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Holiday in New York! Tourist tips?

Porridge

Porridge

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Oct 27, 2008
Messages
3,267
I'm going to visit a friend in NY for two weeks on Friday. Can't wait! I'll also be visiting Philly for a couple of days. I'm making a list of things I want to do while I'm there (#1: Visit Good Old Gold for an ogle and hopefully bring back a (hint:pair) bauble or two to show off here).

So does anyone have any must-do's in NY or Philly for my list? I'll actually be staying in Montclair NJ, so am a little outside NY, but all input appreciated.
 
Ah that's brill thanks Delster!
 
I'm heading to NY on Sunday week. My favourite things in Manhattan are:
obviously the shopping is amazing. The Tiffany store is gorgeous, I love Barneys and for great bargains go to Century 21. You can spend hours in Macys.
Top of the Rock is great. I love the Empire state building also but Top of the Rock I find is a nicer experience and the staff are friendlier.
The Met museum is brilliant. Have a look at the different exhibitions before you go and pick which ones you would like to see as it's huge.
Central park is brilliant. We usually get some lunch from Wholefoods and have a picnic in Central park.
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge is great. If you do it in the evening you get a great view of the city lit up.
If you like S*x and the city, go on the bus tour. It's great fun and you get lovely cupcakes.
Go to a broadway show-we usually get discount tickets from Broadwaybox.com before we go. They do great deals for the majority of the shows.
Grand Central Station is great to have a look around and they do free tours some mornings.
Greenwich village is also a great place to walk around and just people watch.
Can't think of other things at the moment. DH and I go at least once a year for the past 10 years. You'll have an absolute ball over there.
 
That's great bee* thanks - especially the Broadway website, I really want to see Chicago. I saw The Producers there a few years ago and loved it.

We'll be there at the same time I think, I'm there 9th-25th Sept!
 
We went to top of the rock and empire state building both during the day AND at night. SO neat. We also walked about 100 dang blocks on Saturday and wanted to lop our feet right off. We shopped all over, esp in the UES and midtown along 5th ave and then Soho. We went to a really nice mexican restaurant near the theater district and that's the first time in my life I actually liked guacamole, it was mixed with papaya, pinapple, mango and pomegranate. It was so good. It was just awesome there, I could so live there.

We had pizza and Lombardos and it was only OK, we wanna hit Grimaldis in Brooklyn next time.

We also met Anthony Bourdain while we were at the Soho Jacques Torres. Dh just knew he was on a show I watched. He was super swell.
 
Yep I fly over on the 18th and am back on the 7th October. DH is flying over on the 1st of October so I have 2 wks by myself!
 
Delster|1315325488|3010741 said:
Porridge I started a NY thread a few years ago and got lots of helpful advice from PScopers! :wavey:

Here's the link: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-york-new-york.83681/

The first thing that sprung to my mind was to visit the Tiffany flagship store... :Up_to_something:
Click to expand...

Ditto! The other Fifth Avenue shops are probably the same as you can see in London. Saks Fifth Avenue is the quintessential New York department store as is Blooningdales. I like Saks Fifth Avenue better.

One suggestion: Good Old Gold is going to be quite a hike from Montclair, NJ. Since you're saving on the hotel by staying in New Jersey, you may want to spring for a hotel room in Manhattan for the first night or two. You can hop on the Long Island Railroad at Penn Station and call GoG in advance and someone will meet you at the train station. Also staying in Manhattan at least one night will let you experience Times Square at night which the family and friends that visit me say is the ultimate New York experience. Of course, you can drive back to Montclair once you're done but driving at night in New York city streets are what my visitors tell me is the worst New York experience. Taking the train out of the city at night is not as bad but still a hassle.
 
Ok good advice AmeliaG thank you!
 
