Planing a New York City Trip

Robin Warren · 12-17-2003, 01:46 PM

Hi all,
My wife and I and another couple are planing a road trip to NYC in July 2004. I was hoping to get some advice on some nice reasonably priced places to stay and things that need to be seen/done/experienced. We are going for four days and three nights. Our hope is to stay near Central Park if possible (anywhere central would be great). We will be driving from Canada thru Buffalo down to the city so will have to have parking for our car.

A couple of notes:

1. We have never been before so everything will be new.

2. We are on a bit of a budget. No big ticket events/cruises etc. Count on 1500US dollars per couple.

3. We are Canadian. Do they allow canucks to roam around unescorted?

4. Any and all tips/website links would be appreciated. I have spent a lot of time on the official New York sites but have not had any luck finding some forums for this type of discussion.

5. This will be taking place on July 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. We will be returning on the 4th.

Regarding number 3 above, it is of course a joke

Very much appreciate any and all input. Be nice to hear from some New Yorkers.

Bill Williams · 12-17-2003, 02:40 PM

Ground Zero is a must-experience for any tourist to New York City.

Other points of interest I'd suggest:

- Times Square
- the Empire State Building
- the New York Daily News (they filmed part of Superman there)
- getting tickets to the Late Show with David Letterman

Those are a few things that come to my mind.

Angelo.M · 12-17-2003, 02:44 PM

Four days and three nights... Hmmmmm... Here's a plan...

1. Day 1: Walk uptown along 5th avenue and take in St. Patrick's Cathedral (51st street) and the Museum of Modern Art (53rd street) and the sites along 5th. Don't eat at any of those Hard Rock Cafe-type joints.

2. Day 2: Central Park, perhaps including the Central Park Zoo. The second half of the day could be spent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and/or the Guggenheim Museum.

3. Day 3: I'd spend this downtown. Skip South Street Seaport and instead walk through Little Italy and Chinatown (have lunch there), and then get over to the Village/Union Square for the second half of the day. Plenty to do.

4. Day 4: Times Square/Broadway. Perhaps a matinee? Otherwise, there's still plenty to take in to fill a day. Have dinner at Carmine's (44th street, between Broadway and 8th avenue).

See. No big tickets/big events (unless you consider a Broadway matinee big). No cruises. No Kramer Reality Tours. Canadians are welcome. Tip generously. Smile at the friendly NYers.

Jeff Gatie · 12-17-2003, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Tip generously

This is the number one complaint about Canadians in the US, especially New York. Please take no offense, it is because gratuity is usually included in the bill back home, not necessarily because they are cheap. Not tipping in NY is the greatest sin an outsider can commit. Minimum for a meal is 15%, 20% and above for great food/service. At a bar, at least $1 per drink. Tip doormen, bellhops, cabdrivers and anyone else who performs a service and you cannot go wrong. If you don't tip at places you have to return to strange things start to happen (do not underestimate the ingenuity of the average NY service worker when it comes to getting even)

.

Oh, recommendations - All of the above (especially Angelo's plan). McSorely's Tavern is a must. Ride the Staten Island Ferry (really cheap and one of the best views of the Statue of Liberty). Hang out in Central Park and people watch, bring a frisbee! Go bar hopping up and down 1st and 2nd Avenue (South), lots of cheap places and real atmosphere. Eat a pastrami sandwich at Katz's deli in the chair where Meg Ryan had her, uhm, explosion. Hang out and go shopping in SoHo. DO NOT eat in any theme restaurant chains - if you want a Hard Rock t-shirt, buy it and leave.

Oh yeah, walk like you know where you are, give directions to a cabbie like you know where you are going (buy a street map) and do not look up at the tall buildings. Actually, none of that really matter because you will still be pegged as a tourist:b !

Edit:

Quote:

We will be returning on the 4th.

Why?? You'll be missing one of the best fireworks displays in the world (almost as good as the one on the Charles River Esplanade featuring the Boston Pops

).

LewB · 12-17-2003, 04:16 PM

The Bronx offers:
The world famous Bronx zoo (you can drive or take mass transit)
The New York Botanical Gardens
City Island - Like a New England sailing town with great seafood.
The other Bronx zoo (Yankee Stadium), you said you were on a budget, so this might have to wait for another time.
Arthur Avenue (more great Italian food)
Brooklyn has:
Sheepshead Bay - More seafood
Coney Island - Beach, Cyclone Roller Coaster and Nathan's Famous for hot dogs.

Try and stay for the Macy's fireworks show.

**HTF Ads**

ToddR · 12-17-2003, 04:26 PM

Quote:

A couple of notes:
1. We have never been before so everything will be new.

2. We are on a bit of a budget. No big ticket events/cruises etc. Count on 1500US dollars per couple.

3. We are Canadian. Do they allow canucks to roam around unescorted?

4. Any and all tips/website links would be appreciated. I have spent a lot of time on the official New York sites but have not had any luck finding some forums for this type of discussion.

5. This will be taking place on July 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. We will be returning on the 4th.

Michael Reuben · 12-18-2003, 12:24 AM

Word of warning: Your trip is less than two months before the Republican National Convention hits Manhattan. My guess is that there will already be substantial advance preparation underway. Expect huge crowds, and if you want to go to a particular restaurant, be sure to make a reservation.

Any vacation in New York City should include a trip to the theater. At this point in time, though, it's too early to buy tickets for the July 4 weekend (or even to know what will be playing).

The Statue of Liberty remains closed for security reasons, but Ellis Island is still open, and IMO it's one of the most fascinating historical sites in New York. Takes about half a day when you include the boat ride (20 minutes each way) and time to explore the entire site.

M.

Mark Schermerhorn · 12-18-2003, 08:17 AM

Some quick hotel advice. If you're willing to skimp on the hotel, you can stay at the YMCA. I stayed there last weekend. 60 bucks a night. And it's only 1 block off the southwest corner of Central Park!! All other hotels we could find for that particular weekend in Manhatten were around 500 a night.

I didn't mind staying there at all. The rooms were tiny dorm like rooms and the bathrooms are shared, but for 60 a night, who cares. We were just there to sleep. Most of the people there seemed to be college aged and/or European tourists. Just to make you aware of the option. My friend and I splurged on some seriously good food since we saved all that money.

Robin Warren · 12-18-2003, 08:44 AM

Awesome stuff guy's, thanks.

The hotel is not important to us. We will be sleeping for a couple hours and that's about it.

Now it is just my wife and I that are going, my friend backed out. I think we will change the weekend to one in May. Any good weekends/activities/events in May?

Angelo.M · 12-18-2003, 11:11 AM

Not an advertisement, but I've had great success with Priceline.com for hotels in other large cities (Washington, DC; New Orleans; San Francisco), so you might want to give it a try (not certain how, other than the currency exchange, being in