I'm heading to NYC in three weeks. We're wanting see & enjoy the sights and do some touristy stuff as well. Of course we're going to do the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center. We're not actually going to take the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty, but will visit the south tip of Manhattan to see it.
Has anyone ever used things like the NYC City Pass? We're thinking about that, but it doesn't look like you can do the express pass for the ESB.
Any input at all?
We're staying near Times Square and plan to mostly get around on foot, but will be using the Subway some.
JM
Not so sure about the city pass unless you really want to spend most of your time seeing those sights. Just too much to see, much of it free, like just enjoying many of the art galleries in the city. Do get some sort of Metro Card. Check your PMs. You will find my phone number, and possible free bee for the Bronx Zoo and Museum of Natural History.
>:(
I'll be going back to Jersey this week for 1 day. My company wants to make me suffer, so they torture me by not giving me enough time to head to the city.
We went in December. Full tourist. We didn't buy City Pass. We did buy a metro card which works on buses too.
We did pre buy our passes for empire state building. Absolutely pay the extra cost for the cut line passes all the way to the top. We must have passed 700-800 or more people in the various lines we got to skip. Well worth it.
The 9/11 memorial is free but you should get the tickets beforehand online. They have a separate line for people with no tickets and it was very long. The museum is now open but wasn't when we were there.
We also didn't go out to the Statue of Liberty, just looked from Battery Park. My wife has been 3-4 times in the past few years and loved a harbor cruise (not to the statute of liberty) they did when the weather was nice.
Loved the pizza here at the 44th St. location: http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/ (http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/)
Lost my ass when the wife went to Louis Vuitton.
Edit: and this app worked great for getting around on the subway, bus, walking. http://letsembark.com/ (http://letsembark.com/)
I got nothin.
Thanks hiblam! That's great info!
JM
Maybe I can meet up with you on one of the days and have lunch somewhere.
The best advice I got the first time I went to NYC was to take a Circle Tour cruise around Manhattan before I did anything else. Takes a few hours and you get to view the skyline from all angles on the water and also goes around the Statue of Liberty. After that, you know your way around town. My favorite area is around Grammercy Park and the Flatiron district. If you want to be touristy and splurge on dinner, the view from the River Cafe is classic. As a tourist, subways are OK if you're just trying get somewhere but taxis are a great way to experience the city along with just wandering around.
Another better than expected is the hop-on/hop-off Big Apple tour. It's convenient and some of the announcers are pretty funny. If you don't jive with you, you can hop off and catch the next one.
Also, it sounds like you will be here during the Auto Show (@ Javits) which is pretty fun and inexpensive.
The new NXS proto is real hot!
Quote from: Johnny OrganDonor on April 01, 2014, 06:32:40 AM
take a Circle Tour cruise around Manhattan. Takes a few hours and you get to view the skyline from all angles on the water and also goes around the Statue of Liberty.
This - there are two, one tour goes all the way around, another goes 1/2 way, do the full tour, and is a great way to get some add'l history of Manhattan/NYC
Strawberry Fields is cool, if'n u like that sorta thing, and is a good starting point for a Central Park stroll
Walk the High Line! nice perspective on the city
Quote from: CDawg on April 01, 2014, 07:23:18 AM
Also, it sounds like you will be here during the Auto Show (@ Javits) which is pretty fun and inexpensive.
The new NXS proto is real hot!
i thought that was in Jan!
Journeyman, do you like theater? I can score you some free tickets to random shows, day of.
screw the city, go to Cooperstown
Wow! Lots of good advice!
As far as shows, we did splurge on front row Phantom of the Opera tickets! We're only there for three days, so that's probably the only show we'll have time to see. I do appreciate the offer He Man though!
Where is the High Line, I've heard of it, but not familiar with its location. I also wouldn't mind seeing the Subway museum.
Central Park is planned for a fair amount of time on the Sunday we're there.
C wants to visit a few of the famous stores like Tiffany's, Saks 5th Av, Macy's, FAO Swartz and similar. Are there others that are a "don't miss?"
I like to look at architecture, so I'm hoping to get some good views of some of the more notable buildings like the Woolworth & Chrysler building.
We're hitting the ESB observation deck and the Rockefeller center deck. Are there others to hit?
Thanks!
Quote from: duccarlos on March 31, 2014, 11:18:14 AM
>:(
I'll be going back to Jersey this week for 1 day. My company wants to make me suffer, so they torture me by not giving me enough time to head to the city.
Or they decided to not torture NYC. Perspective man.
Journeyman-don't forget to ask a local how to get to Carnegie Hall. :P
Quote from: the_Journeyman on April 02, 2014, 07:17:09 AM
Wow! Lots of good advice!
As far as shows, we did splurge on front row Phantom of the Opera tickets! We're only there for three days, so that's probably the only show we'll have time to see. I do appreciate the offer He Man though!
Where is the High Line, I've heard of it, but not familiar with its location. I also wouldn't mind seeing the Subway museum.
Downtown/West Side: something like 14th St to 30th St. A common thing to do is to get on it in the 20s and then walk down to 14th and wander through & have lunch at Chelsea market.
