NYC Holiday
 

My family and I will be visiting the Big Apple end of May and are looking for cool stuff to do, see and eat during our visit

All suggestions beyond the well trodden tourist trail would be very much welcome

Staying in the city...willingness to travel outside the city?

How long will you be there?

Ahab, that's a long list of stuff. It might be easier to provide if you post your preferences.

But off the top of my head:
Empire state building
Statue of Liberty
Central Park Zoo
Haydn Planetarium
Museum of Nat'l History
SOHO and its eateries
Strolling 5th avenue
Little Italy
Chinatown
Air and Space museum
Circle Line Cruise
West Point

Will have a week there, only plan to stay in the city

Not chosen a hotel yet

Thanks flatbutt, some good suggestions there

My only experience of NYC was 2hrs at the bus station waiting for a change of bus around mid-night on my way to Canada. I was a tanned white boy just off a bus from Florida, still wearing beach clothes in the depths of winter. :D Most frightened I've ever been in my life as there were a few strange characters hanging around :eek:

As for preferences of things to do, in no particular order

911 Memorial
Shooting range
Good food, a real burger joint/waffle house, no chain resturants
Car meet or even Pelican meet up
Car museum
Empire State building or another tall building to take in the skyline
Subway/yellow cab/bus tour

I know we have at least one Pelican in NYC, hopefully he responds. My favorite visits have been the 9/11 memorial and McSorley’s, the oldest bar in NYC. I would also recommend that you briefly see the spectacle that is Times Square and then GTFO, it is the epitome of a tourist trap.

Founded by David Brenner. A hangout for NYC celebs who play and players of all skill levels. Warning..the home hall of a guy called Mika, a world raked pro. Don't put your money on the line, but if you catch him playing, enjoy the show.

Amsterdam Billiards – NYC'S MOST FUN PARTY SPACE

We always have a martini at the top of the Mariott overlooking Times Square - Amazing view of the greatest city in the world. Use the subway. See a Broadway show. So many good pizza joints - you have to hit one or two. Ocean Club is a great place for lunch. Go to lower Manhattan where Wall St, Sept 11 memorial, Battery Park are there. Don’t bother going to the Statue of Liberty, just look at it from Battery Park.
Man, so much to do. Get into the city, into the streets.

No waffle House in NYC.

Take the train to Coney Island. Go on The Wonder Wheel and ride the Cyclone roller coaster.
Take the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tours. You can negotiate and they may throw in a bike rental or boat tour.
The subway was safe, the locals were very friendly and helped us out when we looked lost.
The Intrepid Aircraft Carrier, they have a Concorde on the deck.
Times Square is something to see at night. You only need a short time there.
911 Museum is a must, the new World Trade center is good as well.
Katz's Deli, The Burger Joint, The Blarney Stone (by World Trade). Tons of food to choose from.
There's so much to do there, we've been 3 times and always find something different to do. We walked an average of 11 km per day
We stay in Chelsea which is 15 minutes from Times Square

As for a shooting range I only know of one in the city. It is on the westside and I think you can only shoot a .22 rifle there without a permit so kind of a waste of money.
As for a real burger joint go to the Burger Joint at the Parker Meridian hotel 57th Street between 6th and 7th Avenue it is behind a black curtain just past the front desk.
There are a lot of small museums around like the NYC History museum, the NYPD museum, the subway museum and the tenement museum. South Street Seaport is fun to visit and near ground zero and some of the small museums I mentioned.
As for car gatherings nothing in the city itself most of them are in Long Island or Westchester and if you don't have a car not easy to get to.
Stay out of the Times Square area or Midtown when it comes to eating all of those places are tourist traps and the food is terrible. Go uptown past 57th street the further up the better. Many places on upper Broadway like Carmines on 90th street and Broadway or downtown in Chelsea or the village to eat.
You can spend a day on the tour busses there are some that you can get off and on as you please with a day pass.
Have fun

Check,

Top of the Rock nice perspectives of heights of some of the other tall ones... I like it...

