New York itinery advice please

[Deleted User] · 04/11/12 - 15:27

I'm off to New York for 5 nights / 6 days in February and as its a special birthday and I've never been before I want to make sure its memorable!

We plan to do all the usual tourist attractions and also a bus / boat sightseeing cruise but I what would be the most memorable to do on my birthday?

Also for a meal out I'm not into fine dining restaurants and paying daft money - much prefer somewhere 'cheap & cheerful' with a bit of atmosphere!

Would anyone like to share their experiences to start me off on my research?

chattamanuk · 04/11/12 - 15:30

http://www.famousdaves.com/NewYork

janism · 04/11/12 - 15:35

We went to the Stage Deli - has massive sandwiches named after stars. We also had cheesecake in The New York Cheesecake factory (I think it was called that but it was nice).

irishguy · 04/11/12 - 15:44

Great Italian restaurant.... really gorgeous bolognese

http://www.dellanima.com/

[Deleted User] · 04/11/12 - 16:43

Ellen's Stardust Diner. Kitsch, singing waitstaff and always an atmosphere

[Deleted User] · 04/11/12 - 18:16

Thanks for the dining advice - what are the most memorable attractions? Empire State? Top of the Roc? Statue of Liberty?

lil_boo · 04/11/12 - 18:52

I was in New York in February this year, coincidentally for my birthday and I went to La Lanterna di Vittorio in Grenwich Village, was really cheap, good food and great atmosphere, it also has a jazz club downstairs, which was great

for attractions, I recommend doing Empire State and Top of the Rock, (we did Top of the Rock during the day and Empire State at night)

You can get an attraction pass, which gets you into most major attractions and saves so much money, it is called The New York Pass

FlickJ · 04/11/12 - 18:54

Would def recommend Ellis Island museum. The ferry goes out via Statue of Liberty so you get to see that too ! Its a very emotional place and quite haunting. I had no interest in going but was dragged along and absolutely one of my favourite things. Depends what you like but there is a boho area called St. Marks which has some good record shops (or used to - it was a decade ago i went !). Macy's is worth a browse just as a so you can you've been sorta thing. Guggenheim museum is good too. great city to just walk in and take in the sights and atmosphere but subway / buses great if you are going a distance. Have a great trip !

Stevie_Donald · 04/11/12 - 18:58

Although the ESB is iconic the TOTR is a much nicer experience, and you get views both up and downtown.

If you are planning on a few things then the New York Pass can work out good value, and save time in lines.

Can't beat a walk through Central Park though, and its free!

[Deleted User] · 04/11/12 - 19:00

I would suggest the Ground Zero memorial gardens. Although there is a lot of construction going on and the gardens themselves are still unfinished, the memorial pools and the roll of names is incredibly moving

lil_boo · 04/11/12 - 19:03

Another few attractions I loved doing were the NBC Studio Tours and Radio City Music Hall tours, perfect way to keep out of the cold (we did them on a rainy day), also went to Ground Zero, it is a sobering experience, however, I'm glad I went and there is no charge

bart4858 · 04/11/12 - 19:11

lil_boo wrote: »

Another few attractions I loved doing were the NBC Studio Tours

I went on that. Strange seeing the Saturday Night Live studio, yet not being able to see the show! (It's not shown in UK.)

[also went to Ground Zero, it is a sobering experience, however, I'm glad I went and there is no charge

I was cycling in a quiet part of lower Manhattan in 2005, and stopped to blow my nose. Noticed this deserted building site across the road, and realised it was ground zero! (There was a visitor point on the other side.)

irishguy · 04/11/12 - 19:18

Elrond wrote: »

I would suggest the Ground Zero memorial gardens. Although there is a lot of construction going on and the gardens themselves are still unfinished, the memorial pools and the roll of names is incredibly moving

Don't you have to book tickets in advance to get access to the memorial? You can't really see much otherwise although you can visit the small church next to it where they have some exhibits.

