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Let me preface this post by saying that we are not the type of people who do a ton of research or planning with our itineraries, especially with kid’s in tow.

Fortunately I have been to New York too many times to count. I’m so lucky that my work used to take me to the city around twice a month before we had our kids, so when we find ourselves in the city now it doesn’t feel like a rush to do and see all of the main attractions (i.e. The Met, the Statue or Liberty, etc).

Disclaimer: There was also no way I could have taken June with me alone on this work trip because the first few days were slammed. I am so lucky that Grant came along and spent the first two days touring June around.

We stayed at the Carlyle which was in a perfect proximity to Central Park. The area is very walkable and feels extremely safe and cozy with kids. You absolutely must bring a stroller if you’re planning to do any walking. We were so happy that we packed our favorite travel stroller, the Yoyo+ because it folds up so easily for travel.

Day 1

(I had meetings all day s0 the below is what Grant and June did)

Woke up and had breakfast in the room

Central Park Zoo: This was very easy to get in and out with June. Cannot recommend it enough!

Lunch and toy shop at EAT (on Madison): Perfect for kids and good food!

Museum of Natural History: Another win for kids! It was not as big of a win as the zoo but would recommend it if you’re looking to fill the afternoon. She started to feel pretty tired and napped in the stroller.

Walked back across Central Park back to hotel

Rest time in room followed by dinner at Sant Ambrouese which is great (nice) spot with kids.

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Day Two

(Another full day of meetings for me)

Woke up and had breakfast in the room

Museum of Ice Cream: This was hands down June’s favorite thing all trip! She went crazy

Pizza by the slice on Varrick and Thompson. Another big win for June!

Color Factory: This was a BUST. Don’t bother or waste your time. Maybe it’s better for older kids, but not great for a 4 year old. In fact, I was done early with meetings and Grant texted so we pulled a quick change of plan and met up at the Top of the Rock.

Top of the Rock: This was quick, easy, and a win for June. We visited FAO Schwarz in the bottom of the rock before we went upstairs and got her some candy to power through. You can buy tickets ahead of time (fast pass) but we showed up at 4pm and zero problem getting straight in, buying tickets and heading to the top. It was easy breezy. After the top, we grabbed a Starbucks coffee and walked from there to Central Park where we caught a PediCab back to the hotel.

PediCab: This was another huge win for June. It was fun for Grant and I too if I’m being honest (ha!). The guide took us through Central Park and back to our hotel so we popped through traffic easily.

Dinner at Uva which was a perfect 12 minute walk from our hotel. I use the app Infatuation for all restaurant recommendations when I’m in NY and Paris. You can set various filters based off your mood or type of night and I selected “Kid Friendly” for the area around our hotel. It was the perfect place for a chill Italian dinner with kids. We sat outside and June was very, very happy.

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Day Three

Finally! My day off. I’d been looking forward this day to spend with June the entire trip.

We ordered breakfast in the morning and then walked down to Ralph Lauren.

Ralph’s Coffee:  This is a nice quick and easy spot to grab coffee that’s close to the hotel. If your toddler is in a good mood, like mine was, then you can shop a little!

I had a 1pm rely at Bergdorf’s for lunch but we missed that because June was melting down. I think by day 3 she was pretty toast after all of the exploring. She was very eager to go to the Children’s Museum.

Children’s Museum of NY: Honestly, it wasn’t great. She seemed happy but it felt super duper run down and like a place that nanny’s take their children to hang out. It felt really weird. I didn’t really get it. I wouldn’t recommend it.

We walked down the street to grab pizza at a random spot and then jetted back across the park to the hotel. The day was kind of weird for us with no plan and no real excitement but everyone was feeling a little tired so it was okay. For dinner, we scored an early reservation at my favorite place in NYC, The Polo Bar.

Polo Bar: It’s definitely not kid friendly but I wanted to take June here for selfish reasons. I have a sentimental attachment to this special restaurant and I was happy to take her but I wouldn’t suggest it for toddlers unless you have a very well behaved little one.

Here are a fe other suggestions that we didn’t get around to:

• CAMP (need a rezy)
• The Little Island
• Slime Museum
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

All in all, I would argue that NYC is very toddler friendly. In fact, just simply walking outside is a huge playground for a toddler that isn’t used to city life.

Do you have any good recs for the city? Leave a comment below!