~10:30 AM
Travel to the hotel
Taxi/rideshare ~30 min. (Transit alt: M60-SBS bus, but with bags the cab wins.)
🚇 Getting there
Uses your phone's location · nothing is stored or sent anywhere
📍 Near Me
One tap shows your closest stations, distance to the hotel, and transit from right where you're standing.
🏨 HotelTransit from here →
🏙 SummitTransit from here →
🌿 High LineTransit from here →
🏝 Little IslandTransit from here →
🗽 Statue ferryTransit from here →
🌉 Brooklyn Br.Transit from here →
🍔 EmilyTransit from here →
✈️ LGATransit from here →
💳 Fares: just tap any contactless card or phone at the turnstile (OMNY) — no MetroCard needed. Up to 3 kids under 44" tall ride free with each adult.
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Weather & Subway Right Now
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🚇 Our subway lines
checking status…Sightseeing · optional Monday morning
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
🚌 Big Bus Stop #1 is 2 blocks from our hotel
M&M's World · 7th Ave & W 48th St — walk out the door, turn up 7th.
Big Bus Tours
Two loops — Downtown (Times Sq, Empire State, Brooklyn Bridge, Wall St) & Uptown (Central Park, the Met). Downtown runs ~9:30–4:30, Uptown ~10–4. Their app tracks buses in real time.
Tickets & live tracker →
TopView Tours
The other big operator — 23 stops, frequent departures, 24/48-hr passes, kid-friendly audio guide, real-time bus tracking in their app.
Tickets & routes →💡 Family tip: the upper deck is the fun part — grab it early. Buses are less busy in the afternoon. Both apps show the next bus arriving at your stop, like a ride-share.
Day 01 · Sunday July 26
Arrival & Times Square
Land, drop bags, and dive into the heart of Midtown.
0% done
✈️
7:00 AM · ORD → LGA arrives 10:17 AM EST · driver pickup 5:15 AM (schedule!)
11:30 – 12:00
Drop off bags
12:00 – 2:00 PM
Lunch & explore Times Square
Check for cheap same-day Aladdin tickets — theater is a 5-min walk.
- Bryant Park Grill (fancier) — bryantparkgrillnyc.com
- Joe's Pizza, 1435 Broadway — John's rec, ~7-min walk
- FAO Schwarz & the fun stores with the kids
3:00 PM
Aladdin · New Amsterdam Theatre
214 W 42nd St · 2 hr 30 min · 5–7 min walk, no subway needed.
Plan B · if we skip the show
Central Park + playgrounds
- Heckscher Playground · Ancient Playground (near the Met)
- Bethesda Fountain · the Ramble · the Mall · Belvedere Castle
🚇 Getting there
Hop the NQRW from 49 St (1 block away) to 5 Av/59 St — or walk ~15 min.
Day 02 · Monday July 27
Skyline, High Line & Brooklyn
Up high, along the river, and over the bridge.
0% done
7:00 – 9:00 AM
NYC bagels & get ready
9:30 AM
Morning pick: Summit, Statue — or the bus
- Summit One Vanderbilt — most kid-friendly skyscraper. Buy ahead, ~$210 for four.
- Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island — ~$50/pp, 4-hr (crown = 160+ stairs, kids on their own)
- Or start the hop-on hop-off bus from Stop #1, two blocks away
🚇 Getting there
Summit: S shuttle or 7 from Times Sq, one stop to Grand Central (~10 min). Statue ferry: 1 down to South Ferry (~20 min).
12:00 – 4:00 PM
Chelsea, the High Line & Little Island
- Dylan's Candy Bar (Hudson Yards) · walk the High Line
- Lunch: the Frying Pan · alt: Biergarten (pretzels + ping pong)
- Little Island (10–15 min from the Frying Pan)
🚇 Getting there
ACE from 42 St–Port Authority (4-min walk) to 23 St or 14 St. Walk the High Line south → exit Gansevoort → Little Island.
4:00 – 7:00 PM
Brooklyn Bridge → Emily Burger
- Walk the bridge, Seaport, Wall Street · the Battery playground
- 6:30 PM reservation: Emily, Brooklyn
Day 03 · Tuesday July 28
Last morning & flight home
One more walk, then wheels up.
0% done
7:00 – 9:00 AM
Sleep in, get ready
Skipped the Statue? Book early and squeeze it in.
9:00 – 1:00 PM
Central Park or somewhere new
✈️
Return: LGA → ORD 5:00 PM departure · lands 7:10 PM
For the crew · saves on this device
Family Tools
🔍 NYC Scavenger Hunt 0/10
🏆 HUNT COMPLETE! Winner picks dessert.