New York is the greatest place for kids. When my daughters were a little younger I would buckle them into the double stroller, pack up a couple of sippy cups, hard boiled eggs and rice crackers for lunch and go see the sights. We would do the playground hop, stopping at every playground on our way across town. My destination was either City Bakery (for a chocolate cookie) or the Cupcake Cafe across the street in Books of Wonder (for a cupcake). It was a dilemma, cookie or cupcake - which one to consume? I never had to worry about it being fattening because pushing the double stroller was such a work out. I always tried to time my expedition to coincide with the farmers market in Union Square so that I could purchase my groceries and tie them onto the stroller. The only thing I had to be careful of were the moments when my daughters would charge towards the swings, leaving my ... [more]
New York with Kids, Victoria Kann
Fancy on the Cheap
If you are itching to try some of the city's fine dining, but are decidedly non-itching to pay fine dining prices, stop by for lunch instead of dinner. Many restaurants crammed for dinner will serve the same food to a nearly empty room at lunchtime. Prices are often more reasonable; for instance, Jean Georges, the well-starred restaurant right off Columbus Circle (at 1 Central Park West), has a lunch menu that features any two entrees for only $24. Afterwards, take a walk through the park and splurge on a ridiculously overpriced $4 ice cream from a cart.