[RAILhead]

We're going to NY for the 4th of July, so I thought I'd get some ideas from you guys (and gals) about things to do, places to eat, etc. We'll be staying at the Hyatt at Grand Central Terminal, so we'll be right in the middle of things.

So far, we plan to...

1. We're seeing "Wicked" at the Gershwin Theatre.
2. We'll do the Empire State Building.
3. May do the Statue of Liberty thing.
4. Want to go to the real Little Italy.
5. Probably go to the Bronx Zoo.

Now, what else should we do? I want some real authentic NY Pizza Pie for sure. Food is a big thing on all our vacations, so restaurant ideas would be great.

We'll have 4 full days and 5 nights, FWIW.

[Monique]

I heard that Greenwich village is really nice.

The Metropolitan Musem and the new Gugenheim design by Frank Ghery.

[JFischel]

You may want to try the Top of the Rock instead of The Empire State Building. The Rockefeller Plaza Tower, IMHO has a better view of both North and South Manhattan. Additionally, you can pick your time to go to the building. At the ESB they shuffle you along after waiting for ever to even get up to the observation deck. At the Top of the Rock you can stick around for a while if you like.

-Josh

PS -- I'm moving to The City in a month or so. It's the best place on earth, bar none.

[Dork.]

I grew up there, but it's been so long since I've done anything touristy there that I'm plum out of ideas. I enjoy just walking around the place. Hopefully when my daughter is old enough, she'll enjoy it, too.

But there is something for everyone. What kind of things do you enjoy? Odds are someone can recommend something that isn't quite as touristy, but you'll enjoy more.

The only advice I have is to ride the subway. Cabs are way too expensive. The map looks complicated, but it's not really that hard. The 4/5/6 lines (on the East Side, with Green signs) will be your friend, since you're so close to Grand Central. 6 is the local train that stops at every station, 4/5 only stop at a few in Manhattan. There are a few options on the West Side if you need to go there, like 1/2/3 or the A/C. (Yes, that A train!) If you're not adverse to a little bit of walking, you can get anywhere in Manhattan from just the 4/5/6 and the West Side line of your choice. (just pay attention to where you need to get off!) And thest main lines I've mentioned have people riding on them all hours of the day and night, so they're pretty safe. If you're still unsure, though, stay in the middle of the platform (or in the marked "off-hours waiting areas" after hours) and you'll end up in the car with the conductor on it.

Now you can buy unlimited-use day passes for the subway, which makes it the main mode of transportation if you need to hit multiple places in one day!

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Dork.

Now you can buy unlimited-use day passes for the subway, which makes it the main mode of transportation if you need to hit multiple places in one day!

Heck, if they're going to be there for four days, it might be cheaper to get a Weeklong unlimited MetroCard (subway/bus pass), rather than buying passes every day.

If you like Greek food, Maury, there's some good Greek restaurants in Astoria, which is easily reachable by subway. (It's either the N or the Q train, IIRC)

Also, don't forget Times Square! Although the Howard Johnson's restaurant that was there closed not too long ago. Reasonable family restaurant at reasonable prices, IMHO.

Oh, and you'll want to visit the Apple Store Manhattan in SoHo, and also Tekserve at 155 W. 23rd Avenue.

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by Person Man

Heck, if they're going to be there for four days, it might be cheaper to get a Weeklong unlimited MetroCard (subway/bus pass), rather than buying passes every day.

Yup, I'm not exactly aware of what options exist right now. Most of my time in New York was spent pre-MetroCard! I still have a few tokens around somewhere....

[jebjeb]

Originally Posted by JFischel

You may want to try the Top of the Rock instead of The Empire State Building. The Rockefeller Plaza Tower, IMHO has a better view of both North and South Manhattan. Additionally, you can pick your time to go to the building. At the ESB they shuffle you along after waiting for ever to even get up to the observation deck. At the Top of the Rock you can stick around for a while if you like.

I agree. My wife and I were in New York a couple of weeks ago and went to the Top of the Rock has basically no queues and is open air as well. Plus I think the Empire State Building is probably the major landmark in New York so why go to the top (well not the top really as you can "only" go to the 31st floor or something these days) of it and not be able to see it? From the Top of the Rock you get great photos of the Empire State Building as well of Central park.

