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place I recognise from the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie ‘You’ve Got Mail’, but which my daughter knows as serving the best frozen yoghurt around.
Next stop is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of our favourite places to drop by on the Upper East Side, and we always pay a visit when we are near. Entry is ‘pay what you like’, and we wander through the grand halls following our Family Guide – hunting for hidden details and learning some quirky facts about the artwork. Alternatively, you can pick up The Audio Guide for Kids, which features 13 tours that are ideal for kids aged six to 12 years old. Afterwards we catch the lift to the rooftop terrace, which features a new installation every summer, sells an array of snacks and drinks and also enjoys an incredible view.
While you are walking the surrounding streets à la Holly Golightly, be sure to head in the direction of Dylan’s Candy Bar. While it may be the furthest thing from Tiffany’s, its three floors of candy simply sparkle with sweetness. On entering, it is as if we’ve walked into a modern- day version of Willy Wonka’s factory: oversized lollipop trees, candy cane columns, dripping chocolate shelves and kaleidoscopic candy wallpaper.
On the opposite side of Central Park, the American Museum of Natural History is another firm family favourite. We just can’t get enough of the dinosaurs – especially the new Titanosaur, one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered. At 37 metres long its body sits in one gallery, its head in another. We marvel at the idea of a creature of that size roaming the Earth and can’t help but wonder what it would think of its new home in the Big Apple. We decide it would love New York’s colour and chaos, just like we do.
A not-so-secret sanctuary
It’s just a few blocks from here to the backyard of the thousands of children who call NY home: Central Park. My daughter could easily spend hours at Heckscher Playground, the largest and oldest playground in the park, but she’s easily persuaded that Alice in Wonderland and friends would like her to visit. Stopping to watch buskers along the way, we stroll through the Bethesda Terrace and past Bethesda Fountain, with its glorious angel perched on top, to find Alice, just north of the Conservatory Water. We pretend Alice has come to life and my daughter sits on her lap holding an imaginary conversation with her favourite character. The onlooking tourists realise she’s not leaving anytime soon and simply pose around her for their photos. Afterwards we amble over to Strawberry Fields, a section of the park dedicated to the memory of John Lennon, and lay some flowers on the ‘Imagine’ mosaic. www.nycgo.com
Getting there
Qantas offers weekly flights from all major Australian cities. www.qantas.com.au
Stay
www.homewoodsuitesmanhattan.com
Do
www.cmany.org cmom.org www.amnh.org www.metmuseum.org www.powerhousearena.com
Eat
www.sarabeth.com cafelalo.com www.amplehills.com www.onegirlcookies.com www.dylanscandybar.com
Hot tip
The best time of year to visit is in the middle of spring when the flowers are in bloom or fall when autumn fills the streets with colour. The weather is nicer and the crowds are smaller.
Play
www.washingtonmarketpark.org www.seaglasscarousel.nyc www.centralparknyc.org www.brooklynbridgepark.org janescarousel.com