New York For Australians
We arrive in New York City from California on our next family travel and have a wonderful place in Brooklyn through Airbnb. It was reasonably priced and included breakfast, so we ended up staying for 10 days. Through our experience, we believe we can offer you some luxury travel experts advise on exploring New York for Australians, and how to have a memorable single parent travel in this area.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Our AirBnB home is actually on a TV series – can you guess which one?
Barclay Center
Day one, we headed out and discovered the Barclay Centre in Brooklyn. We went shopping – yeah – shopping in New York – my dream. I bought some great warm boots and a lovely jacket and sweater/jumper. There are some fabulous shops – but you do need to hunt.
Local Transport
Oh, and we ended up discovering that life here is a bit like Fiji. The African-Americans run illegal vans down the main roads. You hail them and pay $2 a person. So you can travel in style in a taxi, or choose to travel as the locals do.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Take time to stroll around New York
Manhattan
Next day, we rode the subway into Manhattan. My son loved reading the map and the stops and working out where we were to go. This became a daily obsession and I realize he has a skill that is quite unique for a seven-year-old in a foreign land.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Enjoying the subway
Harbour Cruise
We paid (too much) for a Harbour cruise and the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were closed due to Storm Sandy. But it was so cold, I barely coped with hanging out for 90 minutes on the cruise but it was still worth seeing it.
©Exploramum and Explorason – New York City harbor cruise
New Jersey
We got to see New Jersey and learned so much about it and Explorason had fun too. New Jersey is across the water from New York but is a completely different place and they seem to thrive on where they come from as being better than the other on talking to locals on both sides.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Fun in the water
Battery Park
Coming off the cruise, we enjoyed Battery Park. This is where you have to deal with the pressure from all the street sellers.
Twin Towers Memorial
We then headed to see the Twin Tower Memorial but after a 2-hour wait, we left. (Note: you need to purchase tickets from another place). As this all occurred before my son was born, he couldn’t grasp the depth of the situation, so I decided to explain it and move on.
Time Square
We then headed for Time Square and this was just a heap of fun. Colored billboards and neon signs flash and illuminate and it is a lot of fun.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Times Square
ToysRus
ToysRus is massive and 3 floors of fun. We loved the Ferris Wheel inside, and the Jurassic Park moving dinosaur, plus the Lego displays of Statue of Liberty etc.
©Exploramum and Explorason – ToysRus
In Times Square you can see us here on the screen. There are lots of interactive displays here.
©Exploramum and Explorason – interactive billboard
M and M Store
We then headed on to the M and M store. I lost my camera here as it was so crowded and I put it down when selecting my son a Christmas gift. We headed back a while later and a lovely honest person had handed it in which is pretty much a miracle for New York. I was a bit of a mess after that event of losing the camera. The M and M shop is packed with so many treasures. There are about 50 tubes of M and M’s to choose from – what a fun time we had!
©Exploramum and Explorason – an M and M style Statue of Liberty
Christmas Lights
Tired as we were, we pushed on to see the Christmas Lights. Radio City was first and the Christmas Tree is lit up for all to see.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Radio City at Christmas
We loved the Christmas Decorations in the streets. By this stage, we were walking zombies.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Tire Australians
I am surprised his seven-year-old legs were holding out as it had been such a long day in New York for Australians.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Enjoying New York decorations
Rockafeller Center
Now comes my dream! After watching Home Alone 2, I HAD to take my son to the Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas Tree which was just incredible especially in New York for Australians as we don’t have the cold feel of winter at this time of year.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Rockafeller Christmas tree
So as we end our first night trip to New York for Australians like us, and I am pretty thrilled. We have made it to New York.
A big part of my dream for this trip has become a reality.
If you have a dream – hold onto it. Believe in it and don’t give up. The joy you feel is just incredible when it becomes a reality.
Questions and Comments
- Have you ever toured Newyork city?
- How different is it from yur country’s capital?
- Please share with us your experiences at Newyork
Christmas is such a great time to visit New York! I’m from Boston, and while they’re both East Coast cities, the differences are huge. Boston is much more quaint and has old school traditions, while New York is more intense and new-age.
Alex I would love to go back for this Christmas. New York is amazing!
Christmas in New York! I’m jealous!! Been many times but not been able to make it over there for the holiday season. Looks like you had an amazing time.