A few days in New York

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KCGeezer

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Well it looks like DW and I will be spending at least a long weekend in NY come October. Our plans are fairly loose as of yet but I know we have an event to attend for a Monday evening in the city.

We’ve been there before but it’s been 10 years or so. Just thought I’d see what those with much more recent or lifelong experience in the Big Apple would recommend.

Thanks in advance.
 
WE had a few days in the city, so we took the hop on hop off bus. It also included a harbor tour.
I also think a visit to the Ground Zero memorial will be very moving.
 
Since it's not till October you have time to pre-register for access to the top of the statue of liberty (need to reserve ahead of time - you climb lady liberty from inside her skirts. LOL)

I love the Met Cloisters museum, and in the fall the park it's in will be pretty as well.

That's 2 ideas - at opposite ends of Manhattan, literally.
 
rodi said:
Since it's not till October you have time to pre-register for access to the top of the statue of liberty (need to reserve ahead of time - you climb lady liberty from inside her skirts. LOL)

I love the Met Cloisters museum, and in the fall the park it's in will be pretty as well.

That's 2 ideas - at opposite ends of Manhattan, literally.
Click to expand...


Wow, it's already booked up into July. I'm going next month and was thinking about what to do!
 
The 9/11 memorial and museum is in my opinion one of the top two places in the world that tell about historical events. The other being the Cabinet War Rooms in London. The lines are usually very long, but if you pay a few more dollars, you can buy tickets for a guided tour without waiting, and then enter the museum immediately also without waiting no matter if your guided tour isn't for hours. This is what we did, and skipped the guided part. It is a very intense experience, and very crowded inside as well.
 
I was there recently and very much enjoyed the Tenement Museum, illustrating what life was like for immigrants from the 1870s through 1930s.

I second Rodi's recommendation of the Met Cloisters (went there last visit).
 
A play on Broadway is never a bad idea. In November, we saw 4 of them - Book of Mormon and Waitress were both really good, as was Beautiful (the Carol King story).
 
Yes, DW has mentioned a play. Nothing specific yet but that’s on the list. I’ve never been to the Guggenheim so that’s on my list.
 
We will be spending one night there prior to getting on a cruise to Southhampton on 4/15. Only things more frightful than the hotel rate are the taxes on the room.

Every time we go, we end up walking ourselves to death. Take the Staten Island ferry (free) from Battery Pack and back--taking in the sights. Walk up thru Wall. St.to little Italy and Chinatown. Grab a bite before touring ABC. Catch the subway up to our hotel in West 79th. Next day, hit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And walk back to hotel thru Central Park. Take in a play one night. . . . . .
 
I (50 year resident) plan on visiting for two weeks in July/Aug with my Wife and Sons (3 & 12) who have never been. With the hotel bedbug problem and no Airbnb, I am having a hard time justifying the cost of staying in Manhattan.

We will not be doing the "touristy things" but will focus on experiencing it the way I did as a local. A few things I have acquiesced on include the Staten Island ferry, Roosevelt Island cable cars, High Line, Breakfast at Tiffanys, Rao's in Harlem if I can score reservations.

One 1/2 day will be spent at Coney Island to ride the Cyclone & Steeplechase at least 10 times, Have a hot dog at Nathans Famous and Totonno's for Pizza.

One day will be devoted to the Bronx. Either the Zoo or Botanical gardens, early dinner on "Arthur Ave" followed by the "Classic" Met's vs Yankees at Yankee Stadium in my friends box.

Will probably devote a day to Brooklyn including the bridge ( I used to climb it for kicks) followed by Dinner at Peter Lugars (will toast BCG if your out there).

One day for Jones Beach, the boardwalk at night and a concert.

A weekend at Ocean Beach (on Fire Island) for memories sake.

Part of the time will be staying on a friends yacht docked in Port Jefferson Harbor so hopefully can get the Captain to do a loop of Manhattan at night.

So much to see and do. so little money!
 
rodi said:
I love the Met Cloisters museum, and in the fall the park it's in will be pretty as well.
Click to expand...

The Cloisters has always been one of my favorite spots in NYC, and I used to consider it a true hidden treasure. Alas, on my last visit I found that it had been "discovered" and had plenty of visitors.

There is a very nice cafe in the park just a short walk from the museum that is a great place for lunch if you go.

You can also get free admission to the Met on the same day with one ticket. I would recommend the Cloisters in the morning, lunch, then the Met in the afternoon so you can get to dinner and maybe a Broadway show in the evening.
 
That sounds like a really fun day braumeister. I appreciate all the replies.

We spent time along Arthur Ave, saw the zoo and gardens, saw Spamalot, and went to ground zero the last time we were there. Definitely would like to go back and see the memorial.

I have found a few Airbnb listings that look appealing and not too far to downtown. You’re right NYEXPAT, from what I’ve seen hotel rates in Manhattan are a bit frightening. One more thing to balance out I guess (travel time vs available time). Once length of stay is narrowed down a bit I’ll get serious about booking things.

Might as well look into a new cc for airline points too. Thanks again but keep the ideas coming.
 
We prefer to stay in the city. Highlights for us are staying in new neighborhoods. Makes it interesting. Definitely see shows, that is always our highlight. Read the reviews, make sure you are seeing something that aligns with your tastes.

We also enjoyed the Tenement Museum, recommend Ground Zero. When we were there Thanksgiving we went to the Downton Abbey exhibit which we both enjoyed.

So fun to do!
 
