Advice on Vacationing in New York City

Subletting an apartment is much better and cheaper than any of the hotels in NYC. Hubby and I went to NYC & Brooklyn for a week back in October 2010 and rented a girl's apartment in the West Village (safe area, nice studio with kitchen, elevator building, & 24 hr doorman) and only cost us about $800 for 6 nights. My hubby's best friend lives in Brooklyn and he suggested the apartment idea to us. The apartment was nice and very clean and comfy and we were in the heart of the West Village. Just do a search for NYC rentals on google and you will find a ton in various parts of Manhatten. We usually walked, took the subway or cab/private car ride to get around depending on where we were going. We had the greatest time and will rent another apartment if and when we decide to go back.

I was just there, it was my first time and I loved it!! If you are doing Broadway shows, we saw a few but a good family one that is clean was The Addams Family but Wicked was awesome too! We did a pedi-cab tour of Central Park that was so much fun and we learned so much about that park that even locals didn't know! There is a really fun restaurant called Ellen's Stardust Diner on Broadway that is aspiring Broadway singers that is crazy and fun, be prepared to sing along with the rest of the joint! Your kids will LOVE the Toys R Us in times square, it's definitely a must see for kiddos. Something we stumbled upon that actually worked out and was cheaper than cabs was buying a 3 day tour bus (they are the red and blue double decker buses you'll see). They have a "hop on hop off" option so you can take the bus to wherever and get off then come right back and get on, really convenient. We also did a waterway cruise that goes all around the statue of liberty and other great sites. There is a waterway bus that is free that will take you to the river and back, just ask any local, they'll point you in the right direction to the free bus. The "Top of the Rock" is the voted the best view of NY by locals, it was fun to go up there. But to compare the view from up there you need to also see the view from atop the Empires State bldg:) Also, make sure you see Ground zero, it's a really neat place to see being rebuilt. You are going to have a blast!

I second the subletting of an apt. I have a friend that does it actually. But he lives in Brooklyn, so that may not help you. If you feel better going the hotel route, just make sure you stay below 70th street. Once you get into the 100's your getting into Harlem and it can be a little iffy. Otherwise you are totally safe. As for being close to transportation- everywhere is close to transportation.
As for stuff to do- Midtown- Times Square- which has all sorts of things to see. Hershey store, Toys R us (which has a Ferris wheel inside) Madam Tuoso's wax museum. That's also the theater district, so look on Stub Hubb for a show- maybe you can find some cheap tickets. The empire State building is within walking distance of Times Square also, so you can do that the same day. And central park is in that area as well. Which has a zoo.
Downtown- Statue of liberty of course and close by is the Seaport which has these cool ships you can take tours of- the kids may enjoy that.
Oh also, the Natural History Museum is there- that where night at the museum was filmed. the list goes on and on.

Couple tips:

We stayed at this Hilton on W 35th and absolutely loved the location. Very convenient to everything. It was very clean and inexpensive-I highly recommend.
http://maps.google.com/maps?rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-Se...
Take a double decker bus tour. At first I thought no way-but it was the BEST way to see NYC with little kids. You could get on and off anywhere and there was always another one to come along when you were ready to leave. The driver gives you all the scoop on everything as you go so you really learn about the different parts of the city. The empire state building tour and the statue ferry were inlcuded in our fare too. If you stay where I suggested the Empire St Bldg is a couple blocks away -I suggest getting there first thing, do the bldg tour and then get on the bus.

Go to the big Toys r us at Times Square-the kids loved it!

Check out Dylans Candy bar (owned by Dylan Lauren-Ralph's daughter) and make sure to visit the ice cream shop there. Very out of the ordinary offerings and SO good!

If your boys are into Harry Potter there is a travelling exhibit in Times Sq that is supposed to be very cool. I am actually trying to get up there with my son b/c it leaves the country in Sept.

Go to Central PArk and then hit FAO shwartz. I would skip the Central Park Zoo though-unless you have a reciprocation with a home zoo membership. My boys were so bummed it wasn't like they portrayed it in that movie-forget the name now.

As far as restaurants that is where we struggled. We wasted quite a bit of money on them at the restaurants that DH and I wanted to go to. They turn their nose up at anything that looks a bit different. I would advise researching by what your budget looks like and what the kids like to eat.

Every State, has a "tourism" website, including New York.
http://www.iloveny.com/

Go to the website and check it out.
That is the way, to research it and get ideas and make plans.

Here are other NY websites for travelers:
http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.e2a1b26d9b...

http://www.nycgo.com/

There are bed and breakfasts in NY. I didn't know this and I lived there! Be sure to check out references.

I took my kids in May of this year. There's SO much to do there! There's a charming zoo in Central Park. We went up the Empire State Building - incredible views! Don't miss the Statue of Liberty - but get there EARLY. Long lines. Don't buy one of those package see-everything deals. I don't think you can see all they offer in 4 days, so it would be a waste of money. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is amazing - there is a real Egyptian temple set up in a huge room! See a play on Broadway and see Times Square at night. Lastly, I was thrilled to be able to visit Times Square Church, founded by Pastor David Wilkerson. You will see people of all walks of life come together in a spirit of love and unity - really cool!
Wear good walking shoes - very important! We walked 'til we were exhausted! Have fun!

At that age your kids will love the Natural History Museum (if you haven't seen the movie Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller rent it before you go!)
If you can afford it, go see a Broadway show. Again, at your sons' ages I would suggest The Lion King, or something else kid/family friendly.
The Staten Island Ferry is free, and while it doesn't actually stop at the Statue of Liberty you go right past it. Great photo ops!
Dinner in little Italy is a must (yum!)
Walking around Times Square after dark is also a must, your boys will LOVE it.
LOTS to do in Central Park (too much to list here, just google it.)
LOTS of hotel options, check out tripadvisor.com for reviews in your price range.
I LOVE NYC, can you tell?!
Have a great time :)

Lots of good suggestions already, I second those (we actually loved the central park zoo). You won't be short of suggestions of where to go, but here's my suggestion. Write down where you want to go, then google a NYC map and plot them out. The city is so big and it's expensive to cab around. When we went, I organized the days by what was close together. Doing this kept us from being overwhelmed, and actually allowed us to walk quite a bit instead of taking cabs. You could seriously spend your whole day just in cabs or subways going from one end of the city to the other. Plot out your days! Have fun!

I stayed at the Waldorf - not inexpensive - but safe!!!

Depends upon what you want to do - Central Park, there's a HUGE Toys R Us near Times Square (it's on the left side about 2 blocks from ABC) with a ferris wheel in it.

Rockefeller center....

Let me talk to my GF who lives there and see what she recommends...

We also went to a great "hole in the wall" cafe on Broadway where the waiters and waitresses sing - urgh - can't remember the name!! SORRY!!!

I like the apt idea.
My teenage son and I stayed in a brand new hotel in Queens a year and half ago, but I would not be comfortable there with small children.
I think your children would love central park, going up into the Empire State Bldy and seeing the Statue of Liberty. The Met Museum of Art is awesome.
The subway is great and very inexpensive. It does get very warm in the tunnels waiting for the trains sometimes though, but of course you should be fine with that being from AZ. Everyone there kept apologizing to us about the "heat wave" they were having while we were there--lol!