Mother Daughter trip to NYC 11-11/11-14

I'm taking DD15 to NYC for 3 nights, joining us are my friend and her DD16. I need some ideas for what to do.

We want to hit more neighborhoods than the usual tourist spots, although we do want to see some tourist spots too. We have 4 full days and we will use every second of them. Statue of Liberty is a must, (not necessarily the tour, we are fine taking the ferry around the harbor), 9/11 museum is a must too. My grandparents all came through Ellis Island, but I think that will have to wait for another trip (or should it?)

We are Italians from Chicago so Little Italy would be nice, but I'm reading that Mulberry Street isn't what it used to be so should be venture out to to Arthur Avenue?

I'd like to see the lights of Broadway at night; Times Square, Maybe Central Park.

We are probably going to stay in the Financial District although that too is up in the air. Yesterday, I was poking around Southwest's website and they had roundtrip/non stop for $82 each. I had to book it. LOL

Here's a crazy thing I must do....I want to go on the block that Cher walked home the morning after the opera. The small street with the Washington (?) bridge in the background.

Oh another crazy thing is me and the DD are diehard Law and Order fans (LOL) and we need to walk and take pics on the courtroom stairs.

Anyone care to take a shot at an itinerary for me? (I'm really not as big as a nut bag as this post is making me sound, I promise you).

Might want to do Ellis island since it is same ferry as Statue of Liberty, I have not done it yet but heard http://www.tenement.org tenement museum was excellent since your family came from Italy to Ellis same as mine. Really should see a Broadway play half price tickets at

https://www.tdf.org/nyc/7/TKTS-ticket-boothscated

Might want to do Ellis island since it is same ferry as Statue of Liberty, I have not done it yet but heard http://www.tenement.org tenement museum was excellent since your family came from Italy to Ellis same as mine. Really should see a Broadway play half price tickets at

https://www.tdf.org/nyc/7/TKTS-ticket-boothscated

George, thanks for the link for the tenement museum. Fascinating. The Broadway play is going to have to be a game day decision, all depends what shows are available at TKTS. Thank you for 2 wonderful suggestions. :)

all depends what shows are available at TKTS.

TKTS has an App and Website that shows the TKTS display "live" as to what shows are available from each of the TKTS locations.

Website: https://www.tdf.org/nyc/7/TKTS-ticket-booths

App: https://www.tdf.org/nyc/20/TKTS-Mobile-App

me and the DD are diehard Law and Order fans (LOL) and we need to walk and take pics on the courtroom stairs.

The courthouse is at 60 Centre Street in Lower Manhattan; if you're staying in the area you can probably walk to it. If not, take the A or C subway to the Chambers Street station and you'll be right there. Some of the interiors were actually filmed in the Surrogate's Courthouse nearby at 31 Chambers Street, between Centre Street and Elk Street, rather than inside 60 Chambers, although most of the regular interiors (the police precinct, the DA's office, the courtroom) were shot on sets in the Chelsea Piers complex at 23rd Street and the West Side Highway. You might want to take a look at the website for On Location Tours: http://onlocationtours.com/locations/law-order-series/ They could probably also help you with the location of the walk Cher took.

The courthouse is at 60 Centre Street in Lower Manhattan; if you're staying in the area you can probably walk to it. If not, take the A or C subway to the Chambers Street station and you'll be right there. Some of the interiors were actually filmed in the Surrogate's Courthouse nearby at 31 Chambers Street, between Centre Street and Elk Street, rather than inside 60 Chambers, although most of the regular interiors (the police precinct, the DA's office, the courtroom) were shot on sets in the Chelsea Piers complex at 23rd Street and the West Side Highway. You might want to take a look at the website for On Location Tours: http://onlocationtours.com/locations/law-order-series/ They could probably also help you with the location of the walk Cher took.

Too funny, I was just looking at that "on locations tours" site.

I just found out that Cher's walk of shame was on Washington and Waters streets in Brooklyn.

