NYC Holiday

[Mike80911]

I believe the 9/11 museum only allows a certain number of visitors per day and you have to buy tickets well in advance of the date you would like to go You can check on line if you plan on visiting and purchase tickets prior to your visit.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Thank you all for the suggestions, this forum is a mine of useful information

One of my kids just added NYPD Museum to the list

[svandamme]

confused bout map, who is the richest? mega rich or the incredibly rich or some other rich?

Need to know so I don't hang out with paupers.

[Don Plumley]

The map is spot on.

Our restaurant list tends to be focused on places that serve our wine (fairly spendy, like EMP); so I'll put a plug in for Ippudo East Village - my daughter used to serve there. World-class amazing Ramen. For an insider-view of good restaurants, consider Eater NY.

I really like seeing a few shows. The crowd energy, emotions, caliber of performance - is untouchable. I don't mean things like the Lion King, but American Idiot, If/Then, Book of Mormon (none in production, but to give you context). You can try for rush/lottery tickets, but when you are on a vacation best bet is TKTS.

Walking Times Square at night
The High Line
Central Park

Great city to visit.

Have a great trip!

[Seahawk]

I forgot about the High Line!

On my list for the next visit...The High Line | Friends of the High Line

[Mike80911]

Originally Posted by Captain Ahab Jr

Thank you all for the suggestions, this forum is a mine of useful information

One of my kids just added NYPD Museum to the list

It is right next to the South Street Seaport which your kids might also enjoy

[john70t]

This last week I been trying to do a crash course in NYC map geography.
Before last week I only knew it was an island with a park. YMMV.

A couple highlights spring to mind:
1). Avenues go east to west like San Francisco, except 4th is replaced by three streets and 6th is called Avenue of Americas.

2). Streets start south to north.

3) Central Park is between 5th Ave to 8th Ave, and 59th street to 110 street.

4). At 8th Ave and 59th is Columbus circle with Trump Hotel and the TimeWarner mini twin towers.
This is where Broadway breaks off the grid and goes diagonal.
Broadway goes through Times Square at 7th, past a park, through two parks, and all the way down to Battery Park/Ferry/Tunnel to Brooklyn.

5) There are a couple cross-streets to remember:
-The Chrysler Building is on 42nd. Follow that west and you arrive at other attractions.
-34 and 14th look like throughways.
-The Brooklyn Bridge lands at city hall.
-The Manhattan Bridge turns into Canal st. to create the Tribeca (triangle below canal street) neighborhood on the west side.
-Or the Manhattan path goes north along the nice parkway on Chrystie in Little Italy.
-The Williamsburg bridge is next up around the bend heading north. The Holland Tunnel to Newark is across the island from that.
-The next bridge up is Queens Midtown which hops over the FDR Island.
-Then a series of bridges from Harlem to Bronx at the top of the island.
-The busy George Washington at the very north is the only bridge to west NJ side.There are only two tunnels below it.


If you can break the map down into parts, it's easy to remember.

[dan79brooklyn]

Avenues run North/South
Streets East/West
5th Avenue is the divider between East and West. If an address is 5 East 12th Street it will be just a few doors East of 5th Ave.
I lived in NYC for 15 years, but it took me a while to figure this out. The subway took me several years to master.

[Soren Lorenson]

I'd vote for you to stay in the upper west side, around 79/80th. Residential, but tons of restaurants and bars etc. Walking to Central Park and the Natural History Museum.

I'd also throw in: The Met
Guggneheim
The High Line
Grab a drink at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park
Drinks at night at the top of the Empire Hotel

[AFC-911]

Originally Posted by john70t

4). At 8th Ave and 59th is Columbus circle with Trump Hotel and the TimeWarner mini twin towers.
This is where Broadway breaks off the grid and goes diagonal.
Broadway goes through Times Square at 7th, past a park, through two parks, and all the way down to Battery Park/Ferry/Tunnel to Brooklyn.

Broadway is pretty much diagonal until you get to the UWS northbound and LES in the South.

Originally Posted by Soren Lorenson

I'd vote for you to stay in the upper west side, around 79/80th. Residential, but tons of restaurants and bars etc. Walking to Central Park and the Natural History Museum.

I'd also throw in: The Met
Guggneheim
The High Line
Grab a drink at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park
Drinks at night at the top of the Empire Hotel

I love the UWS. It's pretty quiet as well.

I think I'm going to a rooftop bar on Friday...I think I'm going to try the Magic Hour. Looks like it will have GREAT views of the Empire.

[john70t]

Sounds like a project for the kids. "You guys are the navigators now. Hop to it and get busy learning. We are counting on it".

If the OP can get a mental map where all the parts fit, he will avoid wasted hours of standing on a corner trying to find North and where they are now.
Been there done that

At least they will be speaking the same language there..mostly.