Central Park is planned for a fair amount of time on the Sunday we're there.
lots of meandering to be had in the park. the Met is on the park if you like museums. they suggest a $25 donation per adult, but its actually is free if you don't want to pay that day. the frick is a fantastic, much smaller more digestible classic museum (i.e. titian, van dyck, rembrandt, impressionists) that is a block from the park. Also, a common place to stop and have a drink is the Loeb boat house on lake. Nice way to break up the walk through the park
C wants to visit a few of the famous stores like Tiffany's, Saks 5th Av, Macy's, FAO Swartz and similar. Are there others that are a "don't miss?"
they are (almost) all on 5th avenue near the park, so you combine your Central Park walk with the shopping. any other exciting brands and stores are in the same area. though to be sure, if you actually want to buy cool stuff, SOHO is probably where you're going to find hip, fun shops. plus, there's this for the man of the house: http://www.bestmadeco.com/ (http://www.bestmadeco.com/)
I like to look at architecture, so I'm hoping to get some good views of some of the more notable buildings like the Woolworth & Chrysler building.
include Grand Central terminal on that stop. they have tours which are pretty interesting. Chrysler building is across the street, so you can get see that as well. They are close to 5th avenue shopping, so maybe you can roll the shops, central park, Rockefeller, and midtown architecture in one exhausting day ;)
We're hitting the ESB observation deck and the Rockefeller center deck. Are there others to hit?
probably only need to hit one, since they are effectively the same view. both central east/west, and only 12 blocks from each other, so not like you're going to see a vastly different perspective on the city
Thanks!
Based on this, I would recommend a midtown / Central park day where you hit the list above (shops on 5th, Rockefeller, Chrysler, etc.).
Then maybe a downtown day where you take highline and end up in west village and soho. other things for that day that you didn't mention: flatiron building is on 23rd not too far from highline (5 long blocks). West village and greenwich have history if you want to visit spots were Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Jack Kerouac, et al played/drank/hungout.
As was said, all the baller stores are on 5th ave near Central Park, fao is close too. Serendipity is right by fao. Macys is nowhere near all these and if you had to choose one store to skip this would be it. It's just a macys. Big but still just a macys.
Quote from: hbliam on April 02, 2014, 09:43:42 AM
As was said, all the baller stores are on 5th ave near Central Park, fao is close too. Serendipity is right by fao. Macys is nowhere near all these and if you had to choose one store to skip this would be it. It's just a macys. Big but still just a macys.
...and usually insanely crowded at that.
I always thought those open top bus tours looked really cheesy until reading some reviews.
Last summer I took the wife and kid for a 4 day visit and we bought a 2 day pass for the gray line tour bus. It was totally worth the money. I love walking NYC, but you can simply see a great deal more on the open air bus and the view is actually really good. You can also use it as transportation as you can get off at any stop and get back on when another bus makes a stop.
I've walked a great deal of Manhattan in previous visits, but the bus allowed us to also get a good overview of Brooklyn and Harlem, which was fantastic. We also lucked out with great tour guides who were very informative. Having seen Brooklyn on the bus tour, I would like to do a NYC trip where we stay and walk Brooklyn, as a change from Manhattan.
Quote from: the_Journeyman on April 02, 2014, 07:17:09 AM
Wow! Lots of good advice!
As far as shows, we did splurge on front row Phantom of the Opera tickets! We're only there for three days, so that's probably the only show we'll have time to see. I do appreciate the offer He Man though!
Where is the High Line, I've heard of it, but not familiar with its location. I also wouldn't mind seeing the Subway museum.
Central Park is planned for a fair amount of time on the Sunday we're there.
C wants to visit a few of the famous stores like Tiffany's, Saks 5th Av, Macy's, FAO Swartz and similar. Are there others that are a "don't miss?"
I like to look at architecture, so I'm hoping to get some good views of some of the more notable buildings like the Woolworth & Chrysler building.
We're hitting the ESB observation deck and the Rockefeller center deck. Are there others to hit?
Thanks!
Subway Museum is actually pretty cool. Its kinda crazy how racist those ads were back then.
FAO swartz defintely.
Tiffanys sure why not. If theres a giant flag pole out in the front, i designed the support for that! ;D (it was my 2nd job for that store).
Toys R us, and go to Candy Land on 2nd floor. if you like gummy candy, this is as fresh as it gets. Just get like 1/4lb to nibble on. Its just way way better than any other gummy candy that sits for weeks.
Between Empire State building and Top of the rock, go to Top of the rock. a day wasted at the empire state building isnt really worth it. Seeing hte Manhattan skyline from Manhattan is eh. 3
Want something out of a movie? go to bethesda foundatin in Central Park. Its a nice walk if you plan on going form one side of the city to the other.
Quote from: He Man on April 05, 2014, 07:06:54 PM
Between Empire State building and Top of the rock, go to Top of the rock. a day wasted at the empire state building isnt really worth it. Seeing hte Manhattan skyline from Manhattan is eh.
If he pays for the express cut line it's 15 min to the top and as long as he wants to spend at the top.
I hear you on the "eh" factor but for those of us not from there it is actually pretty cool.
If you run out of things to do which is darn near impossible, take the Staten Island Ferry across and back. Its a nice ride and really cheap, around 5 bucks. Go mid morning to miss the crowd. My daughter took me on the Beast boat ride which is not peaceful but a lot of fun, get to the front or get wet.