Losthubby and I will are going to NYC March 9-13. We have 3 full days (Sat, Sun, Mon). Fly in Fri night late, out Tues morn La Guardia. We have tickets to Spamalot on Sat night at 8, and will be staying at the Millenium Hilton. No car. What would you do in that time? Looking for suggestions for places to eat, other things to do/see. Not picky about food, like to try new stuff. We are belatedly celebrating 25 year anniv 3 years late! Any and all suggestions welcome!
In 3 days you wouldnt even have enough time to do all the standard touristy stuff, so do that. Unless of course you have done it before. Have you? The standard stuff is Statue of Liberty, the Met, the Empire State Building, the MoMA, Museum of Natural History, circle line, etc etc. Everybody does that, but it is worth doing if you havent already.
Never been - and I really did not want to schedule everything out. But I do want to have an idea of what we might want to do. I did not expect to cram it all in 3 days, but wanted to make sure something great did not get overlooked. Are there records to look at on Ellis Island? My great-grandfather came through there (we think) in 1899. I thought it might be an opportunity to look if time permitted. Walking tour sounds really nice. Have to check that out when there.
They have computerized records at Ellis Island, IIRC. You get there on the same ferry as the Statue of Liberty. I second the suggestion not to plan things out too much. Do what you feel like and have the energy for. It will probably be pretty cold, especially on the harbor, so be ready for that.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Time frames are probably what I need most, so we can look at each day and figure out what we feel like doing. Good to know how long some of the places will take. Also - thanks for the heads up about weather. Coming from Houston, got to get some cold weather stuff together. What is a good place to eat before the play Sat night? Spamalot is at the Shubert. Having lived in suburbia for 20+ years, I am up for anything that is not Chili's or Outback!
You'll love Spamalot, as long as neither of you are over six feet tall. The Shubert has tiny seats. Actually, you'll still love it.
Definitely cut out the statue. I do agree with the Frick - that's worth visiting. If you're in the area, also check out The Dahesh on 5th Avenue. It's a tiny museum but free... look it up and stop in if you're nearby. Check out some classic cocktail bars for an "elegant" evening... places like Bemelman's at the Carlyle Hotel or the Monkey Bar at The Hotel Elysee (my dad used to stay here in the 50s)
Dinner before the play...try BXL. it's on 43rd I think. it's a Belgian type joint, you can go dressed up or down. get a big pot of Mussles and some frites. Bobby Flay's Bar Americain is also in the Midrown/Theater Dist. good place, good food. If you do the Eliis Island/ SoL thing spend the rest of the that day checking out lower Manhattan. you can skip the WTC Site, not much to see at the makeshift memorial and as I live in that hood I find it boring unless big construction pits facsinate you. check out the Archielogical ruins by Stone St. Federal Hall, NYSE, Castle Clinton, Bowling Green, Museum of the American Indian, etc. walk around in Central Park. Walk up the Hudson Rivar Hike and Bike for a break. go buy a guide book, read up on some **** and go explore. history is everywhere here.
The Met could take 4 days. It is big, so don't try to see it all. Pick out a few sections, depending on how much time you want to devote to it. But it is not to be missed. For one of your other nights, maybe go to Grand Central, which is quite a sight itself. There is a good seafood restaurant in the basement, Oyster Bar, and then hit Campbell's Apartment for a drink afterwards (also in Grand Central). It's an upscale place (so dress nice), but it has a lot of NY atmosphere.
Campbell Apartment is a unique palce for drinks. Wnet there on our last trip. I would suggest dinner at DB Bistro Moderne. It's Daniel Boulard's more casual restaurant. We enjoyed it. Between 5th and 6th in the mid 40's if I remember correctly.
My wife and I went to Ny for only three days we stayed at the Broadway Millienium. We went to Statue of Liberty,Central Park,MoMA,Grand CEntral Station.Ellis Island. You can go toThe Link and see about the Elllis Island Records it is a pay site.In addition tryThe Link there may be some info on your family there
I'll agree on skipping the statue mostly because the wait in line is going to eat up your limited time. Of course I agree with next on the WTC site, Century 21 is more entertaining. I've taken people to Empire state building probably 10x times and i really never get tired of it. It's awesome but at night it's 10x better. You left off the Brooklyn Bridge and ill thrown in the tenement museum on the LES. The park is great but please watch where you are going so that you don't cause a bike on pedestrian accident. The best part about nyc is the people so don't be afraid to talk to them or ask questions. Unless of course they are mumbling to themselves then just wave at next and let him be. Spend some time just relaxing at union or washington square parks on a sat or sunday after brunch, its a great place to people watch or buy drugs. Btw it's perfectly normal to start drinking around 10am on Sunday during brunch and not stop all day. IMO you are better off going to dinner away from the theater district there are some good restaurants around but more than likely they are catering to the out of town crowd.
This is gonna sound cheesy, but I'd recommend on your first day there, that you book the morning Circle Line boat tour that takes you around the entire island. You will get to at least see a ton of classic NY "stuff" that you would otherwise have to really work long and hard to get to, like all the bridges, Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, the UN building, the west edge of Brooklyn and Queens, the Cloisters, etc. It will also give you get a very good sense of how the area is laid out and what you'll be dealing with for the rest of your trip. During the tour, take mental notes of things you might want to go back and visit up close. It takes about 2 1/2 hours as I recall, and leaves from a pier on the Hudson river somewhere around 43rd street.
If you like jazz, there are all kinds of options: Village Vanguard Blue Note Iridum Birdland We've taken a jazz show every time we've been... seen Ahmad Jamal 2x, Mal Waldron, Steve Lacy, Stanley Turrentine, etc.
Top of the Rock >>> Empire State Building Observation Deck. Short/No lines, view north over the Park, south to the ESB and beyond. No question.
What about doing a totally touristy thing like going down Monday morning to where the Today show is and joining the crowd outside the studio? I need to get a map - is much of this within walking distance? Airfare, hotel, and theater tickets were a gift, so that allows us to spend more on entertainment, but it seems it would be easy to spend a small fortune on cabs. I know to and from the airport will be $50 each way. What about cab fares within the city? The list of restaurants and bars have some great possibilities. We love trying new places, so it will be fun. The list of things to do on here is quite impressive! I don't think we will try to "schedule" anything really, just see what we feel like doing. Of course we could also just stay in the hotel room all weekend! Now after 28 years of marriage and 3 kids THAT would be one of the most radical things we could do!!!
In Manhattan, cab fares are reasonable and the subway runs everywhere. Get a 3 day subway pass and take cabs at night or if you are in heels. A lot of things are within walking distance of each other. It is not a big island. What airport are you flying into? You can take public transportation to and from any of them and save a lot of money.
I think standing around watching the Today or GMA is about ******* dumb as dumb can get. Manhattan is only 24 squares miles so yes, in NYC terms everything is walkable or close enough that you can use cabs and the subway to make it really easy. use the Subway, it's your friend. Staten Island Ferry: it's free, the view is great. they sell beer for maybe $3.00. I cannot endorse this enough. Latt22: why recommend southern food to Texas folks visiting NYC? I'm not saying, I'm just saying
