WHAT? WHERE?

New York, baby. In a moment of madness, I agreed to take my soon-to-be 13-year-old son to New York in lieu of a large party, pricey presents and with the promise that he’d contribute any gift money bestowed on him. I’d been to the city many times before (I wrote the Brit Guide to New York guidebook way back in the early 00s), but it was to be his first visit. No pressure.

Four months, a lot of planning and dozens of TikTok NYC content shares later, we were on a bargain (£368 return, people!) Icelandair flight to the Big Apple via Reykjavik for a five-night break. It was a short flight (under three hours) to reach the Icelandic capital, where we had a brief break (just enough time to scoff some incredible sushi and go to the loo), before catching our six-hour flight to NYC. The only change I’d make next time is to add on a couple of nights in Iceland, as the sight of smoking volcanoes and vast wilderness as we took off was incredible. 

In terms of timings, April/May/June is an ideal time to visit Manhattan: temperatures are in the teens, blossom makes the city look pretty and it’s not yet crowded with summer tourists.

WHAT TO SEE & DO

First off, buy a CityPass (£122) in advance as it will save you up to 40% (around £83) on visiting five iconic experiences, including the Empire State Building, American Museum of Natural History and the Statue of Liberty. I was very glad I’d bought one when there was poor visibility on the day we’d booked to go up the Empire State and I was able to change our booking via the app (with less than 30 mins to go) and rebook for the following day which promised blue skies. Genius.

Midtown 

If you’ve never been to Manhattan, it’s obligatory to go to the top of the Empire State Building, which is how we found ourselves standing on 34th Street gazing up at the world’s most famous Art Deco skyscraper in awe on Day One.

It’s 102 floors to the observation deck, with stops on the second and 80th floors to check out the new exhibits, full of interactive displays and history of the site and construction explained. Fun fact, it took longer to build the replica model of the Empire State Building on floor two than it did to build the real thing – which took just one year (almost as long as our house extension).

The lift to the 102 floor is lightening quick and the views from the top will impress the moodiest teen. It made us realise how huge and impressive Central Park is, yet how small Manhattan island is – as Sonny noted, they had to build up because they couldn’t build out. Tip: if you want a brilliant view of the Empire State Building, go to the top of the Rockefeller Building.

When you exit the Empire State Building on 34th Street, you’ll find a terrific trainer boutique called Legacy, packed to the rafters with Nike goodies (Air Jordans, Air Max), a rainbow of cool clothes and staff straight out of a street style photoshoot. If your teen’s into kicks, stop here as the prices are competitive ($100 for a pair of Air Jordan high tops, see above), and even if they’re not, it’s worth popping in to giggle over the $700 gold pumps. 

Midtown’s home to Broadway, so it makes sense to catch a show while you’re in town. Tickets are pricey, but you can get your mitts on hugely discounted tickets at TDF’s TKTS Booth under the red steps in Duffy Square (47th Street and Broadway) – just be prepared to queue on the day of the show.

We managed to get our hands on tickets for Back to the Future Musical at the Winter Garden Theatre which was a great choice for a 13-year-old: loud music, jokes, a flying car and an appreciative audience. It’s currently on in London’s West End too, but we heard some Brits on the way out saying that the Broadway version was ‘waaaay better’. 

Lower East Side

Vibrant, cool and a little bit edgy, LES is a teen dream. It’s also home to the wonderful Tenement Museum, which takes tourists on a trip back in time via restored brownstone buildings and the real-life stories of families who lived in them. Our excellent guide Laureen brought to life the Schnieder family, who arrived in NY in the 1930s from Germany and ran a bar (it seems half of New York ran a bar back then, legal or otherwise…). I found it fascinating and insightful, Sonny’s take on it? “That was way more interesting than I thought it would be.”

Pop in to the CitizenM Bowery Hotel for a quick drink/snack in the cathedral-like lobby, a seriously impressive space, with a three-storey high wall lined with contemporary art, benches for digital nomads and sofas – there’s also a graffiti museum and incredible rooftop bar, though be warned, teens aren’t allowed in even with a parent (the USA’s strict no alcohol under 21 proving problematic to liberal Europeans). 

LES merges into Chinatown and we both enjoyed wandering the streets popping into Chinese supermarkets and browsing the amazing produce – chilli crunch is the next big thing, apparently, so we snapped up two jars (plus some lovely bowls and spoons) at Pearl River Mart in neighbouring SoHo and have been spicing up dishes back home ever since. Top tip: if you want a cheap bite on the go, head to TikTok heavyweight Wah Fung, where pork and rice is just $5.99, though the queue for it was a block long.

