; exhibit, though.
Consider a pizza tour.....
Slice of Brooklyn
http://www.asliceofbrooklyn.com/
Scott%26#39;s
http://www.scottspizzatours.com/
.....or one of Fat Dave%26#39;s Food Tours:
http://www.famousfatdave.com/
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php鈥?/a>
I%26#39;d suggest the Brooklyn Bridge walk, but only if the weather%26#39;s not too cold.
Don%26#39;t be afraid to cut him loose for a few hours one afternoon, armed with a few good maps and a MetroCard. Thousands of kids move to NYC every year to attend university, so he%26#39;ll be perfectly safe, and finding his way around town will be fun. Pick a time and place to meet up later (by the clock at Grand Central? At some East Village intersection?) then send him on his way.
