New York City with kids: Toys, Candies and Eloise

It doesn’t take much to get kids’ attention when visiting New York City with its tall  buildings, the bustling energy and the neon lights and billboards at night.  During our  NYC visit, we concentrated our strolls along the Times Square and 5th Avenue areas and  found an assortment of stores to wander through and entertain the kids.

Yes, they are  the chain stores you may find in your city but these are so much bigger and have  a uniqueness to them.  They are free to walk through and browse although there’s a  likelihood you won’t walk out empty-handed.  Here are the stores with plenty to offer  children of all ages:

Times Square Area
1. Toys ‘R’ Us (this store has now closed)

This is not your typical Toys ‘R’ Us store in your suburban  neighborhood.  My kids practically ran in here after seeing the huge  60-foot high working ferris wheel with each of the 14 cars representing various cartoon characters.  The three levels were a giant playground for kids and the young at heart.  It was a bit overwhelming as we saw wide-eyed kids run  excitedly from one end to the other dragging parents along.  That’s how we looked too.

Where else can you see Superman in the air, a giant Transformers, NYC attractions (i.e. Statue of Liberty, Empire State and Chrysler Buildings) in  Legos and a roaring 20-foot tall dinosaur that moves all in one toy store?

The bottom area has an ice cream store and where tickets for the ferris wheel can be purchased for $4.  The line was still pretty long even at 8 PM so we skipped the ferris wheel ride.  The assortment of toys here was  astounding.   My kids have proclaimed this the “Best Toys ‘R’ Us store ever.”  This is the store to visit when in Times Square with kids.

Address:   1514 Broadway New York City (between 44th St & 7th Ave)

2. Disney Store

This is the same store you find in your malls but with 2 floors. Don’t forget the I Love NY Mickey Mouse merchandise as a souvenir. You can’t go wrong browsing through a Disney store especially one with the energy of Times Square right outside. Do not miss this if you’re a Disney fan.   We passed by and didn’t go in since it looked pretty crowded and my kids frankly have too much Disney merchandise already.

Address:1540 Broadway New Tork City (between 45th Street & 7th ave)

3.  Hershey’s Times Square

This was a pretty small store and felt very crowded with a small selection of Hershey products.  It was right across from the 3 level M&M’s World so it was such a contrast.  We went in just to check it out and left after a couple of minutes of browsing.

I think their marquee was a bit more exciting than their store.  There was some sort of machine in a corner but we weren’t sure what it did since there was no sign near it.   Go here only if you have some spare time or if you like Hershey’s chocolate.

Address: 1593 Broadway New York City (between 48th & 49th street)

4.  M & M’s World

There were 3 levels at this store of everything M&Ms but was still crowded during our visit.  This place is a danger for chocoholics.  It doesn’t help that it smells like chocolate when you walk in here.  The variety of M&Ms that line the wall are colorful.

It’s a great way to grab a snack bag of different colors and flavors M&M candy mixture while walking around Times Square through way overpriced as expected.  A must visit for M&M candy fans or if your name starts with M since they have unique merchandise with “M&M’ branded everywhere.  It’s a fun visit for the kids even just to see the different items.

Address: 1600 Broadway New York City (between 48th St & 49th St)

1. FAO Schwarz 

This famous toy store is known for their extravagant toys and unique assortment.  We  were greeted by someone dressed in what reminded me of a tin soldier outfit.  What struck me with Fao Schwarz was its layout and the size of toys from floor to ceiling.  It felt more like a giant playroom than a toy store.

I loved the variety of toys here and that most of them you can’t find anywhere else.  The highlight here was the Big Piano made popular in Tom Hanks’ movie BIG.  I expected  it to be a bit bigger actually.  There were a few kids here on a Tuesday afternoon.

The kids  removed their shoes and stepped on the lit up scales to their hearts content.  We actually had to  drag our kids out of there. It was a joy watching the kids try to make some sort of  melody in their head while stepping on the scales.

