New York City is a popular destination for families with children of all ages. New York is home to many of the world’s best museums. Visiting one of New York City’s museums is a great way to spend a cold or rainy day or to add an educational element to your New York City visit.
I recommend trying to get tickets to a Yankee Game for you and your kids (Yankee Stadium will be gone in a few years as they are building a new one). A hotel in Midtown (preferably, at least for me, away from Times Square) is recommended. Times Square is worth seeing but its always very busy and noisy/touristy. I usually recommend trying to get something closer to the center (6th Avenue, 5th Avenue, Madison Ave., Park Ave.
The girls might enjoy a Broadway show – “Wicked” is supposed to be excellent but you would probably have to buy tickets right now as it is always sold out for months. There are lots of other good shows to see. Sights Downtown: Ellis Island/ Statue of Liberty – go early in the morning as you have to get tickets and line up for the ferry. Nearby is – Wall Street, Ground Zero/WTC, Brooklyn Bridge….
Midtown: Top of the Rock @ Rockefeller Center – good views of Empire State Building. Central Park – will be very nice in May. Better shopping for teens: 34th Street/Herald Square; 14th Street/ Union Square; Broadway/Lafayette I also recommend doing a bus tour maybe on the first day (one of those double-deckers) to get an idea of what neighborhoods you are interested in going back to.
You can do guided tours of Harlem, bike tours. Closer to the date try to find out some events happening locally – during the Spring and Summer months there are a lot of street fairs and sometimes movies shown outside in some of the city’s parks. Since there are 4 of you, take a yellow cab from the airport – there is a flat rate and its good value.