trains Archives - City Dads Group

Holiday Train Show at NY Botanical Gardens a Hit for Kids, Dads

Guest Contributor — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 12:08:00 +0000

UPDATED November 2022: The Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx is one of the best winter break activities in NYC that you can do indoors with your children. Tickets are on sale now for this year’s show, which runs from Nov. 19, 2021, to Jan. 16, 2022. Admission is limited so don’t wait to buy tickets. Here’s a review one of our members did of a past year’s show (most of which still holds true).

The annual train show is one of my 4.5-year-old son’s favorite things to see, and this is his third year in a row attending. The show combines major “attractions,” model trains and model architecture, with the buildings of New York City, complete with bridges, made out of plants (remember, this is the Botanical Gardens).

The Holiday Train Show was about the same as previous years, with a few new buildings but younger children are unlikely to remember what they saw the previous time.

Building highlights among the 175 featured include Yankee Stadium, the Empire State Building, the Apollo Theater, and the Brooklyn Bridge. They even have the Little Red Lighthouse to complement the George Washington Bridge. The trains are all large-scale and extremely cool. The kids like to get close-up (unfortunately, there is very little you can actually touch) and it’s also fun to watch the trains go overhead across the bridges.

The Holiday Train Show can get very crowded, especially during peak season, which is why I suggest getting tickets for the start of the day Tickets are timed, which means you can’t enter until the time on your pre-purchased ticket, but once you are in, you can stay in as long as you like.

The exhibit is one big loop, and you can go around the loop as fast or as slow as you like, but as one dad pointed out, you might have to deal with a “codger bottleneck” or a pack of school kids. Security prefers that you not go the wrong way on the path. My daughter (15 months), enjoyed walking through, so I stayed at her pace anyway. A couple of the dads made two loops because their kids were napping during the first go round

The Holiday Train Show is a little pricey but it’s a good chance to do an activity you can only do in the winter here in NYC. Strollers aren’t allowed, as there is no room, so bring a carrier if your child doesn’t walk. However, there is stroller parking for those parents that do bring their strollers. I drove up to the New York Botanical Gardens with a friend, which is the easiest way to get there, but parking is expensive if you don’t have a Wildlife Conservation Society membership. Metro-North is also a fast option, and is right across the street. To get there via the subway requires a bus or a schlep as well.

All in all, The Holiday Train Show at New York Botanical Gardens is a fun experience, if not a little redundant for me on my third trip. Fortunately, the kids loved it and that’s what matters!

— Josh Kross

NYC Holiday Train Show info

Location: New York Botanical Gardens, 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY
Hours: Generally, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday and Monday federal holidays.
Tickets: $20 to $35, children under 2 get in free. Timed entry. Buy in advance. Buy tickets.

Photo: © hitman1234 / Adobe Stock.

Winter Break Activities for NYC Kids You and They Will Love

Kevin McKeever — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 13:31:09 +0000

With the holiday season upon us and winter break from school near, we asked a few of our dads for suggestions on what to do with their children in and around NYC during this time of the year. Here are some of their suggestions, and if you want more check out our summary of fun winter activities for kids.

MTA Holiday Nostalgia Rides

The MTA is continuing its annual tradition of Holiday Nostalgia Rides on vintage trains. Having grown up in the city, I always think this means the cars will be covered in graffiti and I’ll be mugged by a guy named Fleabag Jimmy, but no! Vintage subway cars from the 1930s will roll out along the A, C, D and F lines on Sunday afternoons during the holidays. My 5-year-old daughter loves going on these cars at the Transit Museum and it’ll be great for her to see them in action as we schlep around the city doing our Christmas shopping. Rumor has it that the MTA’s infrastructure is also from the 1930s, but you already knew that.

— Peter Duffy

Skating and window shopping

We love to ice skate during this time of year and are fortunate to be near so many thrilling ice rinks in NYC. Our favorite is Wollman Rink in the middle of Central Park with its expansive ice rink, sweet skyline views, and warm hot chocolate when you’re ready for a break. We also love Bryant Park’s Ice Skating Rink because of its convenient location and if you own your own skates, it’s free admission. Plus, the surrounding Winter Village is fun to walk around before or after our family skate.

Another favorite winter break tradition is doing a Department Store Window Walking Tour. First, we get large cups of hot chocolate. Then, we stroll from Barneys to Bergdorf Goodman to Saks. Saks has an amazing and free light show on their building that’s entertaining for the kids. It’s also right next to the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree so that’s a mandatory stop on our tour as well. This year we plan to make a pit stop in FAO Schwartz now that our favorite toy store has reopened in a new location at Rock Center.