[RAILhead]

Cool, thanks! Keep it coming!

[Mithras]

Best pizza (not to start a flamewar) is at Grimaldi's Pizza right under the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn. You can walk across the bridge from lower Manhattan, eat there, and if you time it right see a performance at St Ann's Warehouse.

In general the best thing to do is walk around. Walk Little Italy, walk Chinatown, walk Soho. Later, walk through some of the neighborhoods in Brooklyn to see the Hasidim, the delicious Russian shops out in Brighton Beach, etc.

[MacMan4000]

John's Pizzeria. I'v gone back on 2 vacations, my dad has gone back on at least 4... its delecious. And the top of the rock is great. i just got back from a trip to NYC a few weeks ago. I'll post my pics if your interested... I took a bunch cause I got my D200 he day before we left

[Ratm]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

We're going to NY for the 4th of July, so I thought I'd get some ideas from you guys (and gals) about things to do, places to eat, etc. We'll be staying at the Hyatt at Grand Central Terminal, so we'll be right in the middle of things.

So far, we plan to...

1. We're seeing "Wicked" at the Gershwin Theatre.
2. We'll do the Empire State Building.
3. May do the Statue of Liberty thing.
4. Want to go to the real Little Italy.
5. Probably go to the Bronx Zoo.

Now, what else should we do? I want some real authentic NY Pizza Pie for sure. Food is a big thing on all our vacations, so restaurant ideas would be great.

We'll have 4 full days and 5 nights, FWIW.

Well, Central Park for one! The real little Chinatown for 2, BROOKLYN! for 3, SOHO, The Village, 42 ST and Times Sq...just pick of a sightseeing guide and you'll be fine.

Don't forget to try and eat at many of the wonderful restaurants that have some of the most amazing foods from around the globe. Don't miss the chance to try many of these culinary delights and just decided to eat F**King hamburgers.

In chinatown it's K-Ping Duck, In Queens it's Colombian, Indian and a few others, in brooklyn it's everything and anything....have fun.

I miss my NY!!!!

And for pizza....it's really difficult as all the pizza is tasty but after all my years of NY pizza I'll only eat at a parlor with a wood burning oven. There aren't that many so it will make it easier to find. Right across the water in brooklyn is where some of the best pizza can be found.....it's where most Italians chill at.....a whole pie of piping hot pizza with some ice cold beer!!!!

[Ratm]

Originally Posted by MacMan4000

John's Pizzeria. I'v gone back on 2 vacations, my dad has gone back on at least 4... its delecious. And the top of the rock is great. i just got back from a trip to NYC a few weeks ago. I'll post my pics if your interested... I took a bunch cause I got my D200 he day before we left

My father worked at John P when he first came to this country almost 29yrs ago—the pizza was so huge back then you needed to eat it with a knife and fork but now the their pizza is, well,.....it's just not the same, still delicious but not like it was.

[Mithras]

also, even better than the statue of liberty, in my opinion, is Ellis island.

And in your other 24 hours you have left, you'd be remiss if you didn't go to a museum or three. The Met, Guggenheim, and MOMA are all unerringly interesting, and some of the smaller ones like the Naguchi and Neue Gallery are perhaps my faves.

[Mithras]

For restaurants: how much are you prepared to spend per person? I have ideas at any price from $6 to $75.

[davesimondotcom]

If I was heading to NYC I'd put Ground Zero on my list...

[hart]

here's an outing a little off the beaten path: take the F train out to Coney Island and walk around there, go to the aquarium which is nice and compact, walk along the boardwalk. The F train goes above ground for quite a while so you get a good view of outer Brooklyn. Come back on the F and get out at 7th Avenue (Park Slope) or in Carroll Gardens and take your pick of restaurants. Any cuisine you have a mind to try is within spitting distance and even the most expensive ones aren't that frightening $$-wise. I can't remember what street is the strip in Carroll Gardens, maybe someone else knows but the train stops are Bergen and Carroll. Park Slope is also the classic brownstone neighborhood (3rd street is the showplace) with Prospect Park, a more freeform relaxed version of Central Park at the top of the hill. There's a second more counter culture strip of restaurants and trendy stores running along 5th Avenue in Park Slope also, down the hill from 7th Ave.