Other things to do - walk the Brooklyn Bridge - great views of the harbour and lower manhattan, visit the Highline Park and I would place the Met above the Guggenhiem as the museum to visit... a huge range of art, exhibits and artifacts - they even have an complete Egyptian tomb in one of the large halls.

For getting around - the Subway is excellent. Get a 7 day Metropass that will give you unlimited subway and bus rides for about $30

lil_boo · 04/11/12 - 19:19

bart4858 wrote: »

I went on that. Strange seeing the Saturday Night Live studio, yet not being able to see the show! (It's not shown in UK.)

I watch it online, one of my favourite shows, so it was definitely one of my highlights!!

I was cycling in a quiet part of lower Manhattan in 2005, and stopped to blow my nose. Noticed this deserted building site across the road, and realised it was ground zero! (There was a visitor point on the other side.)

The whole area is starting to come together now and will look amazing once it is all finished, as another poster said, the memorial gardens are beautiful

Dave1979 · 04/11/12 - 19:23

High line walk

http://www.thehighline.org/

quinie · 04/11/12 - 20:06

We went for my 40th two years ago in October.

Personally I would recomment the empire state building as the best thing we did.

I also wouldn't be put off going in taxis loads this time - we thought it would be really expensive but it wasn't.

There is a fantastic place to eat under the bridge by Grand Central Station and you get to see the Crysler Building on the way.

On the night of my 40th birthday we actually went to a place called Brandy's Piano Bar - I can't remember exactly where it is now but it was near to bloomingdales.

When we walked in we thought "what have we done" - it looked a bit of a dive and smelt a bit damp but oh my god the piano players were fantastic - think Billy Joel type - and we had such a good time there - best birthday ever!

We didn't go to the Statue of Liberty but we did go to Washington Square Gardens on a Saturday where there were loads of brilliant street performers! There were also a lot of really good buskers on the subway - and the subway was great for getting around on too.

Lastly we went to central park and the zoo was very good and we splashed out on a horse and carriage ride around the park which was very very good and the driver pointed out a lot of things to us.

Hope this helps!

lil_boo · 04/11/12 - 20:11

irishguy wrote: »

Don't you have to book tickets in advance to get access to the memorial? You can't really see much otherwise although you can visit the small church next to it where they have some exhibits.

Other things to do - walk the Brooklyn Bridge - great views of the harbour and lower manhattan, visit the Highline Park and I would place the Met above the Guggenhiem as the museum to visit... a huge range of art, exhibits and artifacts - they even have an complete Egyptian tomb in one of the large halls.

For getting around - the Subway is excellent. Get a 7 day Metropass that will give you unlimited subway and bus rides for about $30

yes, you do have to book in advance, but there is no charge to do so, all they ask is for an optional donation

[Deleted User] · 04/11/12 - 20:11

lil_boo wrote: »

You can get an attraction pass, which gets you into most major attractions and saves so much money, it is called The New York Pass

Stevie_Donald wrote: »

the New York Pass can work out good value, and save time in lines.

irishguy wrote: »

For getting around - the Subway is excellent. Get a 7 day Metropass that will give you
unlimited subway and bus rides for about $30

Thanks for the suggestions re the NY pass and transport options. I've been looking at the 3 day NY passes and they are $153 (£95) but could also add to it the 3 day hop on hop off bus travel that has 4 tours with it this with the NY pass is $215 (£135). What do people think?

irishguy · 04/11/12 - 20:22

Cajone1963 wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions re the NY pass and transport options. I've been looking at the 3 day NY passes and they are $153 (£95) but could also add to it the 3 day hop on hop off bus travel that has 4 tours with it this with the NY pass is $215 (£135). What do people think?

If you can afford it then I'd say get the 3 day pass. The bus tours are worth taking... it will allow you to see a lot of the sights you wouldnt necessarily see and its useful for getting to know the layout of the city. The tour guides are pretty good craic too

You can then take out a metrocard for the subway after that for your remaining days.

