Visiting the Statue of Liberty - Know Before You Go!

Lady Liberty! This symbolic site is a meaningful place for both children and adults to visit. And yet, even as I grew up outside of, and then LIVED in NYC, I had never gone to Liberty Island until last month. My eldest daughter requested a trip there as part of her 10th birthday NYC weekend, and I couldn’t say no. Here are some tips and things to know before you make the trip yourself.

1. Free to visit…kind of. While there’s no charge to be on Liberty Island and for the museum onsite, you have to pay to get there. This means paying for a ferry service. Statue City Cruises is the only authorized ferry with service to Liberty Island (and also Ellis Island!). Additionally, there are separate fees for going UP inside the statue. If you want to climb to either the pedestal or crown levels, expect to pay more (price is rolled in with the ferry price so it’s just one ticket). Don’t want to pay or don’t have the time? Simply take the free Staten Island Ferry and do a drive, err, sail-by.

2. You can go from New Jersey OR Manhattan. Cruises from Manhattan leave from Battery Park, and those from New Jersey leave from Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Since we were driving from DC to NYC, we decided to take the ferry from Jersey City since it was on the way, and then drove into NYC afterwards. We also opted for this because, as we had a car, parking at Liberty State Park is abundant and inexpensive ($7), whereas it is much more difficult near Battery Park. However, not everyone feels comfortable driving in NYC! If you are taking the train to the city or coming from a different direction, it probably would make more sense for you to take the ferry from Manhattan.

3. Go as early as possible. I was so thankful my daughter and I took a morning ferry (11 am — we left DC around 6:30, got in at 10 am, which gave us enough time for a snack and bathroom break before going through security and waiting in line). It was crowded in the morning, but even more so when we left a few hours later. Also, even though the sailing only takes about 15 minutes, be prepared to spend a lot of time waiting in line for security and boarding beforehand. Plan to arrive at your selected terminal at least 45 minutes in advance.

4. Items inside the Statue are highly restricted - bring a quarter! We were surprised that we weren’t allowed to bring our stainless steel water bottles with us for the climb up to the pedestal level, and were told to rent a locker. These are 25¢ each. Bring a quarter - we experienced the change machines to all be broken, and had to rely on the kindness of a stranger! (Other restricted items include food, all drinks except in clear water bottles, backpacks, and strollers).

5. It’s a National Park Site. This means, for kids, that it is also a place where they can take part in the Junior Ranger program and earn a badge. The activities are best for kids ages 5+.

6. It’s not ideal for very young children. Not going to sugar coat it - this is a place where you really need to watch young ones. The ferry can be tight and crowded, and difficult to use a stroller, so if you are bringing a little one, baby-wearing is the way to go. While I want all my children to experience the Statue of Liberty, I felt much more at ease not making this a trip where I’d have to worry about my highly energetic toddler!

7. Don’t miss the museum! I’m so glad we didn’t rush things and went into the museum. My daughter loved soaking up the history of the construction of Lady Liberty and seeing the original torch, inspiration for the statue, replicas of the face and feet, etc. The visitor center is also inside the museum.

Flying A Budget Airline? An Honest Take From A Mom

When my husband and I first started discussing possible spring break plans, part of our calculus was the price of flights. With five tickets to purchase, this is an understandable constraint for many families! After some research and number crunching, it was undeniable that flying a low-cost airline - Frontier, to be precise - would be literally a fraction of the cost of major carriers. Here’s how we decided to bite the bullet and try out Frontier plus an honest review of our experience.

The Cost

All in all, our 5 round-trip tickets from BWI to PHX plus the cost of 2 checked bags came out to just over $500. Total. Yup, you read that correctly. And bonus - the flights were direct, which many big carriers did not offer. The cost was the tipping point for us and we decided that we could 100% handle a less cushy flight experience in order to get this deal. Are flights always this much of a bargain? Nope. I checked for flights to Omaha, where my brother’s family lives, and they were far more expensive than other carriers. Finding these deals really depend on your city of origin and final destination.

Another way we were able to score such great deals is by taking advantage of Frontier’s Kids Fly Free ticket options. We got 2 of our 3 kids’ tickets completely for free because we had flexibility in our dates and could choose the less-desired days of the week to fly, when these Discount Den fares were offered.

Logistics At The Airport & Tips

When we arrived at BWI to depart, there was virtually no line at Frontier. This of course isn’t always the case (there was a massive line when we departed Phoenix), but it gave us a positive start! Here’s what we did to make sure the processs was as seamless as possible:

1) We made sure our luggage fit the necessary criteria. This meant bag dimensions and weight. We checked two bags and weighed our bags beforehand at home to ensure we wouldn’t have to do any last-minute shuffling at the airport. With flying a budget airline, bag fees are how they make extra money, so make absolutely sure you are within the necessary limits and you will be just fine. While we had to pay for 2 checked bags (each way), we each were allowed a “personal item” for free. This is similar to basic economy on other airlines where it needs to be a bag you can fit under your seat.

