Day Trippin'

NYC Outings for Kids & Grownups too
by Anne Doyle

As my nephews have gotten older (they are now 9 and 5-1/2), our adventures take us to more varied and geographically different parts of the city. A "day camp" approach to sightseeing keeps us enthused and organized, and as a result we all have a great time. There's always a rainy day plan, just in case, and as a rule we're out the door by 9 am. Day trippin' typically ends by 4:30 followed by an early dinner and all quiet on the home front by 6:30 pm; only to begin again the next morning with breakfast discussion of routes, lunch plans, transportation, maps and timetables.

Day One
We established our "diner review" categories at our first diner breakfast. The children rate the juice and the bathroom décor and their comments are priceless. It's a sunny day and we chose a New York Water Taxi ride from 34th Street to DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass); an all-day pass gets you two days of hop on and hop off water taxi service. The open upper deck is appealing to the boys and they enjoy a surprise stop at Governors Island to drop off a construction crew from their newfound perch. The neighbor-hood of DUMBO sits between the Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge, complete with a man-made beach that overlooks Manhattan. Sitting on the beach, we marvel at the view and are awed by the din of the Manhattan Bridge. The boys contemplate the tonnage of the subway trains, trucks and cars that rumble overhead. The nearby pirate playground is a big hit and we soon make our way up Fulton Street to Grimaldi's to sample some of the best pizza in NYC. Jacques Toress' Chocolate Store and Factory (www.mrchocolate.com) at 66 Water Street is a great stop for a scrumptious dessert. As we walk to catch the ferry to South Street Seaport, we discover two waterfront parks with kid-friendly sculptures. At South Street we catch the subway uptown and head for an end-of-the-day visit to our neighborhood playground.

Day Two
From 34th Street, our second day of New York Water Taxi rides, we return to DUMBO and walk back to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge. We head south to the New York Police Museum at 100 Old Slip (www.nycpolicemuseum.org) a fun visit for us but less so for the poor cashier whose booth sits next to the NYPD car siren button that says "PRESS." The museum is very small and manageable. We take mug shots of the kids behind sample prison bars. South Street Seaport is our lunch destination where we find hot dogs and a great view of the East River. The boys look longingly at the "Beast," a loud tourist boat that speeds up and down the waters surrounding Manhattan. The South Street Seaport Museum has a great 19th Century ship exhibit, our next stop before heading home for some Brooklyn Bridge fun facts.

Day Three
Rollerblading on rented skates, we headed south from Chelsea Piers to Pier 51 and the cooling water filled playground at Gansevoort Street. With skates and clothes removed until lunch, when we set off to track down a shop called Tah Poozie (78A 7th Avenue @ 15th Street) recom-mended for its cheap, child-pleasing gadgets and toys. It was a big hit and the spending was minimal – even better! The boys got to choose an Ethiopian restaurant for dinner and in return they agreed to behave while we went on a brief shopping spree afterwards. They were awed by the invitation to eat with their fingers, an Ethiopian tradition. They braved the spicy food by drinking gallons of water and there followed by many bathroom visits during the shopping spree.

Day Four
The Medieval Armor collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art made for a wonderful one-hour visit. As we walked up Fifth Avenue, we admired the Guggenheim Museum – David loved the architecture and thought it looked like a bedspring. Our next stop was the Dana Discovery Center at the top of Central Park on the Harlem Meer at 110th Street. The Discovery Center offers tours of the surrounding area, including a water fall and nature trail. There is also a catch-and-release program on the Harlem Meer; poles and bait are provided. After an hour or so with no luck we made our way downtown (by bus) to the American Museum of Natural History at 81st and Central Park West to visit the Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium. The space shows at the planetarium are interesting, 40 minutes long, and a nice break from walking.

Day Five
From West 44th Street, a water taxi ride across the Hudson River with great views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and a short trolley ride gets you to Liberty State Park, home of the Liberty Science Center (www.lsc.org). LSC is a science museum with three themed floors: environment, health and invention, and an IMAX theater. The LSC website has a great on-line learning feature. Stepping foot in New Jersey became an event in itself, and without prompting, one of the boys noticed the landscape and the relative silence. We ate at the LSC café and next time we'll plan a picnic lunch at Liberty State Park looking out at the Lady Liberty.

Day Six
A subway ride to Canal Street station is also an event in itself, but add Mott Street and the adjoining streets of Chinatown and it be-comes a journey to a far-off place. Peeking through the window of a Buddist temple (Eastern States Buddist Temple), looking at the glazed ducks hanging in restaurant windows, and experiencing the bustle of a Chinese market, the boys are fascinated. The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory (www.chinatown-icecreamfactory.com) at 65 Bayard Street off Mott was a big hit (they have green teas ice cream and read bean among their flavors). At Broadway and Canal is Pearl Paint for art supplies. Lunch at Excellent Dumpling House (111 Lafayette Street) was "excellent" and then a subway ride to our last stop of the day: the Central Park Zoo.

Day Seven
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is a rainy day favorite (www.intrepidmuseum.org) with a cockpit simulator; a flight simulator; the Growler, a nuclear missile submarine, and the Concorde AD. Vincent wanted to ride the water taxi from West 44th Street (right below the Intrepid) all the way to East 34th Street. The trip was long but well worth the visit to the Red Hook stop and the fairly derelict looking harbor - it was like visiting a foreign shore. During the 1850's Red Hook was one of the busiest hipping harbors in the country. This summer we'll go back for more exploring.

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