Ten Places I Want to Visit with my Son in NYC

My oldest child turns 18 this July. I’ve been in denial long enough, but it’s time to face the music and accept the fact that he’s growing up.  My husband wanted to do something really special for him, something memorable. We gave him a few options, white water rafting with his dad, a zip line tour, speeding in a race car around a racetrack, all ideas that would seem appealing for an adventurous 18- year old. Or so we thought. Right?

Turns out, after years on the road, he’s been bitten by the travel bug- he really is my son isn’t he? What does he want to do? He wants to go to New York City! Not to see the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island but to see the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine,  the largest cathedral in the world because he’s fascinated with architecture. So he and I will take off  in a couple months, destination, New York City.

He doesn’t care where else we go or what we do, so I’ve taken it upon myself to come up with a list of well known attractions that he may also choose to visit while we’re in town.

10. The New York Public Library Main Branch, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building- My son will love this National Historic Landmark, not only because he loves books, but also because of the architecture and because it was also seen in one of his favorite movies, Spider-Man.

9. We visited the Stature of Liberty and Ellis Island the year after the September 11th that many of us will never forget. The kids scanned the skyline for evidence of where the Twin Towers once stood and asked us to take them to see Ground Zero. We couldn’t quite bring ourselves to go at that time but this time around I’d like to see the memorial and possibly tour the Ground Zero Museum Workshop Tour.  

8. We’d both like to stroll through Central Park, specifically to see Cleopatra’s Needle, an obelisk discovered in Egypt that was gifted to the United States.   

7. Ever since we read From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the  Metropolitan Museum of Art has beckoned. In fact, I think that may be just the book to listen to on the long drive from Alabama to New York.

6. If we’re going to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we may as well visit the notable Guggenheim Museum. Though my son is most interested in gothic architecture at the moment, what serious architecture student would turn down the opportunity to view a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece?     

5. We’ll be taking the metro into the city so we may as well stick around and tour Grand Central Terminal.

4. Times Square is certainly not to be missed and will probably be a great place to grab a bite to eat.

3. After watching A Night at the Museum, who could resist a trip to The Museum of Natural History?  Too bad 18 and 39- year olds aren’t welcome for the sleepovers.

2. My son may not be fond of heights, but a glimpse of the Empire State Building, a true modern marvel should be on everyone’s list, right?

1. I’ve already told you the reason we wanted to visit NYC was to see the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, but did you know that New York City has a total of 18 cathedrals? Yep. 18. And my son wants to visit every last one.     

Now, do you have any tips on how I could manage to find myself inside the Cash Cab while we’re flitting from one attraction to the next?   

This post is linked to Oh, Amanda’s…

Travel Tip: Glean Wisdom from those who have Gone Before You

When I'm traveling, I love to talk to someone who has already been to the area that I'm planning to visit. I want opinions from someone who has been there and hear what they think when it comes to attractions to visit, what to avoid, where to eat, where to sleep. You name it, I want to know about it. That's why when one of my friends from Families on the Road offered to give me information about San Antonio, I took her up on the offer and gave her a call. Since Melissa's family has spent several months in Texas exploring the area, I knew she would be just the person I needed to talk to and she was very helpful! I can't wait to put her tips in action. In the meantime, you can head over to her blog read all about their adventures at Discovering US.

I was fortunate to talk to Melissa. She gave me a ton of information and I took pages of notes, but what if you don't know anyone who has traveled where you are headed? Well, that's pretty easy too. Call the Chamber of Commerce. Explain to them what you are interested in and they should be able to give you a couple good tips. You can also stop in at a Visitor's Center or ask the campground, hotel personnel or Walmart employee for tips. Really, just ask anyone what they enjoy doing in the area or what their favorite restaurant is. You'll find that most people are very accommodating. We've gotten some of our best tips ever by asking the locals what they suggest.

Of course you can do research online and read reviews, but sometimes it's nice just to hear what a real person has to say.

When you are heading out of town, do you research your destination? What sources do you use?

What a Sweet thing to say...

We are planning a trip. And not a moment too soon. We've all been pent up a bit lately. Being used to hitting the road and going somewhere each day, it's been a huge adjustment for us to stay at the camper day after day. Originally when the transmission went out on my vehicle and we left it in Ohio- we'd planned to get a rental car every now and then. Well once we realized how much money we were saving with me not having a vehicle here...just on gas...saving money won out over renting a car. Until now.

Now we are at the point when we desperately want to escape. So we are planning a short, long weekend trip. We haven't decided yet if we'll take the camper or if we'll rent a car and stay in hotels. We've just started to plan.

I am trying to plan a trip that appeals to everyone. So far we are planning a trip to the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas followed by a day or two in San Antonio to take in the Alamo, Riverwalk district and the Texas Ranger Museum. We'll finish up by stopping in New Orleans to see the D-Day Museum. Somewhere along the way from San Antonio to New Orleans we need to add in a stop along the Gulf Coast.

I think this sounds wonderful, but my husband thought the fun was missing. So, we've added Six Flags to the mix. This is where the sweet quote comes in. We asked our children what they thought of adding Six Flags. My oldest blew me away when he sincerely answered..."I don't really care what we do...I just enjoy spending time with my family." How sweet is that? What a great kid. Of course then we had to tease him and tell him he was just looking for brownie points!

But now, I'd like to enlist the help of my readers. Does anyone have any pointers, places to eat in San Antonio? Campgrounds that you'd stay at again? Any money saving tips? How about New Orleans? Any family friendly attractions that you think we shouldn't miss? How about stopping along the coast? Any suggestions? It's always so great to gain wisdom from those who have gone before...