Father with 16 yr old daughter from MN please help

Need help choosing the right get-away with a 16 yr daughter. Do not want to rent a car. Want to stay in Manhattan 1/21 - 1/25. Which is the best airport to fly into, moderate hotel, best sight seeing. Budget minded. Anyone? I am clueless but she wants to go.

Father with 16 yr old daughter from MN please help

First, read some of the other trips reports on here from families traveling with teens for some ideas. I have taken my teen daughters a few times and they love it. We always fly into LaGuardia and the ride to Manhattan is not that long..just take a cab. My teens love the Times Square area to stay in, and I recommend the Hilton Times Square, and there are others. But, at this late date, you may not have as many choices. What is it that she wants to see in NYC? She must have some ideas. Times Square at night is fun, and you may want to consider taking her to a Broadway show such as Hairspray. She would like browsing the Soho area, and a trip through Chinatown is fun. You could consider taking a tour to see the area, or get some good maps and info from this site and go it alone. Central Park is beautiful and has a nice little zoo, plus you can watch the ice skaters, or skate yourself. The shopping along 5th Ave. is interesting, the NBC Studios gives a tour. Take her to the top of the Rockefeller Center for a gorgeous view of the city. GCS is interesting , and you can use the subway to get down to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty and then to the WTC site. But first...narrow down what the 2 of you want to do, then sort in geographical areas.

Father with 16 yr old daughter from MN please help

Listen to prchparty!

Dont%26#39; worry, you%26#39;ll do fine! Good for you for taking her.

Here%26#39;s a collection of trip reports by families with teens. Most were first-time vistiors. The earlier ones are from winter of last year. Great ideas!

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k473200-鈥?/a> Collection_of_trip_reports_from_families_with_TEENAGERS-

I%26#39;d highly reco seeing a Browadway show, such as Hairspray, Wicked, Altar Boyz or maybe even The Producers? Depends on her tastes.

Get discounted same-day tickets at our TKTS booths (cash only), or, for really popular shows such as Wicked, buy in advance using discount codes from www.Broadwaybox.com

Also, plenty of ways to save money and see a lot. Be right back with that...

Re free or inexpensive sights and attractions: you%26#39;ll have lots of choices!!!

1. The #1 free attraction is the city itself! We walk everywhere, so pick an avenue and just walk, walk , walk!! Free entertainment and sights! You do NOT need a car in NYC!

2. Most all NYC museums have one free or pay-what-you-wish day or evening per week. See this list

newyorkology.com/archives/2006/07/new_york_m鈥?/a>

Three biggie museums in particular are pay-what-you-wish every day, ALL THE TIME! Just hand over some money and tell the cashier how many people. Yes, this really is how it works.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (including The Cloisters)

The American Museum of Natural HIstory

The Brookyn Museum

3. Two free walking tours highlighting two great areas of Manhattan:

Lower East Side Free Weekly Tour

www.lowereastsideny.com

';Take a journey down historic Orchard Street and discover the origins of New York%26#39;s first discount retail district. The two-hour tour highlights the integral role that the shopping district has played in the history and development of the Lower East Side. Sundays at 11 a.m (April - December). Meet in front of Katz%26#39;s Delicatessen at the corner of East Houston and Ludlow Streets. ';

No reservations required.

Free Wall Street Walking Tour

http://www.downtownny.com/walkingtour/

';Don%26#39;t miss this FREE 90-minute guided walking tour, weaving together history, events, architecture and people of Downtown 鈥?the birthplace of New York, the financial capital of the world, and the hottest new neighborhood in the city. Stops include the U.S. Custom House, Trinity Church, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange and other architectural and cultural sites.';

Date: Every Thursday and Saturday, rain or shine

Time: Noon

Place: Meet at the front steps of the US Custom House, One Bowling Green

Cost: Free

Reservations are not required for individuals, but are required for groups. Please call for details (212) 606-4064.

4. Broadway Shows!

As I mentioned, for discounted same-day theatre tickets, check out the TKTS booths. The one in the South Street Seaport opens at 11 AM, earlier than the one in Times Square. Cash only!!!

www.tdf.org

5. The Staten Island Ferry - a public commuter ferry that gives you great views of the skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Takes about 1 hour round-trip. (NOTE: this is NOT the same as the Statue of LIberty/Ellis Island ferry. Thatis operated by Circle Line.)

