New York Information

[*Flower*]

I trust that the Mods will move this to the correct board.....

I'm in the process of planning a trip to NYC to see the Lion King on Broadway (Yeah!!)
Anyway, I'm trying to find out what would be the best way to get to the Times Square (roughly) without totally breaking the bank?

I've heard that the taxi ride to the hotel from the airport is about $30.00 or so- and I know NOTHING about the subway system, so if anyone has any experience with this, I need all the help I can get.

Also, any restaurant information that anyone has for the Broadway area would be greatly appreciated!!

TIA...

 

[DMRick]

I'm in the process of planning a trip to NYC to see the Lion King on Broadway (Yeah!!)

It's a wonderful show..just don't do what I did and walk around for hours shopping before going..and end up snoozing through part of the show LOL! When are you going..and are you coming into NYC or NJ airport? My son lives there, but is in Ireland for hte weekend..he goes back and forth fromt he airport often, so once he gets back on Monday, if you still need the info, I'll ask him and PM you his email addy.

 

[karin037]

Public transportaion from JFK:
http://www.panynj.gov/aviation/jfkpubtransmain.html
Public transportation from LGA:
http://www.panynj.gov/aviation/lgapubtransmain.htm

BBQ's is a really good place to eat for a reasonable price:
http://www.bbqnyc.com/
There is one located at 43rd Street bet Broadway and 6th Ave. They have an early bird special that is awesome!!
Early Bird Special:
2 chicken vegetable soups, 2 rotisseried half chickens served with cornbread and a choice of baked or french fried Idaho potatoes. $7.95
Monday thru Friday: Noon to 6:30 p.m. Sat. & Sunday: Noon to 5 p.m.Must be seated by this time, dining room only. No delivery. No holidays. Not available for groups larger than 10 people. White meat $2.00 extra per person.

 

[dg39]

I was born & raised in NY. Now we live in Jersey, but I go to NY quite often to shop. Its a great place regardless of all the bad publicity it gets. As far as the restaurents go, there are literaly 100's to choose from. From fast food to casual to fancy. On every avenue there are many to choose from. Just keep in mind that alot of the fancier ones aren't opened for lunch, they open around 4:30 or 5PM. But as far as the casual ones, they open early. Bring comfy shoes, because if your like me you'll want to walk and walk and walk and shop and shop and shop. I'm not a fan of the subways, so I taxi alot. If you can swing taking taxi's, your better to go that way. Just wave your hand in the curb and the taxi comes right to you. Hopefully you'll get a nice day to alk around & see the sites.THere's a Hard Rock Cafe in the 50's. Its nice and the food is good, not to expensive. If you decide to go, call ahead and have them put your name down, so you don't have to wait on the long line to get in. Also, alot of the restaurants near the shows have specials, look into New York online and it will give you alot of info about the theatre district and the other areas of the city. Have loads of fun........

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

We also live in NJ and when we take the kids to the city a must do restaurant is MARS2112. Its on Broadway and 51st street. It is such a cool place. You have to ride a rocketship to get down to the restaurant and when you arrive you are greeted by martians.. The kids just love it. Typical food nothing great but it is a cool experience.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

We like the ESPN Club. It's a 2 minute walk from the show. My son loves the game room upstairs, and the food is very good.

 

[csmommy]

I'm not sure when you are coming, so here is what I have come up with for you:

http://www.restaurantassociates.com/corp/default.asp
Restaurant associates has menus, coupons & specials sometimes for various restaurants in NYC. If I recall correctly, it was started after 9/11 when less & people were coming into the city to eat out.

Also ask at your hotel where Restaurant Row is. I was there recently, its around Time Square & Broadway, & had a wonderful French dinner & then saw the funniest comedy show at a club called HA! for $10 & 2 drink minumum.

Mars2112 is a really fun experience:
http://www.paintnewyork.com/mars_2112.htm

The Paint New York Red site itself can be very helpful.


Also checkout:
www.eerie.com this is a website for the Jekyll & Hyde themed restaurants & pubs. Again the food is not the greatest, but it is tons of fun.

