Taking the Kids: A NYC winter outing deal

Let’s take a big bite out of the Big Apple. It won’t bust your budget either, especially if you can visit by Feb. 4. (If not, think about a visit early in 2025)

That’s because NYC Winter Outing 2024, presented by Mastercard, offers savings on experiences across all five boroughs, including prix-fixe NYC Restaurant Week menus at more than 600 restaurants; 2-for-1 tickets to 23 NYC Broadway Week shows; and 2-for-1 tickets to more than 60 museums, attractions, tours and performing arts for NYC Must-See Week. NYC Hotel Week, which is a part of NYC Winter Outing, is already underway offering 24 percent off standard retail rates at more than 160 hotels through Feb. 4.

The fourth edition of my Kid’s Guide to New York City can help you plan and navigate, letting the kids lead the way.

Take your theater- obsessed kid to see “ Hadestown,” winner of eight Tony Awards, including best musical, “Hamilton” or “Six”; Take the youngest theatergoers in the family to see “ The Lion King” or “Wicked”. (If these dates don’t suit, you can always find same-day, deeply discounted seats from the Theater Development Fund TKTS booths at Times Square and Lincoln Center.

Participating hotels include everywhere from the Hilton Garden Inn in Tribeca to The Westin New York at Times Square, Aloft Long Island City, the Conrad New York Midtown, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Holiday Inns, The Plaza and boutique hotels, including the Arlo Williamsburg in Brooklyn, The Muse in Times Square, the Walker Hotel in Greenwich Village and the Opera House in the South Bronx. Take the opportunity to stay somewhere different!

(If the Hotel Week dates don’t fit, typically weekends are cheaper when business travelers are gone. Also check the hotel’s website for the latest offers. It doesn’t hurt to call the hotel either, especially in winter when there are fewer tourists, to see if there is a better deal they can offer.)

Indulge the foodies in the family with prix-fixe dining during NYC Restaurant Week whether you want French or Italian, sushi or soul food, Mexican or burgers. There are hundreds of choices to choose from. Go for two-course lunches and three-course dinners at $30, $45, and $60 at participating restaurants citywide. Just remember to make reservations. Saturdays are excluded and check whether Sundays are as well. For example, enjoy lunch at Harlem’s revered Red Rooster Harlem where chef Marcus Samuelsson focuses on elevated American comfort food (fried chicken and waffles, perhaps?) Chow down at the popular 5 Napkin Burger for lunch or dinner for $30, including onion soup or chopped salad, a burger (beef, chicken or veggie) and a sundae or cheesecake for dessert.

(There are plenty of other ways to save on good eats in NYC; opt for lodging that either serves a complimentary breakfast or offers a kitchen so you can eat in some of the time. (There is great takeout!) Sample NYC’s food trucks, a slice of NYC pizza folded in half the way New Yorkers eat pizza, a hot, salted pretzel or hot dog from a street vendor; Venture to Flushing, Queens, for Asian food; Jackson Heights, Queens, for Indian d ishes and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx for Italian. Opt for lunch or Happy Hour at the upscale restaurants you most want to visit. Try an artisanal market where everyone can get something different, like The Hugh in Midtown on the East Side.)

Save significantly on a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise, a visit to the impressive One World Observatory where you ride a SkyPod elevator up 102 stories to the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. There are discounts on must-see museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of the City of New York and Spyscape: Interactive Spy Museum, as well as performances, including Jazz at Lincoln Center and the NY Philharmonic.

[deskmidart]

(You can also save 40 percent and avoid lines at the Empire State Building, American Museum of Natural History and three other top attractions with CityPASS or choose two to 10 top New York experiences with Go City, saving up to 45 percent at more than 95 experiences. The New York Pass gets you free admission to more than 100 attractions – best for those determined to do it all in one visit.

Don’t forget all of the free options, including of course Central Park, which stretches for 50 city blocks between the Upper East and West sides and includes 21 playgrounds. Kids love the Ancient Playground near the Metropolitan Museum with its pyramid-style climbing structures. Take a walk on the High Line, the park built on top of old elevated freight train tracks. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and check out the popular Brooklyn Bridge Park, a mecca for families.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum, for example, is free Mondays from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Other museums also have specific free times. Budding fashionistas will love the Fashion Institute of Technology Museum that is free and features rotating exhibits by students and a gallery of fashion dating back to the 18th century. Big Apple Greeter offers free tours given by volunteers on specific topics and your interest. (Perhaps a tour of Harlem or a food tour in Queens?) You must book far in advance!

Ready to take that bite of the Big Apple? Have a hot pretzel for me.

========

(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)