Another classic train trip for the adventurous is the number 7 to Queens. The United Nations of restaurants runs along the street under the train. It's multicultural central.

I second the Noguchi museum. Going there is an adventure in itself. There used to be a waterfront sculpture garden in the neighborhood looking out on the East River with a view of Manhattan. Maybe it's still there. Another impressive view of Manhattan and nice brownstone neighborhood to stroll through is Brooklyn Heights and it's promenade. This is right near the Brooklyn Bridge which has the famous Patsy's pizza near it's base.

Taking the tram to Roosevelt Island is an out of the ordinary trip if you're not afraid of heights. (Remember the tram in Spiderman movie?)

[RAILhead]

Money is not a factor, so hit me with your best shot.

[glideslope]

This is an easy one. Go somewhere else.

[Mithras]

Well, on the moderately but not insanely expensive end, restaurants not to miss while in New York might include:
* Nobu: Yes, there's now Nobu London, Nobu Miami, Nobu LA, and even Nobu Las Vegas, but the place is still damn good. They should have patented their miso cod, given how many other places are now making paler imitations of it. Even now you still need to call exactly 1 month ahead to get your reservation. Make sure you do it right and order a couple of hot, a couple of cold, 1 or 2 mains and sushi.
* Babbo. Just really, really good Italian food like you didn't know was possible. There's a reason Mario Batali is famous.
* Lupa is also very delicious Italian food in a less formal setting than Babbo. Get a table at around 10pm to avoid feeling rushed.

If you like "fancy" food (crazy weird combinations that are as much a delight for the mind as the tongue), then WD-50 is very fun. (But if you want big hearty portions of recognizable fare, then it's not a good choice.)

For a romantic, cozy atmosphere, two of my favorites are:
* Salt which is small, warm, and yummy. Feels like a neighborhood bistro with unusually good food.
* Il Buco for a beautiful decor and great food.

And I can't disagree with any of the picks in this Best of New York: Italian reader's poll.

Anyone else have some thoughts? (This is like asking a Mac user for their 4 favorite apps: we'll all list about 30, and everyone's lists will be different.)

[James L]

Hey Railhead,

I posted this a while back in another thread... hope it helps:

1) The cab ride from the airport (we flew into La quardia) should cost you about $45 US into the city (we stayed at 48th and Broadway). I recommend a New York City cab ride over any roller coaster out there (and I drive emergency service vehicles for a living)!


2) You definitely want to get a Metro card public transit pass unless you are cabbing and limo'ing all over. There is a tourism info center on Broadway, around 44th (?) where we got ours... though you can get them everywhere. Our passes were around $25 each for the week, and this gives you unlimited access to the public transit, subways, buses, etc. Made life much easier. You can pick up a subway map there at the same time. Here are some links:

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/metrocard/m....htm#unlimited
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/metrocard/zipmaps.htm
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/metrocard/


3) If you are going to do some site seeing while there, I highly recommend the CityPass. I think they were about $50 each and gave you access to the Empire State Building, The Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, a 2 hour long cruise around the harbour at night, the intrepid air and space museum (an aircraft carrier), and the Museum of Natural History. We used airmiles to get these so we didn't pay for them. Here is a link:

http://citypass.com/city/ny.html?id=Qx9sA6u5


4) Food in the tourist areas can be VERY expensive. A burger and fries on Broadway can be $16 or $17 US!


5) If you want to see the Statue of Liberty, but are fine just cruising by and not actually going to the island, it is free to take the Staten Island ferry, which goes past it. You then just get back on and come back, rather than take the actually ferry that goes over to the statue.


6) Once you have your maps and Subway schedules you can plan your days out very well. For example, one day we took the subway down to Ground Zero, walked from there down to the Staten Island ferry to go see the Statue of Liberty, then took the subway back up to SoHo. Did some shopping, subway'd back to the hotel, got cleaned up, went for dinner and a Broadway Show, etc. Here is an island, subway map:

www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/manbus.pdf


7) The Bronx Zoo is the longest subway ride from the broadway area that we took, but is well worth it. I think admission was $20 per person.