 

[*Flower*]

Our trip will be over the July 4 weekend, and right now we're planning on flying in and out of LGA. It seems to be the only airport in the NYC area with direct flights from and to Charleston, and that's where we'll be flying from.

csmommy: thanks for the restaurant information. I've been looking around at www.restaurants.com also for a few ideas. This will give me another website to research too!

Letsbgoofy: DH will be happy to hear about the proximity of the ESPN Club! He's a baseball fanatic, and likes to keep up with his teams at all times!

MOMTOMOOTOO: MARS2112 sounds like it's right up our alley, especially considering the mental age of my DH!!

dg39: We actually went to the Hard Rock Cafe when we were in NYC for our 25th anniversary, and I'm holding it in reserve just in case. Thanks for the rest of the restaurant tips though- I'll be seriously checking them out!!

karin037: DH won't be too pleased with your suggestion, he thinks that I eat way too much chicken as it is!! He keeps saying that I'll be growing pin-feathers shortly!! I will definitely keep your tips in mind though, and thanks for the transportation links!!

DMRick: Thanks so much for putting your DS on the hook for transportation information for us!! I'd more than appreciate any insights that you or he can give us for getting to our hotel!!

Thanks everyone, and I'll be looking for more input to go with these great suggestions!!!!!!!

 

[Mrs. Toaster]

My husband and I just moved to GA after living in Manhattan for 2 years. I would recommend taking a taxi from the airport to your hotel. There is a taxi stand at the airport. I'm not sure how much it is from La Guardia, although LGA is closer to the city than JFK is. The $30 rate is true from JFK, but it may be slightly different from LGA. Don't forget to tip the taxi driver! By the way, the subways do NOT go out to any of the airports.

My office was in Times Square, so I know that area pretty well. If you guys are adventurous, there is a main subway station in Times Square that can get you around the city for just $1.50 a ride. You can also buy passes for multiple rides. Taxis are easy to find in the Times Square area, although that area does get very crowded on the weekends. There is an incredible new Toys R Us store in Times Square with its own full size ferris wheel inside. Check it out, even if you don't want to shop there! They were building a Rainforest Cafe in Times Square when we left last year, so that may be open now. If there is a certain kind of food you like, we can give you some great suggestions. We lived there before we had our son, so we hit a lot of the good spots!

 

[*Flower*]

We were planning on a deli during the trip (we hear so much about them) but we're open to suggestions other than that.......

Just give us all of it and we'll sift through it. We still have 5 months to go and it will give me some ideas.

I am getting concerned about The Lion King though. Last night I was able to book tickets for two shows in early July, and The Lion King doesn't seem to have anything available past June 29 or so. If I go to a scalper I can get them, but I don't want to pay between $245 - $345 per ticket. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can do about this? The Concierge at our hotel offerred to get them for us at $185 a ticket, but I was hoping to get them through Ticketmaster for the face value plus the usual fees.

HELP ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

 

[Mrs. Toaster]

The Lion King has been one of the most popular shows on Broadway for some time now. When we purchased our tickets for 2000, we actually had to purchase them a year in advance. I'm not sure how far ahead the show is selling out now, but this is not uncommon! You can go to the box office on the day of the show and try to buy unpurchased seats then, but that is a long shot. Otherwise, your concierge is the best deal. There are many scalpers and they don't always sell real tickets, so be careful!

 

[dcfromva]

Flower,

Our experience was similar to Mrs. Toaster. We booked our tickets in Feb for a end of Dec performance in 2001. Even ordering tickets that far in advance, while we we able to get center orchestra, we could only get as close as row X.

We LOVE NY! You are going to have a great time--there is so much to see and do.

-dc

 

[mark & sandra]

If Deli is your choice then you should try the Carnegie Deli. It's located at 854 7th ave at 55th st. The # is 1-800-334-5606. Remember that the blocks are very short and easy to walk in about 2 minutes, the Avenues are alot longer though.

