Visit to NYC First Weekend of October

Two years ago I took my oldest son, then an 8th grader, to NYC on a whim.  Bought airline tickets the day before, hotwired a hotel, and showed up in the city without a plan hoping to experience as much theatre and history as possible.  We bought all our tickets from TKTS--saw Phantom, Groundhog Day, The Play that Goes Wrong and School of Rock.  Also, the Empire State Building, Central Park, 30 Rock and Radio City and a few other cool experiences-All in just over 48 hours.  It was an awesome weekend and a great bonding time with my son.  My wife and I agreed that it should be a new family tradition.

Now I am ready to take my second son the first full weekend in October.  And I have the opportunity to plan this time so I'm open to whatever.  Are there any big events happening in Manhattan that weekend that we should to plan to experience?  We're already planning to see King Kong--that's the 8th graders choice, but I'll admit I'm intrigued, too.  Thoughts on doing a cheap theatre weekend marathon?  Is TKTS the best option?  I'm sure there are a million opinions about what not to miss in NYC, but if you have tips or insider info that would be fantastic.  We're from GA so a trip to NYC is a pretty special event.

 

 

Before living here, when I would plan for shows I would always check for discount tickets online. Got most of mine through Theatermania. Always got good deals.

If your kids are Potter fans, see Cursed Child if you can or Puffs Off-Broadway. It will be fall so a walk through Central Park will be nice. I always like to walk down the Mall to Bethesda Terrace to see the fountain. Like to sit on a bench for a i bit and check out the things all of the vendors are selling. Then I like to walk over to Strawberry Fields to see the John Lennon memorial. It's a nice walk. I have done it 3 or 4 times since moving here.

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On Location Tours are well done - you can choose from very specific (Superhero movies, Sex in the city) to more general (Films/tv of NY).

The Tenement Museum has lots of great tours downtown about the immigrant stories of NY, and if you go - check out Russ and Daughters for a meal (but be prepared for a wait on a weekend)

The Intrepid Museum

The Museum of the Moving Image

The Guggenheilm, the MoMa or the MET

A tour of Lincoln Center.

 

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The Museum of Natural History is great for kids; it's worth it for the life-sized model of the blue whale alone!

What a great dad you are and your sons are very lucky. Feel bad for mom though. Lol

Maybe I missed it, but is this another 48 hour marathon? A free option is taking the Staten Island Ferry. It takes you by the Statue of Liberty. Not super close, but close enough considering it’s free. There is, of course, the actual ferry to Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, but obviously that’s not free (but great) plus it will eat up more of your valuable time as the ferries back to Manhattan (or to/from Liberty/Ellis Island) only run at certain times and the lines to get on can be pretty long. If you take the Staten Island Ferry, you can simply deboard and then just reboard.

As far as shows, King Kong seems like a good choice. I suspect this will be frequently listed at TKTS, but who knows. Other Broadway shows that might interest an eighth-grader, but not break the bank, might be School of Rock, of course, as well as maybe Once on This Island (I’d look at information including video clips and share with him to see if it’s interesting to him) and Come From Away (I believe it’s listed on TKTS occasionally now, but I’d make sure he’s interested). Other B’way shows to consider that are not listed at TKTS are Dear Evan Hansen (but be warned that while relevant to teenagers, it has heavy content, but it’s great), Lion King, and Aladdin (this may appeal more to daughters than sons). An off-broadway option that is frequently listed at TKTS is Blue Man Group. Of course, Phantom and The Play That Goes Wrong are still playing while you are there.

Oh, and don’t forget the Times Square M&M store.

Updated On: 8/14/18 at 12:54 PM