Tips for Toronto and then NYC

Hello all

After a sh**** of a year the family and I are off on a jolly for 2 weeks and its overdue.

Anyways going to Toronto for 7 days 8th-13th then NYC 13th-20th

Me and wife kids 2 girls 16yrs old and 14yrs and a boy 5 years old.
Interested if anyone's done "experience" days or activities (Chooper ride/Guided tour in old Chevy convertible NYC anything really)

Toronto - CN tower/Niagara is our starting point




NYC - staying in upper east side Empire Hotel

Things to do on list
Staten Island ferry
Twin towers memorial
Shopping in distant malls
Times Square
High line
Macy's

Cheers all

I would recommend the speedboat ride around the Statue of Liberty. Board at Pier 19. Empire state ride to the top is still one of the best view IMHO.

Not too far north of Toronto is this place

https://www.bluemountain.ca/

my cousin lives in Toronto and was there this very weekend skiing

Also look up the fixtures for the Blue Jays baseball and the NY Yankees

or the Ice Hocekey. The Maple leafs

Thinking of this very same trip later in the year.

Have a great time

There's an aircraft carrier moored off Pier 86, West 46th and 12th, housing the Intrepid Air Sea and Space Museum if the girls are interested!
Link

NYC- Metropolitan Museum of Art, Times Square and Central Park...with Dakota and Strawberry Field's; Soho. Bagels, pizza. Grand Central Station...Alllll aboarrrrd. Awesome city!

Thanks to.you all! Some great recommendations
Fccuk always delivers

I found Ellis Island simultaneously fascinating but also very depressing... in some ways the exhibition showed the authorities almost as if they were arriving at a concentration camp. Odd.

That was back in 2001 or so; they may have changed things since.

Looks awesome fella, can't find a speedboat that hires,in April sadly

Looks awesome fella, can't find a speedboat that hires,in April sadly

Ellis Island seconded.....what held me back was the possibility of it being "heavy" perhaps for a family outing - but then I shouldn't assume anything!

It was oddly schizophrenic; there were hundreds of locals showing their kids great-great-grandpa on the lists; they didn't see the, ah, how often am I stuck for a word?, soullessness? of it all. Like a factory for turning foreigners into Americans.

I'm sure it was fairly horrific for many of them on both sides of the barrier - the eye disease tests, witnessing of desperate and exhausted arrivals, the pens....

Great sales pitch, eh....

One of the most unusual and evocative spinoffs was the bronze statue group on the pier of the hand reaching up from the water pleading to be hauled up by their accomplice....

Went to Niagara and then NYC in Nov last year.

Did all the usual things..

Niagara
Helicopter tour over the falls, maid of the mist (at least the Canadian version) dinner in the revolving restaurant at the top of the Skylon tower, beer tasting, butterfly sanctuary. They do a jetboat ride but it was out of season when we were there.

NYC.
Empire State, central park, big bus tour, Statue of Liberty, wall st, ground Zero, Macys, times Sq, Madison sq garden, Grand Central station, NYC Library, dinner at planet Hollywood/TGI Fridays.

We were there during the election and as soon as Trump was returned large parts of NYC (near Trump towers/central park) were cordoned off. Don't know if that's still in place but it caused chaos for the already manic traffic.

Probably too late but The brewery at the bottom of the tower is well worth a visit (Steamwhistle) it is on the site of an old train shed so plenty of photo opportunites. I could quite easily live in Toronto it feels really safe. We didn't bother with cabs as we walked everywhere. The brewery district is worth a look, Queen and King street are great for shopping. We stayed in liberty village and if you want a good burger go here 107 Atlantic Ave, Toronto, ON M6K 1Y2, Canada - the craft brasserie. Visited Algonquin park and if I had known we would have stayed for a night or two as there are loads of places to stay.

If you ignore the hotels / casinos then Naigara Falls is a really good day out.

Definitely going back to Canada to do a tour. The life outside of Toronto looks amazing (scenery / boys toys)

Thanks to you all for your tips! It was a cracking holiday and two really different experiences.
Sugar bear I hear what your saying Canada is pretty awesome and we only scratched the surface, the people the pace of life and living standards seem really good ..it's like the USA but almost everyone is more friendly ;-)
Toronto was spotless and indeed a great little city, niagara was a sight to behold and the breakfasts where enormous.
I've never seen as much construction going on in any other country !
The exchange rate was a healthy $1.7!
It was cool to go to NYC after Canada as it was a complete contrast.
Will definitely take a tour of Canada in the future