Thanks for all the L&O info. :)

Little Italy will break your heart. It's too small. Don't bother unless you really just want to stroll down the block.

For any teenaged girl I would think shopping would be a must even if it is just window shopping. Stop in Saks Fifth Avenue the building alone is gorgeous. It's also near Rockefeller Center, 57th Street & St. Patrick's Cathedral. I always like looking in jewelry stores like Tiffany & Van Cleef & Arpels. In that neighborhood you can take funny pictures on the lions outside the library, then walk around & have a latte in Bryant Park.

Perhaps have tea at the Plaza.

If you want to dine at a restaurant owned by a celebrity chef, make your reservations ASAP.

Too funny, I was just looking at that "on locations tours" site.

 

I just found out that Cher's walk of shame was on Washington and Waters streets in Brooklyn.

 

Thanks for all the L&O info. :)

Actually it is at Cranberry St and Columbia Heights in Brooklyn Heights near the Brooklyn Bridge.

http://darkgypsylady.tumblr.com/post/27750877332/vanityferal-chers-moonstruck-walk-of-shame-is

http://www.onthesetofnewyork.com/moonstruck.html

I suggest the hop in ad off tour. They run at night

Thanks for all the L&O info. :)

My pleasure. You should be able to get into the Surrogate's Courthouse during the day (it's really quite beautiful); we used to shoot the L&O stuff there overnight, when the building was closed. You won't be able to get into the Chelsea Piers soundstages, but you might be able to get into the Kaufman-Astoria soundstage in Queens (I think "Orange is the New Black" is being done there now; I last worked there in "Life on Mars" several years ago) through the On Location people. It's a pretty amazing place; huge, and very historic; a couple of the early Marx Brothers films were done there, among other things.

My pleasure. You should be able to get into the Surrogate's Courthouse during the day (it's really quite beautiful); we used to shoot the L&O stuff there overnight, when the building was closed. You won't be able to get into the Chelsea Piers soundstages, but you might be able to get into the Kaufman-Astoria soundstage in Queens (I think "Orange is the New Black" is being done there now; I last worked there in "Life on Mars" several years ago) through the On Location people. It's a pretty amazing place; huge, and very historic; a couple of the early Marx Brothers films were done there, among other things.

Wait....you worked on L&O??? My idol, I bow to thee...you are so lucky!! :)

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Little Italy will break your heart. It's too small. Don't bother unless you really just want to stroll down the block.

 

For any teenaged girl I would think shopping would be a must even if it is just window shopping. Stop in Saks Fifth Avenue the building alone is gorgeous. It's also near Rockefeller Center, 57th Street & St. Patrick's Cathedral. I always like looking in jewelry stores like Tiffany & Van Cleef & Arpels. In that neighborhood you can take funny pictures on the lions outside the library, then walk around & have a latte in Bryant Park.

 

Perhaps have tea at the Plaza.

 

If you want to dine at a restaurant owned by a celebrity chef, make your reservations ASAP.

We have all all these stores in Chicago, thank you for the suggestion, but we will skip it. We have lions at our Art Institute too. Lol. I'm liking the tea at the Plaza.

What celebrity Italian restaurants do you recommend. Please don't say Eataly...not a fan of the one here. :)

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My favorite Italian restaurant is owned by TV chef Lydia, on 46st and 9th ave , close to all the broadway plays , name is Becco's really good food at a decent cost can have dinner for a little over 20 and lunch is a little cheaper, really large wine list and all the bottles on one page are 29 a piece which is really cheap for NYC, get a reservation. ( we go here at least twice on all our recent trips)

Actually it is at Cranberry St and Columbia Heights in Brooklyn Heights near the Brooklyn Bridge.

 

http://darkgypsylady.tumblr.com/post/27750877332/vanityferal-chers-moonstruck-walk-of-shame-is

 

http://www.onthesetofnewyork.com/moonstruck.html

Thank you for this. :) The little street that has the big bridge right behind it is at Washington and Waters.

