New York New York!

[Delster]

Following a rather interesting process to get the flights booked (story starts at the very bottom of this thread) BF and I are going to New York in June to collect our Leon!!!

I''ve never been but BF has. I particularly want to see Ellis Island (my grandfather went through in the twenties). We''re wary of the queues at the other big tourist attractions, although we will have eight days so we might just tough it out. BF had wanted to go see the USS Intrepid again but looks like that''s closed until November.

So I''m calling on all the native New Yorkers and all the New York lovers to please club together and recommend some fun things to us! Which of the tourist attractions are really worth it? Are there attractions or activities off the beaten track that we should seek out? Can you recommend good places to eat, party, dance the night away? Places to quietly recover the morning after all of the former?

We also plan to take in a Broadway show so if anyone has particular favourites they can recommend, that would also be very much appreciated!

We also need recommendations for budget hotels (think under $200 a night, preferably under $150 a night) as the long stay kind of cripples our budget. We are prepared to splurge a little bit (maybe $400 ish?) for the last night or two, as a treat. Our priority more for having a fun time, than on having a fancy place to sleep. We''d rather put the money towards activities as chances are we won''t be in the hotel very much anyway.

If it were worth it and not too expensive, we would also consider taking a few days out in the middle to go outside the city. So if there are any places we should consider for that type of excursion, we''d love to hear about them too.

I''m starting this thread plenty ahead of time so we can book well in advance for things if we need to!

PS - because this is a diamond forum after all, if you wanna know more about the Leon, search ''retsled''. I am banned from the thread so I can''t link it! And don''t you dare spill any details in here because I have been very good and haven''t snooped so it is all still a surprise

 

[jas]

Ooh, Delster, thanks for starting this thread...we have a trip planned next month.

Sorry, nothing to add but my gratitude!

 

[blushingbride]

Hey Delster and Jas - I've given some suggestions in previous threads about NYC. Here are two which might help plan your trip.


New York Thread - 1

New York Thread - 2

 

[blushingbride]

BTW - the broadway shows I recommed seeing are:

Wicked
Rent
Young Frankenstien
Spamalot
Jersey Boys
Avenue Q

Also, I highly suggest planning a day trip or a few days in Philadelphia. It's only an hour away by train and there is so much history in that city. You'll find plenty of things to do - Constitution Center, Independance Hall, Liberty Bell, etc...not to mention, the food is to die for as a lot of the famous chefs from NYC go there to start their own restaurants.

I grew up in 'burbs of Philly and absolutely love it there. You definitely don't want to miss out on seeing such a fabulous city!

 

[Delster]

No worries jas, hop on board!

blushingbride thank you, checking out those threads now!

We saw Spamalot in London, OMG I laughed so hard! It was my worse by the fact my companion didn't fully get some of the jokes so I was laughing half at the show, and half at his complete bewilderment. Hilarious!

 

[scarlet16]

Hey Delster-

Actually, some of us had been discussing trying to plan a NYC get-together for this summer so maybe it''ll fall right during your trip and you can show off your new Leon!!!

As for hotels, you''re going to have a rough time finding something under $200 without going to a crummy super-budget hotel. The Empire Hotel in Lincoln Center looks very nice; just did renovations and re-opened about 3-4 months ago (around $220/night). The Hotel Chandler looks nice as well and is around $250/night. As for when you splurge, the Hudson, Parker Meridian, and the W Hotels (a few in the city) might be what you''re looking for.

Ellis Island is fantastic and since you''ll be here during the week, you should be ok. Just make sure to get there early in the morning. It''s actually one of my favorite places, and most people miss it. Of course, stop at the Statue of Liberty while you''re there.

I haven''t been yet but I''ve heard Top of the Rock (at Rockefeller Ctr.) is totally worth it. And you can do that on a day you''re strolling down Fifth Ave. (Central Park, Plaza Hotel, Apple Store, FAO Schwartz, Tiffany''s, Bergdorf''s, Harry Winstons, Trump Tower, Cartier, St. Patrick''s Cathedral). Let me think of some other good "tourist" attractions and I''ll post again.

For theatre - Avenue Q is hilarious, but VERY different from typical Broadway. Rent is one of my favorites, but I think it may be closing soon. Wicked is always a good choice.

Are there any particular types of cuisines you like? I''ll base my food recommendations on that.

Feel free to ask more questions!

 

[blushingbride]

Date: 4/22/2008 9:33:51 AM
Author: Delster
No worries jas, hop on board!

blushingbride thank you, checking out those threads now!

