Best of NYC With a Tween Girl Guide
I took my daughter, Delaney to New York City for her 13th birthday. For years she’s been planning this, even making a power point presentation about the places she wants to visit. This child is persistent, I’ll give her that.
We spent 5 days in the Big Apple and had the BEST time. I am in love with NYC. The fast paced energy, the culture, the FOOD.
Here is a list of things I highly recommend when visiting NYC for the first time:
Bike through Central Park. Citi Bikes are everywhere and super easy to use. We went on a gorgeous fall day and biking through the park was the best way we could cover most of it. People were rowing on the lake, having picnics and playing with their dogs. It was picturesque.
See a Broadway Show- I’m not a huge fan of musicals but I knew seeing one on Broadway was an experience in itself. I was told Lion King is amazing and it absolutely was. The costumes, the set design, the singing- all of it.
Have dessert at Ellen’s Stardust Diner- The servers are also entertainers and sing show tunes (their voices are AMAZING) while you eat, hoping to get discovered, and many have! The line can get crazy long but we went after we saw Lion King and there was only 10 minute wait. It’s pricey for a dinner but the entertainment and experience is totally worth it. We got milkshakes and sat upstairs overlooking the middle and it was perfect! No reservations available.
Experience Time Square at night: definitely over the top and crowded but a must-do for the NYC first timer. Plus The Naked Cowboy is still going strong!
Ramen at Ichiran: this was hands down the best ramen I’ve ever had. They serve each dish through your own “personal window allowing you to focus all of your attention into fully enjoying the flavors of the ramen”. Super fun & different experience.
Visit 9/11 Memorial- Out of respect for the city, I made a point of having a conversation with Delaney about the tragic day and visiting the memorial. It was emotional but necessary in my opinion.
Visit Starbuck’s Reserve, eat at Chelsea Market, then walk The Highline: we took the subway to Chelsea and first stopped at Starbuck’s Reserve which was an experience in itself. This was Delaney’s idea (she’s a huge Starbuck’s lover) and it was really cool. Then we walked to Chelsea Market (only a block away) and got delicious Black Seed Bagels. After we walked The Highline which is directly across.
Walk around the West Village: Greenwich Village is my very favorite neighborhood in NYC. Great restaurants (we had dinner at Cafe Chelsea (it was delicious!) and this CSI actress was dining right across from us) We grabbed bagels (our bagel tour continues!) at Pop Up Bagels (also worth the hype) and headed to Washington Square Park. Make sure to walk along Bleeker St. (if you’re a pizza lover, try the famous Bleeker St Pizza and Joe’s Pizza) and Commerce St. - their tree-lined sidewalks and beautiful brownstones are stunning. Highlight of our day: we saw Chris Rock walking down the street! No one else paid him any mind but us. New Yorkers are good like that ;)
Take a Food Tour: The Original Chinatown and Little Italy Food Tour came highly recommended and I tried to book last minute and had no luck. Definitely something I regret and I’ll do next time.
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset: DO NOT skip this. We took the subway to DUMBO and walked back towards Manhattan. Watching the lights of the city come alive was unforgettable. It is an absolutely breathtaking view. If we didn’t take our time and stop to take a bunch of pictures, it wouldv’e only taken about 20 minutes.
See the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan Skyline from the Staten Island Ferry: if you take the free ferry, you can see State of Liberty up close, and admire how massive and amazing she is, without spending 1/2 a day on a tour. Then you can take in the Manhattan skyline by boat on the way back.
Go Shopping: many popular brands have flagship stores (Delaney can tell you where every single one is) in NYC. We shopped along 5th Avenue (check out the three-story flagship Adidas store), and the Upper West Side, and went into Bergdorf’s (so crazy to see all these fur coat wearing, little dog walking women shopping), went to Soho and visited Kendra Scott where Delaney bought and designed herself a bday necklace. (50% off one item during your bday month) and checked out the boutiques in Greenwich Village.
Levain Bakery: best $5 cookies you’ll ever have. We loved chocolate chip and dark chocolate peanut butter
Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity: 100% worth the hype. We got the salted caramel hot chocolate.
Relax at a park. We did this a lot- Central Park, Bryant Square, Union Square, Washington Square- they’re all great to take a break from all that walking (we walked over 20,000 steps a day!) and take in the culture of the city.
Visit a rooftop to take in the city’s view: the prices for many of the places (One Vanderbilt, Top of the Rock) that sell tickets just to see the view of the city are outrageous. I prefer a rooftop where you can sit, have drinks or a meal and stay for awhile. Refinery Rooftop is amazing. Reservations highly recommended.
Ride the subway: I can’t imagine trying to get around the city via uber. It takes way too long. Besides going to the airport, we took the subway or walked everywhere and Delaney loved being able to figure out how to navigate our rides (#lifelessons). You can get an unlimited 7-day metropass for $34.
Visit Grand Central & NY Public Library: definitely worth quick visits - both iconic landmarks with gorgeous architecture.
Walk around Midtown: So fun to see Broadway, Rockefeller Center and where they film morning and late night shows.
Eat at a restaurant bar and meet the locals: We ate at the bar at Pastis and connected with some amazing New Yorkers. We met a man who told us what it was like to be in Manhattan on 9/11, and talked with a couple that met in college at Cornell and what it’s like working on Wall Street. We also got great insight on where we should eat- I love meeting locals!
Don’t over schedule. We made a list of the things we could not miss, but purposely didn’t over-schedule the days because some of the best memories of trips are when room is left for exploration, people-watching and spontaneity.
*Whats’s your favorite things to do in NYC? Leave in the comments below!