NYC Advice

I'm hoping a few of you NYC homies will be so kind as to give me some advice. We will be in your great city this weekend. It will be the first time our two boys, age 13 and 10, have been there so I was hoping someone could give me some advice on things to do that might interest them. My husband and I have been to NY plenty so there is nothing we have to do, but we have no idea what NYC has to offer a 10 and 13 yo. They are probably not going to be interested in art museums, shows, or shopping.

Also, where is a good place to get a slice of authentic New York pizza. We will be staying just south of Central Park.

 

See my PM (which will come around in a few days). I am presently in London, so nowhere near command central. I may have to quickmarch away from this computer, as a demonstration at an embassy nearby seems to be forming . . .

 

Thanks very much Rudy! I will look for your PM. Enjoy London

 

If they're in the angsty stage of their pre-teen lives yet (kids grow up faster now, right?) then taking them to see the hipsters of Williamsburg might be a treat for them.

 

The Red Bulls are out of town (visiting your neck of the woods), as are the Mets, but the Yanks have home games this weekend. Saturday is Old Timers' Day in the Bronx, so tickets will presumably be very scarce, but you might be able to get in on Friday night or Sunday afternoon if your timing allows and if that's something your kids would be interested in. Weather is supposed to be pretty good, though hot; renting bikes and riding the path along the Hudson River might be fun. They're probably the right age to think the Intrepid is really cool, even if it is a museum. What kind of stuff are they into?

For pizza up near where you're staying, I'd suggest John's (the location near Times Square might be closer, but the one on 64th will probably be less crowded), or if you're willing to travel further afield, you might try Lombardi's or Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

Hey... sometimes it's the simple things. If you're around Grand Central, take the escalators up to the concourse entrance to 200 Park then look back down on the scene.

That'll always give 'em a kick when they see it on tv.

Did me and I did that many times. Also the Flatiron building on Times Sq

 

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions! If only the timing had been better, I could be going to a Red Bulls game with a big huge Irish flag to welcome Henry with.

 

Another question for you New Yorkers. I have some interest in visiting Nevada Smiths since you all post about going there and I've seen it on TV, but I looked at their web site and saw no menu. Do they serve food? I thought we could take in a match there while we eat a meal but if we cant I wont bother. Too many other things to do if it's not a Fulham or USA match, right. Also on Sat. evening there is a US womens friendly being televised on ESPN. Nevada's doesnt have that on their fixture list. What does that mean and what's up with that? Finally, Friday night there is a ManU v. Celtic friendly that they've put on their fixture list. Two questions - will it be mayhem for that match and why is there no Celtic supporters club at Nevada's? Do the Celtic/Irish supporters go somewhere else? BTW, kudos to you NYC FUSA members for the FUSA club - way to represent!

 

As someone who was born and raised in NY, but only go there as a tourist now, I can tell you I've been to Nevada Smith's a couple of times and been disappointed. There are literally hundereds of options in Manhattan. For decent food in a casual atmosphere with a lot of TV's, I'm partial to Duke's. There's one on Third Avenue arond 36th or so, and another on Park at 19th. The one on Park is only 6 blocks or so from Nevada Smith's, so you can eat and then head over if that's what you want to do. There's also an irish bar about every block or so, and unless they are particularly partisan, they'll change channel's for you if you ask. Just stay away from Yankee bars during a game, they get a little hostile. For a true Celtic experience, they go to "The Parlour" http://www.theparlour.com/ on the upper west side - 86th and Broadway.

Another suggestion on what to do with your son's might be to go out to the Statue of Liberty. The Statue itself isn't all that thrilling to kids that are 10 and 13, but the boat ride out is fun. My children are almost the same age as yours, but I have daughters, so NYC is a lot easier. As my 10 year old says, "I love New York, everywhere you go, there's shopping!"

 

Thanks Dthoren. If we decide to take in the match we'll go to Dukes, the Parlour, or one of Rudy's suggestions - whichever were closest to. And the statue of liberty is on our agenda too.

 

No food at Nevada's. Worth it for the atmosphere if there were important soccer games going on, not worth it for a trip just to see it empty. (The USWNT friendly will probably be on TV there, but I don't think it'll draw much of a crowd.)

 

Thanks jmh, we probably wont bother then. Oh and the intrepid is on our to do list to. They are typical tween/teen boys; they like computer games, sports, war stuff, old stuff, outdoor stuff, fishing, and being lazy. The Intrepid should be a good one for them.

 

Oh wait, I forgot! just down from the intrepid, on the west side, are the Chelsea Piers. Lot's of outdoor activities, but most of them are indoors. Batting cages, driving range, basketball, and other activities too!

 

Yeah it occurred to me earlier today (while biking past the Intrepid, probably not coincidentally) that that would be right up their alley if they're anything like I was when I was 13.

dthoren is right about the things to do at Chelsea Piers, but most of the stuff there is kind of a ripoff to be honest, considering it's really all stuff you can do at home anyway.

 

NYC trip

There is no shortage of things to do and see, for sure. For pizza, I would definitely suggest going to Lombardi's, as it by far the best example of true NY style pizza. Also right across the street there is a rice pudding bar, that is delicious and fun. There is also a restaurant called Jekyll and Hyde's, that has a bunch of live entertainment fun for kids. One great thing to do is go to the "top of the rock", and see the city from the observation deck on top of Rockefeller Plaza. There is also a nintendo store right by Rockefeller Plaza, that could be fun for your kids to check out for a bit. I know that kids usually like the museum of natural history... I would say thats a must see as well. Have a blast!

 

Is the original FAO Schwarz toy store still open? You know, the one of the made famous in the movie "Big" when Tom Hanks played "chopsticks" on the giant piano?

I'm showing my age. It probably closed years ago.

 

Nope, it's still there.