This was a spacious two-level store and was very well laid out.  Lifesize Indiana Jones, the Statue of Liberty and Capt. Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean were also here for the kids to gawk at, pose and touch.  It is amazing how they put these Lego statues together.

We loved the variety of giant stuffed animal that begged to be touched and hugged.  Who buys these giant playthings? While some prices for the toys and games were reasonable, some were just over the top.  How about a Barbie  Foozball table for $25K or the Big piano for $250,000.

My kids could have spent hours here just looking at all the toys and browsing.  They even had Spiderman walking around to take a picture with. For a fee, of course.   Fao Schwarz is understandably a store that is not to be missed with the kids while in NYC.

2. American Girl Place

My daughter is a big fan of this doll collection and has one American Girl doll. American  Girls are a  collection of 18″ dolls from various eras throughout American history.  A new doll is featured  every year.  Little girls can also  get one that looks similar to them or the smaller babies called Bitty  Babies.  There is an astonishing number of books, outfits and accessories available for the dolls.  She  wanted to visit this store and get her doll a  NY shirt.

There were three levels but the area with the books was closed for some remodeling during  our visit.  The  salon was open of course and we saw the hospital, the photo studio and the cafe. Unfortunately, we haven’t  done the whole American Girl dining experience yet but I suspect we will soon.

The dolls are pricey with most averaging $100 and outfits averaging $30 but some miniature dolls with a mini  book are available for $22.   I love going to these stores to see the different outfits they have for the dolls.   For families with little girls, this store is a must visit and wonderland of dolls.

Address: 609 Fifth Avenue at 49th Street New York City

3. The Lego Store

This store has an enviable location overlooking the Rockefeller Center and was filled floor to ceiling with more Legos than your average toy store.  They had the tallest Pick A Brick wall  of Lego blocks to mix and match we’ve ever seen.

The Lego dragon around the store was pretty cool.  It was a pretty spacious store but we didn’t spend too much time here since we live near Legoland.   This may be a good store for dads and the little boys in the family to hang out while mom and the girls are at the American Girl Place nearby.

Address: 620 5th Avenue at Rockefeller Center New York City

Across from FAO Schwarz is the ultra expensive and famed Plaza Hotel.  My daughter loved  the Eloise books by Kay Thompson when she was younger.  Eloise was a precocious 6-year old girl  who lived at the Plaza Hotel.  While looking for an Eloise reference on their website, I  found out that there was an Eloise painting inside their hotel so we had to visit.

This hotel radiated elegance and opulence and we felt a little bit out of place in our jeans here.  By the way, rooms were going for $700 during the weekends. Yikes!  The  friendly doorman pointed us to the Eloise painting and that satisfied her curiosity and she has a better idea of the venue when reading these books.

These are the other noteworthy places that we hope to visit next time.

• Dylan’s Candy Bar – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory comes alive at the world’s largest candy store.  A sugar high wonderland for the whole family for anyone with a sweet tooth.   Address:  1011 Third Ave at 60th Street
• Sony Wonder Technology Lab – This Free technology and entertainment museum offers plenty of exhibits that are sure to entertain kids and adults.   From Robot Zone to Virtual Surgery exhibits, this needs a whole day of exploring.  Children’s screenings of popular cartoon shows are also shown on their high-definition theater.  This is definitely on the top of our list for our return visit.  Address: 550 Madison Ave. at 56th St
• The Scholastic Store – This looks like a storybook land where many of the popular characters seem to jump off the pages throughout the store.  Storytimes available for relaxing afternoons.  My kids would have loved this store especially the real-life Magic School Bus.  It offers plenty of books, educational toys and interactive activities for kids of all ages.  Address: 557 Broadway (Between Prince & Spring Streets) • Soho NY

New York City offers a ton of shopping options for grown-ups but along the way, there are also plenty of stores that cater to families and especially to kids.  It’s always free to browse and window shop so don’t hesitate to drop by.

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