We brought Charlie on his first big trip at three months old, and we’re so glad we did! We were invited to the city for a press event with Nylon Consulting (they handle the marketing for a brand we work with) and at first, I was hesitant to make the trip with such a young baby. But at around 10 weeks postpartum, it felt like a flip switched and I was suddenly eager to travel again! My expectations were really low, but traveling with Charlie actually worked out pretty well (besides getting stranded…more on that later.) And hey…now that we’ve done New York with a baby, we feel like we can go anywhere!
Here are some of our favorite things to do in New York City. I’ve linked all the locations with their Google Maps tag!
New York Public Library
This is a must-see, in my opinion! Built with floor-to-ceiling marble (530,000 cubic feet of it, to be exact), there is beauty at every turn. You can’t enter the study rooms without a pass, but it’s definitely still worth visiting this architectural masterpiece.
View of the City
We took the subway to Greenpoint Landing, but I don’t really think it matters exactly what bridge or dock you visit as long as it has a view of the New York skyline! We grabbed some snacks and drinks at Jubilee Market and enjoyed the quiet evening just outside of the city. It was like a breath of fresh air!
The MET
I wish we had a little more time here! There are so many amazing exhibits- so much to read and explore. We were able to grab a reservation at the Met Dining Room (they only serve dinner Fridays and Saturdays, and we happened to be there on a Friday) and that made for a really fun experience.
Central Park
Walking around Central Park is always a must! It was pretty warm, so we got our fix of ice cream from the various Van Leeuwen locations around the city (I love dairy-free ice cream and they have the best!)
Freehand
We stayed at the Freehand New York and had a great experience! They have an amazing Latin restaurant downstairs, vintage Pac-Man in the lobby, a full gym, and a stunning lounge room where you can hang our or bring your laptop and work. We’d stay here again!
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum
This was easily the highlight of my trip. I can’t recommend it enough! The memorial is absolutely breathtaking. It brought me to tears. It’s such a powerful display of loss, with two water features falling underground that show the size and scale of the foundations of the twin towers.
I could have spent a week in this museum. Tickets are around $30, they play some really well-produced films, and the artifacts from the event are just unbelievable. They have a massive minute-by-minute timeline of 9/11/2001 with so many audio recordings, videos, photographs, and physical items found on the site. This museum alone is worth a trip to New York!
Empire State Building
I was hesitant to do this again because it’s pretty expensive and I’d already been up here on a previous trip, but I’m actually really glad we did it again. If you can go at sunset, I highly recommend it. It’s just mind-blowing how big the city is- you don’t really get a full understanding of it’s scale until you’re up here.
Resolution with JetBlue
If you missed it on my stories, we were supposed to fly home Friday, but our flight got cancelled. After delaying our flight two hours and boarding the whole plane, JetBlue cancelled our flight, leaving hundreds of people stranded at the JFK airport at 2am. With no hotel vouchers or alternate travel plans from the airline, everyone was left to fend for themselves. We ended up staying in New York two more days until we could find a flight home late Sunday night. Thankfully, we were able to submit our receipts and get partially reimbursed ($250 a night), although the airport hotel (the only one we could make it to within 30 minutes) was $500. We definitely lost a good chunk of change, but we made the most of our extra time in New York!
We were told that we would receive an email with alternate flight options, but that email never came. Instead, we had to seek out another flight on our own. I guess I’ve never had a flight cancelled before (only delayed). I’ve learned that when an airline cancels a flight, they are required to give you a full refund for that flight. If I would have known we were entitled to a refund, I would have looked for another flight home leaving that night from another airline and purchased it right away. Live and learn!
NYC with a Baby
In case you plan to travel to the city with a baby, I wanted to give a short disclaimer here. Jake did a *lot* of lifting. Some subways have elevators, but most do not. So that meant a *lot* of stairs to climb, in the heat, carrying a stroller. This was not for the faint of heart…but it was worth it to us.
Speaking of the stroller, we are obsessed with this one. It’s so lightweight, and it even fits in the overhead compartment on the plane. We have the color “lovely taupe.”
One more thing about the subway- it’s loud. For a baby, it’s dangerously loud! We used these noice-cancelling baby earmuffs every day. I wouldn’t recommend using the subway without them!
What are your tips for traveling with a baby? It was hard, but we are glad to have made these memories as a family!
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