Considering an NYC babymoon and curious about the reality of visiting New York City while pregnant?
As someone who spent her entire pregnancy living in NYC, from the moment I first decided to take a test to a very memorable Uber ride down 1st Ave while in the throes of active labor, I truly experienced being pregnant in New York at every stage.
We moved away from New York (like so many others) in the middle of my son’s first year of life, and for me, the City That Never Sleeps will always and forever be associated with his arrival into the world, from my pregnancy to those magical moments and late nights of early parenthood, and everything in between.
(While there is perhaps no fun way to get up for the 5th time in the middle of the night with a newborn, I will say that the twinkling skyline of Manhattan was a lovely backdrop for those 3:00 AM feedings).
But I’m getting ahead of myself–because this blog post is all about the Before, and celebrating your pregnancy and upcoming new arrival in style!
Here’s what to know about planning a babymoon in New York City, including our top travel tips and some advice on what to do in New York when pregnant (spoiler: pretty much anything you want).
Table of Contents
10 Tips for Planning a Babymoon in New York City
Prepare to walk a lot.
Unless you live in a city where you walk as transportation at home, there’s a good chance that your babymoon in New York will set a record for the number of steps per day you take during your pregnancy, so be prepared for that.
This is not a time for anything but the most supportive shoes!
Know that there is no a/c in the subway platforms.
If you’re planning your NYC babymoon in the summer, be prepared to sweat underground!
There is no a/c in the subway platforms… and not every subway car has a/c either.
… and be prepared to climb staircases in and out of them.
While virtually every subway stop has some escalators, they don’t always cover the full distance to the lines and aren’t always working.
Elevators are uncommon enough that disabled people and parents carting strollers need to carefully plan their routes, so definitely don’t count on those!
Essentially, it’s best to be prepared to climb a fair number of stairs when riding the subway in New York, though it isn’t always necessary.
If you can, budget for some cabs.
Because of all 3 of the possible challenges mentioned above, I recommend budgeting for more cabs (or Ubers/Lyfts) than I would generally recommend on a standard first trip to New York.
Inevitably, there will come a time when you simply don’t want to walk or navigate public transportation anymore, and that’s when it’s time to call a cab!
I definitely used more cabs at the end of my pregnancy than I did earlier on.
Opt for the coziest hotel in your budget–but prioritize location above all.
A comfortable bed, a quiet room, and the ease of having some of the best attractions in the city right outside your door are always appreciated when traveling… but I never valued comfort more than when I was pregnant!
New York hotel rooms can be extremely cramped by US standards, and tripping over luggage isn’t fun when you can’t see your feet, either.
Equally important, though, is the location: when you’re potentially short on energy, a 30-40 minute subway ride to reach a new neighborhood may not sound so appealing.
So, first things first: look at the things you’re most excited to do in NYC, and then opt for the most comfortable hotel in your budget that’s in that area.
We’ve personally stayed in the Omni Berkshire Place in Midtown and can highly recommend it!
Have your eye on museums, boutiques, and lots of time in Central Park? I personally think an NYC babymoon would be the perfect time to stay in the (comparatively) peaceful Upper East Side or Upper West Side (for example, The Pierre gets excellent reviews).
As always, just make sure you’re near a subway stop!
Want to splurge on a classic NYC experience? If so, The Plaza makes for a memorable babymoon destination, and you can’t beat the location (right on the edge of Central Park and 5th Ave) either!
Check rates & book your NYC babymoon hotel today!
Keep the scents of the city in mind.
While far from the most romantic aspect of a babymoon in New York, it has to be said: generally speaking, the city doesn’t smell that great, and that’s especially true when dealing with scent aversions when pregnant.
Typically, I don’t find that the city smells as bad as some people say (at the very least, it doesn’t smell bad everywhere, all the time), but if you happen to combine, say, a hot summer’s day, trash pickup day, and enhanced sensitivity to smells from being pregnant–yikes.
As a city, New York famously has very few alleys, which in practice means that trash gets piled up on the sidewalks… and that’s just one aspect of many that can contribute to less-than-ideal odors that come from millions of people living in close quarters.
It’s usually not a big deal, and something people who live in New York learn to tune out, but it definitely affected me on some days when I was pregnant!
Indulge in New York delivery culture.
In the age of delivery apps and grocery pickup services galore, this isn’t quite as unique of an experience as it once was–but it’s true that in New York you can get just about anything delivered, from bagels to clothing.
Don’t feel like going out one night?
Pull up a movie in your hotel and get a full meal delivered–of just about any composition you can imagine!
Want to try a famous NYC food that’s trending but to avoid the crowds and lines? Delivery. Regret not ordering that dessert at dinner and want cheesecake at midnight? Delivery. Want a bacon egg and cheese for breakfast but also to sleep in? Delivery.
