2 year old in NYC

Hi

I%26#39;m travelling to NYC in early Feb on a business trip from London. My wife and young son (2 years) are tagging along and I wonder if anyone might be able to give me some ideas as to what we can do/where to go on our free days. We%26#39;ve been to NYC a few times before but not when the little man was here, so I kind of know my way around the city, but need some ideas! being in NYC isn%26#39;t a problem for us as we%26#39;re used to the city thing living here in central London.

Any ideas for family friendly dining would be good. I recall that John%26#39;s Pizza (nr 8th?) was good and prob child friendly.

Thanks for your advice!!

James

2 year old in NYC

Where to go with a 2 year old.

Toys r Us at Times Sq then a take a nip to the Hershey store.

2 year old in NYC

The Children%26#39;s Museum on the upper west side. The Museum of Natural History.

gocitykids.com

will have more ideas and maybe things specific to the dates you%26#39;ll be here. They also have a list of kid friendly restaurants. Most places are fine with kids if you eat early. Menupages.com also has a features menu with kid friendly restaurants. Do you know where you%26#39;re staying? If it%26#39;s not booked yet, you might think about a suite hotel with a 1 bedroom suite so son can sleep or nap while you guys watch tv etc. in the other room. I would avoid staying in Times Square with a baby. Bring a lightweight collapsible stroller with a weather protector (or buy here).

if you get a few warm days, the Central Park zoo is great! Very small and manageable - many of the exhibits are indoors - including my favorite - the penguins and puffins. When they were younger, my nephews loved the petting zoo (I think we were there in the winter, but I%26#39;m not 100% sure if we were, or if its open in winter)

Early February for Central Park is risky. Could be VERY cold.

I spend every day with a two year old (and I like it!) so we%26#39;re pretty practiced at diverting ourselves around the city. Some of the tips here are already good, but let me recap and add some.

* The Children%26#39;s Museum on the UWS is great for blowing off some steam; they have a good toddler floor. A big plus is that they%26#39;re very near Pinch/Smac, a very toddler friendly restaurant selling high end pizza and macaroni and cheese that both 2s and parents can enjoy.

* FAO Schwarz lets you run around and play pretty freely; there%26#39;s a baby floor downstairs, and some more fun stuff on the second floor.

* The Museum of Natural History is great because of its large, broad hallways and huge Hall of Ocean Life, which has toddlers pinballing around in it all the time.

* The new Pipillotti Rist exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art is full of toddlers. (And in fact, Ms. Rist says that%26#39;s part of its intent.)

* The New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Park is always a hit with our girl. It%26#39;s within walking distance of a small zoo, the Panorama of NYC at the Queens Museum of Art, and a huge public indoor swimming pool, too - lots of options there.

Many, many places to eat around here are child friendly. I heartily recommend our many fine Irish pubs, but also most Chinese restaurants welcome kids, ditto traditional New York diners, conveyor belt sushi restaurants (just thinking of places we%26#39;ve been over the past week) ... it%26#39;s just the ';fine dining'; establishments that we avoid.

Any more toddler tips, just ask!

I really give up!

';if you get a few warm days, the Central Park zoo is great';

it was in the 60s last week

I agree. The weather is wacky!

If it%26#39;s warm enough, chase pigeons in a playground! There are lots in Central Park and all around town.

Also, the children%26#39;s book sections at Barnes and Nobles attract lots of kids and their adult escorts, they mostly have bathrooms, and you can buy coffee.

thanks guys for all your tips. I checked out the Central Park Zoo on the net and it looks really good, especially the part for under 5s.

Can anyone tell me how you get a 2 years old around in taxis etc in NYC? In London I can put his buggy with him in it into the back of our black cabs, but I know I can%26#39;t do that with one of your yellow ones! Any ideas? We%26#39;re getting picked up in a Sedan from JFK and I guess my son%26#39;s car seat (which he%26#39;s taking the flight in) can be fitted to that car, but I just wonder what you guys do there for shortish trips that you don%26#39;t walk.

Thanks!

We took our two older girls to NYC when they were 7 and 2. We did most of what was mentioned here. We also spent one day walking around SOHO and Greenwich Village which was fun for us and them. We made many child friendly stops including the Scholastic Store in SOHO which was great, the playground and observing all the dogs in their runs at Washington Square Park, lunch at Johns on Bleecker St, and then cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery.

We found that NYC was an endless adventure for our 2 yo and she was amused and interested in it all---subways, the busy streets, etc. It was a sensory explosion for our suburban kids!

Have a great time!

Tessie

%26gt;%26gt;I just wonder what you guys do there for shortish trips that you don%26#39;t walk.%26gt;%26gt;

Does your stroller have a pull-out car seat, like these?

www.nextag.com/car-seat-stroller/search-html

I suppose not, if you%26#39;re asking :)

You can just take the subway if it%26#39;s too far to walk. Or, you can hold your child in your lap in the taxi--many parents balk at this, but it%26#39;s not illegal or anything. We had some friends in town this weekend who have a 6-month-old, and that%26#39;s what they did.

PS Here%26#39;s a previous thread about getting around with a toddler, and it contains links to other threads on the same topic. Note especially JHWanderer%26#39;s response--mostly subway, some taxis for short rides while holding his 2-year-old:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k1987495鈥?/a>