New York for 5 days

[Kristal Blade]

Hi everyone,

Having picked up tips for my South America cruise, which I have just returned from, I thought I would try here for tips on what not to miss when I am in New York in early October.

Having never been before it would help to get opinions/ideas/help.

We enjoy walking, using local transport, eating local food, getting off the beaten track.

Thanks in advance!:)

[Alrana Eris]

there are several threads here that will have the information.

[nybumpkin]

Hi everyone,

Having picked up tips for my South America cruise, which I have just returned from, I thought I would try here for tips on what not to miss when I am in New York in early October.

Having never been before it would help to get opinions/ideas/help.

We enjoy walking, using local transport, eating local food, getting off the beaten track.

Thanks in advance!:)

Hi Kristal Blade - I have to start out by telling you about DH's and my visit to Plymouth a number of years ago. We took the train from London to catch Brittany Ferries to Roscoff, and we had several hours to walk around and enjoy Plymouth. We visited a pub "off the beaten track" and met a WWII veteran who, as it turned out, spent part of the war not far from where we live in New York State. Small world. And you have a lovely town.:cool: So I'd like to help pay back....

 

First, do you know where you are going to stay? I'm assuming you'll be in Manhattan. If you want to do public transportation (bus or subway), go to http://www.mta.info. You'll find all the information you need about public transportation. I'm generally very comfortable with the subway. If you know where you will be staying, we can probably help with places to see within walking distance. Also, if you can give us an idea of what types of activities and restaurants you'd like to experience, we can point you in the right direction. ("Local food" in NYC is hard to define:o.)

 

A couple of sites to help you plan: http://www.nycgo.com/, which is the NYC guide to activities. Also http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.e2a1b26d9be35ff6a62fa24601c789a0/, which is the City's visitors bureau.

[carbon]

We have never been to new york, we want to see Strawberryfields, times square and ground zero. Is that doable in one day? We are relying on public transportation.

[Alrana Eris]

We have never been to new york, we want to see Strawberryfields, times square and ground zero. Is that doable in one day? We are relying on public transportation.

 

umm no maybe over 2 days. 3 different areas of the city. Ground zero -need advance tix. You can see times Square, do a Broadway musical/play while there. as well as don't miss Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park a free tour of Grand Central Station. Do a ho/ho bus.

Central Park is vast you can't do it all in one day- there is so much to see Cleopatra's needle which Cleopatra has nothing to do with it Its Tutmosis the IV. You have Beardsley(excuse spelling) Castle, Museum of Natural history, the boathouse great lawn etc.

Ground Zero, make a point to see St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church which was badly damaged. there is also Trinity Church, South Street Seaport, see titanic Museum and waterfront there on the east side. Visit Battery Park.

 

Subways are so easy to use and safe despite what the media harpies say.

[Kristal Blade]

Hi Alrana and Kathy,

Thanks for your posts.

So gald you had a good time in Plymouth, Kathy - did you get to the Mayflower steps?

 

We will be staying in the Affinia in Manhattan, so tips on nearby attractions would be really helpful.

I think by local food I meant eating where the locals eat. I am thinking along the lines of where are the best bagels, good breakfast stops, maybe restaurants with good views that are not always used by visitors.

 

Please keep the suggestions coming, many thanks;)

[Langoustine]

We have never been to new york, we want to see Strawberryfields, times square and ground zero. Is that doable in one day? We are relying on public transportation.

 

Of course you can do that in one day. The subway (C train) will get you from Strawberry Fields in Central Park to Times Square in about 20 minutes, and the E train will get you from 8th & 42nd (1 block west of Times Square) to Ground Zero (I don't think I've ever heard anyone who lives here call it that; we still call it the World Trade Center, and it's the last stop heading south) in another 20. But there's a lot more to see here than those three places. Buy or borrow a good guidebook to NYC before you come, and take one of the HoHo buses for a good overview of Manhattan.

[nybumpkin]

Hi Alrana and Kathy,

Thanks for your posts.

So gald you had a good time in Plymouth, Kathy - did you get to the Mayflower steps?

 

We did see the plaque on the waterfront. I don't remember the stairs, though. 25 years will do that to you.:o

 

We will be staying in the Affinia in Manhattan, so tips on nearby attractions would be really helpful.

I think by local food I meant eating where the locals eat. I am thinking along the lines of where are the best bagels, good breakfast stops, maybe restaurants with good views that are not always used by visitors.

 

Please keep the suggestions coming, many thanks;)

 

The Affinia is in a good location with easy access to public transportation - you can get the 7th Avenue subway (lines 1, 2 and 3) and the 8th Avenue subway (lines A, C and E) right at Pennsylvania Station, the Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and Long Island Rail Road train station at 33rd and 7th Avenue. Times Square is an easy walk, 11 blocks north on 7th Avenue. I know a lot of people will call it a tourist trap, but if you've never been to New York I think it's one of those "must see" places. You're also an easy walk from the Empire State Building at 34th and 5th Avenue. Even if you don't go to the top (the lines can be long), take a walk into the lobby - it's 1930s Art Deco.