8) Security in many venues is very tight. Be prepared (at least 7 months ago) for bag checks, metal detectors, etc. This can sometimes create long lines. We were there in the heart of tourist season when we last went, so keep that in mind, but the lineup to go up the Empire State Building at night was about an hour long!


I hope this helps. Let me know if there is anything specific about travelling there and I will try to help you out. Staying in midtown really worked well for us because it was so central.

I haven't been back to NYC in a while now, probably almost a year. It is an amazing city, and New Yorker's are amazing people.

I hope you have a blast!

Cheers,

James

[kpne1home]

Go to the Apple store, it's 2 stories!! I'm use to my little one in CT.

[TomR]

Check out a Yankee or Met game while here too! I'm, upstate a little abouot 65 miles. Check out Grand central station (It's very near the Empite state building, you can see it from the front of the ESB.) Grand central is in the middle of things! See the WTC site and awe at how big it was. Sad but important to see IMHO. You'll really get an idea of the severity of the destruction those scumbags caused. Visit one of the museums too! There is SO MUCH TO SEE in NYC!

Welcome and please HAVE FUN while your here!!!! The people are GREAT!

Tom

[MaxPower2k3]

I haven't really done a whole lot of touristy stuff here in a while, but this is all good advice. definitely check out museums and such. I don't know about your kid situation, but if you want a more adult destination, I've heard the Museum of Sex (on 28th and 5th ave, IIRC) is pretty interesting.

On Lexington Ave between 26th and 30th or so is a "Little India" type area with a lot of good indian restaurants of varying price (and quality). The one I usually go to is vegetarian, so I don't know if that interests you. Most of these places are in the $10-$20/person range for dinner.

If you're walking around Chelsea (west 23rd street and the surrounding few blocks), there's the Chelsea Hotel on 7th and 23rd, which is fairly well known, although I don't think there's much to do there. If you go a block east there's Tekserve (just west of 6th ave on 23rd street) and if you keep going east, you'll get to the Flatiron building wedged into the intersection of Broadway, 5th Ave, and 23rd street. Across from it is Madison Square Park, which has a decent view of the top of the Empire State Building at night.

If you're into consumerism, 34th street (specifically between 7th and 6th avenues, but really the whole thing) has the big Macy's and loads of other stores, and, in the other direction, 14th street and 6th avenue is Union Square Park (and the surrounding retail opportunities).

The east village is fun to walk around in. once you get near 4th street, it turns into NYU territory pretty quick, but there's still some good restaurants and things in that area.

Definitely just set some time aside to walk around. You'll find all sorts of cool places you wouldn't see if you just follow a tourist book. Brooklyn Heights (right on the brooklyn side of the brooklyn bridge) is a great little neighborhood with lots of good restaurants and things. The Upper West Side has some great old architecture. If you're a beatles fan, the Dakota where John Lennon lived is around there. There's also a Mexican place called Harry's Burritos on 71st and Columbus Ave which, while not the most authentic mexican food, is pretty good for ~$15/person (ate there tonight, in fact).

Anyway, just a few things off the top of my head.


Edit: OH, and MenuPages is your friend. I don't always agree with the user reviews, but it's still a great way to find out what's in the area if you don't have time to just walk around and find something.

Edit2: and, as I typed this, the episode of Family Guy where Chris becomes an artist and they visit NYC came on

[Monique]

I was supposed to go to Germany this year, but because of the strike at Telus I have no money and now I have to move. So, I thought of New York but I was not sure, after reading all your posts it encourages me to go; thank you.

[Mastrap]

The thing about Manhattan, which is really where you'd be staying, is that it is walkable. Assuming you've got no kids with you that is.

When I lived in London the one thing that always struck me about NYC was now compact everything was, especially in comparison to central London which is more spread out. Compact, but dense. You walk for five minutes and everything changes.

In my opinion walking and cabs are the best way to explore the city. If you've got access to the American Express concierge service, use it. They are fantastic in New York. From cycles in Central Park (ready and waiting for us) to restaurant reservations, they make the stay a real joy.

[Josh Reid]

If you want the best steak you have ever eaten, check out the world-famous Peter Luger's in the beginning of Brooklyn. www.PeterLugers.com UNREAL. Dry-aged steak, simple menu, been in the same location since the late 1800s.