New York City is the perfect place to travel with teenagers: they don't need their hands held, they want to explore and they're starting find their own sense of style. This starter list combines independence, adventure and self-expression for a refreshing twist on family time. (You may make it through the day without a single eye roll.)1. Do a Hamilton-inspired itinerary in the greatest city in the worldSing your way through , and the —just a few downtown and uptown Manhattan places to get some context for the musical that's taken the City, and the world, by storm.2. Take a ride to Rockaway Beach Spend the whole morning at the edge of Queens. Sign up for surf lessons, play volleyball on the sand and definitely get tacos as a reward for making the pilgrimage to the Ramones' favorite waterfront strip. (Note: part of the beach has been , but Jacob Riis and the surf areas are among the stretches that remains open—and NYC offers plenty of for fun and recreation.)3. Score some vintage outfits in BrooklynFashionable clothing store , which carries old band T-shirts, denim jackets, designer dresses and stylish accessories, has outlets in Greenpoint, Bushwick and Park Slope—Brooklyn neighborhoods that happen to have good bookstores and record shops as well, a likely bonus. 4. Try dim sum in Sunset Park Tacos dominate on Fifth Avenue in this ; farther east, dim sum palaces like and make fine destinations to try authentic Cantonese dim sum—and inexpensive enough that you won't mind as your ravenous teen points at plate after plate on the trolley cart.5. Create your own exotic menu at the Queens Night MarketThere's something cool about hanging out after dark on a Saturday night to sample the 's array of unusual international cuisine—say, Persian stew or Thai roasted crickets—and bobbing along to the sounds of DJs spinning tunes. 6. Check out the scene on St. Mark's PlaceWhile it may not have the artsy edge it once did, the Village's main is still an exciting place for a stroll and to check out the odd and old-school . The musically inclined can also look for from the cover of Led Zep's Physical Graffiti and, a few blocks over by Tompkins Square Park, .7. Hit a minor (or major) league baseball game The family may well get to witness fireworks afterward at the stadium, with the Manhattan skyline providing a classy backdrop. Coney Island also hosts a minor league team, the , where games take place within view of the speedy Thunderbolt roller coaster. Seeing big leaguers is fun and easy, too, at the Bronx's or in Queens.8. See what's on at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of TechnologyIs there a budding fashionista in the crew? This lets you look at punk fashions, pink dresses or whatever might be on display at the moment—and might also give you an idea for where to send the kids to college.9. Take in hip-hop history on a Bronx bus tour Thanks to , old-school MCs and DJs are on hand to point out major landmarks in the development of the genre, which created a new cultural language and musical landscape for today's youth (and, yes, for many parents too).10. Get a civics lesson at the United NationsThere's weird public art, there's insight into how the functions to keep peace and there's the thrill of entering the inner sanctum where debates on the world's problems take place. (There's also a tour specifically designed for younger kids.)