 

As for restaurants with a view - it's hard to find one that the tourists haven't found.;) A couple of suggestions, though - if you don't mind spending some dollars, one of my favorites is The Water Club (www.thewaterclub.com), which is right on the East River at 30th Street. You're best advised to take a taxi there because there aren't subway lines in that area and it's not pedestrian-friendly. Beautiful river views, though. Another place with a view is the aptly-named "The View" (www.theviewnyc.com) at the top of the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. It's a revolving restaurant and bar with views of Manhattan and New Jersey. You might want to settle for a visit to the bar rather than the restaurant; a buffet is available, it's less expensive than the restaurant, and you still get great views.

 

I'll check my directory for some additional, less touristy, choices.

 

the E train will get you from 8th & 42nd (1 block west of Times Square) to Ground Zero (I don't think I've ever heard anyone who lives here call it that; we still call it the World Trade Center, and it's the last stop heading south) in another 20.

And when you board the E train, the recorded announcement will tell you that you're going to the World Trade Center. The first few years after 9/11 it bothered me, but then I figured out that it's entirely appropriate that trains go to the World Trade Center.

[Alrana Eris]

Hi Alrana and Kathy,

Thanks for your posts.

So gald you had a good time in Plymouth, Kathy - did you get to the Mayflower steps?

 

We will be staying in the Affinia in Manhattan, so tips on nearby attractions would be really helpful.

I think by local food I meant eating where the locals eat. I am thinking along the lines of where are the best bagels, good breakfast stops, maybe restaurants with good views that are not always used by visitors.

 

Please keep the suggestions coming, many thanks;)

 

Local food is NOT: Applebees, Olive Garden, Brooklyn Diner or any of the Times Square chain restaurants. (There are much better diners than over priced Brooklyn Diner)

Don't be afraid to try street vendors shish kabob, pretzels, hot dogs and roasted chestnuts, for the quick go. Try real NY pizza, real bagels with cream cheese. Every food you can think of NYC has it. I miss my lcoal haunts in Queens but I jsut pick up one usually at Zaros or Hot & Crusty bagels from Grand Central Station.(I commute into NYC)

[Tweedy]

umm no maybe over 2 days. 3 different areas of the city. Ground zero -need advance tix. You can see times Square, do a Broadway musical/play while there. as well as don't miss Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park a free tour of Grand Central Station. Do a ho/ho bus.

Central Park is vast you can't do it all in one day- there is so much to see Cleopatra's needle which Cleopatra has nothing to do with it Its Tutmosis the IV. You have Beardsley(excuse spelling) Castle, Museum of Natural history, the boathouse great lawn etc.

Ground Zero, make a point to see St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church which was badly damaged. there is also Trinity Church, South Street Seaport, see titanic Museum and waterfront there on the east side. Visit Battery Park.

 

Subways are so easy to use and safe despite what the media harpies say.

 

Local food is NOT: Applebees, Olive Garden, Brooklyn Diner or any of the Times Square chain restaurants. (There are much better diners than over priced Brooklyn Diner)

Don't be afraid to try street vendors shish kabob, pretzels, hot dogs and roasted chestnuts, for the quick go. Try real NY pizza, real bagels with cream cheese. Every food you can think of NYC has it. I miss my lcoal haunts in Queens but I jsut pick up one usually at Zaros or Hot & Crusty bagels from Grand Central Station.(I commute into NYC)

 

Thanks for your information in both posts. We'll be visiting for the first time in October as well. There is so much to see and do, it's hard to summarize everything.

[nybumpkin]

I miss my lcoal haunts in Queens but I jsut pick up one usually at Zaros or Hot & Crusty bagels from Grand Central Station.(I commute into NYC)

LOL - My downfall is a chocolate croissant from Hot & Crusty in Penn Station.:D

[Kristal Blade]

Thanks again for these tips, especially the restaurant and food options.

We are going to be joined by a couple of teenagers for one or two days, do you have any specific suggestions for that age group please?

 

Kathy, the Mayflower steps have been given a make over now so they are more obvious and tourist friendly, but some of the pubs in the area are still very traditional, particularly The Dolphin. Still sawdust on the floor and some very entertaining regulars.:D

[138east]

Engage the teenagers and have them tell you what they're interested in. You might be surprised. When our kids were growing up, we did trips to the Southwest and Europe with another family. Kids picked Four Corners and Carlsbad Caverns, Stonehenge, Eiffel Tower, Laura Ashley, and an oboe maker in Paris. Go figure. Anyway, they didn't get everything they wanted, but they were invested in the whole group travel process, which made it a lot easier.

[AFS1970]

Since Strawberry Fields in part of Central Park, you can see a fair amount there if it interest's you. Also in an odd move the city recently made Strawberry Fields a music free zone so the street musicians that play Lennon/Beatles covers have moved down the hill a bit. The park features more stuff than I can name but Belvedere Castle is kind of fun and offers great views. Central Park has it's own website.

 

Most of Manhattan is doable fairly quickly by Subway or Bus, it really depends on how long each stop is. If theater is your thing and you do not mind waiting on line, there is a discount ticket booth just north of Times Square that offers half price tickets for shows that day. I have used it several times, and rarely has my first choice been unavailable.