View of Statue of Liberty from the Water. All Photos in this post are copyright 2024 NHYM. This post contains affiliate links.
New York City is really my ‘Soul City.’ Even though I have lived in (and loved) London for almost 25 years and have built a happy, grounded family life, New York was my wild, passionate, love affair that I knew I had to eventually move on from. When I lived there in my 20s, I didn’t notice the dirty streets, the noisy honking or firetrucks blaring, or that the concrete jungle hid most of the sunshine and therefore any possible greenery. It didn’t matter, because I lived for the nightlife. For those who know, you know. The nightlife in the 90s was unforgettable: Tunnel and Limelight for dance music, Au Bar and Bilboquet for Euro spotting, Spy and Jet bar for the Soho Lounge Scene, Bowery bar and Bungalow 8 for the celebs, and finally Life and Spa for the best club nights I’ve had. Those were the best nights of my life.
View of the Empire State Building from the Edge NHYM 2024
But fast forward 25 years and I am happier than ever with my two gorgeous t(w)eens and I look back on those days with euphoric nostalgia, as a time I will never get back. So when it was time to take them to New York a few years ago, I had to make it the best-trip-ever. I wanted them to love it as much as I do so that I could come back over and over again and tell people ‘it’s because my kids love New York so much.’
Midtown Manhattan, NHYM 2024
When I told them we were going to New York, they both – separately – begged to stay at the Plaza. This is how strong Hollywood has entered our – and our kids’ – pysches. They both loved Home Alone so much that this was the only place they wanted to stay. Period. When I enquired, the hotel made it too easy for me to stay yes: they have rooms with two double beds that snuggly fit a family of four, the location is great and they have a magical ‘Home Alone Package.’ That clinched the deal.
Park Lane Hotel View of Central Park. NHYM 2024.
Needless to say, my kids LOVED New York and the Plaza, my eldest so much that she wants to live there. Maybe I went a little too far.
Brooklyn Bridge from the water. NHYM 2024
Of course there are all the usual ultra luxury hotels that everyone knows like The Pierre, the Waldorf Astoria (which was recently renovated), the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton and the other usual suspects but here are my top 10 Luxury Hotel Recommendations in NYC for families. Most of these have Family rooms or rooms with two double beds to fit a family of four. Others have suites to accommodate bigger families. Some were chosen for their locations, covering all of New York City, from the Upper West Side to the East Village to SoHo to the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Plaza Welcome Chocolate. NHYM 2024
- The Plaza (Central Park): With Home Alone 2 as advertisement, the Plaza needs no more introduction: it’s iconic. Their Home Alone Package includes pizza, a limo ride around Manhattan and a giant ice cream sundae back in your room. Need I say more? It was the highlight of their trip. Book the Plaza Here
- The Mandarin Oriental (Columbus Circle): This one is both for kids and adults: The Mandarin has beautiful rooms and views, and the Spa is one of the best in the city. There’s an Alo downstairs and plenty of shopping nearby, and is so centrally located you can go uptown/downtown/midtown in minutes. Book the Mandarin Oriental New York Here
- The Mercer (Soho Luxury): For the ultra fashion and trendy crowd, The Mercer is still a stalwart and its restaurant, Sartiano, an Italian-American restaurant, is named after a friend from my party days, Scott Sartiano. Book The Mercer Here
- The Wallace (Upper West Side Boutique): For those looking for a more neighbourhood experience, The Wallace in the Upper West Side will give you a real taste of living in NYC. Book The Wallace Here
- The Mark (Upper East Side Boutique): Same with the Mark, it has been around for ages, and is a boutique hotel in the Upper East Side if you want the ‘UES’ pied-a-terre experience. Book The Mark Here
- The Gansevoort (Meatpacking): For a great downtown location, the Gansevoort is next to the High Line, Little Island, all the meatpacking shopping and dining you can think of (CATCH, Pastis and more). They have a great rooftop bar and a pool for the kids to splash in (mornings only, sorry). Book The Gansevoort Here
- The Moxy East Village (East Village): For an East Village experience, the Moxy hits the mark with its more hip, young feel and its various family rooms. It’s a great fit for families looking for good value, various room options, some with bunk beds, and a more relaxed, fun atmosphere. Book Here for The Moxy
- The Soho Grand: The original SoHo luxury boutique hotel, it’s right in the downtown action. In SoHo, but near Tribeca and with easy access to the East Village, West Village, it is still a beloved hotel. The style is modern and elegant, the beds are comfy and is still a fun scene for older kids, but their rooms options are not as family friendly as some of the others. Book the Soho Grand Hotel Here
- 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge (Brooklyn): For the too-cool-for-Manhattan crowd who want to spend time in Brooklyn, this eco-friendly hotel gives you access to both Brooklyn and Manhattan. It has great views of the Brooklyn bridge, and there are lots of waterfront restaurants like Celestine, The River Cafe and Cecconis. Book 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge Here.
