The weather is warming up, and vacation planning is in full swing. The kids are off of school, you’ve taken time off of work – It’s spring break! Where to go? A quick weekend in the Caribbean? A stay in Europe? Maybe a trip to Latin America to experience the food scene? The options are seemingly endless, but with planning, packing, and actually getting to your desired location, the stress is endless too, especially when you have children. Perhaps it’s time to consider a staycation right here in New York City. After all, you’ll save money, time, and get to explore one of the best cities in the world.
Millions of families visit NYC to experience the city’s excellent cultural and culinary options. For them, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but for you and your family, it’s a chance to see your hometown in a new light. You live like a local all of the time, let yourself live like a tourist.
Here are our top five reasons to staycation in Manhattan with your kids on spring break:
1. Wake Up in Your Bed
When you travel and stay in a hotel, it’s still not home. Even the best of room service won’t make your little ones feel any more comfortable. So why not make it easy on yourself and them and stay in the well-appointed confines of your luxury condo in the city? You’ve worked hard to make your home a sanctuary; it’s time you started enjoying the fruits of your labor. Wake up in your own bed, use your own shower, and relax in your own urban oasis. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper than a hotel.
2. Exploring New Neighborhoods
In New York City, a quick taxi ride can make you feel like you’re in a different city or country. The city brims with cultures and architectural styles from all around the world. Pick a new place you’ve never been and set out to investigate. Your children will love learning about new areas and seeing new things.
3. Eat
Take the money you saved on a hotel and put it toward a big family dinner in one of the city’s thousands of restaurants. Maybe you can indulge in the dining scene of one of those neighborhoods you’re going to explore. One example, the dim sum palaces of Chinatown offer a feast for all of the senses from the lighting to the kinetic energy of the grand dining rooms. Kids will be dazzled as they pick their meal from the quick carts pushing by and nibbling off of the large round tables.
4. The Great Outdoors
You may live in one of the biggest cities in the world, but you’re on staycation, take time to see the natural side of NYC. Along with Central Park, the Big Apple brims with places to experience Mother Nature. You and your kids can rent bikes and cycle up and down the Hudson River or have a picnic uptown in the verdant Fort Tryon Park. The world-famous Highline is a wonderland for city kids and a good introduction to urban preservation.
5. Art
Galleries, museums, and public installations abound and are just waiting for you to have time off of work and your kids to have time off of school. Spend a day meandering the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art or an afternoon strolling in Chelsea popping in and out of galleries all while exposing your kids to some of the foremost art and artists on the planet.
No matter what you do or why you do it, you’ll be glad you staycationed as you drift off to sleep in your happiest place on earth: your home in your city.