6. Grand Centeral Terminal and the main branch of the NY Public Library (both on E. 42nd Street.) - Gorgeous architecture to gawk at!

7. Central Park - our emerald jewel.

http://www.centralpark2000.com

8. It is very easy to find cheap food without resorting to chain restaurant, McD%26#39;s. etc. What are her and your food tastes? Be specific and we can give you recos.

9. Yes, here are more websites to comb through, but they truly give great info. Just need to have pateince to dig.

http://www.cheapotravel.com/ny/

nymag.com/urban/guides/nyonthecheap/index.htm

http://www.freenyc.net/

10. Two great paper-and-ink books for NYC cheapskates and bargain hunters:

';Vivs Guide Manhattan: an undercover look at the City%26#39;s cheap eats';

';The Cheap Ba$tard%26#39;s Guide To New York';.

Find them on Powells.com, Amazon.com or BarnesandNobles.com

Flying into LaGuardia, I think is the most convenient. You can take a taxi into the city from there. You don%26#39;t need a car.

Hotel-- I plugged your travel dates into affinia.com and the Beekman tower came up with a one bedroom suite for $559 total for four nights. Seems like it would be a good deal with a very good amount of space for you, as those suites have sofabeds in the living rooms. Other nice prices on affina.com for other hotels.

For shows, Altar Boyz is highly recommended by my teen daughter. You can get discount tickets through broadwaybox.com or theatermania.com. Another good option would be Blue Man Group, as well as Hairspray mentioned above.

Visit Top of The Rock for a nice view and at the same time Rockefeller Plaza. Times Square is a must see though after 15 minutes I wam looking to get away from it, far far away from it.

Shopping the stores in SoHo is a lot of fun also.

Definitely, no car!

Alter Boyz was a lot of fun. So was Hairspray. TKTS booth is cheapest way to go.

For a bit of NY hsitory- try the Tenement Museum (http://www.tenement.org/). There is alwa.ys Katz%26#39;s nearby for a ';lower east side'; lunch.

Depending on the weather, I like the Pioneer at South Street seaport for a fun trip into the harbor (www.southstseaport.org/street/pioneer.shtm)

I know you won%26#39;t want to hear this but take her shopping. Every 16 year old girl wants to go home with some special purchase and say she bought it in New York! For reasonably priced clothes, the Herald Square Macy%26#39;s store is great. The jr. department is huge. For other neat shopping experiences, head to Ricky%26#39;s Cosmetics near Macy%26#39;s on Broadway at around 39th (they sell funky accessories that teens love). Take her to Canal Street in Chinatown. The street vendors have reasonably priced (very reasonably priced) jewelry, purses and accessories. The prices are so good she will even be able to take home a souvenier or two for her friends!

Dining with a teen: Ellen%26#39;s Stardust Diner-51st and Broadway. John%26#39;s Pizza (43 between 7th and 8th), Loeb Boathouse in the middle of Central Park (make sure to stroll through Central Park with her if weather permits. It%26#39;s lovely!)

As Porchparty said, check this forum for other posts related to traveling with teens. There is just so much to do in this city. It is truly heavenly to teens! Moms

http://hotels.travelzoo.com/new-york-hotels/

Travelzoo appears to have some nice discounts for the time you plan to travel

All the advice so far sounds great. Check out theatermania.com and broadwaybox.com for discount tickets before you leave home. You will avoid having to stand in line at TKTS. We have gotten significantly reduced priced tickets to some great shows. I am also happen to be going in tomorrow with my family for an over night. visit. We are staying at the Hampton Inn on 8th and 51st. Fairly reasonable for NYC.

I took my daughter when she was 16 and I think momstravel gave you some great advice! I don%26#39;t think you can go wrong with theater and shopping with a teenaged girl. She also loved Ellen%26#39;s Stardust for pre-theater dining. You sound like a wonderful dad!

Jennifer

We just got back from our NYC visit. The Hampton Inn on 8th Ave. was great. The room was fairly spacious and comfortable and the room price included a breakfast in the morning. The location was very convenient to mass transit, Times Square and theaters. Hope this info helps.