Carrie Bradshaw and her cosmo swilling cohorts may have forged New York’s reputation as a sophisticated singles’ city, but lets bit forget it’s also an amazing family destination. Ok, so little ones may get slightly bored by fashion hunting and abstract art at the Guggenheim, but there’s still an abundance to keep them amused. For starters, here are just a few of the best museums to take them to in the Big Apple: New York City Fire Department Museum Those shiny, red fire trucks that are so prominent in NYC have probably already caught your kids’ attention. If so, take them along to this fascinating museum located in an early 18th century firehouse. You’ll learn how the ‘Rattle Watchers’, the earliest organised fire fighters, used to spin rattles to alert residents before running to their rescue with buckets of water and just why, over the centuries, the shape of the fire fighter’s helmet has remained relatively unchanged. Brooklyn Children’s Museum Opened in 1899, this was the first museum in the world built expressly for children and aspires to ‘enrich children’s lives through inspiring, involving, and challenging them to learn about themselves, others, and the world around them.’ Over 30,000 objects, from ...

Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is where all New York’s leading museums and art galleries are located and one stretch of road is called "Museum Mile". It makes life easy if you choose your holiday apartment in the Upper East Side to have all the leading museums within a few blocks of each other. Every year in June, 5th Avenue is closed for the Museum Mile Festival which is a joyous event full of musicians, street entertainers and free access to the museums. Here are a few of the museums that contribute to Museum Mile: • El Museo del Barrio is dedicated to exhibiting Latin American art and also works from Puerto Ricans and people of Caribbean origin. • The Museum of the City of New York has the feel of an old colonial mansion and is one of New York’s most elegant-looking museums. There are five floors of exhibits including areas such as the Rockefeller rooms. The exhibits retell the history of New York and there is a fantastic display of model ships recounting New York’s prominence as a port. One of the most fascinating exhibits is a series of rooms that have been recreated to represent various periods in America’s colonial history. • The Jewish Museum ...

Times Square has improved considerably over the last 20 years which explains why so many millions of people visit the square to see the famous lights and LED billboards every year. There are a number of old theatres in the Times Square area and here are some you may like to visit during your holiday in New York. NEW VICTORY THEATER »map location One of the oldest theater in Times Square is the New Victory Theatre which was built in 1899. The theatre was refurbished in 1995 and is a theatre dedicated to productions for children and families. » website NEW AMSTERDAM THEATER »map location The New Amsterdam Theatre was constructed in 1904 and is located at 214 West 42nd Street. The theatre is run by Disney Theatrical Productions and is currently (June 2009) showing Mary Poppins, the musical. SELWYN THEATER »map location The Selwyn Theater is on the north side of West 42nd Street at 229 and opened in 1918. The theater was built in an Italian renaissance design and was one of three theatres the Selwyn brothers constructed and ran on 42nd Street. The other two theaters are the Apollo and the Times Square Theatre. The Selwyn Theater was taken over by the ...

Chelsea, New York, is on Manhattan Island, south of West 34th Street and the area known as Hell’s Kitchen; it is north of West 23rd Street and West Village; and lies to the west of 9th Avenue. Chelsea is home to many art galleries (and New York apartment rentals!) and is renowned in New York as a centre for creativity. Following are the top 10 art galleries in Chelsea, although the selection should be regarded as subjective and a personal choice. 1. AMSTERDAM WHITNEY GALLERY »map location The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery is situated in 511 West 25th Street and throughout the year has glamorous gala openings to promote its exhibitions. 2. BARBARA GLADSTONE GALLERY »map location The Barbara Gladstone Gallery is located in 515 West 24th Street and there is also a gallery in 530 West 21st Street. 3. LUHRING AUGUSTINE GALLERY »map location The Luhring Augustine Gallery is in 531 West 24th Street and holds exhibitions for many of New York’s and the art world’s leading talents. 4. MATTHEW MARKS GALLERY »map location The Matthew Marks Gallery is at 523 West 24th Street and displays the works of a good number of artists and holds both contemporary art and museum exhibitions. 5. GAGOSIAN GALLERY »map location The ...