 

[sadler]

In the Times Square area, try Carnegie Deli (Seventh Ave. and 55th Street), Stage Deli (Seventh Ave. and 54th Street) or Ben's Deli (Seventh Ave. and 38th Street). If you would like a more authentic experience, try Second Avenue Deli (Second Avenue and 10th Street--take a taxi) or Katz's Deli on E. Houston Street (the deli in "When Harry Met Sally"). Second Ave. Deli and Ben's are Kosher (no milk products) and Katz's is a somewhat lower quality than the others but it has the panache of being in the movies.

You should also consider John's Pizza on 44th Street between Broadway and Eighth Ave. for very good thin crust coal oven pizza in a three tier former church building (with beautiful stain glass skylight).

 

[*Flower*]

Well, we called the theater this morning, and the box office attendant confirmed that tickets for our time period have yet to be released for sale.
She said to give it a couple of weeks, but I'll be checking daily.

Wish me luck!!

Thanks so much for the deli information too!!
I'll be surfing the web tonight to see what I can find out.

 

[shovelhd]

I grew up 40mi outside of NYC and visit 3x/yr.

Ditto on the Carnegie Deli (a bit of a walk from TS) and the ESPNZone. I'm an ESPNZone cardholder and enjoy every trip to one of them. It's great fun and the food is good and not too expensive.

You also cannot beat the Royal Pizza chain if you like classic NYC "fold the slice in half" thin crust pizza or the thick pan-style sicilian pie. Four slices, two beers and two sodas is about $25.

Chinatown has some great eateries but you do have to know where you are going, and it's a ways away from TS.

Keep in mind that the ferris wheel at ToysRUs is a big attraction and thus has significant crowds. There is an admission charge ($4.50) and every time I have been there, you have to buy your ticket for a future ride (kind of like FastPass). Be prepared for this if you have a limited amount of time.

A walk up to Rockefeller Center, stopping at the Empire State (2 block long line last time we were there...check it out first), Macy's (you have to go inside to appreciate the history), and St. Patrick's Cathedral is well worth it.

Have fun and enjoy your trip and the show.

Chris

 

[Cebhfhionn]

I am sure that you will be able to get your tickets. Don't worry!

 

[dcfromva]

Flower

Well, we called the theater this morning, and the box office attendant confirmed that tickets for our time period have yet to be released for sale.

That is great news! You ought to be able to get really good seats.
Well, since everyone is putting in their bids fo favorite places to visit, I will suggest a couple more. (I am assuming that you are already planning a day to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island?) We have gone to NYC several times and spent several days there each time and have only scratched the surface--there is so much to see and do there. (I'm not sure how long your trip is for --maybe you'll have to add some more days on )

There is a program called City Pass which will get you tickets to several major attractions at a discounted price.
City Pass (New York)

Not too far from Times Square is Radio City Music Hall. If you can't see a show here, take a tour--it is a really good tour.
Link to Radio City Music Hall

These are a ways from Time Square (we took the subway)
Not to be missed: Guggenheim Museum

American Museum of Natural History and Rose Center
This museum is enormous! We only allowed 1 day to see it and the Rose center. (I wanted to see the special exhibit on Pearls that they had at the time). Big mistake--we could have spent several days on this one museum alone!

Link to the Rose Center (isn't that cool?)

Don't forget to take a carriage ride in Central Park!

 

[wdisneyaholic]

What a great thread. I was just in NYC the Sat before Christmas. Just for a day trip, 12 hour drive round trip from Pittsburgh. I must be crazy or really like shopping in Chinatown!!! Plan on going back in March and would like to know if anyone could help on places to stay in the Village or Soho. Thinking of the Soho Grand or Tribeca Grand.

Any good pizza places or Italian restauants in Little Italy? Thanks for any help. I LOVE NEW YORK!!!

We took the Subway for the first time this last trip and found it to be so convienent. It is much quicker than walking from TS to Canal Street. (which I have done several times)

 

[DownNeckBoy]

You can fly nonstop from Charleston into Newark Airport. I just checked fares for the time period you want on Orbitz. The fare is now $357. I have flown to Charleston several times from Newark on Continental Express. They use Embraer jets, which are very nice.

Additionally, you will get into mid-town Manhattan quicker from Newark than from LaGuardia.

Good luck with your planning.