Was just on the MTA site to see the price of cards... their usual site has been replaced with a simple couple of pages.... the amount of people in NYC trying to figure out if the trains are running has obviously brought the normal site to its knees!

[Deleted User] · 04/11/12 - 20:24

Also going in Feb for 5 days so thanks for making this thread and thanks for the ideas.

[Deleted User] · 04/11/12 - 20:25

[QUOTE=quinie;62124259

I also wouldn't be put off going in taxis loads this time - we thought it would be really expensive but it wasn't.

There were also a lot of really good buskers on the subway - and the subway was great for getting around on too. [/QUOTE]

Bit nervous about figuring out the subway, was it easy to suss? Also re taxis, did you get one from the airport to your hotel?

irishguy · 04/11/12 - 20:27

Froggy88 wrote: »

Also going in Feb for 5 days so thanks for making this thread and thanks for the ideas.

Enjoy but remember to take lots of heavy warm clothes... the cold wind coming off the harbor is freakishly cold

lil_boo · 04/11/12 - 20:28

Cajone1963 wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions re the NY pass and transport options. I've been looking at the 3 day NY passes and they are $153 (£95) but could also add to it the 3 day hop on hop off bus travel that has 4 tours with it this with the NY pass is $215 (£135). What do people think?

also, re. New York Pass, if you have an iPhone, they have an app, and if you buy the passes through that you get a 10% discount

personally, I don't like the bus tours, mainly because I liked exploring the areas and coming across things randomly, I mainly used subways and the occasional taxi, but that's just me

Helbrown · 04/11/12 - 20:29

ruthiebabie wrote: »

Ellen's Stardust Diner. Kitsch, singing waitstaff and always an atmosphere

Great atmosphere, awful and overpriced food and you are hustled for tips all the time.

On our last night in NYC we pushed the boat out and went for a Spirit dinner cruise. Really enjoyed the meal, had a bit of a dance to cheesy music, and the views of Manhattan and New Jersey at night are stunning.

We loved walking through Central Park, and I agree that TOTR is a better view than the ESB.

epicurian · 04/11/12 - 20:30

quinie wrote: »

We went for my 40th two years ago in October.

Personally I would recomment the empire state building as the best thing we did.

I also wouldn't be put off going in taxis loads this time - we thought it would be really expensive but it wasn't.

There is a fantastic place to eat under the bridge by Grand Central Station and you get to see the Crysler Building on the way.

On the night of my 40th birthday we actually went to a place called Brandy's Piano Bar - I can't remember exactly where it is now but it was near to bloomingdales.

When we walked in we thought "what have we done" - it looked a bit of a dive and smelt a bit damp but oh my god the piano players were fantastic - think Billy Joel type - and we had such a good time there - best birthday ever!

We didn't go to the Statue of Liberty but we did go to Washington Square Gardens on a Saturday where there were loads of brilliant street performers! There were also a lot of really good buskers on the subway - and the subway was great for getting around on too.

Lastly we went to central park and the zoo was very good and we splashed out on a horse and carriage ride around the park which was very very good and the driver pointed out a lot of things to us.

Hope this helps!

I've just decided this ^^ is what I want to do for my 40th.

irishguy · 04/11/12 - 20:31

Cajone1963 wrote: »

Bit nervous about figuring out the subway, was it easy to suss? Also re taxis, did you get one from the airport to your hotel?

Yeah - if you pay attention to the signs and keep your map handy then its no problem... The hardest thing about it is swiping your card to let you through the gate.... it takes a couple of gos to get right.

Not a fan of the taxis though.. they expect generous tips and can get arsy if you want to go somewhere they're not going to make money on.

Where you flying into? Kennedy has various transit services to take you into the city. You can get a train from Newark into the middle of manhattan

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New York itinery advice please

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