— Lance Somerfeld

Photo: Larry Interrante

Gingerbread Lane

Every year during the holiday season, we go to the New York Hall of Science to see Gingerbread Lane. It is the biggest collection of gingerbread houses. Sometimes you can even meet the baker who created all of these gingerbread houses and have a talk with him.

— Larry Interrante

Other suggestions:

The annual Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx
Winter ONEderland at One World Observatory
Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Tractors, Trucks and Trains: A Child’s Love Letter

Chad R. MacDonald — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 14:33:25 +0000

These days, on the now rare occasions I’m walking the streets by myself, if I see tractors, trucks or trains, my first thought is to wish my son was with me because he would think it’s awesome.

Unsurprisingly, my little boy loves tractors, trucks and trains. We may live in New York City, where wonders lie around every corner, but nothing rates next to, say, one of those Kings County cement mixers decorated with the American flag.

Celebrities can’t break him away from the objects of his affection. We’ve had the opportunity to meet Michael Strahan on three separate occasions, and Liam screamed at him to go away each time. He did the same to Ben Affleck. We were at the filming of Good Morning America, you see, but the TV lights and glamour couldn’t compare to the trucks and buses going by, and Michael and Ben were blocking the view.

Once, Jennifer Lawrence tried to strike up a conversation with him in Murray’s Bagels. But Liam was seated at the window and couldn’t care less about the Hunger Games star. He was too busy watching the backhoe across the street.

He doesn’t just ignore celebrities either, he tunes family out as well. He regularly interrupts conversations at home and on the street about any random truck that rattles by, and if it’s a fire truck, well, all bets are off! Fire trucks are the real celebrities to Liam.

Tractors, trucks and trains are all he ever talks about; all he wants to watch on TV; all he wants to read about; and all he wants to play with. His favorite clothes have these vehicles on them, and that’s all he ever wants to wear. He was a Choo Choo Train for Halloween. A local bakery had a train display in their window over the holidays, and I had to take him to see it every day, no matter how sick I was. We need to go to Grand Central Terminal once a week while the Holiday Train Display is featured there. It does not end.

For a while, I worried about him. Was this obsession healthy? There are other things in the world, would he ever pay attention to anything else?

This was before he entered pre-school. And while he’s clearly more interested in big vehicles than other children, it really isn’t by much. And once he began interacting with other children on the playground, it was always a toy truck or tractor that broke the ice and got them playing with each other.

Once a little more thought was put into it, I had to admit that Liam comes by it honestly. I loved tractors, trucks and trains just as much as when I was a boy. Some of my very first memories are of my old Tonka truck, that big metal monstrosity.

I used to go nowhere, and I mean nowhere, without a suitcase full of Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Corgi cars. As I got older, model railroading became the big thing. I devoured magazines dedicated to the hobby and obsessively pored over the diorama I was building and laying track upon.

Somewhere along the line, I lost that love. I don’t really know why. I moved on to action figures, to sports, to girls and trying to impress my friends. University and career took over shortly thereafter. And then I was an adult. Sorta.

Don’t get me wrong, I hung on to mementos from my childhood as much as I could. Anyone who’s met me has probably seen me wearing a superhero shirt. Up until my forties, I still regularly collected comic books and superhero paraphernalia. I still kinda do, they just go to Liam now.

So while the superhero shirts and toys do make us both happy, the pure joy that tractors, trucks and trains bring to Liam not only surpasses that but also has reawakened my own love for them. Just take a good look at the next tractor you see; the next crane towering above you; regard the raw power of that train pulling into the station; and wow, those Kings County cement mixers really do look cool!

And I’m not the only one susceptible to Liam’s infectious joy when he sees the objects of his affection. If a truck is parked on our street he must go and see it, exclaiming the whole time how cool it is. People passing by can’t help but smile, and if the driver is there, that’s who Liam treats like a celebrity.

Also, it doesn’t hurt that his unbridled enthusiasm for the vehicle gets him invited to sit in it.

I mean how could you deny this? Look how happy he is. He’s smiling, I’m smiling, the truck driver is smiling, and passersby are all smiling. His love for tractors, trucks and trains doesn’t just make him feel good but makes everyone around him feel good too.

Look, the world is an unsteady place right now. America is divided sharply by uncertainty and obstinance. Discrimination is threatening to become law. The hateful and bigoted are crowing about running the country while massive protests line the streets against the current administration. “Alternative facts” are trying to whitewash brazen lies, and the low rumble of war has started from nations like China.

In times like these, filled with anger and dread, joy becomes more precious than ever. So who am I to deny my son the joy he finds in these vehicles? He loves them, and they bring him joy. Not only that, but his joy infects everyone else, so who am I to deny those people joy as well?

