Advance Tips for shooting kids against interesting downtown buildings

I have a Nikon D5100 and want to take my kids to get some neat pictures against some old downtown buildings. You know those pictures of kids against crumbling, blue painted brick, odd stone, etc buildings. I would love to get some advance advice from people with experience in this type of setting. The downtown area I am thinking of is about an hour away, so I would love to have a few more ideas in my head instead of waiting for a reshoot if I don't like my pictures