Trip Motivation
Hold on To Your Kiddos!
Prior to and during the trip, we reminded kids that they need to stay close. Even Carter who is 7 was instructed to hold on tight in crowds on sidewalks. We reminded the kids consistently to never leave a store or even a section of a store without their grown-up. Also, holding on tight to kids helps them be conscious of consistently moving out of the way of fast-moving walkers. Never ever stop in the middle of the walkway. In big cities, something that gives us additional security is knowing that Carter has our phone number memorized and Ellie has it written in Sharpie on her arm. We’ve also considered Apple AirTag trackers before as a back-up option.
Do your kids know what to do if they’re lost? We taught them to stop moving, gather their courage, find a worker or parent and tell them loudly, “I’m lost!” If your kids are older, have a plan specific to subways for what to do if someone gets left behind or gets on a train without a grown-up. (I.e. if left behind, stay put and someone will come back, if on a train by yourself, get off at the next stop and wait) As much as possible, Ellie’s hands and often Carter’s are super-glued to an adult from the time the train pulls in to doors close.
Guide to Walking in Manhattan
The street system in Manhattan is a rectangular street grid. Streets increase in numbers from small to large go east and west and avenues go south to north. It could be helpful to bring along a map for walking, although we primarily relied on Google.
When counting how many blocks to walk to your destinations or subway stops, you can estimate 1-2 minutes to do a block north to south and 5-6 minutes to do east to west. So walking from Times Square near 42nd to Central Park at 59th may take you around 30 minutes. M&Ms are good bribes! One per intersection! If you rely on Google Maps to give directions, add a walking with kids penalty of 20%. This can be important when trying to catch the subway because Google will think you can walk to a station, and get to the train in less time than it will actually take you.
Manhattan can be divided into three areas: Uptown (North of Central Park), Midtown (between 59th St. and 14th St.), and Downtown (anything south of 14th St.). There are also the outer boroughs outside Manhattan. Although you can walk the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn, most will be best reached by other means of transportation
Finding Your Train
We rely on google maps for transportation. It gives you options for walking, multiple lines with transfers or combinations of buses and trains. It will tell you where to go and what train to get on. If you’re relying on the subway maps and not an app, you’ll look for your destination, plot your path pay attention to the number and the name of the last stop that each train will make. Note that not all trains stop at every stop. Some routes are similar and grouped by color but generally you will reference the number/letter of the train route. We usually use an app.
Follow signs down to the trains and make sure you’re waiting for the correct one going in the correct direction. Sometimes you’ll need to enter at specific street level entrances for specific train directions. Pay attention before you pay. Be patient with the trains and yourself and hold onto your little one’s hands tight. Our kids were very excited to see Subway Rats. Lol. Many stations are not accessible and if you have little ones, it’s a good idea to use a carrier. If you do use a stroller, many have elevators but be prepared to fold it and carry up stairs.
Paying for the Subway
On our recent trip in April 2022, we were excited to discover that the stations had contactless payments at the turnstiles. Ben and I used our phones’ Apple pay and Samsung pay, and let Carter use a credit card to tap to pay. We were told a few times that Carter didn’t need to pay by passers-by but the official rules state that children under 44 inches are free.
The cost is $2.75 for a ride no matter how far you’re going. You can transfer between lines or even buses if you use the same payment card. (It will charge you as pending and remove it at the end of day) There is also a feature where if you use the same card and make 12 purchases starting on Monday, the rest of the purchases for the remainder of the week are free. Something to consider when deciding whether to walk or pay later is to just treat it as unlimited for the rest of the week after paying for 12. ($33)
Note that the Staten Island Ferry is free and other boats around have other fees. In addition, trains to Jersey and outside the main NY area that are not MTA trains will have different costs.
Going to the Airport
You’ll need to balance traveling with luggage + kids, the time, and cost. The 3 airports are not very close to the Manhattan area and will take 30 minutes to more than an hour. Arriving at LaGuardia, we reviewed Google Maps and found the recommended public transportation path was a 15 minute bus to Queens and a 20 minute train+5 minute walk to our Manhattan hotel. A Lyft ride at the same time would have taken 20 minutes instead of 40 but cost us $60 versus $9. We made sure to pack light to prepare for buses and subways (2 carry-on size suitcases, backpacks and inflatable car seats).
When leaving NY, we chose to take a Lyft instead of doing the public transportation path described above.
Bonus: Renting a Car to go to New Jersey
On one of the days of our trip, we had plans with friends in NJ near the Princeton area. It didn’t make sense for us to have a car for the whole trip due to parking fees and ample public transportation options. However, it also didn’t make sense for us to train to NJ as the cost was high and the time was doubled. We reviewed Google Maps and transportation websites and decided to take a train to a subway station in Jersey City and then rent a car. The process was very smooth. The train from Manhattan to the Jersey City station was quick and we walked a block to a mall where the parking lot held cars for rent. This was a much cheaper option than renting a car in the city and a trade-off balance of time to cost. For more on renting cars and which card to use, see this post here.
Inflatable carseats FTW
This was the perfect trip to use our new inflatable car-seats. Because we knew we would be going back and forth between public transport and cars, inflatable booster seats made sense for this trip. We were able to deflate them and pack them for our flights and navigating public transport. They are very lightweight and portable and a great option for trips where you don’t want to have to lug around car-seats.
Q: Are they safe?
A: Inflatable booster seats are crash tested and meet US regulations
Q: What age can children use them?
A: Our seat said you must be 4 years old and 40 pounds
Q: Are they easy to blow up?
A: Yup. Even Carter can blow up his own although an adult should do an extra breath.
Final Thoughts
We took all the modes of transport on this trip! We relied heavily on google maps for routing and often made the trade off of time + cost + convenience to weigh our options. If taking subways, hold onto little one’s hands tight and don’t count on elevators or easy maneuvering. Read more about our hotel stays here, details on how we flew for cheap here, and our must-dos recommendations for our visit here.