Metropolitan Museum and Morgan Library: must see!!! Wonderful!!!
For cheap but healthy tasteful food: Wholefood at Columbus Circle.
The diamond district: worth the visit.
 
i agree with the hump to GOG from Manhattan. I think it's a good 45-ish minutes one way. I brought magazines and we read on the way there and back. We went on a friday, almost went on the Thursday but didn't want to sit in rush hour anything. I will say that a weekday during the day was ideal.
 
We loved dinner at Les Halles on Park street.. I probably spelled it wrong.. but it's great french food for a reasonable price.. and the best pizza.. was at Keste in Soho... There was a great place we ate at each day for breakfast and for the life of me I can't remember the name of it.. it's a lady's name.. two names actually and it's just around the corner from the plaza facing central park ... really close to a steak house ... they had the best breakfast menu and fresh squeeze juice blends... we have been twice in less than a year and always eat breakfast there everyday.. what a shame I can't remember the name.... ugh!!!

Shopping of course and museums... we also got lucky on tickets to a Yankee's/Red Sox game.. but not sure with the season coming to a close if you will be there in time.. and if you could get them... the new stadium is pretty spectacular if you are a sports fan...

We saw Wicked and the Adam's Family and loved them both...

My last reco is also one I can't remember the name.... but it's a french place for sandwiches.. straight across from The Plaza on the left hand side just beside a jewelry store with estate jewelry.. it's was awesome for lunch.... a list of sandwiches a mile along with fabulous meats and cheeses... sorry..about the names... I am terrible!!! It's less than a block.. you could still see the Apple store...
 
Your not staying far from me!!!


Anyways-- if you want to see a show go to the TKTS booth in times square for same day discount show tickets
 
I'm going to second the TKTS booth for Broadway tickets, but suggest the one in Brooklyn if you want matinee tickets. They sell them the day before...the Times Square one only sells day-of. DH and I saw Avenue Q a few years ago and it was AWESOME, and we were able to get our tickets the afternoon before so we weren't in a rush the day of.

I'd suggest checking out the Public Library if you're a fan of architecture.

Temple of Dendur at the MMoA.

Check out Chelsea Market! There's some awesome bakeries and restaurants in there, plus a Jacques Torres. :lickout:

Stop in a Tasti-D-Lite if you pass one!
 
On second thought, if you plan to do a lot of shopping in Manhattan, you may be better off spending your last couple of nights in Manhattan and not the first two. Carting a lot of stuff back and forth between Manhattan and New Jersey over a two week period can get really annoying really fast. If you concentrate all your actual purchasing (incl. a trip to GoG-I'm assuming the diamonds you buy will not be TOO bulky :) ) to those days when you're actually spending the night in Manhattan, you can just drop off your stuff at the hotel when you get tired of carrying it and then take all your stuff from the hotel into a taxi to the airport.

For a hotel, my family swears by the Sofitel in Times Square when they drop by for a weekend of concentrated New York City Christmas shopping. Its a bit pricey and not the place to stay at for more than a couple of nights but its very convenient to all Manhattan shopping so its easy to drop off a package without losing time and the hotel rooms are large enough that you're not tripping over your shopping bags when you go to bed. Also any problems with the hotel rooms get fixed immediately unlike with some of the budget hotels where problems would only get fixed when they were about to leave. The size of the rooms plus the central location makes it pricey but in their opinion, for a lot of concentrated shopping in a couple of days, the extra cost is worth it. Budget hotels they have stayed at for more than a couple of nights are the Hotel Pennsylvania and the Milford Plaza. These two hotels are not as convenient to East Side shopping and they're not as well maintained so it does take a while to get problems with the hotel rooms fixed. They are however much cheaper so for all that, these two are my family's hotels of choice for longer stays.
 
How is the weather now?
I went a few years ago and was absolutely miserable in the heat and humidity, but perhaps that's past by now.
Not sure.

If it's still bad I'd recommend rescheduling unless you plan on staying in AC buildings the whole time.
 
It's raining cats and dogs right now, kenny. :(( Hopefully, by the time Porridge gets here, it will clear up. The last couple of years, August and September have been unusually mild. This past August was very mild so I expect September to be the same.
 