A parent’s duty is to raise a happy child. He loves them, I love him, and so I will love tractors, trucks and trains once again.

All photos contributed by Chad R. MacDonald

Cross Country on the Rails With My 4-Year Old Son

Guest Contributor — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:46:00 +0000

Summer may have gone by in a blur, but we were lucky enough to have gained a few memories that will last a lifetime. We live with a little rail enthusiast who seems to have been born with an intense love for all things that run on rails. So we decided to indulge him with a 9-day cross-country train trip by flying out to Seattle and taking the Amtrak with children back home to New York. I had neither done nor considered anything like this before, but we thought it would be a great way to introduce our 4-year-old son to the country beyond our island here on Manhattan. As a father, it’s really important to me that my son grows up knowing that there is more to life than living in a concrete jungle.

After weeks of meticulous planning, we flew out to Seattle along with my parents to start our journey. Our plan was to board Amtrak’s Empire Builder to Chicago and then Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited back home to New York. In between, we’d get to see some beautiful country and stop for a couple of days in Montana’s Glacier National Park.

No matter what you may think about the rain, Seattle is a real gem and I can see how it is a great place to live. For the adults, we enjoyed fresh seafood in places like Taylor Fish Farms and Pike Place Market along with the natural beauty of the northwest. For our son, all he cared about was taking all the various types of transportation options that Seattle has to offer: street trolleys, the 2-minute ride on the monorail, electric cable buses and the light rail from the airport. How we were getting somewhere was more important than where we were actually going! Regardless, the highlight of our brief stay was definitely The Center for Wooden Boats, where we enjoyed a 50-minute sail out on Lake Union for FREE. That’s right, gratis! Where could you find that kind of deal new New York City? Also worthwhile was the Ballard Locks and fish ladder. Think of it as a miniaturized Panama Canal where the kids can watch all kinds of marine vessels go by. All my son could talk about was jumping onto the boats so it’s a good thing we took him sailing. The fish ladder, which allows salmon to pass through the locks on their way upstream to spawn, also included an observation window where you can literally watch thousands of salmon swimming by. It was a first for us all.

Amtrak with children offers an awesome experience

After two days in Seattle, the anticipation of getting onto the train was reaching a fever pitch. Our son was asking every 15 minutes for updates on when it would be time to go. Check-in was surprisingly quick, so we ended up with 2 hours to kill at the train station. Though he steadfastly argued against leaving the station for fear of missing our train, the last call for enjoying Seattle’s amazing coffee was too much to resist.

We boarded Amtrak with children in tow, met our very friendly porter and entered our rooms. Being on the train just made everything more exciting for our son and there was plenty to keep him amused. He spent the first several hours running up and down the hallway between our room and my parent’s room, as the simple concept of having a room on a train was thrilling to him! Outside the window, the majestic and ever-changing landscapes offered unlimited opportunities to stare. Oceans, rivers, mountains, deserts, snow, prairies, cities, towns, feats of engineering… we could see it all right outside our window. Eating on the train was equally fantastic. The mac and cheese may have come out of a Kraft box, but to our son, being on a train made it taste better. Our iPad was loaded with many books, games and music in preparation for the many hours of downtime, but we didn’t need it nearly as much as we thought we would. The train also had an observation car, which provided both a place to look at the views and meet new people. Our son managed to meet a playmate to pass the time for a few hours. The dining car, which does communal seating, was also great for meeting new people and hearing stories from different walks of life. Where else could you meet a geophysicist on his way to a lute festival in Wisconsin?

The rooms themselves were pretty small; think half the size of a cruise cabin. But even then, it was comfortable and much preferred over sitting in coach! Our sleeper room included a private bathroom, shower, sink, couch, solo seat, retractable table and a large window. We had two rooms next to each other so they were able to be combined into one larger room. The hallway windows just outside our cabin door allowed us views from both sides of the train. For the nighttime setup, the couch folded down into a bed that was a little wider than a twin, but well smaller than a full. Amtrak claims that two adults can sleep on the bottom, but it I’m not sure how comfortable that would be if the other person was anyone besides your significant other! However, it was ample room for my wife and son. I took the top bunk, which folded from high in the cabin into a twin-sized bed. The nighttime setup is tight and intended only for when you are sleeping. Given the rockiness of the train, it did seem a bit unnerving on the top bunk but the security straps were enough to keep an adult from falling down (but not a child!). The bathroom compartment was also tight and the hand sink was located inside the sleeping cabin rather than inside the bathroom compartment itself. The bathroom compartment was like a more compact shower stall with a toilet inside it. Basically, the idea is you sit on the toilet with the lid down and wash yourself off with a handheld showerhead. Since we only ever spent one night on the train at a time, no one ended up using the shower and we all just waited until we arrived at the next hotel. Tight or not, a private bathroom and sink are worth it on a long train trip!

