The Jarvii 
We started off our first full day in NYC meeting up with a friend for brunch at Clinton St. Baking Company. At the time they didn’t accept reservations, but thankfully my friend waited in line (yes, there’s a line for brunch) before they opened. We took an Uber and made it just as they were opening and we were immediately sat. It was a great spot and offered a little something for everyone, from classic brunch items to healthier fare and kid friendly choices. Also who doesn’t enjoy a mimosa first thing in the morning?
From there we took the subway downtown to catch the Staten Island Ferry. The Staten Island Ferry you say? When you’re traveling with a 5 and 3 year old, doing the whole Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island thing isn’t ideally fun for them and also incredibly limiting. I know for a fact that both of my kids would have complained and tire out too easily if we tried to go to the Statue of Liberty. Plus it is expensive considering what they were going to do. Instead we opted to do the Staten Island Ferry, a free service that just so happens to float by the Statue of Liberty. Yes, you read that correctly–FREE!
Boarding was pretty easy enough. On the weekends the ferry leaves every half hour. Because it was the weekend there weren’t very many people on the ferry, mostly tourists like us trying to see the Statue of Liberty for free. We easily were able to find a seat by the window near the rear of the ferry. Because it was a chilly day, my kids weren’t too thrilled just to go outside to see the NYC skyline drift away. However, they were quite excited to go outside when we were passing the Statue of Liberty. But so were other people on the ferry. People were kind and allowed my kids to take a peak and we were able to get a few photos of the Statue of Liberty. For the most part it is a lot of just sitting around, so be prepared with some things to do for your little ones if they are done with being on a boat.
To get back to Downtown Manhattan is pretty simple enough. You get off the ferry, head to the terminal, only to turn around and get back in line to get on the next ferry to NYC. Very minimal wait. And you get another chance of seeing the Statue of Liberty again, all for FREE!
When we got back to NYC, we did a short walk to the Seaglass Carousel. It’s not just any old carousel either. From afar it looks like a small glass building in Battery Park. But as you approach you see pastel colored fish that people can ride, and they float up and down as if you are looking into an aquarium. It is quite beautiful and the kids had a blast. It cost $5 a person, but it was well worth it especially since the ferry ride cost us nothing.
From there we walked a few blocks to Bowling Green to see the Charging Bull and Fearless Girl. There were a lot of people there to check out the newish Fearless Girl bronze statue. My kids were nonplussed about both statues, but I needed that photo of my daughter with Fearless Girl. She wasn’t having it, but I did manage to get a decent one in there.
From there, we parted ways with my friend for the rest of the day and made our way to the 9/11 Memorial. My kids didn’t understand the somberness and gravity of the memorial. Seeing all the names was quite overwhelming. We did take the time to explain what happened and why it was sad and answered any questions they had.
Our final stop for the day was splurging to go up the Freedom Tower to the One World Observatory. It is expensive, at $38 per adult. But our kids were 5 and under, so they got to go up for free. Because we didn’t spend much that day, we thought we could splurge on this indoor activity. And it was worth it!
Again, it wasn’t very busy on the cold Saturday afternoon when we went. We were able to go straight up to the top; no lines or anything.
The first of many cool things about the experience is the elevator ride up to the top. The walls of the elevator are actually screens. As you ascend up at a frightening speed, the screens flick on and give you a panoramic history of NYC being built concluding with the final bits of the Freedom Tower. It is a very short video (the elevator goes at a frightening fast speed), but very cool to see the visual history.
From there you can use an iPad that acts as a tour guide (you can rent these for an additional cost). We opted out and instead just walked around. There are markers of important things if you don’t know what you are looking at. They also have a few interactive screens dotted throughout the place that can also point out important landmarks. The kids just enjoyed looking out and enjoying the views. I tried to point out locations I knew and we used the free interactive screens whenever possible. The coolest thing my kids enjoyed the most was the “see through” platform. It really wasn’t see through, but a screen to show what it would look like below if it were real glass–it did look pretty realistic though.
There’s also a cafe located in the observatory. You can sit and have a coffee, sandwiches, pizza, etc. We got our kids a croissant as a snack and opted for some sandwiches for the adults to hold us over till dinner time. It was a bit pricey, but what can you do when you are stuck 102 stories up!
From there we took the subway home and rested until dinner time because everyone was exhausted from a jam packed day!
