any from NYC on the dis?

[captJack88]

Hello folks, my DW and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in a little over a year. Since we never had a honeymoon, I would like to plan a surprise trip to NYC for her. She LOVES NYC, I on the other hand, have no desire to go, no offense, it's just not my thing. Which is where part of my problem lies, I just can't get into planning this trip, but I know she would love it, so I HAVE to plan it. So, I think I have a hotel picked out, but I can't remember the name of it right now, but I know it close to time square, and my wife stayed there before. My plan for sight seeing is basically to follow her around, and see what she wants, so thats no big deal. My big problem is, she wants to see a broadway show, the one about the wicked witches in the wizard of oz, but I'm clueless, and I want to take her out to a fancy restaurant, and there I'm REALLY clueless. If we were going to WDW, I'd have no problems at all, but alas we are going to NYC. I'm trying to keep everything a secret, because if ANY of my family members find out, the secret will be out, so I can't ask them for advice, so I thought I'd come here and hope for help. I know it's not Disney related at all, but I hope the mods will let it stand. I know the people on here are very helpful and thought I'd give it a shot! Thanks

 

[charlie,nj]

check out:

www.nyctourist.com

 

[crs7568]

Let me start by saying what a sweet man you are to plan a surprise trip for your wife!

The play that she wants to see is called Wicked and it is fabulous. It may be very difficult to get tickets on short notice but you can check for availability with Ticketmaster.

My suggestion for a romantic anniversary dinner is to get out of the city and head over to the River Cafe on 1 Water Street in Brooklyn. It is beautiful and the food is great. If you do not want to leave the city, I highly recommend One if By Land, Two if by Sea. It is located on 17 Barrow Street.

Have a great anniversary!

 

[captJack88]

Well, thank you crs, for the compliment, but I'm curious..Is one year short notice for broadway tickets? Thank you also for the tips on where to get a romantic meal, how expensive are they? Thank you again!

 

[RickinNYC]

CaptJack88, sounds like a good guy you are! And yes, I would strongly advise you to buy your show tickets as far in advance as is humanly possible!!!!

crs7568 is correct. Wicked is a GREAT show. I think you'll both love it. Lot's of fun and the sets are pretty amazing. It's a huge success right now and seems to be a keeper for some time to come.

Avenue Q is excellent as well. Sort of an R rated Sesame Street. Very racy but absolutely the funniest I've seen ever! Tix for this will be tough to get as well but well worth it.

Good old standbys: Mama Mia, Hairspray and Rent. You shouldn't have much trouble if any getting tickets for any of those.

As for a restaurant, crs7568 is right on the money. I highly, HIGHLY suggest One if by Land, Two if by Sea. Zagat's rates it as the most romantic restaurant in New York City. The food is excellent as well. You have to try their individually sized beef wellington. I'm not a steak eater but this is a must! Plus, the site itself is historic. It's formerly Aaron Burr's carraige house, was once part of the underground railroad and is reputed to be one of the most haunted landmarks in the city. BUT it's all romantic. Trust me.

Feel free to ask any other questions! I live in Queens and I work in midtown. Right in Times Square in fact!

 

[captJack88]

WOW, well I guess i'm glad I asked now then! Ok, how can I get tickets while I'm in Michigan? Is there a website I can go to? If at all possible I'd like to pay cash for the tickets, she gets the mail and might check the credit card statements, any ideas? Thanks

 

[MinnieYC]

One year is definitely more than enough time to get Broadway tickets! With the exception of the Lion King, even a month is more than enough, usually. We've actually never even bought tickets more than a week in advance (and I'm a huge Broadway fan, I've seen a lot of those shows!)

For many Broadway shows, there are ways to get good seats for good prices. Most (the majority, actually) of people who live in NYC would never buy a full price ticket. I'd recommend visiting www.playbill.com. There are more sites that I can't remember right now, so I'll post them later. These sites show discount codes, and then you buy the tickets through Ticket Master or Telecharge.

Unfortunately, Wicked tickets are hard to get at a discount right now. But if you're visiting in a year, things will change.

What time of year are you visiting? For a few months every year, the most fancy and upscale NYC restaurants run a great deal for a $20/person lunch (usually includes three courses). While a romantic lunch is not the same as a romantic dinner, this is a great deal. At some of these places, a three-course lunch would normally cost at least $50/person!

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I was born and raised in Manhattan, and I love living and working here.

