Inspired by this list of “72 Things Every Child Must Do Before 6” (for the record: Julian has done 47 things on this list), I thought about doing a list for city kids. New York City kids, in particular. Not a list that tells you the obvious…top of the Empire State, ice skating at Rockefeller, the Bronx Zoo, visiting the American Girl store or riding the Ferris Wheel at Toys ‘R’ Us. Those are all mostly fun things to do, sure.
But here are a few things that I think every NYC kid should do. And some of them don’t cost a dime! (Also fun for most adults. I can attest to the fun factor.) 24 of them – two for each month of the year. Repeats are totally acceptable expected, especially for numbers 1, 8, and 14.
1. Eat a Mr. Softee soft serve ice cream
2. Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge
3. Learn how to read the subway map
4. Go for a ride on Jane’s Carousel
5. Eat “fresh” snow off a city sidewalk
6. Put your finger in your mouth right after touching the subway poles or pressing the subway elevator buttons
7. Eat a Nathan’s hot dog in Coney Island
8. Run through the sprinklers at Van Vorhees Park
9. Eat a good bagel with cream cheese and lox
10. Go sledding in Prospect Park
11. Bathe in the fountain at Washington Square Park.
12. See the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
13. Go to the train show at the Bronx Botanic Garden
14. Ride the Wonder Wheel in Coney Island
15. Eat an Italian ice on a hot summer day in Carroll Gardens
16. Swipe your own Metro Card
17. Go trick or treating on Garden Place in Brooklyn
18. Ride a scooter down the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Or walk, if you must.
19. Take the ferry to Sandy Hook and spend the day at the beach
20. See the Manhattan skyline by night
21. Ride the subway over the Manhattan Bridge
22. Go for a boat ride in Central Park
23. Chase the pigeons
24. Have a picnic in Central Park
Brooklyn Boys 