New York

Here we come...

The 12th of August the four of us will fly to New York - and stay there for 17 days. We have never been there before - and have now decided to bring both of our kids while I am on Maternity leave.

For a while Soeren and I had talked about going away for a little longer time, - and further away than Europe. Many options were discussed - but we ended up choosing New York, since both Soeren and I always wanted to go there. We love big Cities - but usually we went without kids...

Of course we discussed NY for a long time - was it the right thing to do - bringing our two kids to the BIG Apple. After a lot of time in front of the Mac - searching the internet for suggestions on where to go - it was actually an interview in TV "Goodmorning DK" that persuaded me - made me feel more comfortable taking the decision with Soeren to go! (Soeren was very sure all the time).

A Danish family - same amount of members as our family - had traveled many places in the world, but this morning in TV they specifically talked about their visit to New York and Barcelona. They had written two guides on how to spend time in these cities with kids - and their message was clear; New York is a wonderful playground for the entire family. 
I thought - If THEY can - SO CAN WE. I guess it´s all about realizing that this trip will be on the kids terms - and then harmonize Soeren and I´s expectations (cause it will not be like other "kids-free" City vacations that we have been on to Berlin, Paris, Barcelona and London - this will be something different - but SURE it will be an adventure).

Flight tickets were ordered quickly after making the decision - and then there was no way back! It had to be direct fligths (with two small kids I did not want to do it any other way) - and we ended up with tickets from SAS flying to Newark Airport Monday the 12th of August 12PM. We will then be in Newark at 2PM considering the time difference - which is perfect.

Location is important - so hereon after we used a lot of time to figure out which neighbourhood in NY was most suitable for families. Manhattan was no option - too expensive and too busy. Quickly we realized that specific parts of Brooklyn would be perfect - many calm and familyfriendly neighbourhoods (I never forget that Miranda had to move there in "Sex and the City", and I seriously expected Brooklyn to be further away from Manhattan....:-D, which luckily is far from the truth).

Accommodation - just as important to identify. We did not want to live in a hotel for 17 days (too expensive and uncomfortable with two small kids), so we realized also quickly that an Appartment would be ideal. We were introduced to AirBnB (https://www.airbnb.com/) - a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world. AirBnB connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 33.000 cities and 192 countries. Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.

We searched through AirBnB for apartments placed in attractive areas - close to public transport - close to a park - with enough space and if possible with some outer space (a garden/terrasse). After communicating with several owners of various apartments - we ended up deciding to rent an Apartment from Lillian (and her family). Linked to her profile, there was a very long list of positive reviews from previous visitors, and the price was okay (1000 DKK a night) - and there were no huge safety deposit demand that we had to pay up front (some owners really asks for huge safety deposits - so we tried to avoid that). In any case the good thing about AirBnB is that the owner will not get any payment up front, - AirBnB holds the rent until after we have arrived.

Here is a link to the Apartment we will stay in while being in NY - it has all we need incl. a deck (terrasse) just outside the kitchen!!

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/320876

The Apartment is located in Park Slope (see map above) - which is considered one of New York City's most desirable neighborhoods. In 2010, it was ranked number 1 in New York by New York magazine citing its quality public schools, dining, nightlife, shopping, access to public transit, green space, safety, and creative capital, among other aspects. It was named one of the "Greatest Neighborhoods in America" by the American Planning Association in 2007, "for its architectural and historical features and its diverse mix of residents and businesses".

So far so good - and today there is 13 days before takeoff. I will use the days to make sure I become more familiar with NY, Brooklyn, Sights to see, places to go, parks to visit, children friendly places, tours and sights etc. I will use the following books - and the internet.

1) " Vores New York" af Anne Blume Futtrup og Sarah Holm Johansen. A book written by a single woman living in Manhattan - and a married woman with children living in New Jersey (both originally from Denmark). In the book they both give there version of the best places in New York  with and without children. (http://www.newyorkerbyheart.com/2011/08/boganmeldelse-vores-new-york-af-anne-blume-futtrup-og-sarah-holm-johansen.html)

2) "New York - En storbyguide til eventyrlystne forældre" ad Roald Bergmann (ref. Godmorgen DK) (http://bog.nu/navne/roald-bergmann)

3) "Lonely Planet - New York City"  (For us there are no better guide than Lonely Planet)

NB:

- Order your flight tickets with Mastercard -  then you make sure that you have travel insurance. (We even expanded our normal European travel insurance to cover the world - so we are double covered)

- Remember to have (buy) suitcases with locks that are accepted in the States. We already had one - but had to buy one more for this trip.

- Remember to apply for ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). International travelers who wants to travel to the United States are subject to enhanced security requirements and will be required to pay an administrative (14 USD per person) - use link: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/