Visiting NYC with 2 kids, aged 12 and 9

Visited NYC in July but just a stopover for a day and a half so did not really have time to explore. Going back for 6 days in April. Any ideas for good places to eat with 2 picky children (and a picky mum). Also read a lot of comments re Rainbow room for views of ESB. Are children allowed in there, or any other bar for that matter?

Also would like to visit the Intrepid Museum. Is it worth a visit?

Any advise you can give me to make this a memorable trip for myself and husband who will both be 40 this year!!!

Visiting NYC with 2 kids, aged 12 and 9

Re: places to eat, I think the kids would enjoy ESPN Zone in Times Square - quite a lot of fun for that age group. Or, Hard Rock Cafe on 57th Street. Sorry, I don%26#39;t know about if Rainbow room is suitable for them. But I do know that nearly every restaurant has a bar, and you can certainly bring in children. Re: Intrepid, yes it%26#39;s fascinating to see. Kids would like it very much! Enjoy!

Visiting NYC with 2 kids, aged 12 and 9

Children are allowed in the Rainbow Room and any other restaurant with a bar area. You might have issues in pubs and bars that aren%26#39;t part of restaurants.

I ate at the Rainbow Room at a similar age and loved it. The beauty of bringing a kid there is that the kid can%26#39;t recognize that the food leaves something to be desired.

Brooklynbaby

Would you recommend reservations for rainbow room?

Also what is worthwhile seeing in Brooklyn?

Katie, you probably need reservations for the Rainbow Room.

As for Brooklyn, if you%26#39;re here during cherry blossom season (usually mid-April, but it varies) the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is drop-dead gorgeous, very worth the subway ride (2 or 3 train to Eastern Parkway). There%26#39;s a children%26#39;s museum that%26#39;s supposed to be good-- I can%26#39;t say since I haven%26#39;t been there. Their site is http://www.bchildmus.org. The Brooklyn Museum is hit-or-miss for tourists; nice if there%26#39;s something you really want to see but if your time is limited maybe not the best use of time. It%26#39;s right next to the Botanic Gardens. I love Coney Island (beach, rides, and boardwalk with sleazy carny stuff) but other people on this site find it tacky and sleazy in a bad way.

dont miss mars 2112 at broadway and 51st.

theres a space ship outside....on entering you are greeted by

the checkin crew who are wearing star trek style costumes.

you are taken aboard a shuttle which takes you to restaurant in a space colony on Mars.... the place is fantastic inside.

there are various aliens wandering around to amuse and an awesome soundtrack playing ..

the staff are friendly and very efficient and the meal we had was superb..even the cosmopolitans for the adults went down a treat..

the 9 year old loved the place as theres also an arcade for video games where you charge up a swipe card to play the games.

we went back again the next day didnt bother with the meal just so little boy could play the arcade games again.

we were kept amused in the aptly named Mars Bar drinking more cosmopolitans....

well worth a visit

Katie - Since your stay is limited both times you come, I would not venture into Brooklyn. Although I%26#39;m sure the Brooklyn Museum is very nice, you%26#39;d first have to see the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art), the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim... and there%26#39;s a children%26#39;s museum in Manhattan that is very nice (I%26#39;ve been there). Also, the advice to go to Coney Is. in April is not good. Maybe if it was during the summer. April can still be cold in NY and I%26#39;m sure the boardwalk attractions are closed down. In summary, there is plenty to keep you busy in Manhattan! You%26#39;ll want to spend some time in Central Park, Greenwich Village, South St. Seaport, visit ';Ground Zero';, having dinner or lunch in both Chinatown and Little Italy, explore the galleries of Soho, wander Columbus Ave. on the Upper West Side, go to the top of the Empire State Building, and try a boatride - Circleline or Spirit of NY, so you can see the skyline (and the Statue of Liberty) from the water. If you want Brooklyn, I%26#39;d say, fine, take a walk over the bridge... That%26#39;s supposed to be very nice, but I wouldn%26#39;t waste a day taking the subway out there. If you have extra time, try to see at least one broadway show. Get 1/2 priced tickets the day of the event at Tickets line in Times Square.

blackheads