Surviving NYC with Teenaged Boys
Traveling with teenagers can be a challenge. Besides the fact that they likely don't want to spend much time with you (boring parents), it's nearly impossible to illicit an excited response from most teens. Several years ago, I was able to woo my (then) teenaged daughters to New York with the promise of salon treatments, lots of shopping, dining, and Broadway but today, the teenaged boys stymied me. Trying to think of a quick family getaway for their spring break, I suggested the beach? Naw. Edinburgh? I nixed (too expensive). New York City? I guess. I jumped on their obvious endorsement!How lucky are we that we can easily hop on a train and be in New York City in 6 hours? Simple trip from Central Virginia. Super comfy. Wifi. Club car. Etc. It is one of my favorite ways to travel. Once upon a time, a train ride would stand on its own as a great outing for these boys. But now, not so much. They strap on their noise-canceling headphones and fire up their video games. Six hours of quality time together. Their excitement was vapid.The stakes were high. I wanted to prove these boys wrong. NYC is one of my favorite cities. I wanted them to love it as much as I do. I needed to scout out activities that would impress and enthrall. We were fortunate with the weather - it was a little wet one day but mostly dry and temperate in early April.
GROUND ZERO
The key with teenaged boys is to keep them occupied. They need to understand their destination. "Where are we going?" "Can't we take a cab?" They don't appreciate just walking around SoHo. They want to get where we're going. Now. So we hopped on the subway and took them to Ground Zero. Plenty of somber signage there to keep them engaged. It was moving to see them to react what clearly felt like hallowed grounds to them even though they were merely infants in the wake of the 9-11 attacks. They still get it, and for that I'm grateful.The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is a good option. While we didn't go into the museum (the line was so long), we did spend time walking around the reflecting pools and dipped into the Westfield World Trade Center mall. Just a cool structure. We had planned to go to the observation deck of the Freedom Tower but the visibility was so poor that day that the security guard suggested we just save the 34 bucks per person and try another day.
FIREFIGHTER HISTORY
We decided to walk back to our Lower East Side flat via Rockefeller Park, Pier 25 at Hudson River Park, TriBeCa and Soho, thinking this would be a great way to see the city. Ignoring the bellyaching, we continued walking and found the New York City Fire Museum. It's a great stop for kids of all ages.This is a gorgeous renovated firehouse from 1904 located on Spring Street. It had a great display of the history of firefighting and firefighters in New York City. They had old fire trucks, regalia, art and artifacts. They even have some gear you can try on for fun photo-ops. There is also an entire room dedicated to 9-11 gratefully stocked with several boxes of tissues.
BROADWAY WITH BOYS
All of us agreed that the Broadway show we saw was the highlight of our trip. Besides the entertainment itself, the whole Theater District is really fun to experience. The flashing lights. The bright marquees. Times Square. The street performers. It's a marvelous spectacle that had the boys' heads swiveling.We saw The Book of Mormon at Eugene O'Neill Theatre. It was very, very fun - quite adult humor - with a few cringe-worthy moments but they absolutely loved it. Another great show for boys is Blue Man Group at Astor Place Theatre. It's weird, and funny, and messy if you're in the first couple of rows. Thoroughly entertaining. (Be sure to book tickets well in advance of your trip to get the best seats for your desired show.)
ENDLESS FOOD OPTIONS
The most cliche' thing about teenaged boys is how much they eat. Well, they won't go hungry in NYC. There are endless food options that are accessible on every block. Whether it's a sit-down restaurant or a food cart or a late night slice of pizza, they can get their fill.Best yet are the bakeries with the ubiquitous black & white cookies and other treats. It also didn't hurt that there was a famous candy shop (Economy Candy) right around the corner from our flat. The candy is stocked from floor to ceiling and they carry all the nostalgic treats from my childhood, too.
DITCH THE KIDS...
...for a date night in Little Italy. The boys decided to just hang out and enjoy the wifi at our flat. So their Dad and I walked a few blocks to a lovely little wine bar, and then to Little Italy for a nice late dinner. So pretty all lit up at night and it's a genuine experience.All in all, our quick weekend trip to the Big Apple was big fun. The boys seemed impressed enough to want to come back another time, if only to visit their Uncle who lives in the East Village again. But that's okay...I'll take what I can get! What trips have you taken with your teenagers? Share in the comments below!