Definitely try to see a show (or two)...that's the best about NYC!
 
You know a couple of nights in a hotel in Manhattan would be a great way to say thanks to my friend for having me, I think I'll look into that right now.

Thanks everyone :wavey:
 
Definitely stay in the city for a night, it's very odd to go from a quiet, sedate hotel out into the throng that is Manhattan. Totally cool!

Tell us where you're staying, and we'll give you tips! :wavey:
 
I gotta say, as a native New Yorker, the greatest thing is the Circle Line Boat tour around Manhattan- this really gives a perspective of the beautiful island from Battery Park to Upper Manhattan, goes down Hudson, up the East River,around the Bronx- you will pass the Statue of Liberty, lower Manhattan, upper East Side, UN, Yankee Stadium, Cloisters, upper west side, Palisades and really get the full picture of this island, and be surprised at how much parks and trees are a part of NYC. The tour guides are great and really explain what your are viewing. I do this every few years and it is awesome to view the city with international tourists and native New Yorkers- a great three hour tour.

this may seem like a tourist thing to do, but its much more... natives love it too
 
Wow that sounds great Garden Gloves! Thanks!

iLander I haven't booked anything yet but I'll let ye know when I do.
 
Don't know how bad the flooding is north of me (Phiily area), but hopefully things will clear up by the weekend. If you are staying in Montclair, you could visit the Secaucus outlets (NJ). No sales tax on clothing in Jersey, around 8% ? in NYC. Liberty State Park is in NJ (near Secaucus) and you can take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island http://www.getnj.com/lsp/lspferry.shtml
The Meadowlands in also nearby - you could catch a show or a sportsgame there. Secaucus, the Meadowlands (off rte 3) are all a short distance from NYC. I have always parked on the Jersey side (Hoboken) and have taken the train in because I like eating at the Clam Broth House in Hoboken.

As for Manhattan - so much to do. Did you think about catching the taping of either Live with Regis and Kelly, or The Rachel ray Show, Millionaire, or the View?
 
Porridge|1315480783|3012548 said:
Wow that sounds great Garden Gloves! Thanks!

iLander I haven't booked anything yet but I'll let ye know when I do.
Click to expand...

$36 for the three hour around Manhattan tour- snacks on board expensive so bring munchies. Big clean stable boat leaves off the 42nd street pier. It goes down the Hudson River, up the east river passes through 7 of our greatest bridges, under the GW and the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan bridge- a great overview so you can pick the spots you want to explore when you are on land.. China town, Little Italy, Soho, Tribeca, lower Manhattan and all the good stuff.
 
gardengloves|1315531916|3013158 said:
Porridge|1315480783|3012548 said:
Wow that sounds great Garden Gloves! Thanks!

iLander I haven't booked anything yet but I'll let ye know when I do.
Click to expand...

$36 for the three hour around Manhattan tour- snacks on board expensive so bring munchies. Big clean stable boat leaves off the 42nd street pier. It goes down the Hudson River, up the east river passes through 7 of our greatest bridges, under the GW and the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan bridge- a great overview so you can pick the spots you want to explore when you are on land.. China town, Little Italy, Soho, Tribeca, lower Manhattan and all the good stuff.
Click to expand...
That's exactly the kind of thing I was looking for gardengloves, thank you. I'm going to buy tickets right now.

Just about to head off to the airport! Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice.
 
Have fund!!! Take lots of photos!!
 
Thats great porridge. Have a great time - get a seat on the upper deck to the left. I recently took some family from Dallas on the Circle Line and we all had a blast - approaching Lady Liberty from the sea still sends shivers up my spine

New Yorkers love tourists -ask anyone for help if you need directions, we look busy but we love it, love showing off this city of ours- -- today, I had someone stop me mid rush hour at the train station to help her get a Metrocard. no problem, missed my train, but the happy smile was worth it
 
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