Five days in New York City with two daughters in tow reminded Melissa of one thing quickly: you can't see it all, but you can see an awful lot if you plan well and start early. Here's how they spent their time, in case it helps with your own family trip.

[From Melissa]

Lights, parks and a ball game

We landed running. Our first evening was spent wandering Times Square, taking in the lights and the sheer scale of it all — there's nothing quite like your first look at that skyline of screens. The next morning we were up early and walked down to Central Park, stopping at Liberty Bagels on the way for a park-bench breakfast. That afternoon we headed to Yankee Stadium for the Yankees versus the Atlanta Braves, which turned out to be one of the highlights for the girls — nothing beats the atmosphere of a live game in a stadium that size.

High Line, markets and downtown wandering

Day three started early again, with a walk through to Hudson Yards before joining the High Line and following it through to Chelsea Market and on to Little Island. That afternoon we drifted through Greenwich Village and down into SoHo, taking our time rather than rushing — after two full-on days, a slower afternoon of café stops and street wandering was exactly what we needed.

Landmarks, views and Broadway lights

The following morning we made our way to Grand Central Station to find the Whispering Wall, which lived up to everything we'd heard about it. We spent the afternoon on Fifth Avenue and went up the Summit at One Vanderbilt, which gives some of the most incredible views over the city — close to a full 360 degrees, plus interactive rooms that kept the girls entertained. Back at Central Park that afternoon, we visited the American Museum of Natural History, followed by a Broadway show, then queued for Joe's Pizza at eleven o'clock at night. The queue was worth every minute.

Bridges, brownstones and skyline views

On our last full day, we hired bikes and rode across the Manhattan Bridge to Wall Street, then back over the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO. Seeing Manhattan's skyline from across the river was one of the best moments of the whole trip — a completely different perspective after days of being immersed in the city itself.

Five days is never enough for New York. There's always another neighbourhood, another rooftop view, another slice of pizza worth queuing for. But with a plan that mixes the big-ticket sights with a little unstructured wandering, you can genuinely experience the city's range — its energy, its parks, its food, its skyline — in a short stay.

If a family trip to New York is on your radar, we'd love to help you plan it. Reach out to melissa@youferrymead.co.nz for personal recommendations on where to stay and how to make the most of the time you have.