Taking Amtrak with children is a special treat for all.

We arrived in Montana and continued scratching off the “firsts” for our city-dwelling son (and my wife!): seeing snow-capped mountains, fishing, rafting (more like drifting) down a river, seeing bears and mountain goats in their habitat, stepping into ice cold lake water, witnessing a double rainbow, breathing fresh mountain air and drinking fresh mountain spring water! Words and pictures cannot accurately describe the enormity and beauty of Glacier National Park. Even though my father insisted that the mountain goats we saw were fake and installed by the Parks service, Glacier is a can’t-miss if you’re ever in the area. Don’t miss Going to the Sun Road as there is plenty to see right from the car window. For the young and the elderly, there are nice, short walks (around one mile long) that are easily accessible from the road. If you want to stay inside the park, the rustic Many Glacier Hotel is well worth the money with its prime location right on a lake and its million-dollar views of the mountains. We got off the train at Whitefish, MT, which is a decent-sized town with a suburban feel that is fed by tourism all year round.

Taking Amtrak with children is a special treat for all.

After getting back on Amtrak with the children and continuing east to Chicago, we hit a snag: derailment! Not our train, thankfully. A freight train ahead of us derailed and the line was impassible. There were no injuries, but we were delayed 8 hours. Our son was a real trooper and I think the whole experience was all the more fascinating to him. We were loaded onto buses (yet another form of transportation) and driven around the accident, where we could see it in plain view.

Taking Amtrak with children is a special treat for all.

The derailment provided weeks worth of talking points and seeing it was proof positive to my Mom that Amtrak was not making the whole thing up as an excuse for being late. The astonishment of seeing ripped-up rails and train cars toppled on their side ended up being one of the most memorable parts of the trip for our son, who talked about it often afterward.

We reached Chicago, our final stop. The return to city life was welcome and we spent most of our time reconnecting with friends and eating deep-dish pizza. Chicago may be called the second city, but when it comes to architecture, it is second to none. It seemed like there was some quirky-looking building or piece of artwork to gawk at every other block. The highlights for our son included an architecture ride on the Loop, a beach on Lake Michigan (Loyola Park) and the Crown Fountain at Millenium Park. Even though our son didn’t find it too interesting, we thought that Cloud Gate in Millenium Park, which is right by the fountain, was pretty awesome as well.

It was time to go home. We jumped on to the next Amtrak with children adventure, the night-time departing Lake Shore Limited eastbound for New York City. The condition of this train and the type of staff was markedly different from our experience on the Empire Builder. While the Empire Builder seemed to have a strong inclination towards tourists, the Lake Shore Limited had a much more commuter feel to it. The train was much older and didn’t feel as clean or cozy. On the positive, there were actually more windows in the room. The Lake Shore Limited is known to offer wonderful views of the Great Lakes en route eastward before it turns south into New York City. Unfortunately, I can only go by what I read, because we ended up sleeping right through all the scenery! By the time we woke up at 11 a.m., we had missed the lakes and our breakfast and we were surrounded by unspectacular views of nothing. Oh well, at least we got some much-needed sleep! Once we made it to the Hudson River, the scenery turned beautiful once again. However, being New Yorkers, it was all familiar to us and being so close to home just made everyone itchy to get there as soon as possible.

Finally, we pulled into Penn Station, which regretfully was the worst train station of the trip. Even worse than the half-built King Station in Seattle. So much for New York being the capital of the world.

The trip was an amazing experience and everyone, from our 4-year-old son to my 73-year-old father had a great time. If you’re thinking about giving it a try and I could offer a few tips of advice:

The train is part of the experience, not a way to get to your destination! Embrace it and you will enjoy it even more. Expect that there will be delays.
Keep everyone happy by finding places that both the adults and the child can find enjoyment in, even if it isn’t the same thing. In Montana, Many Glacier hotel was set on a beautiful lake, where my father enjoyed his nap by the window while my son and I could go on a short hike around lake. In Seattle, all my son wanted to do was take a trolley, which took us right to the free sailing. Everybody can win!
Bringing your parents or in-laws can be a risk but they can be hugely helpful. My wife and I managed to get in a couple of date nights, thanks to my parents. Plan for some alone time if you need it. For example, our train rooms may have been separated accidentally on purpose!

If you can afford the time and the cost, a cross-country train trip is definitely worth a try! Our son has already picked out the next Amtrak line he wants to take and I’ve started collecting Amtrak points to pay for it.

About the author

Edward Yau is a geek dad that writes code for his kid. Follow Ed on Twitter @daddycoder.