- The Peninsula (Fifth Avenue) : For ultimate luxury and service, it’s hard to beat the Peninsula. In addition, it has a large indoor pool and family perks. It has spacious, luxurious rooms for families, the Grand Deluxe Double with 2 double beds. Book The Peninsula Here.
M&M Store Times Square NHYM 2024
WHAT DO IN NEW YORK CITY WITH KIDS:
To make it an unforgettable trip, I planned a special surprise 7 Day Movie/TV Schedule for them, to keep them anticipating the next day. Each Day was themed around a TV Show or Movie and the whole day would revolve around it: filming spots, restaurants, scenes etc.. They loved it!
Day 1: Gossip Girl
For the Gossip Girl Lovers out there, New York is the ultimate set-jetting location. You could spend an entire trip just going to different set locations and living the life of Serena and Blair Waldorf. Both my kids love Gossip Girl and we spent our whole first day covering all the different Gossip Girl locations. We went to Central Park, where Blair and Chuck Bass got married. For your Central Park Carriage Ride, you can Book Your Central Park Carriage Ride with Kids here. Alternatively, you can take a Pedicab Ride Around Central Park.
The Met Steps feature constantly in Gossip Girl, where Serena and Blair spend their lunches. So it’s great to combine it with a trip to the Met. Book Your Tickets to the Met Here.
Finally, you can Restaurant-hop the Gossip Girls’ favourite haunts: Sarabeth/Butter/Empire Rooftop/Russian Tea Room/The Oak Room/STK/Gramercy Tavern.
Day 2: Elf
If you go to New York during Christmas Time, you have to watch Elf and hit all the Elf filming locations like the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Center. Book here for the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center. For hopeless romantics, you can also go to those for Sleepless in Seattle and An Affair to Remember.
Day 3: BIG
BIG is an oldie but goodie. It was one of my favourite movies growing up, and we had to recreate the FAO Schwartz scene on the life sized piano. The current FAO Scwarz is not as big as the original but it’s still fun and all kids love going to a toy store. David Moscow, the Tom Hanks kid-version, is one of my friends from when I lived in NYC, so I always love re-watching the movie with my kids. They cringe each time I say ‘there’s my friend!’
Day 4: MoneyBall
My husband, who loves sports, took my kids to a Mets Game, so we watched one of the best baseball movies of all time before they went: Moneyball. It’s a smart, interesting, thought-provoking movie that even people like me, who have no interest in baseball, love it. You might need to like Maths and Statistics though. Book here for a baseball Game/Knicks Game
Day 5: Night at the Museum
Night at the Museum is one of the best NY movies of all time, and we were lucky enough to get a tour from friends who are members. We learned about the Black Hole and the universe in 3D as well as ant terrariums and butterfly gardens. It is one of the greatest Museums of all time. Book Your Tickets to the Natural History Museum
Day 6: Home Alone 2
Now, of course the Home Alone tour around NYC in a Limo was their absolute highlight of our trip. We started out at the Plaza with a Limo, a large pizza and the Home Alone 2 film playing in the Limo. We organised our own itinerary, visiting the Empire State Building, 9/11 Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square M&M shop and finally ended up at the Plaza with the largest ice-cream sundae we had ever seen. This is definitely a bucket list experience for all Home Alone lovers: the chauffeur told me that he had just done a Limo Tour for Make-a-Wish Foundation patient. What a wonderful once in a lifetime gift.
The 16-scoop ice-cream sundae at the Plaza. NHYM 2024
BOOK YOUR HOME ALONE 2 LIMO RIDE & PIZZA HERE
Day 7: The Lion King
People always ask me if I’m going to see a Broadway Show when I go to New York, but tbh, I live in London. I can go to a show anytime and the shows in London are just as great. But for most people, a Broadway show is a highlight and The Lion King is one of my favourites. Book Your Broadway Show here.
My alternative Film for Day 7 was going downtown for a Ghostbusters filming tour. Need I say more?
I can guarantee that your kids will love this, and you can create your own schedule with their favourite NY movies.
Other absolutely necessary things to do with Kids:
-The Edge: an alternative to waiting for the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center lines, the Edge has great views of Manhattan. For the thrill seekers, the City Climb looks pretty fun! We didn’t have time to do it, but it’s on our list for next time!
-Restaurants: Any food you can ask for! See Gossip Girl Day for recommendations.
– Shopping: The shopping in New York is epic. Mostly because all the stores are so BIG! In Soho/West Village/Meatpacking District, you can go to thrift stores or fashion stores like Brandy Melville and make-up stores like Glossier etc.. it’s a girl’s paradise! For boys (but girls too) the Lego store is great! There are life-sized lego sculptures like New York Taxis, and Empire State Buildings, like below. It’s impressive.
Lego Store Midtown NHYM 2024
For more activities, you can always browse through Get Your Guide, which offers tons of tours and ideas.
NHYM
xx
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Manhattanhenge 2024. NHYM
