Your plans look good, but I'd honestly switch your days around. How set are you on visiting MOMA? It's one of the only museums in the city with an actual admission fee and it's not worth the money. We went for the first time this past summer and were just glad we got in for free (NBC used to sponsor the place so my parents and aunt got in, and I used my school ID). I'm usually a big fan of anything off-beat and different (Rocky Horror's one of my favorite movies and I love all the small and usually over-the-top experimental shows in the village), but this was just too much. I would have been pissed if I paid $20 to see an entire room full of blank white canvases. There was also a video of a naked woman hula-hooping with barbed wire and it was beyond disturbing. I'm all for the freedom of artistic expression but I mean, come on! Plus the museums really small and a rip off, to be honest. Definitely go if your heart's absolutely set on it, but I wouldn't even waste your time. It's always packed, and is so small that you really feel the crowds. It's a tourist trap!
okay....after reading this i'm thinking we might not go. i called anna and told her what you said and she was like.......ewwwwww. i can definitely appreciate art but i don't find the artistic intergrity in naked barbed wire hula hooping! and anna likes to live in this little happy bubble where those kind of things don't exist so i know she wouldn't want to see that. so i think it's nixed from our list.
I love the idea of spending your first night in Times Square. Nothing else is as quintessentially New York! Unless you're doing all the touristy stuff in the area (Madame Tussauds, Ripley's, etc) a night is the perfect amount of time to stroll around and take in all the sights and lights.
the only thing i want to do that night for sure is see the toys r us on times square. other than that we're just gonna take it all in. oh, and we've decided to switch our dinners around. we will be having dinner at mesa grill this night and at blue fin on sunday night because blue fin is closer to rockefeller center and we can take more time there.
On your first full day, I'd spend the day checking out midtown. I'd actually start at the Top of the Rock. It's nowhere near as crowded as the Empire State Building, but it's slowly getting there. The view from the building is indescribable. I went with my ex and one of my best friends back in 2007 and after 22 years in the city, I'd still seen nothing like it. The view out over Central Park and the rest of the city is gorgeous! What made it really special, though, was how empty it was. Going early will give you the most peaceful view out over New York you'll ever see... looking down over the loud hustle and bustle of the city in the still and quiet of being so high up is magical. Go early to avoid the crowds, you won't regret it!
i understand what you're saying. but my sister REALLY wants to see it both during the day and at night. so we are going to pre-purchase our tickets and make our reservation for 7:00. she said you usually have to wait a few minutes after your time to go up. so we figure if we get up there by 7:30 we'll have plenty of time to look at it in the daylight. sunset is supposed to be at 8:14 that night so we can see it at night too. that's why we are going to dusk. and sunday is the ONLY day this will work. i don't want to do it friday just in case we have a late flight because i don't want to take the chance of missing it. saturday is wicked so that won't work. and monday is a holiday and i don't feel particularly safe being on top of a tall building on a holiday. paranoid, i know.
Rockefeller Center is one of my absolute favorite parts of the city, it's gorgeous! After the Top of the Rock you could walk around for a while and see the plaza, and probably even the taping of the Today Show.
it's funny - none of us are much of what i'd call TV people so we really don't have any interest in seeing any shows. i know that's awful! the one i'd be interested in would be SNL and i didn't even think twice about that because that's the night we're seeing wicked.
Then you can walk the two blocks over to 7th Ave and go back down 7th Ave to Ellen's Stardust Diner for a late lunch, which you're gonna love! The food isn't anything authentic but the place is so much FUN! It's regular diner food but we've loved it every time we've gone, and you can't beat the entertainment. They all have great voices and it's like stepping right into Grease!
this sounds so fun. i can't wait!
The reason why I say to switch the days is since you have a deadline with going to see Wicked. Besides Top of the Rock, all the stuff you do today will involve just walking around, shopping and taking in the sites, which you can do at your own pace without feeling like you're missing anything. You'll have plenty of time to do it all, and still have time to head back to the hotel to freshen up for the show.
Then the next day I'd get up early and head over to the upper east side (do you watch Gossip Girl?!!
) Both the Met and Central Park are huge and gorgeous and you'll definitely want time to explore them without being rushed. I'd head over to the Met first.
i am switching our daytime stuff because i decided you were right. i definitely don't want to be rushed at the MET and central park. so instead on saturday we are gonna do the
disney store, st. patrick's cathedral, FAO schwartz and whatever else in that area, have a late lunch at ellen's and then have plenty of time to go back and freshen up for wicked. then sunday we will get up, go to the MET, stay in central park most of the day, then head back to the hotel around 4:00 or so to freshen up. then we will have to be at rockefeller center by 7:00, but i'd want to get there early to see the plaza. then after that a late dinner (around 9:30) at blue fin.
