If you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you’ve probably noticed that I have a habit of trying to kill two (or three) birds with one stone when it comes to travel. My husband absolutely detests it, but tolerates it… for now. So, when last year my daughter asked me to plan a trip to NYC, I figured we would stop there on the way to Europe. I really wanted to use up our Avianca Lifemiles stash, and all the best award deals tend to be from New York anyway.
Unfortunately, we could only spare one night, but with the right planning, I knew we could have an amazing getaway. Emphasis on “could.” The last time we visited NYC as a family was in 2017, and we managed to do our day trip when a huge storm was pummeling the city. Talk about terrible timing. But we managed to have fun regardless, despite my old shoes filling up with water by the end of the day.
This time around my almost 16-year-old daughter made a few specific requests. She wanted to see the Statue of Liberty and visit the MoMA museum in Manhattan. She is an artist, so the latter is an obvious choice. I can’t always fulfill my kids’ travel requests, but this is something I knew was within my power to pull off.
Due to some recent financial setbacks, we are on a very tight budget. I have money put away specifically for our time in Europe, but NYC is more of an afterthought. Plus, it’s a place I know we can easily go back to at some point, so I don’t feel the pressure to splurge. So, here is what I’m looking to do:
1) Stay at Hyatt Place instead of Park Hyatt
If I had a ton of Hyatt points and a Globalist status, I would probably be tempted to splurge on Park Hyatt New York But our Hyatt points come from Chase transfers, and I value them at 1.25 cents apiece. So, 40k points is an equivalent of paying $500 per night. I would be willing to splurge that amount on a fancy suite at a resort, not so much on a regular room that will be primarily used for sleeping and showering,
Although, I do admit, the pool overlooking Manhattan is pretty cool. Anyway, I used 20k points on a room at Hyatt Place New York Midtown- South It will be nice to have two queen beds, plus sleeper sofa for our daughter. The breakfast at Hyatt Place is nothing to write home about, but it will do.
As a Discoverist, I should get a guaranteed 2 pm checkout, which is one of the reasons I went with Hyatt program in the first place. Our flight the next day will depart at 6 pm from JFK airport. Leaving from hotel a bit after 2 pm should give us enough time. I was tempted to book a second room since we don’t do well when we are all cramped into a tiny space, but decided to save the points. We will manage for just one night. Plus, the hotel has a rooftop hangout plus lobby where I can take the kids while my husband is taking a nap.
I did consider using Wyndham currency to book Club Wyndham Midtown 45 where you can get a 1-bedroom condo for only 15k points per night. This is a real bargain, though a minimum 2-night stay is required. This would not have been a problem for us, since we would vacate the unit at 2:30 pm the next day anyway. Ultimately, I went with Hyatt because my kids would have to share a sofabed in Wyndham property, which is a dealbreaker.
A reminder: The Chase Ink Business Preferred currently has a welcome bonus of 100k after spending $8000 in the first three months, and the annual fee is only $95. You can transfer these points to Hyatt, or use them to pay for travel in Chase’s travel portal as well as transfer them to a number of other travel partners.
2) Go on a free Staten Island Ferry instead of paying for expensive evening cruise
I was originally looking into booking a cruise that goes by the Statue of Liberty. We won’t have time to tour it, plus, I really want to see Ellis island. So, we will focus on those sights during our next trip to NYC. This time my daughter just wanted to see the statue from the water, and Staten Island ferry will suffice. Hopefully we will catch a nice sunset view while we are at it.
3) Use free Cultivist 6-months membership to visit MoMA museum
This is one of the perks of Capital One Venture X card, and I would be a fool not to take advantage of it. MoMA happens to be on the list of participating museums. This should save us $60 for two adults (kids are free). I plan to cancel this membership as soon as we leave London, where we may get some value out of it as well.
4) Make kids pay for their own souvenirs at Nintendo store in NYC
Not really a travel tip, but that’s what we plan to do. My kids make a little bit of money by doing work for my MIL, so Nintendo NYC merch will be their responsibility, and that includes carrying the junk around Europe. But don’t feel sorry for my kids, they are spoiled rotten.
A few splurges
Even though I’m trying to save money anywhere I can, I plan to use Uber for all of our transportation in NYC. Of course I could save a lot by using subway and buses instead, but I don’t want to mess with it. Our time in the city is limited, and time is money.
I also want to enjoy some decent Chinese food, something central Florida is severely lacking. We do have a few mediocre buffet restaurants, and that’s about it. There is a place in NYC called Dim Sum Palace, located within walking distance from our hotel, so we might go there. The reviews are decent, and they serve vegetarian steamed buns. Yum! One of the joys of being in a large city is enjoying high-quality ethnic cuisine.
Readers, what tips do you have for me?