Sorry the links weren''t working there for a second - try them now.

 

[Delster]

Thanks blushingbride

We'll check out all those hotel recommendations later scarlet, thank you! It would be so much fun to go to a NY GTG but I don't even known if BF is giving me the Leon in New York! I'd have to go to the powderroom so he could show you all

Forgot to reply about cuisine. BF is very much an Irish eater - meat and spuds. But we're shaking it out of him

I'll eat any kind of cuisine, I looooove my food

 

[KimberlyH]

Retaurants (I''m not sure of your food budget, so check out menus for prices):

Tao www.taorestaurant.com
Tabla www.tablany.com
Uncle Jack''s Steakhouse www.unclejacks.com/
Bar American www.baramericain.com
Craft www.crafrestaurant.com
One of Daniel Boloud''s Restaurants (www.danielnyc.com)

Theatre Recommendations:

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof http://www.cat2008onbroadway.com/
Avenue Q http://www.avenueq.com/
Wicked http://www.wickedthemusical.com/

Places to See:

DH and I are big wanderers, so we''ve done the major museums, tourist areas, and zoos and spend a lot of time just checking out neighborhoods. Greenwich Village for breakfast is a ton of fun, we took a boat tour that was interesting, walking through Central Park is always enjoyable. The next time we visit we plan on going here: http://www.tenement.org/ Hop this helps a bit.

 

[~*kalypso*~]

A really touristy thing to do would be to take the Gray line double decker bus tour the 48 hour deal thing. You could do it the first/second day you get there just to get an idea of the different touristy things to see in the city.

If you want to buy tickets the day of for cheaper than box office, go to 7th avenue between 45th and 46th street TKTS under the Marriott hotel. They have wednesday and saturday matiness. They start selling i think around 1130ish am. You can get tickets there every night and they start selling I think around 3ish.

If you want to see Wicked for sure though, just buy at the Box Office. They are USUALLY sold out quickly.

 

[bee*]

Definitely do Top of the Rock-it's amazing, walk across Brooklyn Bridge, go to the Met Museum, have a picnic in Central Park, Staten Island ferry, Fifth ave. They're my favourites, although I have to spend more time at the Met on my next visit. The Natural History museum is brilliant also.

There's a $199 special at the Millenium Broadway hotel on Travelzoo link here

If your bf is a meat eater, try Churrascaria Plataforma, the food is amazing!

Tao is really good. We also loved Pastis and Spice Market. One if by land, two if by sea was really tasty also. I'll root out my NY notebook and try and find some more things

Try Broadwaybox.com for Broadway tickets-I always book through that site and the discounts are brilliant. You can pick up your tickets at the theatre on the day.

 

[krispi]

BF and I were just in NYC 3 weeks ago. He was in the area on business, and I flew up to meet him for a long weekend. NY is our favorite city, and we had such a good time!

This wasn''t our main vacation this year (I''m hoping to take a cruise for my birthday!) so our focus was on finding fun, budget activities. One of the best things we did was the walking tour of downtown. They''re completely free and start every Saturday at noon on the steps of the customs house (by Battery Park). We got to see so much and learned a lot about the history of the city that we didn''t know before. Another completely free thing we did was to ride the Staten Island Ferry. We just took it to Staten Island and turned around and came back, but we got a really good view of lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. (We didn''t do any of those things on this trip, because we''d both done them before.) If you haven''t been to the top of the Empire State Building, I would really recommend that. Again, we didn''t do that this time, but I thoroughly enjoyed it the last time I was in the city. I think it was around $10 or so, but that was a while ago. I also really enjoyed the Metropolitan Museum of Art. BF has been to all the big museums, and he says this is the best. They do have a lot of stuff and a lot of variety. They also offer several free (after admission) tours throughout the day, so that''s a good way to learn about the museum and see a lot of different things. Since you''re going to be there for a while, you may want to look into getting a City Pass. We didn''t this time because we weren''t going to be there long enough, but it offers discounts on lots of the big attractions.

As far as hotels go, we booked ours on Priceline, and I would really recommend that. We were at the Milennium Broadway, and I have to say it was one of the nicest places I''ve ever stayed. I think our rate was just out of your budget (just over $200/night), but you could probably find something a little lower. No matter what, please DON''T stay at the Hotel Pennsylvania! It''s usually one of the cheapest rates in town, and for very good reason. My friend and I stayed there the first time I went to NYC, and it was awful! A couple of years after that, I saw a report that they had problems with bed bug infestations - as if our experience wasn''t enough, now I''ll certainly never go back!