Like Kat said, it's a suggested donation. They want you to pay $20, but only the tourists who don't know about the suggested donation policy actually do. I have friends and professors who pay a dollar! My friend Mike and I are going this Thursday and that's what I plan on paying
I know it sounds cheap, but I'm a poor college student!
Seriously, they're used to being given all sorts of crazy amounts and no one bats an eye. Pay whatever you feel comfortable paying.
thanks for telling me this! surprisingly my sister knew this but when you go to their website they say that admission is $20. it's very misleading! good to know it's a suggested donation.
I'm absolutely in love with the Met
It's BEAUTIFUL and the art in there is truly awe-inspiring. Be sure to check out the exhibit on Arms and Armour. It's one of the more unusual and fascinating parts of the museum! You can spend a good two or three hours in there, easily.
Central Park is another one of my absolute favorite parts of the city. People who haven't been there before don't know what to expect. Seeing how crammed and hectic New York is, they usually expect a giant lawn
It's really an incredible place full of gardens, meadows, waterfalls, lakes and more famous landmarks and statues than you can imagine. Be sure to find the Alice in Wonderland statue, it's really cute! Again, you can easily spend hours strolling through the park and finding all the gorgeous nooks and crannies. After a while the sound of the traffic disappears and you almost forget you're in the middle of New York. The place is pure magic - some of my favorite memories are from the park! It's on the other side of the park and is a trek, but if you're feeling ambitious you could even walk across the park to the Imagine Memorial right by the Dakota - must-see's for any Beatles fan.
these two things are very exciting to me.
i already have it marked down about the alice statue. and OF COURSE we're gonna see strawberry fields and the imagine memorial. that's a must! i also have to run around the park singing, "how does she know?" from enchanted.
Have you made reservations at the Mesa Grill yet? Try to make later ones (for around 7:00) so you'll still have plenty of time to head back to the hotel to change and relax before heading out for dinner and drinks
The Mesa Grill's really, really good!
no. i called yesterday but she said they don't take them until 30 days out and it's not that close yet. i marked it on my calendar when to call back. my sister actually suggested this place and when i looked at the menu i was like YES, PLEASE!!!! i'm a huge food network fan so i love bobby flay. like i said above, we're switching this and blue fin around so this will actually be on friday night. i'm thinking around 8:00.
Your Monday sounds great! The WTC is a must-see for a lot of people, but there's so much construction going on now that there's not much to see. It's definitely a good place to pay your respects and stop to reflect, but the entire area is just really sad.
i debated on this because i hear there's not much to see any more. but i kept coming back to the fact that 9/11 was such a HUGE event in my life and i can't see myself going to NYC and not seeing where that happened. so we're gonna go.
The Statue of Liberty is downtown too, so you'll have a great view out over the Harbor. Make sure to check out the village! They have the cutest little offbeat stores and cafes. I love it down there! Chinatown and Little Italy are fun too. I'd get pizza on this day! There's nothing like NY pizza, especially in Little Italy!
my sister said the exact same thing about the pizza in little italy!
And wave to me as you pass into Brooklyn!
Do you know what part of BK your sisters friends are in? There are so many great parts of Brooklyn people never get to see when they don't cross the bridge. Like they said on the promos for the Real World Brooklyn, "The Real New York Is Just Across the Bridge."
i will!!!!! i'm not sure but i will let you know. do you know of any good karaoke bars there? that's what she wants to do on that night. or maybe a comedy club?
OK, that's it! I can't believe I just retyped all that
Really, switch the days! There's no way you can do the Met and Central Park in half a day, and then make your way completely across the entire park to Ellen's, while trying to get back to the hotel in time to change and get ready for Wicked. I know you said you didn't mind, but the Met and Central Park (and even Ellen's!) are a BILLION times better than MOMA. This way everything you want to do (and eat) is in the same area on both days, and you can do and see it all without having to rush. You'll love it, I'm telling you! I just wrote you an entire book so I'm gonna stop here... I should be a
travel agent!
Keep us updated on your plans
Oh, and don't forget to get bagels. Seriously, there's nothing like NY bagels... they're almost better than the pizza.
thanks so much for all your advice!!!!! i am definitely taking most of it into account. i think the only thing we're not changing is when we go to top of the rock, but that's just because we're set on seeing it at sunset. thanks again!!!!
Thank God they all left before we got there! I LOVE the pic of the castle...you're so right. It looks like a real castle out in the woods! How sweet would it be to live in a castle!? 
however if anyone is comingto the NY side of Niagara Falls I can help a bit !!
