Budget day in NYC-- possible? Need suggestions.

[Cindy B]

So DH and I have planned a day trip to NYC from the Philadelphia area. We are taking the Bolt Bus and will arrive in Manhattan at 8 am on the 16th.

Our bus back is at 4:40 pm. (I know too early for some TV show tapings).


What can do adults do on a Monday for the day in NYC? I haven't been in about 5 years and DH hasn't been in MANY years.

We have no qualms going on public transportation once we get there either.

 

[mbf]

Do either of you work for a major corporation? I know that my company has discounts and free admission for employees to places like the Museum of Natural History and the Met just by showing my company ID.

Barring that, a pedicab tour of Central Park would be fun. I saw a Groupon or Living Social deal for one a day or two ago. You could do the NYC City Pass which would give you several touristy sites for a discount price. Chinatown is always fun to walk around.

 

[cornflake]

The Met, the Planetarium, the Natural History, (they're all donation museums - they have a "recommended" price of admission but will cheerfully let you in for whatever you choose to give them) go walk around the Park, go to Riverside Park, window shop on Fifth Ave., go up to Columbia and walk around the campus and grab a giant slice of pizza at Coronet, go wander round the Village and have a cheap, great Afghan lunch at Khyber Pass...

 

[Janepod]

Double check whether the Met is open on the 16th - normally they are closed Mondays but perhaps will be open for the MLK holiday.

If it is warm enough, walk through Central Park, find the Wafel & Dinges cart, ice skate, pick which building you'd move into if you hit the lottery.

Walk down Fifth Avenue shopping/window shopping to 53rd and check out MoMA. From there, St. Pat's, Rock Center (if Top of the Rock, Lego store or world's best J Crew interest you) or hop a subway downtown ... Soho for more shopping and lunch at Balthazar, visit Kid Robot ... or Union Square, go to the Strand (my favorite book store) and Forbidden Planet ... or head over to West side for a walk on the high line, people watching, eating.

What are your interests?

 

[cornflake]

I didn't think about it being a Monday, good call.

MOMA is expensive though (as kinda is Balthazar, even for lunch), and does NOT take whatever you want to pay, they have a set admission.

 

[elcodfish]

McSorleys is an amazing bar and its walls are COVERED in old newspapers and pictures, just awesome, but you can only get dark or light beer.

 

[Cindy B]

As for interests: we are two adults in our 40's, but not "old". DH will tolerate shopping but is more into art, technology and such. He would like to see the World Trade Center area if possible. The bus lets out either 37th or 38th?

We are casual people that tend toward good dining. Although, I want to be able to eat somewhere that isn't too formal since we will be in our casual clothes.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

We take our church youth group each year to a retreat program in NYC that we follow up with what we call the "Manhattan in a day" tour. Alot in a day (we start 10am and get done around 7pm)- but it's all pretty much free/low cost. (One of the youth group dads is from NYC and leads us all around.)

We take the Subway from the church to Times Square. Let them go through stores, people watch, play with the Forever 21 billboard, lol. We grab something quick for lunch in this area mainly because it ends up being lunchtime.

Walk to Rockefeller Center. Let the kids walk around whatever stores interest them, see the plaza, etc. (We don't, but you could go up Top of the Rock. It's a significantly faster wait than Empire State Building. {A friend and I went Memorial Day weekend- right up TotR, 2 hour wait for ESB.})

Walk up 5th Ave- see more stores, look at Empire State Building and go into the NY Public Library. (The reading room upstairs is neat.)

Hop on subway to former World Trade Center site. Walk around- when we went in April, there was a temporary museum. I think the real one is open now. (As is, of course, the memorial.) Check out Trinity Church/ Wall St.

Walk to Staten Island Ferry- take over and back to see the skyline and Statue of Liberty.

I'm sure there is a subway or something available, but we then walk to Chinatown (through the courts- because our guide is an attorney and wants to show where he used to work.) Grab some supper there and then subway back to Upper East Side (where the church is/we continue the night program there and spend the night.)

 

[cornflake]

Oh, I forgot - check out the Cloisters if you haven't! It's up in Ft. Tryon Park, there's a bus goes right there, and it's an annex of the Met that houses all medieval art and architecture, tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, etc. Amazing stuff housed in a like, castle, up in the park at the top of Manhattan.

If you haven't been, you really should go! As it's part of the Met, it's a recommended fee museum, so they will let you in for whatever you can afford to give.

Courtyard gardens -

view from the museum

 

[Sagginit]

the met will be open on MLK, its a holiday monday. for budget this is a good choice as its a suggested donation and they have many collections, so you get everything from egyptian to modern. this is far up there so i would take a bus or subway up there. i don't recommend eating there so i would go there before or after lunch. if you do you might want to look online and pick one or two things to go to as it is huge and if you spend less than 2 hours there you really need to prioritize. as you get off at 38/37th you can do the typical midtown stuff by walking. herald square, check out times square, grand centeral if you want to check it out, the rock, 5th ave. while i do shop in the city as someone i know said, times square is the country's biggest strip mall. most of it you can get at the mall back home. if you do shop go to places like saks, henri bendel, bloomingdales, barneys, museum shops (met has one at the rock and moma is on 53rd and 5th). for lunch i would stay out of times square and head to hells kitchen or downtown to little italy if you are going down there to do the chinatwon/little italy/soho/ trade center tour.

 

[Vacation Lover]

Instead of paying to take a boat tour around the Statue of Liberty, go on the Staten Island Ferry for free. While it doesn't get as close to the Statue as the paid tour, you still get a good view of it and great views of the city skyline. The interior is completely glassed in so if it's cold you'll still get the view.

 

[Janepod]

I would do the Met, walk through Central Park a bit, take the 4/5 to Union Square and poke around the Strand and Forbidden Planet, then the 6 to Astor Place and walk along St. Mark's - lots of interesting shops there, plus you can end up at Crif Dogs for an economical lunch.