Suggestions for pre cruise 2 night stay in New York.

Hi, we fly into Newark from the UK January 2015 before boarding Quantum of the seas. We need to sort out transfers into New York. We are staying at the W hotel, Times Square. We have been to New York before and did the regular tourist attractions over a weekend. Can anybody suggest an itinerary slightly different? On our last visit we visited Staten Island, Ellis island, Central Park, Rockefeller Centre, Grand Central Station and Empire State Building. We would also like to see a Broadway show. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I would recommend the 9/11 Memorial and/or Museum. You need to get tickets in advance if you do the Museum. Top of the Rock is also great at night.

What are your interests? Have you visited any of the museums? What days of the week are you in town?

January is kind of iffy for weather, to put it mildly! You can spend the bulk of the day at either the Met, MOMA, or the Museum of Natural History. All are relatively close to Times Square. If the weather's nice, and you want to do something different, consider walking the Highline. Lots of others, but thinking Midtown since you're already there. The 9/11 Memorial is worth a visit, but it's downtown. Depends on how much you want to travel.

Broadway shows are kind of a matter of personal preference. There are typically Wednesday afternoon matinees, if you're in town. You'll get better seat and date selections generally by buying online before getting in town, but you'll pay all the handling fees. All are close to your hotel. The Blue Fin at the W is a very nice restaurant, BTW. Worth checking out.

A night of live Jazz and great food at http://www.jazzstandard.com/ , it's a great venue in a basement with thick red velvet curtains on all the walls. It's is my favorite venue in Nyc.

The top of the Rock

A gospel celebration in Harlem.

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

Walking on the http://www.thehighline.org/

New 9/11 memorial

Visiting the United Nation http://visit.un.org/

Shopping for knock-off's on Canal Street

Having great Italian food in the Italian District

these are just the one on top of my head !!

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Thanks for all your suggestions, some good ideas which we will look at, like the sound of Brooklyn Bridge and the 9/11 museum. Is Harlem worth a visit?

Thanks for all your suggestions, some good ideas which we will look at, like the sound of Brooklyn Bridge and the 9/11 museum. Is Harlem worth a visit?

I visited Harlem a long time ago with a HoHo Bus and there is sooo much history about it...it's the roots of Nyc and the things I learned on that tour were great. Just to have a look at the famous Apollo Theater it was worth it for me.

The bus passed in front of a gospel celebration and at that moment I said to myself " one day I will go and participate in one" ... they even offer tour which includes a celebration...

I would not ( a that time anyways ) wonder alone in the deep Harlem, but felt very safe on the open top of the bus.

I live just above Harlem, it's quite safe really and especially during the day there's absolutely no need to be concerned. Whether it's worth a visit for you just depends on what your interests are. If you've only ever seen midtown, then I'd highly recommend going just to see how people actually live in this city.

It will be cold in January so I'd echo the recommendations on spending time in museums. The NY Historical Society is great as is the Museum of the City of New York - both are in upper Manhattan but on opposite sides of the park. If art is more your thing, look into what the Guggenheim has on display and see if it interests you (there's no permanent collection so it really depends on if you like the current exhibition). There's also the Frick or the Whitney to consider, beyond the usual recommendations of the MOMA and the Met.

In other words, there's a lot more to NYC than midtown tourist spots. So go out and enjoy :)

There's also the Frick or the Whitney to consider, beyond the usual recommendations of the MOMA and the Met.

 

In other words, there's a lot more to NYC than midtown tourist spots. So go out and enjoy :)

The Frick is one of the hidden jewels of NYC, and am ashamed I don't seem to recommend it here. Most folks asking advice on CC are in NYC for their first time with 1-2 days, and that largely means they want to hit as many things in Midtown as possible, +/- Battery Park, Financial District, WTC, and SOL.

We don't spend much time north of the park, but certainly find a lot of great things in Tribeca, SoHo, etc.

But, back to your recommendation, the Frick is well worth a visit to anyone coming to Manhattan!

