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May 24, 2012

Summer in NYC with Kids in Tow

Expedia
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One of our greatest fortunes as a curious, adventurous family is that we live in one of the best cities in the world: New York City. The list of things to do with kids here is endless, so much so that I never run out of things to share and things to explore with my little ones.

In the summer especially, the city just comes alive with possibilities. So many activities, many of them free, take over and we find ourselves waking up full of anticipation of what to do next.

I have shared a complete list of ideas of my family’s favorite destination in NYC as part of Expedia’s Kids in the City, which features twelve top family travel bloggers sharing their tips for visiting twelve top U.S. summer vacation destinations with kids.

On that list you will find favorites such as:

Where to Go

Governors Island which is open to the public from May to September. There’s no fee to ride the ferry to the island, and no admission to enter. Bikes are readily available for rental on a first come, first serve basis and there are plenty of picnic areas and even hammocks to lounge around on during a sunny day. Events are held regular for the entire family to enjoy and the views of Manhattan Island are breath taking.

Expedia Kids in the City

Expedia Kids in the City

Where to Stay

The Residence Inn by Marriott Times Square: This hotel brand makes great efforts to give families the services and amenities they need the most while traveling.  Residence Inn has been our family’s go to hotel many times during our road trips and was actually our hotel of choice when we made our way from NYC to Austin, Texas a couple of years ago. At this NYC location, families have access to everything from full laundry room facilities to complimentary buffets serving a wide selection of healthy food options. You can also request to have grocery delivery service stock up your in-room kitchenette at any time during your stay. The hotel is centrally located, with Bryant Park right across the street, as well as Times Square and Rockefeller Center only a few blocks away.

Where to Eat

Boat Basin Café: Though this waterfront locale tends to attract the beer-drinking, bar-loving crowd on weekend nights, on weekday evenings families also find a place to belong and enjoy one of the most beautiful sunset spots the city has to offer over burgers and lemonades. Perfectly located in the beautiful Riverside Park, along the promenade, it’s a wonderful spot to grab a casual lunch or dinner, either before or after some fun in one of my favorite parks in the city.

From coast-to-coast we’ve got you covered with tips for the best places to play, see, stay, and eat. And if NYC is a summer destination for you, you can check out my tips to make it a fun experience for all at Kids in The City: New York on the Kids in the City site and take a look at the video below.

For still more summer United States city vacation ideas, take a look at these posts from other family travel experts:  Philadelphia, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Diego, and Minneapolis!

And as always, we are happy to help provide any additional information, tips, and guidance to help make your visit to The Big Apple with your kids the best experience possible.

Until then, happy adventures!

Disclosure: This post is part of a campaign partnership with Expedia for which I have been compensated. Our goal with “Kids in The City” is to provide the best possible information based on our own personal experiences here in NYC to help make yours as wonderful as they can be. It’s been an awesome task to take on and we are proud to be a part of it. As always, all opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

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Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

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4 Comments
  • William Koller
    May 24, 2012

    Adopt me.

    Reply
  • Carol Cain
    May 25, 2012

    @ William Koller:

    Ha!

    Reply
  • Sandy
    June 9, 2012

    Those are awesome ideas! Did you move back to the city???

    Reply
    • Carol Cain
      Sandy
      June 9, 2012

      Hi Sandy – nope : ) And thanks!

      Reply

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About me

Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons and 2 puppies. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

Carol Cain

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Every time I’m in NYC I feel both a longing for Every time I’m in NYC I feel both a longing for it and a relief to not be living here full time.

I love that there are still communities holding on to remaining close knit, authentic, and supportive of each other. Nowhere anywhere can compete with the diversity - food, people, languages - all of it. 😭

The access to creativity…and if you come in the spring (or in the fall) it’s magic. 

But…there is so much that remains inaccessible to so many. The inequality and economic disparities are glaring and any sense of balance is a dream, with so many living paycheck to paycheck trying to get their heads above water.

Don’t get me wrong. I love it here. I miss it, and feel so damn lucky that I can come and get my fix, see family, visit with friends any time I want without a hassle. It is my city and I’d be mad if someone talked sh*t about it 😂😂 But I get it. It’s tough. But that’s why I love fellow city folks too, because we’re tougher.

Grateful for everything life in the Finger Lakes has gifted us. We remain so happy to have made the move and have built such a dream life there. And also that my city is a short drive away. ♥️

#nyc #lifeinnyc
New York City moment: This poor hawk was just tr New York City moment: 

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One lady to her male partner:
 Her: “Omg. I didn’t know eagles ate other birds!”
Male partner: “Of course eagles do! They are predators!”
Me: 💀💀

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Last night I explored the @tinbuilding located in Last night I explored the @tinbuilding located in the historic South St Seaport of Manhattan on Pier 17. 

This 53,000-square foot, two-story market really is a beautiful culinary destination. Shop for everything from delightful sweets, unique spices and aromatics, olive oils, coffee, and other artisan goods. Eat everything from vegan to seafood, pastas, and meats. Or, like I did, spend time with friends at any one of their eateries.

This marketplace opened in September 28, 2022, by French Chef and restaurant owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten and is helping to bring new life to a beloved NYC neighborhood that has continuously worked to recover after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.

I absolutely indulged in shopping at this market, loved my dining experience at Frenchman’s Dough, and can’t wait to go back.

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I recently sent my CV...yup, my whole resume, to someone who requested it, and in doing so, I seriously thought, "Oh, they're not going to think I've accomplished enough in my professional life." Instead, in the following interview, they expressed being in awe of all I have done and continue to do. "You are BUSY!" Though these hardworking-but-never-hard-enough immigrant genes don't always allow me to appreciate all I have accomplished, photos like these take me back to this moment that truly says, "Damn, girl. YOU DID THAT." Thank you to all the readers and followers who uplifted me and my work over these 10+ years and continue to do so. It's been an incredible adventure!
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I love to travel. It has always been important to I love to travel. It has always been important to my family. My parents got my first passport weeks after I was born. They couldn’t afford to travel like I do now, but they understood, as immigrants, the absolute privilege that comes attached to having that shiny blue American booklet and they wanted me to have it.

I was yet again reminded of my privilege when my travel back home on this last trip was delayed over 24 hours. I have a village in place to make sure my kids were ok. Having my own business meant I didn’t have to report in to anyone, and was still able to work remotely so none of my clients were inconvenienced by it. Though the airline covered our hotel and food, we never worried that we couldn’t do it ourselves otherwise. While we were annoyed, we weren’t stressed.

So while I love to travel, and I love sharing my travels with you, I acknowledge that being able to do so, and dealing with the consistent travel disruptions so prevalent today without worries is a privilege…one that started with a little blue booklet that gives me more access to the world than some others do.

And I want us all in this travel space to be reminded of this. Of how lucky we are. Of our privilege to access and time and money.

So let us travel with grace and awareness. Let us remain rooted in reality and perspective. Acknowledging that our escapism isn’t one so easily accessible to others. Understanding that this is also why local stories have as much value as those to exclusive destinations, if not more. And, never forgetting, especially in the travel influencer and media space, that were it not for hosted campaigns and paid-for travel opportunities, most of us wouldn’t be able to afford the lifestyle we so beautifully curate online.

It doesn’t matter how often you travel, or how far. Just that hopefully you will be able to gift yourself the experience of doing so and experiencing something new.

#travel #travelmedia #travelinfluencer #wheretonext

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