How to Drive to NYC with Two Small Boys

I'm super impressed with us.

We made it to NYC without incident. Which, if you have ever tried to go anywhere with two small children in the car, is a feat of prodigious skill. Or luck.

But there are some things you can do to improve your luck. And since I am an expert (ahem) on this subject, I thought I would share some tips with you. And some pictures.


First, you need to properly pack and stock your car.

Some things need to be in easy reach. The diaper bag, snacks, toys and laptop should be close by.

Remember when Kevin told me that we were going camping? I bought a ton of camp snacks. Those went into a box, and into the backseat of the car. Along with a good assortment of toys for Connor and Lex.

I also grabbed a few of Connor's DVDs before we left, and threw those in my laptop case so that he could watch a few movies in the car on my laptop. (Disclaimer, we have an inverter in our SUV, which converts the power from the cigarette lighter into regular electricity and you can plug things in. This is because I am married to an electrical engineer, but you can buy one at Best Buy.)

Our first view of NYC from the road

I also threw a case of water bottles in the back, so that whenever we stopped, we could easily grab a few.

The next thing you need handy is a nice fleece blanket. It shouldn't be too big, but not too small to lie your biggest kid down on. This will save you from changing diapers in the gas station bathroom. You know the type. The ones on the back of the gas station that look so shady that you are afraid that there is an axe murder in there, but then once you get in and see how filthy it is, you wish there had been an axe murder in there instead of all the germs.

Don't take your baby in there!

Instead, look for a nearby patch of grass. There is always one. Then lay down the blanket on the grass and change the baby there. There are always trash cans at gas stations, and you can venture into the bathroom by yourself if you want to wash your hands.

(Disclaimer: This works best in good weather.)

Evidence of the lack of parking in NYC.

I'm proud to say that we made it to NYC in great time, only having to stop twice. Once we stopped at a gas station to change diapers and fill up the car. Then we stopped a second time at a toll road plaza to eat lunch and change diapers again. Two stops. No meltdowns from the back seat. It was awesome!

Grand Central Terminal

We hit traffic right outside of NYC. We made it to the tunnel under the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York right at 5:00 PM on a Friday night. It didn't take us as long to get through the traffic as we expected, though, and we made it to our hotel by about 6:00 PM.

My next NYC post will be dedicated to our hotel. Can you guess where we stayed?

And don't worry Mom, I made sure to photograph each and every aspect of the hotel room for you...although I probably wasn't as thorough as you would have been.