NYC with My 6-Year-Old: A Birthday Adventure He’ll Never Forget

Heckscher Playground, Central Park

This trip was all about one thing: celebrating my 6-year-old son’s birthday in a way he’d never forget. And let me tell you—New York City delivered. (Cue all the cliche songs about New York City.)

A while back, I offered my kids the option: birthday party or solo birthday trip with Mom. No surprise—my son chose the trip. He’s been fascinated with New York City and firmly believes it has the best pizza in the world, so off we went on a birthday adventure to the Big Apple.

Huge shoutout to my mom (aka “Lola”) for tagging along. My kids are lucky to have close relationships with their grandparents, and my son was thrilled to have Lola by his side.

We landed in NYC with a scavenger hunt in hand, a pizza mission in our hearts, and one very excited little boy leading the way—wearing his Cosmo JrTrack 4 smartwatch to stay connected with family back home the whole time.

First Stop: Public Transit & Hotel Check-In

From the minute we landed at LaGuardia, my son was all-in on public transportation. We hopped on the M60 SBS bus to Manhattan (just $2.90!) and made our way to the subway. With a few helpful nudges from Apple Maps and a healthy dose of Mom Instinct combined with my Former City-Dweller Smarts, we made it to our hotel—the Embassy Suites by Hilton New York Manhattan Times Square.

This spot was perfect for us: centrally located, kid-friendly, and packed with perks like free breakfast, happy hour snacks, and a $30 daily hotel credit. It was the ideal home base for our jam-packed itinerary.

Standing outside the iconic Rockefeller Center

FAO Schwarz + Rockefeller Center

First up on the scavenger hunt? FAO Schwarz. My son used his Cosmo JrTrack 4 smartwatch to call Dad and Grandma to let them know just how hyped he was.

Inside, he carefully chose one toy (the rule!)—the ZipString, a Shark Tank-featured toy that got attention everywhere we went.

We popped across to Rockefeller Center and watched tourists ice skate before hunger hit hard. Cue our late lunch at Lodi: olives, meatballs, ricotta, pasta, and one delightful espresso martini for Mom.

On our way back, we stumbled into the FDNY Fire Zone, where kids can climb into a fire truck and try on gear—100% free and a hidden gem!

Times Square, Night Tour & Pizza Dreams Fulfilled

Our nighttime NYC bus tour departing Times Square

After snacks at the hotel happy hour, we wandered to Times Square for our evening skyline bus tour. Pro tip if you’re taking this tour in the spring: dress warm! Our 7 PM departure turned into a 7:45 PM departure, but the dazzling lights and views of the city (plus a ride over the Manhattan Bridge) made up for it.

Finally getting a taste of NYC pizza

And then…the moment he’d waited for: New York City pizza. We stopped at Carve Café and devoured slices of pepperoni, margherita, and cheese. He was blown away—and couldn’t believe how alive the city still felt at 9:30 PM.

Back at the hotel, he made another call to Dad using his smartwatch, full of stories from his very big day.

Day 2: Dinosaurs, Central Park, and Broadway Magic

The next morning, Lola took a break, and it was just the two of us. After grabbing coffee, we headed uptown to the American Museum of Natural History—dinosaur heaven. My son was in awe of the entire museum floor dedicated to dinos, but museums can be sensory overload, so we made it short and sweet.

To reset, we headed to Heckscher Playground in Central Park—highly recommend. He climbed, ran, and scrambled over rock formations. It’s the ultimate playground for kids with big energy.

Next, we ducked into The Plaza Hotel to visit another scavenger hunt stop. He loved spotting Eloise and the vintage TV playing Home Alone.

Dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History

Playing at the big rocks in Heckscher Playground, Central Park

Getting to see the infamous Eloise painting at the Plaza Hotel

Broadway Surprise: The Lion King

The big surprise revealed — tickets to see The Lion King on Broadway!

The surprise of the trip? Tickets to The Lion King on Broadway. The look on his face when the animals walked down the aisle? Priceless. Because he knew the story, he was fully engaged—and it became one of those once-in-a-lifetime mom-and-son memories.

Naturally, he called Grandma #2 after the show to share the experience. Thanks again, Cosmo JrTrack 4!

Color Factory + Final NYC Moments

The Color Factory in Soho was a full sensory experience

On our final day, we visited the Color Factory, an immersive, joy-filled art exhibit. His favorite part? The giant blue ball pit, obviously.

The highlight of the Color Factory in Soho…and the blue ice cream that came with it of course!

We made a final playground stop at Washington Square Park, then had our last meal at Olio e Più in Greenwich: spaghetti carbonara, caesar salad, and pizza (because when in NYC…).

Playing at Washington Square Park playground before heading to the airport

One final espresso martini at Olio e Piu

At the gate at LaGuardia, he took a few selfies and made one last call to Dad to tell him all about it on his Cosmo JrTrack 4 smartwatch—a sweet end to a birthday trip neither of us will ever forget.

Final Thoughts

This trip was such a gift—for him and for me. We logged over 14,000 steps a day, fueled up on carbs, and made memories I’ll hold close forever. Traveling one-on-one with a kid is such a special way to connect. And yes, I would absolutely do it again.

And because I know budget matters (especially when traveling with kids), I did my best to keep this trip as affordable as possible. I used credit card points to book our hotel stay, took full advantage of the free breakfast and daily happy hour snacks at the Embassy Suites, and grabbed a few NYC deals through Groupon ahead of time. We skipped pricey tourist traps in favor of free or low-cost adventures—like playgrounds, the FDNY Fire Zone, and the always-fun subway rides. Travel doesn’t have to be fancy to be meaningful—it just takes a little planning and a lot of snacks.

If you want to see our NYC trip video, you can check it out here.

And if you’re curious about a kids smartwatch without social media, you can shop the Cosmo JrTrack 4 Smartwatch and use my code, “JULIANNE” for 15% off!

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