[MRM]

My wife just completed an assignment on the east coast that allowed us to spend several weekends in New York City. We developed a routine that we think maximized our enhanced tourist status without getting too bogged down anywhere. I think our situation is similar to yours.

Many of the suggestions above mirror our experience. We very much like the hop on hop off city bus tours. Sit through the entire tour before getting off. Once you've been through the whole circuit you'll know what you want to see first and you'll use your time much more efficiently. The bus tour is a good first day. We also like the Intrepid and the boat tour that goes with it as a package. You need to do at least one harbor tour. There are almost no real Jewish Delicatessens in New York anymore. There are delis all over the place that sell mass produced bagels and the same Boar's Head brand meets that you can get at your local grocery store. As far as I know, only Katz Deli remains. That is also the deli where Meg Ryan faked an orgasm over her salad in the scene from When Harry Met Sally.

A great walking day and one of my favorites, is to start at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Walk through the exhibits until you're tired of art. Have lunch in their main dining room. There isn't much to chose from in the neighborhood other than one organic coffee/sandwich shop a couple of blocks away. It's fine, but the hot chicken sandwich in the museum is remarkable. It was a little pricey, but well worth it and the setting is beautiful. Once you're done with the museum, walk out the back door into Central Park. Walk down the Park and stop at the Frick Museum https://www.frick.org/ at 70th and 5th Avenue. Tour the Frick and go back into the park. Continue to walk down toward West 57th Street. Walk around Columbus Circle and stop at the Plaza Hotel. Go inside and downstairs you'll find a little indoor mall with coffee shops, bakeries, restaurants, and little shops. Have a coffee and chocolate croissant. Then get back on 5th Avenue and keep walking south toward Rockefeller Square. Window shop your way down 5th Avenue. You'll pass the Museum of Modern Art if that's your thing and you aren't museumed out. Keep walking to Rockefeller Square. You'll see Radio City Music Hall, the NBC Studios, Top of the Rock, etc. If you time it right you'll arrive during happy hour at Bill's Burger Bar. Hours and Locations - Billā€™s Bar & Burger Restaurants Their prices are usually pretty steep, considering it's a hangout for Wall Street types, but the happy hour menu is one of New York's greatest secrets. Draft beer is half off and their Mini B's sliders are five bucks. I think they're usually $15. They are worth the walk just to get them.

By now you're tired, so spend the rest of happy hour at Bill's, maybe take in a tour of Top of the Rock, see the rest of Rockefeller Plaza and head back to the hotel to rest a bit and get ready to go out for a late dinner somewhere special.

That's my favorite day in New York. I've done it a couple of times, and now my wife and son both want to repeat the day every time we're in the City.

[jwasbury]

Just had a thread on this topic quite recently:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/985526-what-do-manhattan.html

I've met a number of Pelicans when they have visited the city (here working everyday). Would be happy to hoist a cold one with you during your holiday.

[TimT]

If you want a good Jewish Deli experience, head to Russ and Daughters on Houston..its conveniently walking distance to Katz.. They get the bagels they serve from a real Yiddish Bagel place in Midwood Brooklyn Bagel Hole. On Queens Blvd there is Bens Best. Granted many Delis are not maintaining the Kosher standards... and change there signage to reads " Kosher Style"

[Porchdog]

We are heading in late Thursday for a long weekend.

Thanks for the suggestions here and in my thread!

[Brian 162]

The topic of deli's reminded me of Ben's Kosher Deli. It was close to Times Square. They do keep kosher at that location. My g/f found out pretty quick.

[Esel Mann]

If you visit times square be sure to catch the topless but painted wonder women (yep, there's more than 1) with their perky wonder nipples. Along those same lines you will see iron men, again there is more than 1. Interestingly none of them drive an R8 to 'work'. They all take the subway and smoke like marge simpson's sisters.

[Gogar]

If you walk the High Line make sure to try an off-peak time. Do the Chelsea Market and the Whitney Museum in the same outing. It's much less fun when it's super crowded. Don't look in the windows of the Standard Hotel while you're walking, especially if you're with the kids. Have fun!

[Otter74]

For variety in eating, go to Queens. You could, for instance, go up Roosevelt Ave. from the Roosevelt/74th MTA station (the Q70 from LGA drops you off there).

[Kraftwerk]

Times square is wall to wall tourists and it is one of the highest crime areas in NYC..( Check the crime map) Tourist attract a lot of petty crime. I was there last night, even though I always try to avoid going there, but I have to say around 7 o'clock PM it really is amazing. Don't stop, don't buy anything, just walk through, it's not boring. I miss the seedy-ness of it all, though, been cleaned it up a bit too much.. but so crazy, still.