Teen New York City travel how-to: Village, museums & Four Seasons NYC

Hotel review blogger Annie Fitzsimmons sat down with 12-year-old Brad Childs to chat about his summertime visit to New York City. Brad stayed at Midtown’s Four Seasons Hotel New York with his mom. He gave us the scoop on making the Big Apple a hit vacation for the teen set.

Read more about family travel to New York on Have Family Will Travel.

AF: This was your first time in the Big Apple. What did you love the most?

BC: Hmmm, either Central Park or The Village. It’s a very close call—because in Central Park you feel miles away from civilization, but you’re only a few blocks from the city. When you walk in Greenwich Village, though, there are SO many sights and places packed together in a small space, so you get the best of both worlds.

AF: What was it like staying at Four Seasons Hotel New York? What did you like best?

BC: My favorite part was the back room tour. I got to see the chefs and laundry machines there. The chefs were in a lot of different categories (pasty, main course, desserts, etc.). I also got to shake hands with the head chef, which was an extremely cool thing, since not everyone gets to do it and I’m only a kid.

AF: If you could give another 12 year old visiting New York for the first time one piece of advice, what would it be?

BC: I would tell them definitely not to miss the Empire State Building or the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Just try to see as much as you can and prioritize your list of to-dos, so you get to see the most important sights to you—and not end up having only time for less important sights.

The most important part of visiting New York is to just enjoy yourself. Don’t get upset over a little thing and let that wreck your whole trip. I’m glad that’s just not the type of person I am. If you like TV shows like ‘”The Office,” ”Seinfeld,” “Friends’” or even “The Biggest Loser,” then DO NOT forget to swing by the NBC Store near Rockefeller Center.

AF: Is New York is a good city for families to visit together? And if so, why?

BC: Yes! It is a sight they will never forget; I’m sure I won’t.

One of the most important sights to me was the American Museum of Natural History. I got so lost in there! We must have been in there for hours, but it only felt like five minutes to me. It’s also the people you meet that will change your whole visit to New York. I know that if I didn’t meet the people I did then I might have been SO bored.

Just walk, too. I saw so many cool things that I would have missed if I was in a cab.

Read more about New York City in Four Seasons Magazine.