True story: when I was in labor we had Oreos, Gatorade, and Sprite delivered from the bodega that was practically next door to our apartment because I didn’t want to be left alone for a second at that time. While nothing in that sentence is something normal for me, I have no regrets (and we used delivery heavily in the immediate postpartum/newborn phase too).
All the major delivery apps are active in NYC, and Seamless is our go-to. GrubHub, Postmates, UberEats, and DoorDash are also all very popular.
Shop for Broadway seats in advance… so you can score an aisle seat.
Broadway is lots of fun, but stressing about interrupting the show with having to take a bathroom break is not!
If you plan to see a show or two during your babymoon, I recommend shopping for tickets in advance and scoring an aisle seat if at all possible.
Even if you only use the restroom during intermission, it’ll still give you a chance to beat the intermission crowds to the bathroom line!
We often use TodayTix to buy Broadway tickets, and you can also book tickets to popular shows through Get Your Guide and Viator.
Take advantage of restrooms when you find them.
While you can generally always find a restroom somewhere nearby in NYC, especially if you’re willing to purchase a coffee or something similar to access one, it’s much better to avoid a frantic search in the first place!
There are some publicly accessible restrooms scattered throughout the city, including in Central Park (many places, but Bethesda Terrace is easy to navigate to if you’re looking for one), in Castle Clinton in the Financial District, and in highly trafficked parks (the Bryant Park bathroom is popular for being clean and accessible).
Push comes to shove, large chain stores like Whole Foods, Home Depot, Apple, and REI are good places to hunt for a clean restroom.
Enjoy the most wholesome catcalling of your life!
This is a bit tongue-in-cheek, as legitimate catcalling is not remotely defensible, but if you are obviously showing during your NYC babymoon, you will definitely hear about it!
Especially in the last couple months of pregnancy, I heard “congratulations” pretty regularly when on the street, often said without either me or the other person pausing.
More strangers than I can count on one hand also asked about the gender!
An Incomplete List of Things to Do in NYC While Pregnant
Ultimately, a complete list of things to on a New York babymoon reads basically as “everything you would want to do anyway, except what your doctor says not to.”
Take it from someone who spent her pregnancy living in New York while hosting almost a dozen visitors over the course of 9 months (most of them enjoying their first trip to NYC): you can do basically anything you want… just perhaps with a few more breaks to sit down or take a nap.
We have a full guide to planning your first trip to NYC here, as well as a handful of recommended itineraries (here are our 4-day, 2-day, and 1-day itineraries), so I’ll do my best to keep from getting too detailed here.
But here are just a few fun things that I enjoyed doing in NYC while pregnant!
People-watch in Central Park.
Savoring Central Park is always one of the best things to do in New York, but I particularly loved it while pregnant!
Central Park is beautiful, expansive, iconic, and the perfect place to either walk or sit as much as you want, people-watching all the way.
Don’t miss Bethesda Terrace, the Bow Bridge, the Alice in Wonderland Statue (it’s a cute place for a bump picture), and the Central Park Mall and Literary Walk (you’ll find excellent buskers here, especially closer to Bethesda Terrace).
Visit the top museums in NYC.
While visiting New York’s top museums (especially the Met) can involve a lot of walking, it can also be lots of fun while pregnant!
I visited the Met, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) all more than once during my pregnancy, soaking up those final days of (comparatively) peaceful museum visits before the challenges of chasing a toddler around New York set in.
Depending on how far along you are, you might find yourself searching for a bench or cafe to rest your feet more often than usual, but you’ll find plenty of options at all of them!
Enjoy views from an observation deck.
Admiring New York’s skyline from above is, without a doubt, one of the best things to do when visiting New York City… and if you’re visiting while you’re visibly pregnant, it makes for some pretty cool bump photos, too!
Heading several dozen stories or so into the sky offers a whole new perspective on the depth and breadth of the city, and no matter how many times we go, it never stops being a remarkable experience.
While pricey, it’s worth making room in your budget to experience at least one of the big 5, so to speak, which are the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, One World Observatory, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, and The Edge, which is where I snapped the photo included below.
This blog post covers more details about what you can expect at each observation deck, but you can’t go wrong with any of them!
(It’s also worth noting that if you’re planning to use the excellent New York City Pass during your stay, the Empire State Building is automatically included, and you have the option of adding Top of the Rock).
Take plenty of bump photos at NYC’s top photo spots.
What better excuse for a quick maternity photoshoot than a trip to New York City?
If you’re hoping to get some frame-worthy (or announcement-worthy!) bump photos with your partner during your babymoon in New York, consider hiring a photographer to help!
