New York in 4 Days (Day 2)

Click here to check out my entire NYC in 4 days series!

Although is been almost a month since we went to NYC, I still have 3 days left to cover on the blog (for my memories and for any families out there wondering if they can road trip to NYC with their kids and have a good time – spoiler alert …you can!)

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The second day was planned as a full day in Manhattan and it did not disappoint.  Our New Jersey hotel was a 30 second walk to the bus stop that went straight to Times Square, so we took advantage of that (with a backpack full of snacks).  However, we did purchase tickets to the Big Bus Tour.  I got a deep discount for the bus and we were glad we got it.  More on that in the next post!

At Times Square we enjoyed all the screens, the people watching and the energy.  And a few blocks away was Brant Park and the New York Public Library.  Because it was so close – we just walked! Totally do-able!

DSLR Camera, Brant Park, Family at Brant Park, Family in NYC

The NYPL was on quiet hours so we didn’t get to explore any of the book rooms but the kids were just as mesmerized by the interior structure.  Another few blocks away was Grand Central.  Perfect place for more people watching and Magnolia cupcakes!

We then spent 2 hours at Empire State building LOL. Given that we’ve already seen sky high views at the CN Tower (Toronto) and the Twin Towers back in the 90s – I wasn’t sure there would be anything novel here. However the Empire State had a completely different vibe. Maybe it was the NY history (the story and details of how it was built) or the related culture of the landmark (King Kong move) or how art was incorporated into the experience (helicopter city sketch) – the whole experience was really all encompassing. We could easily have spent another 2 hours there.

After the Empire State building, we grabbed some NY Pizza and hopped on the Big Bus, which ended up being a great way to see some of the sights and learn history about the neighbourhoods.  We did get off at the Brooklyn Bridge to take some pictures and get a few souvenirs.

The bus took us back to Times Square, where we grabbed dinner and watched some street performances.  The girls did really great given it was a lot of walking and standing.  But I think having a place to sit and just take in the sights as they passed through thru a window (without actually having to drive) – definitely helped the whole family.

Next up we have the MoMA, Statue of Liberty and DUMBO!

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