New York holiday for kids

NEW YORK — Move over, Amazing Race. Traveling nowadays can be just a daunting and a literal mad scramble for us regular travelers, especially when planning a family vacation.

Traveling with kids is a feat unto itself but I’m happy to say my kids are now at an age where they can pull their own carry-ons, bathe and feed themselves, and more importantly, walk distances without needing to go to the toilet every 15 minutes. 

This summer I wanted to take a trip without visiting relatives or theme parks. I wanted my two girls and I to enjoy a place that had both city and the great outdoors, so I decided on New York City, more specifically Manhattan — a city of icons.

The best way to explore Manhattan is to wander its streets and sample its highlights. The first few days were spent doing the usual sightseeing tourist route: the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, and the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Central Park is a must. It sprawls across the city offering a myriad of things to do besides sitting on a park bench snacking on a pretzel, snow cone or hot dog, and reminding yourself you are truly in the Big Apple.

At Central Park the girls enjoyed playing at the boathouse, riding a horse and buggy through the park, watching street performers, riding a carousel, and strolling on the Bow Bridge.

One morning was spent at the Museum of Modern Art to catch the Tim Burton retrospective and the animated dioramas of William Kentridge. Another day at the Natural History museum to check out the dinosaurs and Easter Island Head, and yet another morning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

At Times Square we caught fantastic Broadway shows like Rock of The Ages, Hair and Addams Family.  

We scoured the city for flea markets, punk stores and trendy boutiques in the East Village.

In between all this we went up farther north and headed out to Pennsylvania to visit the Amish country in Lancaster and historic Gettysburg — site of one of the biggest battles of the American Civil War. 

One weekend we headed out to the village of Sleepy Hollow in Westchester where the Old Dutch Cemetery features an impressive list of tombstones dedicated to Carnegie, Chrysler, Brooke Astor, Elizabeth Arden, and not be missed, Washington Irving himself.

And, yes, we did go shopping. Not because I wanted to but because we had to. In the 14 days we were in New York and Pennsylvania we hit the four seasons from mild, to cold, to freezing cold and rain, and finally to a couple of scorching days. So having packed what I thought were spring clothes (twin sets and leggings) I had to rush out and buy thermal underwear, down jackets, thick sock, and boots for the freezing days and summer clothes and shoes for the last three scorching days. Add to that, two new suitcases to accommodate the unexpected new wardrobe.