Flytographer makes it easy to connect with professional photographers around the world, and that includes in NYC.
Personally, I’d opt for a shoot in either DUMBO (with views of Manhattan) or Central Park, but the sky is the limit when deciding where to commemorate your trip!
Pay a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
I’ll confess: it took us several years and many trips to New York to finally visit the Statue of Liberty, and once we did, we enjoyed it so much that we returned repeatedly.
When living in NYC, we took almost all of our family and friends who visited us there over to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island!
Not only is the statue itself lovely, but the ferry ride itself is an amazing part of the experience (those views!), and Ellis Island is an incredible museum that covers the (primarily late 19th-century/first half of the 20th century) immigration experience very well.
We recommend boarding the earliest ferry to the Statue of Liberty that you can get tickets for, and then heading to Ellis Island after visiting Liberty Island (though note that Ellis Island closes fairly early, so plan your day accordingly).
Shop tickets to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island today!
Savor the mocktail scene.
While New York’s many cocktails are one of the few things you truly can’t fully experience in the city while pregnant, that doesn’t mean you need to write off cocktail bars entirely!
Any bar in New York will be happy to make a mocktail, but most places these days take it a few steps beyond asking for a virgin version of a drink: carefully crafted mocktails are on the menu all over the city!
Yes, they’re expensive for what they are (I didn’t order them often for this reason: they’re often priced similarly to cocktails, but missing the most expensive ingredient), but once in a while, it’s fun to enjoy a beautiful drink on a patio!
See a Broadway show.
I saw several shows while pregnant in NYC, but none ranked above Sweeney Todd starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford!
Whatever you see, though, it’s bound to be a delight (though as I mentioned above… think about your restroom access when booking tickets, especially if you’ll be further along in your pregnancy by then).
Relax on Roosevelt Island or Governor’s Island.
Want to enjoy a bit of peace, quiet, and greenery… while also maintaining gorgeous skyline views?
If so, a visit to Roosevelt Island or Governor’s Island should be on your list of things to do on your New York babymoon!
Roosevelt Island is small, charming, and quick to see, with parks, cherry blossoms, a set of abandoned hospital ruins, and incredible views from its aerial tramway all ranking among its top attractions.
Governor’s Island, on the other hand, is best known for its dreamy spa!
Browse bookshops for children’s books (and books for you).
This is the bibliophile in me talking, but browsing children’s books was one of my favorite parts of shopping while pregnant (way more fun than trying to decide what stroller to buy, for example–though for what it’s worth, this one turned out to be amazing for living in NYC or any other walkable city).
New York is chock full of amazing independent bookstores, but a few to consider adding to your list include the classic Strand Books, Westsider Books, Albertine (if you’re looking for books in French or just want to appreciate a gorgeous interior), and, for an institution focused exclusively on books for children, Books of Wonder.
Pick up an “I <3 NYC” onesie (or other gift for your little one).
Cheesy? Maybe, but it’s a universal rule that what’s cheesy for adults is adorable for babies!
Whether it’s an I <3 NYC onesie, a baby’s first Christmas ornament, a piece of decor for their nursery, a classic toy from FAO Schwartz, or something else, be sure to commemorate your NYC babymoon by picking up a little something for your little one!
Admire views of New York from the water.
This is especially true if your babymoon is taking place over the summer, but New York is beautiful from the water year-round!
Not only can you get amazing views of the skyline this way, but you can enjoy them while sitting down, enjoying a breeze, and with easy access to a restroom if you need one.
There are several ways to pull this off, including riding the Staten Island Ferry (which is free), hopping on the NYC Ferry ($4.50/ride as of the time of writing), or even booking a dinner cruise like this (one of our friends went on one a few years ago and raved about it–and he’s lived in New York for more than a decade).
Of course, one of the most popular boat rides in New York is catching the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which offers amazing views of Lower Manhattan.
We also loved the Circle Line sightseeing cruise that we took using our New York City Pass!
It was a delight to get a quick sweep of everything from Hudson Yards to the Financial District to the Brooklyn Bridge to the Statue of Liberty and back again with our visiting family members.
Read More About Visiting New York (and Beyond)
If you found this guide to planning your NYC babymoon helpful, we’d love to continue to be part of your travel research here on Our Escape Clause!
You can check out our 100+ blog posts about the USA here, or browse these guides about the East Coast:
- One Day in New York: How to Sample NYC in a Day
- 3 Days in Charleston SC: The Perfect Weekend in Charleston Itinerary
- 25 Incredible Places to Visit in New England (Weekend Getaway Ideas!)
- 3 Days in Savannah: The Perfect Long Weekend in Savannah Itinerary
- 25+ Best Weekend Getaways in the South
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