 

[krispi]

Also, I forgot to add that John''s Pizza right near Time''s Square was absolutely the best pizza I''ve ever had! If you can convince your BF to try some local cuisine, it''s a must.

 

[scarlet16]

Date: 4/22/2008 9:44:19 AM
Author: Delster
Thanks blushingbride

We'll check out all those hotel recommendations later scarlet, thank you! It would be so much fun to go to a NY GTG but I don't even known if BF is giving me the Leon in New York! I'd have to go to the powderroom so he could show you all

Forgot to reply about cuisine. BF is very much an Irish eater - meat and spuds. But we're shaking it out of him

I'll eat any kind of cuisine, I looooove my food

You could still join us for all the sparklies!

This is my mini best-of list then:
-Peter Luger's Steakhouse; expensive and out of the way, but SO WORTH IT! I'd say the best steakhouse in the country. Make reservations early.
-Joe's Shanghai in Chinatown for soup dumplings
-Sarabeth's on the Upper West (near the Museum of Natural History) for brunch. The salmon eggs benedict is SUPERB.
-Gray's Papaya for a very NYC experience -a hot dog and a fruit drink for about $3.00
Umm, there's more...I'll keep thinking!

TKTS is a great idea, but the trick to not waiting on lines is actually going down to the "hidden" one at the Seaport. Then you can go visit the sites down there (the Seaport, Wall Street, Trinity Church, Ground Zero, the Merill Lynch Bull, Battery Park City).

 

[bee*]

ok found my notebook-some other restaurants that we went to were:

Swing 46 - absolutely delicious food, great jazz music in the background and they do swing dancing lessons after dinner.

We had lunch in Central Park Boathouse-really tasty and it was nice to sit outside in the summer.

Union Square Cafe-enjoyed here but it was a tiny bit pricey. Coffee Shop on Union Square-wouldn't be pushed about going back for food here again.

Rosa Mexicana-really tasty mexican food. Their guacamole for starters is amazing!

Go to Max Brenners for dessert - If I was going to die in Chocolate heaven it would be here-you should smell this place when you go in-amazing! Max Brenner

Also have a walk around Chinatown just to see it-it's crazy! I love Greenwich Village and East Village-we spent hours wandering around.

For cheap, tasty food and beer go to the Heartland Brewery. Very handy and tasty food. We went to Joshua tree another night-D loved the beer but the food was only so so.

The Guggenheim museum is fab. They were doing up the upper floors when we went last July but there was still tons and tons to see on the lower floors.

Have a look on Tripadvisor for recommendations for hotels but it'll be difficult enough to find them under $150/night. We were going to use priceline also but it's not valid for Ireland yet and if we use it we have to put a US zip code at the end of our address and I read some horror stories of the hotel not accepting them when people arrived. I'm not brave enough to use it yet!

 

[Delster]

Ooooh wow so much info!!! PS rocks!!!

For now, the Gershwin hotel is leading the race - $139 a night and it looks nice. Our bottom of the barrel option is the Chelsea Lodge. Or a hostel!

That special offer on the Millenium Broadway is fantastic but unfortunately it''s only valid for about three nights out of stay - we''d have to pay almost $400 on the other nights.

Will have to show all these recommendations to BF. Ooooooh we are going to have so much fun!!!

 

[FrekeChild]

Date: 4/22/2008 9:30:55 AM
Author: blushingbride
BTW - the broadway shows I recommed seeing are:


Wicked
Rent
Young Frankenstien
Spamalot
Jersey Boys
Avenue Q

Also, I highly suggest planning a day trip or a few days in Philadelphia. It''s only an hour away by train and there is so much history in that city. You''ll find plenty of things to do - Constitution Center, Independance Hall, Liberty Bell, etc...not to mention, the food is to die for as a lot of the famous chefs from NYC go there to start their own restaurants.

I grew up in ''burbs of Philly and absolutely love it there. You definitely don''t want to miss out on seeing such a fabulous city!

Phantom of the Opera!!
Jacques Torres
And I happen to love Gramercy Tavern.
Um...34th-right under the Empire State building. Lots of *cheaper* shoe stores and a 3 story Victoria''s Secret at the end.

 

[bee*]

Date: 4/22/2008 10:43:23 AM
Author: Delster
Ooooh wow so much info!!! PS rocks!!!

For now, the Gershwin hotel is leading the race - $139 a night and it looks nice. Our bottom of the barrel option is the Chelsea Lodge. Or a hostel!

That special offer on the Millenium Broadway is fantastic but unfortunately it''s only valid for about three nights out of stay - we''d have to pay almost $400 on the other nights.