Meatpacking District 

Along with neighbouring Greenwich Village, this is one of my favourite areas in NYC, thankfully Sonny enjoyed it too. Temperatures hit 77°F during our visit, but unlike some other parts of the city, Meatpacking’s a pleasant place to be in warm weather, with its open-air café culture, parks and the welcome shade of the Whitney Museum of American Art.

We soaked up sunshine on the High Line, NYC’s disused train track converted into a mile-long park, with blossom trees, plants and sculptures, which starts in Meatpacking and ends at The Edge. Though we decided not to venture up the vertiginous tower and step out on to its glass-floored ledge, a native New Yorker informed us it has ‘the best views in the city’.

Meatpacking’s also home to a golden beach overlooking the Hudson River, complete with blue umbrellas. Who knew west Manhattan had sand to relax on? Not us, though Canada Geese seemed in on the secret.

Next door’s Little Island, a futuristic-looking park and wonderful addition to the city. Colourful flowers and vast views from the top are worth the walk and the sound of birdsong, rather than sirens, was music to the ears. 

Shopping here’s excellent too, with a massive Sephora, brand new sustainable Gucci store and plenty of independents.

EAT & DRINK

The Lower East Side’s food scene is HOT. My teen’s very into food (he spends a lot of time on TikTok studying recipes and can makes a mean churro/curry/ramen), so a not inconsiderable amount of our trip was spent talking about food and eating it.

If you have a vegetarian/vegan teen, they’ll love The Butcher’s Daughter, a hip joint with white painted walls, hanging plants and wood tables, which is a great stop for brunch (açai bowls, goddess juice full of healthy greens). It’s pop star Alicia Key’s favourite, look out for the yellow and white sun shades. 

We discovered Nam Son in China Town by happy accident, and it was so good we returned. Vietnamese, it does everything right from the bowls of steaming pho to the price ($15.99). The overriding vibe is authentic – packed full of locals on a Saturday lunchtime, it feels like your ideal neighbourhood restaurant. Oh and it’s cheaper if you pay with cash *wink*. 

More bargain eats to be had uptown at Skirt Steak at Kimpton Hotel Eventi, a rustic, timber-clad walls restaurant on Sixth Avenue around 8 mins from the Empire State Building, so a good place to head post-sightseeing with a hangry teenager. It’s a simple concept, you’re initially served a green salad soaked in some kind of delicious dressing, then choose your steak: rare, medium or well done (there’s  no medium rare and beware, medium is still very pink!) which is served with all-you-can-eat bowls of salty fries. Apparently there’s a dessert trolley, but it wasn’t in action when we visited, so the waiter kindly showed us the options on an iPad and, when we protested we were too full, he offered to pack two pieces of coconut cake into a takeaway box which we couldn’t possibly refuse. All that for $45.

A 10 min stroll from LES and you arrive in SoHo, home of top quality restaurants. 

Teens will love the cool of NoMo Kitchen. It’s theatrics from the moment you arrive, with a tunnel of lights, plants and graffiti wall, and the dining space is pretty epic too – a giant conservatory with chandeliers, long bar and graffiti hearts sprayed on the wall. It’s the kind of place you want to photograph for TikTok (teens) or Instagram (parents). What about the food? It lives up to the surroundings, think ceviche starter followed by Atlantic char with potato and asparagus (there’s handmade pizza too). Perfectly cooked and beautifully presented, we ended up lingering here longer than intended. 

Got a culinary curious teen too? They’ll appreciate somewhere extra special, like French restaurant Majorelle at The Lowell on the Upper East Side. Definitely one of the classiest restaurants in the city, from the moment you walk into the bar (full of glossy locals). It’s like you’ve stepped into an episode of Sex and the City (or Succession).

Waiters, wearing white coats, usher you to the dining room – the hot spot’s the indoor terrace with fire place, white tablecloths and plants. We visited in spring and there was fragrant blossom everywhere, which made the whole room smell divine. Duck breast was perfectly cooked, the people-watching sublime and the setting really special. I was worried it might be too stuffy, but in fact the staff turned out to be utterly charming and couldn’t do enough to make Sonny feel relaxed, including giving him a surprise doggy bag of fries for the theatre later on. What a place.

For something truly exceptional, head to the Meatpacking District, specifically Saishin, the Gansevoort Hotel’s rooftop Omakase restaurant. While we perched on stools admiring the city views, our chef Joseph prepared 19 exquisite courses of sushi and sashimi so fresh, they were practically still swimming. Our favourites? Hard to choose, but the Japanese sea bream and wagyu were hard to beat. But it wasn’t only the delicious dishes that amazed, it was also the fresh wasabi and pickled ginger, grated and cut before our eyes – it made me realise the eye-watering stuff served back home probably isn’t the real deal.

The fact you’re dining on such great food on an NY terrace with views of the Empire State and One World Trade Center, makes the entire experience a pinch yourself moment.