P.S. You can read Nancy’s 2-part writeup from 2019 on visiting NYC with kids
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
@Carole @Debra Thanks for your input! I definitely have reasonable expectations on how much we will be able to see from the water. I may look into booking a cheap-ish cruise after all. That said, my concern is that our flight might be late, which will make us miss the boat. At least with Staten Island ferry there is no money invested.
I’m a super-cheaper, too. When we went to NYC with my four kids I was excited to do the Staten Island Ferry route for the Statue of Liberty view. I even planned for a sunset/evening time so we could see the lights. I will say it was fun and restful to go over and back. But, sadly, the SoL was literally a spec (“is that it? can you see it?”) on the horizon on the way back for maybe 15 minutes. Anyone who characterizes this as an alternative to seeing the SoL is fibbing a bit. The ride was fun! But if your daughter really wants to *see* it, this may not be the way to fulfill that request.
@Tania Thank you so much!
Leana,
From your hotel the easiest route is to take the yellow line R or W Downtown from 34ht – Herald Square ( it is not a huge subway station) and get off on Whitehall-South Ferry and walk to the Staten Island terminal. No transfers.
I would avoid rush hour (7am-9am and 4pm-6pm) and you are going to be fine. An Uber should cost around $35 and the subway $ 11.60. But the traffic downtown is always terrible.
If you like Chinese food, Dim Sum Palace is great and Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao as well. Also Cafe China is excellent option for non dim sum options (59 W 37th St). Any questions please ask away 🙂
@turgutbey I think I’m convinced!
+1, you’ll be stuck in traffic on most trips. Subway the way to go.
@Nancy Thanks. I may have to give subway a shot!
Piggybacking on Carole’s comment: the Staten Island Ferry gives you a great view of the skyline, but not the Statue of Liberty. When we went to NYC for 2 days in 2016 we covered a lot of ground with a hop-on hop-off bus (I believe it Grey Line bus), that should take you near the MOMA and be a more scenic ride than the subway, and it’s not very expensive. And best of all, a sightseeing boat that went really near the Statue of Liberty was included. 🙂
These sound like great plans! I hadn’t looked into the Cultivist membership yet. I know it’s been a few years, but the last time we were in NYC we tried to take Ubers but the traffic was so bad that it ended up being faster to take the subway. I hope you have great weather this time!
@Tania Wow, such great tips! Really appreciate taking the time to list the restaurants. I love Korean food, but my husband is not a fan. Fortunately, we both like Chinese, so I hope we get to experience it in NYC. Our time will be quite hectic, but I want to have at least one sit-down meal as a family.
I will look into using subway for Staten Island ferry via Apple Pay, especially if no changes are required.
Leana,
I hope you have a blast in NYC. Dim Sum Palace is a great choice. Also near your hotel there is a famous soup dumpling restaurant (Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao – 24 W 33rd St between 5th and Broadway).
You are going to be one block from Koreatown and if your family likes Korean barbeque the best one is Jongro NYC (22 W 32nd St 2nd floor). But on 32nd street there tons of Korean restaurants and stores.
If you have time walk along 5ht avenue toward the Flatiron building. It is a short walk and Madison Square Park has the original Shake Shack. Nearby you can go to Eataly for Italian coffee, gelato and pastries. Also the super famous and delicious Dominique Ansel Workshop Bakery (27th street between 5th and Madison).
From your hotel to the Staten Island Ferry terminal you can take the subway with Google Maps help. You can pay the subway with your phone (Apple Pay). No need to learn how the ticket machine works. But if it is rush hour can be a traumatic experience hahaha. Also to go to Moma you can walk on 5th avenue for 20min. Uber can be expensive if there a lot of traffic. Sometimes it saves time, but most of the time it doesn’t. Also you can ride the buses on 5th ave and pay with your Apple Pay.
@fit2ravels Definitely recommend visiting NYC at least once. If you don’t want to invest a ton of money, consider stopping for few nights on the way to Europe. New York to me is the world in miniature. If you are into food, I doubt there is a more exciting place to be. I do wish we had time to visit Brighton Beach (Russian-speaking community). Hopefully next time.
@Peter Thanks for your suggestions! I really hope we have time for Central Park.
Not sure how much sleep we will get flying to Brussels, since we will be slumming it in economy. It will be a brutal few days, but it is what it is.
@S That makes sense! We are staying over a weekend, so I’m hoping traffic won’t be crazy. But yes, figuring out subway logistics may be the way to go. However, I’ll definitely be using Uber for airport rides.
Citi bikes around Central Park, walk down Highline to West Village, walk from Union Square down 4th Ave to Strand bookstore, New York Costumes then over to Washington Square Park and St Marks Place.
A 6pm short flight to Europe sounds tough so maybe walking a bunch will put you to sleep earlier
If time is money, use the NYC subway not Uber! Waaaay quicker and more efficient and better way to get around.
Had no desire to visit NYC but this kinda makes me want to look into it.