Have you been to the Cloisters in upper Manhattan? It is part of the Met Museum of Art but built on the Hudson by David Rockefeller. It is surrounded by parkland, also bought and donated by David Rockefeller. A city bus will take you directly to the door.

Also in Upper Manhattan, St. John the Divine Cathedral which offers concerts and Columbia University.

For broadway shows may I suggest "A Gentleman's Guide to Murder". Very funny.

If there is snow on the ground, bundle up and head over to Central Park. Simply gorgeous.

There are also different type of tours such as foodie walking tours, pizza tours, movie location tours. You can look on trip advisor for suggestions or viator

The Museum of the Moving Image is located in Long Island City right over the East River, easy to get to by subway from Manhattan.

Thanks for the advice. We have a lot to consider! Can anyone advise whether you should buy tickets in advance or on the day for a Broadway show?

Thanks for the advice. We have a lot to consider! Can anyone advise whether you should buy tickets in advance or on the day for a Broadway show?

Depends on what you want to see. If you are up for anything, you can get discount tickets here:

https://www.tdf.org/nyc/7/TKTS-Overview

If you have a certain show in mind, especially newer, popular shows, get them ahead of time. I've had good luck with broadwaybox.com

Keeping Museum Theme and if you are not into the BIG ones mentioned. Don't forget

From: http://www.ny.com/museums/mile.html

Museum Mile is a lovely stretch along 5th Avenue chock full of museums and other fine arts institutions. If you are in New York for a short stay and need to cram in lots of sightseeing, Museum Mile is a must. The tree lined walk down the side of Central Park is also a nice treat.

There is such a dichotomy of things to see. What I might consider a "don't miss" someone else might consider a "don't waste your time". Check out one or two NYC guide books to see what might interest you. I'm sure there are WAY more things to see then most folks would imagine. Most of the guide books include subway maps and routes, which I would recommend for being the easiest and most economical way to get around NYC. Depending how set you are on seeing any one particular play, if there are a few that appeal to you, we've always had good luck getting good seats at the "2-fers". Tickets are on sale in the AM for that day's matinee and in the afternoon for that day's evening performance. You can not purchase days in advance. Usually they are 40-50% off face price. The lines look long, but it normally takes about 20 minutes from getting in the line to queue until it's "your turn".

As previously mentioned, broadwaybox.com has the most discounts in advance, so check that out. Also, for TKTS, if you're seeing a Play instead of a Musical, there is a special very short line you can go in and get in and out in no time.

Try a walking tour - I've taken a couple from this company and they were both good

http://cityroverwalks.com/

Lots of great reviews on tripadvisor

Also definitely recommend a food walking tour - I've taken almost all of them - you learn about neighborhoods and restaurants, and shops you would probably never find on your own - great food too

http://www.foodsofny.com/

If you are in New York on a Friday. There is a free 90-minute walking tour of Grand Central Station and the surrounding area that is fantastic especially if you have an interest in the architechture. No reservations are needed - just show up. You'll find more information by searching free walking tour Grand Central Station

Depending on the interests of your group, I have done several food tours.

This company has been the best:

http://www.foodsofny.com

Of all of their choices, The Original Greenwich Village Tour and The Chinatown Tour were my favorites. They do some of the tastings on the street and some seated in restaurants, and they do them rain or shine. You buy the tickets in advance and they seem to sell out quickly.

The 911 memorial is a lot easier to visit now, no need to book the memorial, but you do need to book the museum. There is also a great food court in the new PATH train building which is right next to the memorial.

Simple Answer:

9/11 Museum

Broadway Show

Museum of Natural History is another great choice. January will be cold and it does get very windy while walking in NYC, some times we take those small heat pack for your hands and feet.

If your interested in Jazz, NYC has some great venues and great artist for Jazz.

http://www.bluenotejazz.com/newyork/schedule/index.shtml

http://www.bbkingblues.com/calendar.php

http://www.ny.com/clubs/jazz/

The website below offers a lot of discounts for things to do in NYC and constantly changes. Right now they are showing a lot of things for the summer.

http://www.goldstar.com/new-york/events