Suggestions for NY trip

Not fun, but the 9/11 memorial is something everyone should see.

At 11, my dd still got a kick out of visiting the American Girl Doll store. That was probably near the end of her love of that store. She also loved window shopping in the designer sections at Saks, looking at jewelry at Cartier and Tiffany's, etc. If she loves museums and art galleries, she will have fun in NYC. So many to pick from! Plus the usual tourist spots like Dylan's Candy Bar and Serendipty for the frozen hot chocolate.

I'm sure you are already planning to see some theater. If you will be there in June or early July, American Ballet Theater will still be in season at the Met. The spring season is when they usually do their big story ballet productions. They have a new one called Whipped Cream that will be at the end of June/early July that sounds like fun.

When my DD was younger she loved:

Shows, shows and more shows
Dylan's Candy Bar
Making a pair of custom Converse at the Converse shoe store
Finding a huge anime store
Chelsea Market
Eating at Max Brenners...she wasn't really a Serendipity fan though
The Tenament Museum
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tour

I always add my recommendation to see Stomp on these threads.

For a first time visit, seeing Manhattan from the water gives you a great perspective. Circle Line's Landmark Cruise is perfect because there is no bad side of the boat.

It looks like the NBC Studio Tour is back. Seeing the SNL studio was another highlight for my teens - it may not be of interest to you.SaveSave

These are great suggestions! My daughter always loved the s'mores at Max Brenners - it's a chocolate shop. 

Miominmio, maybe some of us East Coast peas can meet up with you when you are here. I'd love to meet you!!

Dont forget to walk the High Line, go to Chelsea markets, eat lunch at the Capitol Grill, and then go to the Whitney museum at the 14th Ave exit, meatpacking district. Other museums she may like: MOMA for modern art, Guggenheim for its iconic circular structure, and FIT fashion museum. 

I'm not a native, but I've been there with kids that age more than once.

MUSEUMS

(Warning: our museums are pricey; your daughter will benefit from being 12 or younger. If she has a school ID, take it.)

-Museum of Modern Art (MOMA): Most people hit the fifth floor for the 1880-1950 section with many famous pieces. Do those galleries in numbered order. Here are some tours for tweens and their companions

-Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met): Huge. Research it. There's a highlights tour. The Egyptian exhibit is world-class. The American Wing might be a good choice.

-Museum of Natural History: I've never been here, but I agree that reading "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" would be fun preparation. And/or watch "Night at the Museum."

-The Frick Collection: Art collection in a mansion setting. I like it because of the setting and size. Mostly European paintings - portraits and landscapes.

-Tenement Museum: When my kids were your daughter's age, I think we did two of the tours. Very small museum; good gift shop. We booked the tours in advance.

-Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum: aircraft carrier, submarine, space shuttle

OTHER

-I was going to recommend seeing Stomp, too. If you want to go to any Broadway shows, ask us for ticket advice.

-And yes, the American Girl Place (doll store).

-Fun day: Take the subway to the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge and walk back on the bridge. Eat in Chinatown and then go to the Tenement Museum.

-United Nations tour. Book in advance.

-Go to the top of the Empire State Building: observation deck is outside. Book In advance to skip the lines.

-Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island is a whole-day enterprise. You can also just take the (free!) Staten Island ferry to get an outside view of the statue.

-If anybody in your family likes Art Deco, consider the tour at Radio City Music Hall. (And there's this really cheesy part where you meet a Rockette.)

-Try Big Apple Greeters: A volunteer New Yorker will take you on a free 2-4 hour walking tour. I suspect you need to book this way in advance; they're very popular.

-I'm a Times Square hater. Incredibly tacky and crowded. Yeah, you have to walk through it once, but there's so much better stuff to do. Maybe go inside the mega Toys'r'Us store.

-Wander around Greenwich Village - the West Village, the New York University/Washigton/Square Park area, or the East Village.

-Eat from food carts. There are websites devoted to them, including a list of the annual awards.

RANDOM

Summer in NYC can be very hot and could zap your enthusiasm for some outdoor plans.

Buy multi-day transit passes - Subways are much faster than busses.

Get a good map - Streets that run north-south are "Avenues" and use words (Sixth Avenue) and the blocks are very short. Streets that run east-west use numerals (6th Street) and have very long blocks. "Uptown' and "downtown" are words used to mean both areas of the city and directions of travel (uptown=north and downtown=south).

Trip Adviser has a great (and often lively) NYC forum. Lots of good "stickies."

I'm from the UK but lived in NY for a year. The temperature reached 35c on many occasions during the summer. I was surprised at how hot it did get.  Oh and a word of warning; the US are big on air conditioning! I was always freezing cold when I was inside restaurants, shops and public places during the summer months! Take wraps or cardigans.  

When I lived there my 14 and 16 year old nieces came to stay.  The 16 yr old moped around acting like a real stroppy teenager, saying she was bored and didn't want to do anything!  She's now 30 and she so regrets not making the most of her aunt living in NY. She and her husband are saving up so that they can go back for a holiday. 

you might want to take the subway out to Coney Island.

Some more tips:

1. Top of the Rock is better than the Empire State Building because you can see the ESB from Top of the Rock.
2. Get discounted theater thickets at the TKTS booth. The one at South Street Seaport usually doesn't have a line when but the Times Square wait was about an hour.
3. Some of the nicer restaurants have tasting menus at lunch. It isn't as pricy and you get to sample more dishes. Your daughter might also like afternoon tea someplace fancy.
4. I liked the Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty tour but the Staten Island Ferry is a free way to see the Statue of Liberty.
5. The hop on/hop off buses are hard to get back onto once you get off. There's either a huge line, like at the Ellis Island exit or the buses don't stop because they're full.
6. I don't think anyone has said dinner in Little Italy.
7. Mme Tussaud's is corny but my 18 year old and I had a blast in there on a rainy day. It's more fun if you're a bit of a goofball and pose with the statues. Don't ask how I know this.
8. If you're there on a Friday, see what's playing on either the Today or GMA summer concert series. If not, it's still fun to get up really early and hang around with all the other tourists outside either of those shows.

Awesome!! Please remind us, or PM me, before the date. We will set something up - maybe a lunch at Ted Turner's grill!

If there is a peas meet up - keep me in the loop! I don't live in the city, but can take a train (about 1.5 hour ride for me).