Things to Do in New York for Teens

For a look at the upscale choices New York City has to offer, take a window-shopping stroll down Madison Avenue and peek in the windows of such stores as Polo, Yves St. Laurent, Prada and Versace. On Fifth Avenue, stop at the Tiffany and Cartier windows. Move on to FAO Schwartz, giving your teen an excuse to enjoy the fun by suggesting she buy a gift for a younger sibling or cousin. In Times Square, take teenagers into the Virgin Megastore for a music-shopping treat, let them shop for souvenirs in the many shops catering to tourists, and look for treats in one of the gigantic candy emporiums such as M & M's World.

If the season is right, you can catch the Mets or Yankees in a home game. Getting seats to a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden will be pricey but memorable. For the basketball fan, stop at the giant NBA Store on Fifth Avenue where you can shop and shoot a few hoops. The Rangers also play at Madison Square Garden, or, as an alternate for the true hockey fan, you might make your way out to see the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. For those who like to skate themselves, the ultimate skating experience is a wintertime skate at Rockefeller Center. Catch the Giants or the Jets at Giants Stadium for a fabulous football experience. Also at Giants Stadium, you might have a chance to see some soccer when the Metrostars play a home game.

With over a hundred museums in New York City, the chances are that a teenager could find one or two that sound interesting. Let teens browse through a list (visit www.ny.com/museums/all.museums) and come up with their own choices, even if you really want to drag them off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For science enthusiasts, the American Museum of Natural History, which also houses Hayden Planetarium, would be a great choice, as would the Sony Wonder Technology Lab or the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. For teens wanting to explore their heritage and/or ethnicity, there are dozens of choices, including the Studio Museum of Harlem, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum or El Museo Del Burrio. You might suggest the Guggenheim simply because of the novelty of its structure.

Start with a meal in Grand Central Station. In addition to getting a look at this fabulous structure, there's no question about finding something your teenager will want to eat, as the building houses a mega food court where you can find just about any kind of cuisine. Give kids a treat by having a meal at the Hard Rock Café which features great décor and teen-friendly fare. Planet Hollywood offers up similar selections in a setting of movie memorabilia. You might also like to try one of the two Jekyll and Hyde locations, which offer traditional teen favorites on the menu along with spooky entertainment. Give kids a chance to try some unusual treats by stopping in at a Chinatown bakery or eating a meal of dim sum, where they can see the food and don't have to order from a menu.

Provide teenagers with a New York guidebook, and give them an opportunity to choose the top ten sites they want to see. That way, at the beginning of the trip, you'll be able to start with their favorites and try to work those in by the end of your stay. Be open to their ideas, but you might make the traditional suggestions such as the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Empire State Building, Times Square, a Broadway show, or a ride on the Staten Island Ferry.