We recently moved from CT about 2 hour train to NYC. You have already received a lot of great recommendations that will make your stay in NYC memorable.

Things to also consider is the nightime Tenement museum tour, tour of Grand Central, walk the Highline, music at the Apollo, Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art MOCCA NYC (did not know what to expect but worth the visit), visit the small galleries (we had a friend exhibiting or we probably never would have gone. Not sure how you find out about them) and walk/bike over the Brooklyn bridge, rent a bike to go from place to place but walk if you are able as the city looks different at Human Speed. If you happen to be a Green Bay Packer fan there is a great bar that transforms itself into a Packer Fan bar. But, you got to get there early to get a seat.

And eat stuff you can't find in other places or eat the stuff you have learned is even better in NYC.

We took great advantage of NYC but I already miss it after 4 months of being away.
 
45th Birthday said:
The 9/11 memorial and museum is in my opinion one of the top two places in the world that tell about historical events. The other being the Cabinet War Rooms in London.
Click to expand...
I'd rank Boston's Freedom Trail and the Gettysburg Battlefield up there as well. Most all of old Jerusalem fits too.
 
45th Birthday said:
The 9/11 memorial and museum is in my opinion one of the top two places in the world that tell about historical events. The other being the Cabinet War Rooms in London. The lines are usually very long, but if you pay a few more dollars, you can buy tickets for a guided tour without waiting, and then enter the museum immediately also without waiting no matter if your guided tour isn't for hours. This is what we did, and skipped the guided part. It is a very intense experience, and very crowded inside as well.
Click to expand...



Ditto on the intensity of the 9/11 memorial. It was really overwhelming. That said however well worth the visit...
 
Just got back from 4 days myself. Lion King was the hit of our stay, The Dutch was the favorite restaurant of the trip. We did also go to the Intrepid museum if you are into that sort of thing, seeing the SR-71 is worth the ticket price alone. Enjoy!
 
If you haven't visited the Statue of Liberty yet, then that would get my vote. I found her to be so much more beautiful and powerful when seen with my own eyes that I could finally understand how newly arriving immigrants could weep when they finally saw her in the harbor. As previously mentioned, you must buy your tickets to go inside the statue before you get to the island.

If you have already seen lady liberty, then the Met gets my vote. I think the ideas from the locals (and former locals) are more useful than anything else that I can suggest.

And yes, my closet in Times Square holds the top spot in my travels for most expensive room with the fewest amenities. There wasn't a coffee pot anywhere in the whole damn hotel!
 
Know you probably won't have time, but we enjoyed a pizza tour of Brooklyn. Small (12 people) bus drove around Brooklyn stopping for picture taking at various vistas. Ate at Grimaldi's (before it moved) and the Spumoni Garden (Sicilian). They also showed film clips of some of the famous sites - the train track from the French Connection car chase and the boardwalk where John Travolta strutted from Saturday Night Fever. Also Brighton Beach and Coney Island. There are several pizza tours which hit the different neighborhoods. Fun couple hours in an area we wouldn't have otherwise seen.
 
I just thought I'd mention that in the early '70s, I drove a horse and carriage in Central Park. Do they still have them? It was an eye-opener for a naive 18 yo from upstate in the country.

Mike D.
 
KCGeezer said:
Well it looks like DW and I will be spending at least a long weekend in NY come October. Our plans are fairly loose as of yet but I know we have an event to attend for a Monday evening in the city.

We’ve been there before but it’s been 10 years or so. Just thought I’d see what those with much more recent or lifelong experience in the Big Apple would recommend.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Hi KCGeezer! So, I'm an unofficial, self-proclaimed New Yorker :p

I love the city. A lot.

May I ask what your budget looks like? Reason I ask is I can recommend amazing hotels that cost $1,000+ per night or I can scale back to $200 per night. All have their pros and cons.

Anyway. I personally love staying in TriBeca, Soho and the Lower East Side (LES). They're 'close' to the 9/11 Memorial, Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty (Ok, closer than Times Square).

Most importantly, I love how those neighborhoods are more local. You have the bistros, delis and bars. They're phenomenal and you don't get the crowd as you would in Times Square of Central Park.

For starters, here is what I recommend:

Hotels:
- Greenwich Hotel (Robert DiNiro is a partner)
- Four Seasons Downtown (There are two Four Seasons, make sure you double check the location.)
- Hotel on Rivington (Not 5*, but it's good enough in a hip area.)
- Hotel Indigo (Stay on a higher floor)
- The Quin (Central Park)
- Mandarin Oriental (Central Park)
- Baccarat (Midtown)
- The Mark (Upper East Side - Amazing Hotel)
- 1 Central Park (Central Park - Great Service, no views)
- The Lowell (Great Service)

For what it's worth, I stay at the Greenwich Hotel when I am in Tribeca; The Mandarin and The Mark when I'm in Central Park.

Restaurants:
- The Modern
- The Restaurant at The Greenwich Hotel (Forget the name of it)
- Brooklyn Fare
- Osteria Morini
- Coarse NYC (Bang for the buck tasting menu)
 
Thanks for the recommendations Conway. Glad you’ve found a place you love.

As I mentioned in an earlier post we’ve been to NY a few times over the years. We’ll settle on 3-4 ‘must do’ activities with plenty of time to explore some neighborhoods that we haven’t been to yet. There’s a concert at Carnegie that is the primary reason for the trip so we’ll probably focus on the Central Park area.

NY is a great place to visit, way too much to see and do for a short stay. Guess we’ll have to go back from time to time.
 
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