2) We printed out our boarding passes in advance. If you need assistance doing this at the airport, you will be charged. Another option is to download the Frontier Airlines App to get your boarding passes (which we did for our return flight since we had no printer at our AirBNB).

3) Tag your own luggage. There are self-service kiosks where you print out and tag your own checked luggage. To be completely honest this one threw me off a bit, but it’s easy once you’ve done it.

4) Tag gate-check items. We brought my son’s convertible car seat and car seat travel cart (which got loads of compliments from two other traveling families!). Like other airlines, you can gate-check car seats and strollers for free. Just ask for the blue gate-check tag at the baggage drop or at the gate and the staff will gladly fill it out for you (but you must attach yourself).

The Flights

Real talk? The flights were FINE. Zero complaints. The seats aren’t as plush as some other airlines but for a 4 hour direct flight, none of us found any fault in them. The staff were friendlier than I was expecting, having heard a lot of negativity about Frontier and other budget airlines beforehand. Like with luggage, Frontier will charge you for everything they can on the flight. But when you realize this is how prices are kept so low, it’s really understandable. Complimentary water is offered, and you can purchase other drinks and snacks. We simply brought one “personal item” bag full of snacks each way. I also appreciated how the flight attendants came through the cabin several times in order to collect trash (which was much appreciated as my kids were devouring Z-bars and apples and lollipops!). I also generally dislike checking luggage out of fear something will happen to it when out of my sight, but we had no issues and our luggage arrived at the baggage carousel pretty promptly.

Every airline has its positive and negative reviews and experiences, but my husband and I both came away feeling really pleased with our decision to give Frontier a try. We would absolutely fly them again if the price and flight path was the most favorable. In my opinion, we would most likely only use them again for direct flights.

Have you tried a budget airline (domestic or abroad)? Would you do it again? Let us know!

“Paris is always a good idea”…Yes, even with kids!

This iconic line by Audrey Hepburn in the movie Sabrina usually evokes images of chic adults headed off to Paris for some spontaneous and elegant adventure. But is the City of Lights still a good idea…with your kids in tow? Bien sur, oui! We have found Paris to be a delightful destination with our children. Here are some of our favorite reasons why:

Wide Open Spaces

While there are many busy boulevards in Paris, the city was thoughtfully planned to include plenty of open public spaces. There is so much room to roam that one might think that a parent of a toddler had this in mind when designing the city. From large public gardens to playgrounds to the iconic Champ de Mars, there are no shortages of places for little people to run off all the energy they have (because let’s face it, they have a LOT).

Easy and Beautiful Transportation

While Paris truly is a walkable city in many regards, it is just so large that it is not feasible to assume you can do all you want on foot. Even less so when you factor in pushing strollers or expecting your children to walk miles upon miles. Cabs are abundant but not always cost effective. Enter the Paris Metropolitain underground system. This metro is massive (136 miles in length!), easy to navigate, and will get you and yours wherever you need to go. Moreover, we felt completely safe using it with toddlers and school aged kids. My children are used to using the Metro at home in DC, so taking trains elsewhere added a sense of familiarity for them. Bonus: so many of the stations are designed with art and history in mind. Some of the best stations are the Louvre (with replicas of the museum’s statues on display), Bastille (with depictions of French history on the walls), and Arts et Metier (fashioned after a Jules Verne submarine). Children of all ages will love to see how the stations differ in decor.

Reliably Delicious Food

It’s true, one of the best things about France is the food. Even for the pickiest of eaters (ahem, my eldest daughter), there is something for every palette in Paris. From the delicious baked items at boulangeries (there are over 30,000 in Paris!) to roadside carts with treats-on-the-go to casual family-friendly bistros, your children will have plenty of yummy, delicious things to eat. French cuisine is the perfect mix of just foreign enough that it is different and intriguing, but also hugely accessible to kids. Just maybe not escargot! An added plus: You’ll also find the French are generally more conscientious with their food, using high quality ingredients and listing pesticides used on produce in grocery stores for greater transparency.

No Shortage of Activities

No matter the time of year, there is an incredible amount to do with kids in Paris. The city is chock-full of museums, cinemas, performance halls, historic and cultural sites, parks and gardens, and so much more. Not to mention if you are feeling up for an extra side trip and a taste of Americana, there’s always Euro Disney a short train ride away! It’s hard to be bored, at any age, in a city as vibrant and full of possible adventures as Paris.

Welcoming People

There’s an unfortunate stereotype that Parisians are cold and unwelcoming towards foreigners. My husband and I found that this could not be further from the truth! From helpful cab drivers to restaurant staff to even a neighbor at our AirBnB apartment, we were quite taken with the warmth of Parisians. We had such lovely interactions with locals in Paris, and found that there was a lot of goodwill towards families with young children in particular.

Has visiting Paris been on your radar but you haven’t quite felt comfortable committing to it? Talk to us and we can help put together the perfect itinerary for your family to get the most out of your time in the City of Lights!