Beyond FUN: New York City

I love New York. Really. We just enjoyed an overnight stay in the Big Apple during our visit to see friends and family back east, and everything came together to make that little side trip truly memorable. Times Square was packed as ever and the weather was steamy hot, but that just made each stop inside an air-conditioned venue that much more fun. If you’re ever in New York with little ones, have lunch at the Stardust Diner,where servers wearing clothes from the 1950s (including poodle skirts) take turns belting out show tunes while you eat. A horse-drawn carriage ride in Central Park is another treat, especially when your driver invites your kids to help drive. And when you’ve had your fill of historic sites and craning to see the top of the Empire State Building, look around you at the people and enjoy another terrific view: a view of one of the most diverse populations you’ll ever see in one place. People flock to New York to live and visit from all over the world, and everyone belongs there. Long live the ideal of the American melting pot that thrives in our cities and the people devoted to making our cities safe, beautiful places so many love to call home...or just long to visit again and again and again.