My Son's One-Day Budget Touring in New York City

My almost 17 year old son, Lee, is on a solo trip to the US right now to work in the same summer camp that I attended as a child. It was his first time in the United States ever (not to mention his first trip abroad without me) and I decided to pack in as much sightseeing for him as possible. 

Before going to the US he had a 2 day stopover in London, which I wrote about here, and then he spent a few days in New York, then a few days in DC, then another few days in New York. I'm already a little bit behind writing this, as he's been in camp for a week and a half now, but here's what he did on his first day (and a half) in New York, touring on a tight budget. (I am paying for his transportation, but he's paying for any activities he does.)

I taught my son all about the public transportation system in New York (I lived there for a year when I was 17, so I'm familiar) and his immediate impression was that the subway stinks of urine and there weren't good easy to follow signs inside the station, and it was hard to find the entrance. But he at least conceded that when it was packed, it was much more pleasant on the Subway than the London Underground.

The first day in New York he took the subway into Manhattan to go on a "Free Walking Tour". After he paid 20 pounds for the first tip based tour he took in London, I was told that he didn't have to pay as much as he did, and that he can pay $8-10 for the tours he took. So I suggested that he pay $10 for this free tour, but the tour guide said that there was a minimum tip of $20 since he had to pay the company that was promoting it. Oh well.

The tour started in Battery Park...

They saw the Giovanni da Verazzano statue and learned about him...

Went to Wall Street and learned about it and its history...

Saw Trump Tower...

Went to Broad Street and saw the New York Stock Exchange...

The Stone Street historic district...

He saw 1 Broadway, which has an amazing history that I just learned about when writing this post...

And they visited and learned about Fraunces Tavern...

One of the oldest surviving buildings in the United States, and where important events in American history took place, including it being George Washington's headquarters. To be honest, my son didn't teach me about each of these places- he just sent me the pictures and I looked them up to find out more about them to share here.

After his tour finished, he headed over to the Staten Island Ferry, a must for everyone visiting New York on a budget, since it is free, and allows you a nice view of the New York City skyline...

Some boats...

And, of course, the Statue of Liberty, something my son said was his must see when he was in New York...

But for him a boat ride past it was enough for him; he didn't want to spend the money and the time to go to the island itself.

After the ride, which he really enjoyed (who wouldn't?), he headed over to check out Times Square, another must see item for him.

He said it was everything he wanted it to be and more. He saw some great street performers, sights, etc...

I told him that when he was there, he should pop in to see the gigantic M and M store...

I remember visiting it when I lived in New York and thought it was a cool store.

My son did some walking around and then he wasn't sure what to do for the rest of the day, since it was still early-ish. We spoke on the phone and he wanted suggestions, but he also didn't know where he was. He sent me a picture, and while I didn't recognize it, I used Google Lens to search for it and found out he was right outside the Rockefeller Center, so I was able to give him some more suggestions of things to do around there.

Since FAO Schwartz was right there (even though I had put it in his itinerary for a different day), since he was right there I suggested he check it out. I told him about the giant piano, but he didn't find it...

But he said it was fascinating, and also shocking how expensive everything was there.

But he said they had some really cool demonstrations that he enjoyed watching, such as some magic ones. This is something that they regularly do there, which is why it's nice for a tourist, and not just a place to go shopping. 

He walked around and saw the Empire State Building...

Lee photographed this beautiful mosaic on the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation Building, which depicts Commerce “uniting the hemispheres with electricity"...

And he walked past Saks Fifth Avenue and St. Paul's Cathedral. 

Lee then went to check out Central Park.

He saw the Bethesda Fountain, Angel of the Waters... 

And the Bethesda Terrace Arcade (which I recognize from so many movies and shows)...

After that, it was time to turn in for the night, so he headed back to my friend in Queens to sleep.

The next day he didn't have so much time, since he was traveling to his uncle on Long Island, so I suggested he check out something in Queens. I looked for suggestions of things to do, and he ended up going to Flushing Meadows Corona Park...

Where he saw this sculpture...

And this one...

I wouldn't necessarily have put it on his list of things to see in New York, but it ended up being perfect. It cost only $6.

While it has a bunch of different exhibits, the one that my son liked best and stayed at the longest was the room sized scale model of the 5 boroughs of New York, made for the 1964 New York's World Fair. 

It is so perfect that at first, when my son sent me the pictures, I wasn't sure if these were taken from the observation deck in New York!

Anyhow, just wanted to share because I feel like this might be a lesser known New York treasure.

After that, my son then took the Long Island Railroad (far nicer than the subway) to his uncle and aunt for the weekend...

...Where he got to connect and bond with his cousins that he hadn't seen since they were very little...

Not bad for just a day and a half in New York!

When I was a kid living in New York, we would regularly drive from Cleveland to New York to see relatives (both my parent were born and raised in New York so the vast majority of my family lives in that area), and in addition to that, I lived in New York for a year... and on my son's first ever visit to the US, on his first day and a half in New York, it seems like he did more than I did in all my time there! Not bad! 

Total cost other than public transportation? Only $28.

Perfect.

Don't worry, he spent another 2 days in New York before camp (and possibly another day or two after camp), but that will be for another post.

What would you do if you had just one day in New York to do some sight seeing? What would be your must sees? Have you been to or seen these places my son did? Which was your favorite? What would you tell someone they absolutely have to check out when they're touring in New York City?