Here's our exact 3-day itinerary for New York City. It was the perfect mix of iconic attractions, kid-friendly activities, great food, and a few memorable splurges… all while using points to cover our hotel.

Accommodations

🏨 Thompson Central Park New York (booked with Hyatt points from my Chase Sapphire Preferred)

The location in Midtown, just south of Central Park, made it easy to walk almost everywhere. We didn't even need to take the subway. I have so many credit cards with rideshare credits that we just took Ubers or Lyfts instead.

Day 1: Central Park & SpyGames

Morning

• We drove to the city in the morning and parked at our hotel for free using a Hyatt Guest of Honor award. If you have a friend or family member who is a Hyatt Globalist, they can gift you their status which gets you free breakfast, free parking and potential upgrades. It is an incredible gift with tons of value!

Afternoon

• Central Park - We spent a couple hours just walking through the park and taking it all in. There are lots of big rocks to jump around on and so many things to see. They had even just opened ice skating at Wollman Rink (end of October!).

• Playground hopping - here is an amazing map of all the playgrounds in the park. Our favorite was the Billy Johnson Playground (#21) on the East Side of the park.

Lunch

• Lenwich - I had read Lenwich has one of the best chicken caesar wraps in the city so we had to try it. It was close to the park and on the way to SpyGames so we gave it a shot. I can confirm it was delicious and I would happily go there again.

Afternoon

• SpyGames - This was such a fun activity for our first day in NYC after a long drive. My kids totally loved the real spy games. My husband and I did too! There are a bunch of different rooms with different style games that you can go back and forth to during your time slot. We booked for an hour and my kids were disappointed when it was over. We were all exhausted though and ready to go freshen up at the hotel. Thankfully our room was ready early!

  
  

Dinner

• Classic NYC pizza - There are so many great pizza places around, but we liked Angelo’s Coal Oven Pizza right around the corner from our hotel.

• Gelato - We enjoyed Venchi Chocolate & Gelato and it was also right around the corner from the Thompson.

Day 2: Midtown Favorites

Morning

• RiseNY - This was a fun, interactive experience that takes you through the history of the city before ending with a simulated “flight” over New York. It is similar to the Soarin' ride at Epcot. We enjoyed the mix of learning and excitement, but the ride was definitely the best part.

• FAO Schwarz - There are so many cool in-store experiences at FAO Schwarz. My daughter loved making a custom bracelet at BaubleBar. Our favorite part was the famous piano keys located on the mezzanine level. It’s a giant floor keyboard that kids can actually step on and play. There is something for everyone! It is nearly impossible to leave without buying something though.

• LEGO Store - My son had to make a stop here and choose a present for his birthday. We would have never let him buy $100 Legos to lug around NYC if we paid full price for the hotel.

  
  

Afternoon

• Times Square - We walked through Times Square on our way to the Lyric Theatre. It was definitely overwhelming for all of us and a one-and-done for our family. Next time, we will probably stick to the side streets!

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - This was an absolutely incredible show and I'm not even a huge Harry Potter fan. We booked the front row of the Dress Circle and it was the most perfect spot to see all of the effects. I highly recommend! It's a 3 hour show with an intermission and I wasn't even ready for it to end. Would I have ever spent almost $1,000 on these seats if we paid full price for a hotel... nope!

Evening

• SUMMIT One Vanderbilt - This was SUCH a cool experience and a highlight for me. My son is terrified of heights but didn't even notice once we got up to the top. There were so many interactive things to do, we could've stayed up there for hours. The balloon room was definitely the biggest hit. We went after dark and I would love to see the views during the day or at sunset.

Day 3: Statue of Liberty Sail

Morning

• Classic Harbor Line Sail - This was an amazing way to end our weekend. We booked the Statue of Liberty sailboat ride with extensive views of the NYC skyline. It was a gorgeous boat and perfect for a sunny, October morning. I would 100% do this excursion again. Be careful with your cell phones though. We saw a poor guy's phone slide right off the boat and into the river.

The best part about using points and miles is that it allows us to splurge on the experiences that make a trip memorable. We were honestly only able to say yes to many of these experiences because our hotel was covered with points. Without paying hundreds/thousands for accommodations, we had room in our budget for things like SUMMIT One, the sailboat cruise, Broadway, and plenty of great food and treats along the way.

Points are the reason we were able to enjoy a weekend in NYC as a family and why we decided to book another weekend this fall. They don't just help us travel, they give us the freedom to create more memories together.

If you want to get started, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is offering a welcome bonus of 75k Chase points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months after opening the card.

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to get started with travel rewards, this is one of the best starter offers I’ve seen. When I opened this card last year, the welcome bonus was 60,000 Chase points (which still covered two nights at the Thompson). I'll never regret being able to create these experiences for my family.

What I Would Do Again on Our Next Trip

There is so much to do in New York City that it can feel overwhelming, especially with kids. After this trip, there are definitely a few experiences that made our “must do again” list.

⭐ SpyGames – This was a perfect break from traditional sightseeing and something we would 100% do again. I am also interested in checking out Activate Games that just opened up in NYC. It seems very similar to SpyGames.

⭐ SUMMIT One Vanderbilt at night – Seeing New York City lit up after dark was unforgettable. The views, the interactive rooms, and the overall experience made this one of our favorite NYC memories. I'd love to check it out during the day or at sunset next time.

⭐ Classic Harbor Line Sailboat Cruise – This was one of our bigger splurges, but it was worth every penny. Getting a different perspective of the city and seeing the Statue of Liberty from the water was such a memorable experience.

⭐ Exploring Central Park – I would absolutely build in more time for Central Park on future trips. The playgrounds were a huge hit with my kids, and it was the perfect way to slow down and let them burn off energy between activities. I'd love to check out Central Park Zoo next time and either rent bikes or a pedicab.

⭐ Staying in Midtown – I would choose this location again in a heartbeat. Being able to walk to so many attractions made our days easier and allowed us to spend less time worrying about transportation. We already have this same hotel booked again for two nights this fall.

⭐ Restaurants – If we didn't have free breakfast at the hotel, I would definitely check out Liberty Bagels. I would also love to take my kids to Gayle's Broadway Rose which has servers singing Broadway show tunes and looks really fun.

We had such a great trip and I can't wait to head back in a few months!