Looking forward to me and my daughter doing the walk of shame. Bwahahahahah.

Thank you for this. :) The little street that has the big bridge right behind it is at Washington and Waters.

 

Looking forward to me and my daughter doing the walk of shame. Bwahahahahah.

That is the Manhattan Bridge.... both it and the Brooklyn Bridge are fairly close together.

Enjoy your trip!

Show her the movie Working Girl and then take the film's ride on the Staten Island Ferry, with its great views of the Statue of Liberty and downtown NYC.

Look up availability of seats to filming Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, etc

Check the NY times listing of what is around that meets her taste--ballet? modern dance? singers? There are also a lot of walking or bus tours with themes--tv shiow backdrops/movie backdrops/Broadway

Look in Yelp or Trip Advisor for inexpensive restaurants, such as pre-theatre dinners.

Enjoy!

I wore this on another thread-

I highly recommend Ellen's Stardust Diner in the Theatre District. We went after seeing Wicked for my daughter's birthday and I can honestly say I enjoyed it more than the show! You will have a lot of fun and the food is very good, especially the desserts. I'm surprised more people don't talk about this place but, then again, NYC is chock full of diners.

I wore this on another thread-

 

I highly recommend Ellen's Stardust Diner in the Theatre District. We went after seeing Wicked for my daughter's birthday and I can honestly say I enjoyed it more than the show! You will have a lot of fun and the food is very good, especially the desserts. I'm surprised more people don't talk about this place but, then again, NYC is chock full of diners.

I've seen this place mentioned many times. The OP appears to be looking for non-touristy places, and Ellen's is definitely for tourists.

I've seen this place mentioned many times. The OP appears to be looking for non-touristy places, and Ellen's is definitely for tourists.

Although it is a tourist place, it is a lot of fun, we go a couple of times each year ( hotel we stay at is 2 blocks away) and have recommended to loads of my friends and everyone loved it.

Wow, thank you everyone one and keep the suggestions coming. My friend, her daughter, me and my daughter will be having a planning meeting soon, where we all bring our "lists" to the table and see where we stand.

I''ll add most of this to my list. :)

Wait....you worked on L&O??? My idol, I bow to thee...you are so lucky!! :)

Thank you. Yes, I think every working actor in NYC worked on at least one of the various shows (the original L&O is referred to as "The Mother Ship") over the years.

I see you asked about Italian restaurants. I also think Becco is very good, and there are two others on the same side of that block (W. 46th between 8th & 9th; Restaurant Row) that are good: Lattanzi (in addition to traditional Italian, they also have a very interesting Roman-Jewish menu) and Barbetta (opened in 1906, and several movies and TV shows have filmed there: http://www.barbettarestaurant.com/filmed.html)

Also on same block is Joe Allen's we were in there in may 2014 late on a Sunday night with a bunch of my friends I grew up with in NYC and Joan Rivers came in with 5 or so friends, you never know who you will see ( I guess we were making too much noise since they moved them to a table away from us after 15 mins)

Also on same block is Joe Allen's

The other showbiz hangout is right next door: Orso. The decor in Joe Allen's is framed posters of failed Broadway shows, which is a nice touch unless you happened to be in one of them...

P.S. There are two other interesting showbiz hangouts on W. 44th between Broadway/7th & 8th: Sardi's (famous old place, touristy now but still worth seeing) and Angus' (started by long-time maitre'd at Joe Allen's). A great old steakhouse is Frankie & Johnnie's (45th & 8th) where the actor Christopher Plummer once stabbed a man at the bar with a sword cane). I should warn you that you probably won't see anyone famous in any of these places unless you're there late after the evening performances or on Sunday after the matinees.

BTW, if you're a fan of BLUE BLOODS, they also shoot on the steps of 60 Centre Street.

Agree on sardi's had dinner there a couple of years ago, another place that has been there forever is Gallaghers which is my favorite bar, saw George C Scott there years ago, also several sports reporters and great steaks, 52nd and Broadway