Question for New Yorkers

[Jas12]

I am visiting NYC this Friday to Monday for some shopping/sightseeing (yippeeee!)

I am staying at the Hyatt in Jersey (on the Hudson), but i am flying into JFK. I am travelling with 5 other people and we''re wondering what the best way would be to get from the airport to the hotel???

I know that a taxi from JFK to manhattan is 45$ flat, and that the PATH train goes b/w Jersey and Manhattan, so I was wondering if it would be most economical to just get a cab to the PATH train station (if it is a station?) in Manhattan and then go across on the PATH to the hotel, ---rather than take a much more expensive cab to Jersey?

Please correct me if i am totally off base here--

Oh and if you have any recommendations for your favourite places to eat (budget to midrange) that would be fantastic!!!

 

[emeraldlover1]

Jas,

My suggestion for getting from the airport would be the following options. It depends on how much money you want to pay/ vs. time spent traveling.

-Call some of the local car services. They will quote you a flat rate without tip and toll. I live in the city and it usually costs me about $40 without tip. There are plenty you can look up on line but if you want the cheapest, it will probably be: 212 777 7777, I think another one is 212 666 6666. When I travel for work I take Boston Coach but they are more expensive. I think elite is another. The less luxury you go, the more likley they will let you fit more than 4 people. Keep this in mind, no New York City taxi will let five people in their cab so you''d have to take two.

-There are plenty of commuter vans that run from the airports to different locations but I''m not sure how much they''ll cost.

-I think taking the path will be a pain because of time and carying luggage. If the taxi won''t give you a flat rate then I wouldn''t do it.
As far as places to eat...budget is a rare find. I think I can list some midrange ones for you but they will be nothing special.

Breakfast/Lunch:
Favorite is Supper. It is on 2nd st and Avenue A. Black awning. They only take cash but it is the best itallian brunch I have ever had and most things are under $10. I''ve never been for dinner but I''m sure its great.

7A is a good all around american food with a great brunch on 7th st and avenue A.

Dinner:
Nocella: It is on 55th st closer to 8th avenue (between Broadway and 8th). Moderately priced Northern Itallian....great atmosphere
Bar Vetro: This place is not really a bar. Good menu, decent prices, on 58th between 3rd and 2nd
Cucina de Pesce: On 4th st closer to 2nd ave (between 3rd and 2nd) Northern Itallian with a decently priced wine list. (I think you are pregnant? So that probably doesn''t matter)
El Pardor: Mexican. On 34th st between 1st and 2nd. Unique salsa. Everything is fresh.


My favorite Pizza is Pizza 33. On 33rd and 3rd. Everyone probably has their own.

I''ll think of some more suggestions later. I tried to think of places that are good, resonalby priced, and not chains. I know there are more.

 

[Jas12]

Emeraldlover--thanks so much--that ''s a big help!! I am going to call some car services later this aft.

thanks for the food info as well--i''ll for sure mark those down!
I just know to always ask locals b/c after years of travelling you get to learn pretty quickly that wandering around looking at posted menus for hours could be easily avoided by asking someone who lives in the area.
I understand that budget does not really exisit in NY --i gues buget = midrange compared to other cities --we are going to treat ourselves to one or two nice dinners out, but cheaper lunches/brunches if possible

I am really looking forward to trying a couple of the NY pizza joints YUM

 

[Jaders731]

Date: 10/2/2007 12:26:24 PM
Author: emeraldlover1

Breakfast/Lunch:
Favorite is Supper. It is on 2nd st and Avenue A. Black awning. They only take cash but it is the best itallian brunch I have ever had and most things are under $10. I''ve never been for dinner but I''m sure its great.

Ooooh.. I super duper heart Supper... YUMMY... never went for Breakfast/Lunch... but for dinner and it was yummy... I highly recommend the Spaghetti with Lemon/Olive Oil and Parmesan.. I dont remember the name.. its such a simple dish.. spaghetti, olive oil, parmesan and black pepper.. sooooo good!!!

Just had to chime in.. I''m going to be in NYC next week.. and that totally reminded me of how much I love Supper!

 

[bee*]

I don''t live there but I travel there quite a bit on hols. I would definitely get a car as there are six of you. It will be less hassle and roughly the same price.
As for food, one of our favourite places to visit this time was Churrascarria Plataforma-so good-but go hungry. Also Swing 46 was great for a night out. Have a great time!

 

[blushingbride]

Hi Jas - is it too late to give more suggestions? Try Supershuttle at www.supershuttle.com - these can be pretty affordable. I would recommend either taking the taxi (although look out for long cab lines) or the black private cars. You do not want to lugging your suitcases around from the cab to the PATH - not fun. Take one mode of transporation which will get you to the hotel direct. Too bad you aren''t flying into Newark!

As for places to go which are realitively mid-range restaurants (check out the menus online):

Bubby''s in Tribeca is wonderful for breakfast/brunch and cheap for New York Standards: www.bubbys.com
Gigino''s South End (best views of the Statue of Liberty during sunset - you sit outside right along the water!)
Blue Water Grill
Fiamma
Dos Caminos
Sushi Samba
Mesa Grill
Stanton Social
Rosa Mexicano
Asia De Cuba

So, I''m assuming that when you come here, you''d like to see things that don''t take up your entire day since you are only here for a few days. So, some places to visit while you''re here that should take about an hour or so to visit would be Madame Tussaud''s Wax Museum in Times Square (been here 2 or 3 times), the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side (been here twice) is wonderul to learn about New York during New York''s immigration period www.tenement.org, top of the Empire State Building (been here 3 times), the Hayden Planetarium at the Natural History Museum (been here once), the Frick Museum www.frick.org (will take about an hour to see all exhibts - I''ve been here once).

