How Do I Plan a Trip to NYC from NC via Train?

I'd wait for the next off period of school that includes time to spend 4 days there outside of your travel time. As it is, you'll have barely two days to see NYC.

Can you possibly fly? Sometimes you find flights/hotel deals...

Ride the subway in order to get around Manhattan, but make sure to ride after people get to work, and don't ride around 5 pm. The crowds are astonishing. Don't ride after 8 pm. Don't carry a pocketbook. Have a travel strap bag that fits around your torso around one shoulder and wear a jacket over it so that it's not seen or easily accessed by a pick-pocket.

If you want to go to a Broadway play, go to Tickets in Time Square and stand in line to get half priced tickets . I think around 1:00 in the afternoon is when they sell them. Be flexible in what you will be willing to see, and you can get a deal.

My kids dearly loved the Museum of National History and the Central Park Zoo. FAO Schwartz is quite wonderful. I'm sure your girls would love American Girl (I had boys, so we never went to that...)

Make sure you have some bandaids in your bag in case of blisters, and wear comfortable shoes. Teach your girls to use their eyes and ears and act with confidence so that they don't stand out as a potential victim. That's always what I did, and the most trouble we had was a homeless man kicking my husband. It seems a shame to have to add that to the "itinerary" of going to a large city, but it's smart to do it, and should be part of the education you are trying to provide.

Have a great time!

It is not cheap to go to NYC. If you are set on a train, Amtrak is probably the best bet but with your time frame, you'll be spending more time on the train with travel vs actual sight seeing.

Check airfare from Charlotte and see what type of deal you can get there. I deal directly with the airlines and no discounters.

About 5 yrs ago, my daughter and I went to NYC for the weekend. We flew from DFW to LaGuardia, took a cab to our hotel, Waldorf Astoria and that was home base. From there, our congierge hooked us up with tickets for the double decker bus for the weekend and we used that bus as our mode of transportation if something was too far to walk to or it was too hot, etc. With the bus as transportation, we were able to get to Ground Zero, Chinatown, Battery Park where we got the ferry to Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty, Central park and other great places. We walked to Times Square for shopping and saw the Lion King on Broadway. We took a cab back to the airport at the end of the huge marathon and memorable weekend was fisnished off with lunch at the now ex Tavern on the Green.

We are huge walkers and have no issue with walking a few miles to get to/from something we want to see. We end up seeing more because we are walking. Of course, you have to be aware of your surroundings and be safe.

Your questions are not silly. However, hotels are very expensive, especially in NYC and if you get a cheap one, you'll be out of the city and have to bus or taxi in which will be more $$. When we were booking our hotel, the upcharge to stay at Waldorf was not that bad compared with some of the ok hotels in the area so we paid the extra for the once of a lifetime amazing hotel stay with added security. You need to at least go through the Waldorf.. it is amazing and you also see dignataries and celebs.

Even though we dined at some famous places, our favorites were the mom and pop restaurants you'd find along the way. Figure out where the locals go and it is usually a good place!

YEARS ago, when it was hubby and I, we stayed at the Old Salisbury which was a very old hotel then but very reasonable. I don't know if it is still there. It was across from the now ex Russian Tea Room and Carnegie hall area.

Good luck planning our trip and have fun

You need to register to go to the Statute of Liberty and you may not have time if you are leaving in the next two weeks. Otherwise, you can only go to the grounds of the SOL and not in the inside. We took Amtrak from DC and it was great. Hotels are expensive, there were some good rates on Hotels.com when we looked in March. You could get some of the low end hotels for @ $100 a night. I heard 30 Rock is a great place to go too.

There are some beaches on Long Island, but the ones I went to were just sand and beach. When I visited Long Island it took us over an hour to get into the city with traffic.

You may want to visit Ellis Island also. I would contact a travel service or search online for the best deal. Have you checked Greyhound?

Sounds like a fun trip! However, please check on the Statue of Liberty. I believe it is still closed due to damage from hurricane Sandy. You can take a ferry out to view it, but I don't think you can visit the island at this time. My daughter was there in March and it was closed.

I just made reservations from NY to North Carolina. I thought very reasonable. My husband and I take Amtrak all over the country. Flying tends to be outrageous.