Also Grand Central Station... enter the main concourse and look up... the ceiling is amazing.. Oyster Bar...

Kielhs Pharmacy.. Since 1851... They used to have some old Maseratis and other race cars in a room off the retail area...

MomoFuku

Chumleys (a speakeasy)

Crif Dogs

Katz Deli

Flushing...

The Highline

Best way to see (photograph) the Statue of Liberty is by taking the Staten Island Ferry..

Good no frills burgers... Five Guys or Shake Shack...

The are hundreds of Pizza places... Robertas in Brooklyn... Totonnos, which you can do if you dare head to Coney Island... Nathans and Totonnos in one day!

So much to do,

I will only add that of the many cities I have visited, NYC is my absolute favorite. Couldn’t ever live there, but what an amazing place.

'bout three daze is all I can take ;)

....after McSorleys...go by that "three card Monte" dude on 42nd St and win my $40 back....those were in '79 $ though....

A week is a long time and you can see a bunch. Some really great suggestions so far..and don't be afraid to act like a tourist, trust me, no one in NYC cares.

A few things: You mentioned family so if you are bringing kids, what do they want to do?

The Staten Island Ferry was a big hit when my kid were young: NYC from the water is neat. Any of the numerous ferries are enjoyable.

Comedy Clubs. I haven't lived in a city since San Diego in the 80's and I always enjoyed seeing comedians live. If you have a favorite that is playing that could be fun.

I know this suggestion may not fly, but (and I have mentioned this in other threads) bus tours/walking tours are great for first timers in any city. I have done them all over the world and they has made the following days stay much more enjoyable and informed. Absent locals on your squad, it is the cheapest, best way to get acclimated with a family in tow.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60763-Activities-c42-t174-New_York_City_New_York.html

A friend of mine who is an amateur chef likes to go to one day cooking schools. He has done them all over the world and loves them. He did one in NYC and said it was great.

https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=one+day+cooking+class&find_loc=Ne w+York%2C+NY

Is the upper east side better than the upper west for tourists?
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1518884647.jpg

I would research attractions in advance and try to see everything in an area during that day.
And the next day go somewhere new.
Things like a big museum will take at least half a day even if you are walking through at a good clip.
The kids will probably want to see the Bronx zoo or a boat or skyscraper view.

Love the map, spot on.

But really, there are so many terrific things to do, see, and taste here in NYC, you won't have trouble figuring it out.

Stay away from the tourist areas, step out in to the outer boros and get a real taste of our city.

Good Luck

I think they are both fine depending on what you are looking to do and how far uptown you go. I prefer the restaurants on the west side personally.

Ha, that map is perfect! :D

That's why I moved... After being born and raised and worked there, I avoid it like the plague now..

Lots of good suggestions posted.

As far as place to eat, to me, most of the "big name" one are way overrated. (Lugers, etc...) If you like Italian, hit La Mela on Mulberry St, just don't eat all day before you go there. Hot dogs, cant beat a dirty water dog or Papaya King. Nathans, just to say you've been there.

911 Memorial is a must
Freedom tower, and or Empire State Building.
Helicopter tour
South Street Seaport.
Coney Island
Canal St for cheap counterfeit goods :p

Trip around Manhattan on the Circle Line

Go to Brooklyn ( there is a lot of life outside of Manahttan , believe it or not...)

Ahab, just a bit more personal advice...Rainy days, in my experience are the worst days for museum visits, everyone heads indoors on rainy days. YMMV.

Take the Ferry from E32nd street down the east river alight in Brooklyn "East Manhattan" (see Map above^) for some bars or coffee or a Criff dog(!) as mentioned above... get back on head to Wall street and cross under all the bridges.. It's a good easy trip during off-peak, Non-weekend hours, it's the best 4$ you will spend

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.

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

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.

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!

I forgot about the High Line!

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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 - Bill’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.

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.

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"

We are heading in late Thursday for a long weekend.

Thanks for the suggestions here and in my thread!

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.

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.

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!

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).

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.