Have fun and let us know about your trip!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 10/2/2007 11:22:00 AM
Author:Jas12
I am visiting NYC this Friday to Monday for some shopping/sightseeing (yippeeee!)

I am staying at the Hyatt in Jersey (on the Hudson), but i am flying into JFK. I am travelling with 5 other people and we''re wondering what the best way would be to get from the airport to the hotel???

I know that a taxi from JFK to manhattan is 45$ flat, and that the PATH train goes b/w Jersey and Manhattan, so I was wondering if it would be most economical to just get a cab to the PATH train station (if it is a station?) in Manhattan and then go across on the PATH to the hotel, ---rather than take a much more expensive cab to Jersey?

Please correct me if i am totally off base here--

Oh and if you have any recommendations for your favourite places to eat (budget to midrange) that would be fantastic!!!

If memory serves, that Hyatt in Jersey City is a VERY short walking distance from the PATH train. (100 meters, tops?) You could always take a taxi to the old WTC site and catch the PATH across the river from there. Very easy.

As for great budget eats in NYC, I have a short list of "must eat" places (dives) whenever I''m back in NYC.

--Grey''s Papaya hot dogs, Broadway and 72nd. If you''re a Sex and the City fan, it''s where the cool limo driver took Carrie after her book launch party, and they have GREAT dogs to take to Central Park. An upper west side institution.
--Cosi sandwiches (locations throughout the city). Excellent and cheap while shopping, but you should be forewarned that he bread is addictive.
--Pakistani Tea House. This is a hole-in-the-wall Pakistani restaurant/counter where all the cabbies go at 3 AM at the end of their shifts, and it''s my favorite in the entire world. As I sit here in Los Angeles typing this, I have a container of their Chicken Makhni (white meat only) sitting in my freezer, lovingly and ardously transported frozen cross-country after my last trip to NYC. They''re inconspicously located on the West side of the street at Church and Chambers (a few blocks north of the WTC site) and have a green awning.

(I second BlushingBride''s Bubby''s rec.; I ate many a brunch there with friends, and their roasted chicken nourished me back to health after a particularly bad cold. Perpare to wait though; brunch seating used to take upwards of an hour if your timing was off.)

 

[Jas12]

You guys Rock! Thanks for all the suggestions....I''ll try to hit a few of those places for sure!!! I''ll let you know where I end up.

Fleur--you are right, the path is apparently really close to the hotel.
I would love to go to the sex in the city hot dog shoppe--HUGE S&TC fan.....when i was in NYC for the first time last year (for a very quick sight-see) the Hampton Jitney pulled up beside me and I laughed out loud to myself...i thought that was sooo cool.
Oh and if the tea house food is so yummy you had to lovingly transport it back home that is something special hehe. There is a dive in a city I lived in in Australia that made the best Pad Thai imaginable--I would pay an insane amount to have that delivered to canada, so I know the feeling!

''Supper'' seems to be popular--i''ll try to find it

Blushingbride--thanks for the sightseeing suggestions--big help!!!!

I am getting excited

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 10/2/2007 12:41:40 PM
Author: Jaders731

Date: 10/2/2007 12:26:24 PM
Author: emeraldlover1


Breakfast/Lunch:
Favorite is Supper. It is on 2nd st and Avenue A. Black awning. They only take cash but it is the best itallian brunch I have ever had and most things are under $10. I''ve never been for dinner but I''m sure its great.

Ooooh.. I super duper heart Supper... YUMMY... never went for Breakfast/Lunch... but for dinner and it was yummy... I highly recommend the Spaghetti with Lemon/Olive Oil and Parmesan.. I dont remember the name.. its such a simple dish.. spaghetti, olive oil, parmesan and black pepper.. sooooo good!!!

Just had to chime in.. I''m going to be in NYC next week.. and that totally reminded me of how much I love Supper!

Supper really is fantastic and I''ve never been there when it is crowded!

Jas,

I completely understand about recomendations. When people come to visit me, I usually have to sit down and really think about where I am going to take people to dinner and what not. I''m in sales and I get to take people to lunch and dinner a lot so I know a lot of good places to eat, however, on my own time I like to go to some less expensive places but I don''t like sacrificing quality. There are a lot of good moderatly priced places in the east village but on the weekend they may be hard to get into if you don''t make a reservation.

Let me know if you want other recomendations as well. Do you plan on doing any shopping? I can give you a list of my favorite places to go. I''m a fan of moderatly priced boutiques rather than the standard designer name you can get anywhere for a lot of money. There are some cool areas of the city that I could point you to.

 

[Jas12]

EmeraldLover::

Shopping?!? Why of course!!!!!

When i was in NYC last summer I just wandered like a lost puppy in awe--so much to see and I was overwhelmed ...soho, canal st. 5th Ave, oh my!
I would LUV your suggestions!
I am travelling with a group (hubby, sister, sister''s BF, mom and mom''s friend) so you know how it can be to get a group all moving/agree to move in the same direction so i don''t know how much we will get covered in 3.5 days--but if I can''t visit everything this trip I will for sure use the info for another time (i plan to make a NYC trip an annual plan!)

 

[lauraannc]

Jas, we will be two ships passing in the night. My BF and I leave for NY Thursday next. I have have never been so I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and we haven''t left yet. Hope you don''t mind me riding along your thread. Have a funtastic safe trip.