Will have to show all these recommendations to BF. Ooooooh we are going to have so much fun!!!

sorry I forgot to check the dates with the Millenium Broadway. I had some friends stay at the Chelsea Lodge before and they loved it! It seems to get better reviews than the Gershwin also. There''s another lodge that some of my friends stayed at also-I''ll try and get the name of it for you.

 

[bee*]

This hotel seems to be recommended a bit on tripadvisor also hotel newton


This is the one that my friends stayed at http://secondhomesecondavenue.com/

They''re thinking of staying here on their next trip http://www.greenwichvillagehome.com/greenwichvillage.html

 

[Elmorton]

One of my friends was going to Columbia last fall, so we had a girls'' weekend in NYC - we were only there for 2 days, but - I''m a dork, the Sex and the City Tour is really fun. I don''t know if a man would see it as such, but it''s a great tour of the city with the emphasis on hipster hot spots etc. Probably not as cool for non-SATC fans...

Spend some time in Central Park! My favorite part of the trip was probably doing Sunday brunch (New Yorkers know how to do Sunday brunch!) and then moseying around the park for the rest of the morning.

 

[Delster]

Awww bee you are such a sweetheart. Thank you so much for sourcing all these budget-friendly places for us! I'll show them all to BF when he gets home (I'm not allowed worry about the hotel aspect, I got given out to last night for stressing about the cost!

)

Elmorton - Central Park is definitely on the hit list

Thank you!

Freke - VS don't make bras that can cope with, em, me

But I'm sure I can find other things there

 

[bee*]

Date: 4/22/2008 11:05:50 AM
Author: Elmorton
One of my friends was going to Columbia last fall, so we had a girls'' weekend in NYC - we were only there for 2 days, but - I''m a dork, the Sex and the City Tour is really fun. I don''t know if a man would see it as such, but it''s a great tour of the city with the emphasis on hipster hot spots etc. Probably not as cool for non-SATC fans...


Spend some time in Central Park! My favorite part of the trip was probably doing Sunday brunch (New Yorkers know how to do Sunday brunch!) and then moseying around the park for the rest of the morning.

I was just coming back to recommend the SATC tour-I''ve been on it three times-it''s fab! Even D enjoyed it and he (pretends to

) hate SATC!

 

[bee*]

Date: 4/22/2008 11:10:01 AM
Author: Delster
Awww bee you are such a sweetheart. Thank you so much for sourcing all these budget-friendly places for us! I''ll show them all to BF when he gets home (I''m not allowed worry about the hotel aspect, I got given out to last night for stressing about the cost!

)


Elmorton - Central Park is definitely on the hit list

Thank you!

Freke - VS don''t make bras that can cope with, em, me

But I''m sure I can find other things there

Can you tell that I''m not in the mood to study

VS couldn''t cope with mine either-maybe it''s an Irish thing

 

[CDNinNYC]

Date: 4/22/2008 10:07:11 AM
Author: bee*
Definitely do Top of the Rock-it''s amazing, walk across Brooklyn Bridge, go to the Met Museum, have a picnic in Central Park, Staten Island ferry, Fifth ave. They''re my favourites, although I have to spend more time at the Met on my next visit. The Natural History museum is brilliant also.

If you''re gonna walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, make sure you stop at Grimaldi''s for the best pizza evah!!!

 

[bee*]

Date: 4/22/2008 11:20:14 AM
Author: CDNinNYC

Date: 4/22/2008 10:07:11 AM

Author: bee*

Definitely do Top of the Rock-it''s amazing, walk across Brooklyn Bridge, go to the Met Museum, have a picnic in Central Park, Staten Island ferry, Fifth ave. They''re my favourites, although I have to spend more time at the Met on my next visit. The Natural History museum is brilliant also.

If you''re gonna walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, make sure you stop at Grimaldi''s for the best pizza evah!!!

Oh yeah, that was delicious! My uncle took us there on our first trip

 

[~*kalypso*~]

Oh I forgot to mention, if you are around 56th/57th Street and 6th and 7th Avenue, a good place for Burgers and fries is The Burger Joint. About $7 for a cheeseburger. Fries $3 I think. It''s in the lobby of Le Parker Meridien Hotel. There are no signs for it except for a TINY neon Burger sign hidden in a corner of the hotel.

 

[Po10472]

Hey Del, sorry if I''m repeating what''s already been said, but just in from a long day and knackered and haven''t read the other posts.

