Traveling to Philly and New York City

MamaBee

MamaBee

Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe
Next week we are flying to Philly and then driving or taking the train to New York City... We have never been to either city. So... What is must see/do in each city? We only have two days in each city. Also taking the train... Amtrak vs Septa via New Jersey to NYC? What are some watchouts... Places to stay away from?
 
We have one child, nine... Then hubby and I... And my folks. I think we want more sites to see.

Also, my mom is asking about going into Lanchester County... Any recommendations in true Amish food and store. We would do that in the day we travel which be Thursday.
 
My brother lives in Philly - I can ask him about what to do there :) And he has taken the train to NYC a few times - I'll ask him which train line he prefers :) I'm sure you guys will have a blast!
 
I suggest the hop on hop off bus tours in nyc.... when I went my friend and I were on a budget, so we grabbed a two day ticket for the tour buses. Not only was it a different experience every time (because each tour guide had different info to share) but it was waaaaay cheaper to get from one end of the city to the other than always taking a cab! AND you get to see pretty much all the major sights. Going to the top of the empire state building was my favorite (and this is coming from someone who is deathly afraid of elevators!!). Since my friend and I opted to do the Empire State Building we didn't go over to do the Statue of Liberty Tour, BUT We got great views from Battery Park and we also got some great views of her and the city by taking the Staten Island Ferry. Stopping at "Ground Zero" to take and have a moment there was also a must. Oh and Times Square at night for sure! Ok I think I'm done..... we spent a week in the city and I still never got to see it all, but we must have walked the length of Manhattan 20 times.... my feet were tired when we got home! LOL Oh, and I am a "scaredy" cat of everything and I actually felt very safe in the city.

I've never been to Philly, but I did take a side trip to PA on my NYC trip.... I took the bus, long but not terrible trip. Definitely take the train to be faster.
 
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We just took Katie to NYC in Dec. The Statue of Liberty was awesome! You have to get their early to get tickets unless you order ahead. Top of Rock at night was pretty darn cool. Empire State building was neat too! Have a great time!
 
My favorite thing in Philly is boathouse row on the river - houses are lit up at night. Not sure how you'd see it if you were not driving...a cab maybe? The Franklin Institute is pretty cool, too. My Dad would say get Philly pretzels.
 
Years and years ago, we had a scrapping convention in PA and drove to Philly for the day (I think! LOL!). We went on one of those duck tours (with the amphibious boats) that was fun; our tour guide was a hoot (or should I say quack?!).

NYC is on my bucket list. I'd love to go at Christmastime.
 
LeeAndra said:
Years and years ago, we had a scrapping convention in PA and drove to Philly for the day (I think! LOL!). We went on one of those duck tours (with the amphibious boats) that was fun; our tour guide was a hoot (or should I say quack?!).

NYC is on my bucket list. I'd love to go at Christmastime.
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I REMEMBER the pictures of that! with those duck beak things.. That had to have been like 10 years ago right?
 
I went to school in Philly and went to NYC a couple of times while in school.

With a nine year old you homeschool I would definitely take advantage of the historical sites in Philly (Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, etc.). Franklin Institute is also good and you would have tons of opportunity for learning.

To travel to NYC from Philly I would definitely recommend the Amtrak if you can afford it. Nice, easy ride to NYC and back.

I would definitely make sure to take in the Statue of Liberty. If you have time to travel to the island that would be good, but even seeing it from the shore moves me every time. Museums are obviously very good. Be sure to take some time to walk around Times Square. I'm sure your son will feel like he has really been to NYC if he gets to see Times Square.

There are so many places to see in both cities, but especially NYC. On a family trip when I was much younger, we even went to Sardi's (restaurant that was featured in the Muppets Take Manhattan to see the picture of Kermit). You might want to ask your son what he thinks of NYC and what he might want to see when he is there.

Have fun! Sounds like a great trip.
 
LeeAndra said:
NYC is on my bucket list. I'd love to go at Christmastime.
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NYC at Christmastime is wonderful! Don't know if you watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade but I went one year and it was as magical as I had hoped it would be. Very crowded and we were far back but I could see the balloons and some of the larger floats. Also, the animated windows at the various stores on 5th avenue are not to be missed.
 
I've never been to either place, but how fun! I can't wait to see pictures. I love when people share vacation pictures on Facebook.
 
We used to go to NYC every year at Christmas since we lived in the NYC suburbs. It is nice but all I remember is being COLD walking around! You won't have that problem!

You can "drive by" the Statue of Liberty for free on the Staten Island Ferry, which is pretty close to Ground Zero, so that is probably a good combo trip. If you like to shop, walking around Soho and shopping there is a little cooler and less overwhelming. 5th Ave is, of course, a shopping mecca too. See a fun play and visit Times Square which is near a lot of the big theaters (we saw Wicked last time we were there and loved it). The Empire State Building view is pretty amazing and worth doing too.
 
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