 

[dg39]

Wicked was wonderful, better than I expected. You won't have a problem getting seats a year in advance. Don't forget to visit:

Central Park
Carriage Ride(nice anniversary treat)
The Plaza Hotel
The Naked Cowboy(unless its cold, he won't be out)
5th Ave. shopping
St. Pat's Cathederal
The Village(Villa Mosconi-great italian food)
Little Italy
Upper East Side(great shops & Smith & Wollensky's Steakhouse)
Macy's
Sephora (great makeup store)
H&M stores(great clothes, cheap)
Lindt chocolate store on 5th Ave(delicous chocolate)
China Town(dirty, but getting cleaned up)
The South St. Seaport

The list can go on and on. How long are you staying. Bring lots of $$$$$.
You'll have a ball. NYC is great.

 

[captJack88]

Well thank you all for responding! Our anniversary is Sept 9, but I am a little nervous about visiting so close to 9/11 annivesary, so that may change, I dunno yet, it'll be sometime around there though. Thank you for the link MinnieYC, I will check it out. I am glad to hear I can get tickets at ticketmaster, that way I can pay cash, and discount codes are ALWAYS good! dg39, thanks for the ideas, they all sound greta, except the naked cowboy, I may pass on that..lol. How much does a carrige ride cost? Thank you all again so much!

 

[dg39]

Carriage rides in central park are $34.00 for the first 1/2 hour and 10.00 1/2hr. after that. Was in the city last night and saw the sign. If your interested(although it is a bit pricey) you just go up to the entrance of central park and all the carriages are lined up. There's also the bus tours, they go through all different parts of the city and I think some even go into bklyn, but I'm not to sure about that. I've never been on on of those, but they seem to be always filled up. There lower in price. If you want info of the bus tours, just let me know. As for little gifts to bring back home, theres plenty of venders on the streets that you can get NYC t'shirts, knock off handbags, watches and things like that a lot cheaper than buying them in the stores.

 

[LJC1861]

I live here in NYC ( the West Village )and will be glead to assist in any trip planning, brochure getting, advice giving that I can. I totally agree with everything that the above posters have said and their recommendations are right on the money.

Wicked tickets are currently on sale through February 2005. They are impossible to get at a discount and probably will be for some time. For other show discounts I use www.HitShowClub.com as well as the playbill site mentioned.

Any more questions....ask away. All of us friendly NYC DIS'ers will be glad to help.

Linda

 

[dg39]

LJC, I love the village. We normally go to mid/uptown, but have been wondering down to your neck of the woods lately. We went to this little italian restaurant called Villa Masconi. We LOVED it. Next I want to try Tomea Kitchen (sp?) to try their sushi. Passed by last week, but the line was out the door. Not a nice looking place, but I hear the sushi is great.

 

[ripleysmom]

You might want to consider Tavern on the Green for dinner. They have a prix fixe dinner menu and their food is pretty good.

 

[LJC1861]

dg39,

Here are some more suggestions.....right on my little corner of Hudson and West 11th. The West Village has some great dining at reasonable prices.

1. Phillip Marie--great american food. Plain and simple. They do a wonderful jazz brunch on Sunday.

2. Cafe Topsy--Just down the street from Phillip Marie. This is our Saturday night place. It is a pub, with a bar on one side and a cafe on the other. They serve british classics and new twists on old favorites. It is a down homey kind of place and you will feel comfortable nursing a beer all night.

3. White Horse Tavern. Across from Phillip Marie. If you want a burger and a beer this is the place for you. The outdoor cafe is always busy during the summer. The burgers are thick and tasty and the fries done just right. There is nothing fancy about this place. This is also one of the oldest taverns in the city.

4. Mary's off Jane--a bakery on 8th Ave. just up from the White Horse Tavern. Wonderful baked goods and now serving cuban specialties for lunch and dinner. This bakery beats the more popular Magnolia Bakery hands down.

5. Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Further down Hudson St. This super kitschy restaurant features tex-mex specialties as well as good old southern comfort food. Frito pie, fried chicken, catfish and chicken fried steak are not to be missed. You will also find real southern sweet tea served here.

6. Andavi--Christopher and Bleeker. This is a wonderful little italian restaurant. Quiet, candlelit and VERY romantic.

There are many many more but I am getting hungry just listing them. Try some out sometime, you will like them, I guarantee!

Linda