DH and I were in NY in December and stayed in the podhotel on E 51st and 3rd. We loved it and stayed for 4 nights in a double room with loo and it worked out at £600, roughly 900 euros. We''re going to go back in a year or so and opt for the bunkbed rooms which are way cheaper but shared loos. What they have is 4 bathrooms on each floor with showers in them which are spotless and never busy at all. When we first booked I was like, no way am I sharing bathrooms with people, I did that when I was a student traveller, but turns out they are brilliant and for the extra money to have a loo in your room its just not worth it. Besides, you''re hardly there so if you''re wanting budget, this is the best option for a clean, central, trendy hotel. Its a couple of blocks from 5th Ave and joins 5th at Cartier. Its also quieter than Broadway and wayyyyyy cheaper if that''s what you''re looking for.

We were there when the broadway strike was on and it finished on the Saturday before we left and the only tickets we could get were Chicago, it was fantastic. We were kinda laughed at when we asked about Wicked tickets cos they are sold out for the next gazillion years but I would def go see that if you can.

I''ve posted some pics on the travel eye candy thread if you want to have a wee lookie-see.

Once my brain is working again, I''ll come back with some other suggestions.

po
x

 

[baby monster]

Delster, if your BF is into ships, try to make it to NY during Fleet Week. http://www.cnrma.navy.mil/fleetweek/index.htm. They give you a full tour of the ship and it''s tons of fun. The trick is to go to Staten Island location because it doesn''t have huge lines. You can take Staten Island ferry (very scenic) and then catch a bus or cab for a short ride to the piers.

 

[CDNinNYC]

Date: 4/22/2008 2:45:51 PM
Author: ~*kalypso*~
Oh I forgot to mention, if you are around 56th/57th Street and 6th and 7th Avenue, a good place for Burgers and fries is The Burger Joint. About $7 for a cheeseburger. Fries $3 I think. It''s in the lobby of Le Parker Meridien Hotel. There are no signs for it except for a TINY neon Burger sign hidden in a corner of the hotel.

Ditto!!! Love The Burger Joint!!!

 

[CrownJewel]

I second the suggestions for Grimaldi's pizza under the Brooklyn Bridge and the Burger Joint. There's this big company that does walking tours of NYC, and although I haven't had a chance to go on one, I definitely want to. http://www.bigonion.com/ If I go on one before June, I'll give you an update. I honestly think the best way of exploring NYC is to walk. One day after a class in the East Village, I just walked straight up Broadway from 8th Street all the way up to Columbia University on 116th. You can even start lower, but it will take all day. I've lived in Manhattan for almost 10 years and that was one of my best walks, ever!

If you like antique jewelry, I discovered a new store on 73rd and Columbus Avenue called Roslyn. It's a tiny little store, but she (the owner Roslyn) has some BEAUTIFUL jewelry. She's a very kooky lady and a little snippy, but bear with her. She has an amazing collection.

Since you'll be here in "prime" street fair season, you should check out http://www.nycstreetfairs.com/sched.html and try to walk through one. My FI doesn't understand why I'm not tired of them yet, but I look forward to the street fairs EVERY year. They have food, crafts, all sorts of stuff to buy. All of my non-NYC friends love being introduced to street fairs.

Churrascaria Plataforma - you can't get more meat in one meal!! It's one of those meals that you have to walk off *slowly* afterwards. Don't plan anything too "active" for after this meal.

If you're at all interested in checking out a German Biergarten in NYC, the best place for beer and German food is Zum Schneider http://www.zumschneider.com/ But I warn you that this is nothing fancy. It is a tiny little place, really casual, but very tasty food. My FI and I tend to seek out the hidden treasures in terms of restaurants, but for something big and fancy...we both loved Tao.

As for museums...must sees are the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim (depending on the exhibit...you may end up enjoying the building more than the art).

If you like gardens, go to either the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens or the New York Botanical Garden. My family and I used to go the the NYBG every year in May...but I've also discovered that the BBG is just as beautiful.

Definitely take a walk through Central Park. The Boathouse restaurant is very nice.

The best place to get your NYC souvenirs is Times Square. It is CROWDED no matter what time of day or day of the week, but everyone loves walking through there.

For dancing and the sheer novelty of a dance club/bar with beds next to the dance floor, a lot of people like Duvet. http://www.duvetny.com/index.html The only way to get a bed at Duvet is to order bottle service, but of course you don't have to get a bed. I was there a few years ago and I think it was about $200-$300 for a bottle of Grey Goose vodka and mixers. Unfortunately I'm sort of an old lady so I don't go out dancing or clubbing much!

If I think of more, I will let you know!