A favourite place in the Meatpacking District is Pastis. A stalwart of the Sex & The City era, it closed but has recently reopened and is every bit as lovely as the first time round, with outside tables, French-inspired cuisine and more great people watching. I had a $28 shrimp salad with six giant prawns, avocado and salad leaves drenched in a delicious dressing (Americans always seem to do so much better than Brits). 

WHERE TO STAY

Love a bargain? Then book Moxy NYC Lower East Side. Its location’s hard to beat, round the corner from a Subway stop, The Butcher’s Daughter (see Eat & Drink above), China Town and a 10 min stroll to SoHo. The whole set up is a scene, but not so edgy that you feel like you’re in danger if you step out of your hotel.

We found Moxy a welcome place to return to after a day’s sightseeing, with a lively bar, lounge and quirky decor – think dancers hanging from chandeliers, a hula-hooping bear and sweet dispensers. Sonny turned the sweet machine’s handle every time we passed just in case and was successful in getting sugary bananas about 50% of the time without a dime.

Rooms are really great, a retro rotary phone, art deco-style shower and super comfy beds. We had a city view family room, with two double beds, so there was lots of room to spread out. WiFi’s as fast as any teen could desire. Breakfast isn’t a fancy affair, just a tiny café downstairs selling pastries, teas, coffees, fruit, avo toast, but it’s perfect for grabbing something on the go. The glitzy rooftop bar was off limits to us (you have to be age 21+) but looked stunning and there’s a ground floor Japanese restaurant, which appeared to be a date with your mates kinda place judging by the fashionable night time crowd. 

If you want to divide your break between east and west, you will like, make that love, the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC. Following a revamp during Covid, it has remerged triumphant with a stylish cocktail bar and café, impressive reception space overlooked by a giant Banksy (one of only six in the world apparently) and rooms that feel like coming home (if your home is full of designer furniture and all mod cons).

We stayed in room 1011, a gorgeous space decorated in classy hues of blue, white and wood. I loved the soft linen, eco-friendly water cartons, soft blue robes, Grown Alchemist toiletries and beautiful window seat where I sat morning and night and gazed at the street below. Sonny, however, raved about WiFi (faster than Sonic) and electric blinds. I admit there was something very theatrical about them rising at the touch of a button to reveal the city and River Hudson below.

But the real highlight here was the rooftop pool. Fifteen floors up and accessed through the gorgeous bar (unfortunately no under 21s, but who cares when there’s a pool?), It’s the perfect size and temperature. A mix of guests lolled on loungers around the edge, including parents and teens like us, couples and digi nomads tapping away on laptops. Clearly this is a hotel for all, providing you have the budget. It was utter heaven and such a bonus to have on a city break holiday? 

It feels cool to be a Gansevoort guest, yet it’s not an intimidating hotel, in fact everyone’s warm and friendly. We loved the helpful door staff and friendly breakfast crew, talking of which, the yogurt parfait with homemade granola and fresh berries was so good I didn’t try anything else. 

THE MUDDY VERDICT

New York’s as loud, chaotic, exciting, expensive, fun and uplifting as I remember. It was a brilliant experience to take my son there and see him fall in love with the things I did when I was younger, but also to get a whole new take on the city. Catching the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty up close or going up the Empire State wouldn’t be top of my list because I’ve been there, done that, but it was actually great to revisit these iconic places and it’s left me longing to return. 

Highs of travelling with a teen

• They instantly know how to log onto all WiFi, operate complicated hotel lighting systems/blinds/apps.
• They can walk great distances provided there’s interesting stuff to see along the way and plentiful snacks/promise of food at the end.
• They know more about trainers/obscure street food than you.
• They will love the NYC food scene, iconic sites and friendly Americans.
• They will be VERY grateful that you took them.

Lows of travelling with a teen

• They think the Statue of Liberty is cool, but don’t find Ellis Island as fascinating as you, ‘overrated’.
• They don’t think graffiti is as amazing as middle-aged men tend to think it is and don’t necessarily want to go on a tour of it.
• They will hit a daily grumpy point about 6pm (midnight at home) – avoid long queues, walking from upper to lower Manhattan at this time.
• They will laugh at you, then get annoyed, when you get lost after claiming to know the city well.
• They don’t always agree to be in your pictures.

GO THERE!

• Return air fare to JFK New York from London Gatwick, via Reykjavik is £368pp with Icelandair, which has also just started operating new North American routes to Pittsburgh and Halifax. Don’t forget it’s possible to add on a stopover in Iceland for no additional cost.
• Rooms at Moxy NYC Lower East Side from £259pn. Rooms at Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC from £267pn.

For more ideas on what to see and do in the city, NYC Tourism.