Help me plan 3 days in NY

[Gabriel&Nana]

Top of the Rock is right at Rockefeller Center. St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Museum of Modern Art are close by- both are worth the time and effort.

These places are all well within walking distance of Times Square.

Thanks, Gina

I'm gonna start plotting all those places in Google Maps, as bas71873 suggested me before !

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

Personally, I find Ellen's Stardust overpriced with bad service. Only once and only to say you have been

My family loves Celeste.(Upper West Side) It's a little cash only Italian restaurant at 502 Amsterdam Ave ( btwn 84th and 85th streets). It would be perfect for dinner after the Museum of Natural History. You can catch the 1 train (downtown) at 86th and Broadway to get back to times square.

My family spent a good bit of the summer in NYC. One of our favorite finds was the NYC Fire Museum.

Thanks pixiepower1971

I read some reviews in another site about this place and although it seems a fun place, I couldn't find anyone praising the food ...

But Celeste - hum, we love italian food !

NYC Fire Museum seems to be a good place, but I'm afraid we are not having time to visit it this time. Maybe next ....

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

When you get to your hotel, ask if they have a subway map. We stayed at the Doubletree in Times Square and they were very helpful with subway directions. It's surprisingly easy to use the subways and I'm one who always gets lost.

Definitely get online now (I think it's statuecruises.com) to book your Statue of Liberty visit. We didn't end up going all the way to the top of the Statue but that was ok. We (me, dh, kids 11 & 13) thought the Statue was a little boring-something to see but probably wouldn't do it again. We thought Ellis Island was really interesting. I would recommend that you reserve an early morning Statue visit because you will be standing in security lines forever if you don't. Then stop at Ellis Island after. I think the best way to get here is to take the subway from Times Square and then if you want to see Ground Zero, stop there on the way back. I found a NY map online and tried to book our days by the location of what we wanted to see.

We ate at Tony's in Times Square (family favorite) and also at Ellen's Stardust. Ellen's was interesting and I thought the food was ok. We also went way out of our way to eat at Serendipities and I was disappointed (ice cream was good-food was not).

If you don't end up buying show tickets before you leave, be sure to ask at your hotel. Sometimes that have discount tickets for that day's shows.

Thanks for all tips, Chabs

I have something about the subway in my guidebook, but I'm gonna try what you suggested : get a map at the hotel. So you think we'll be fine using the subway during our daily rides, ok ?

I'd like to walk by the streets but if the days get very cold, I think the subway will help us run from the cold weather ....

I didn't know that you had to buy the statue tickets so early ! But you' are the second to tell me this... I'm gonna do it !

Tony's seem to be a fine place !

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

Also, if you're going to hit the Museum of Natural History, before you head back to your hotel go a couple blocks west and pick up some bagels from H&H and some gourmet treats from Zabars. They have Lox, cream cheese and all kinds of other deli stuff (it's on two floors). You can even buy a cooler bag and freezer pack to get it back to your hotel room. We live 3 1/2 hours from the city and when we do occasionally get down there those two places are always our last stops so that we can bring all that wonderful stuff home for the next days breakfast.

Also, we really enjoyed MOMA and they have a really good cafeteria/cafe with higher end food than you normally find in a museum cafeteria. It wasn't super cheap, but nothing in that area really is and it was very convenient.

If money is an issue and nobody is really interested in going to the actual island that the Statue of Liberty is on (it might be kind of cold that time of year), then you can get a good view of it and a relaxing ride on the Staten Island Ferry. It's one of the few free things in NY! You can take the subway to within a few blocks of the ferry terminal. You take the ferry to Staten Island and basically just get in line to take the ferry back.

Lastly, I wouldn't wait until you get there to try to find winter gear. It can get really cold and you'll really feel it if you're from a warmer climate. Right now you can check out the Overstocks section of Landsend.com and get some really good deals. I just glanced at it briefly and noticed that they have a woman's down jacket for $39.99. Winter coats, gloves, hats and scarves are a must if you plan to walk around the city. Warm, comfortable boots would be good too. You may have a hard time finding inexpensive winter gear with minimal shopping time once you get there.

Thanks , tw1nsmom

I agree with you about buying the winter gear in advance, but I live in Rio de Janeiro (Brasil) , the weather here is really hot and the only "place" I found that ships/sells to Brasil is e-bay . That's why we'll have to wait to buy it after arriving in NY. I'm looking for a store in Times Square area (near the hotel) so we can buy it as soon as we arrive .

As for the Statue, DD really wants to get inside it; the rest of the family would be pleased with the ferry ride only. If we have the time, I think we'll have to visit, so DD will bw happy too ...

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

One more thing. If you're flexible about what you'll see, you can go to the TKTS booth in times square for half price same day theater tickets. It's a great deal and you can cross off Times Square from your touring list at the same time. They usually have a variety of shows available. What you'll want to do is find a listing of all Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and their descriptions and both familiarize yourself with them and even bring it with you. It might even be a good idea to prioritize a few shows you'd like to see if they're available. Here's a link http://www.tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=56 There are tips and maps further down the page. There's also a link to what was available at the booths the previous week. It won't guarantee that those same shows will be available for you, but it will give you some idea of the types of shows you might expect.

I'm gonna check what sows they use to have, but how many time do you think we'll spend to get tickets at TKTS ?

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

I agree, Serendipity's is good for dessert but the regular food is just okay and overall certainly not worth the usual long wait. It was also closed by the board of health not that long ago for rats (it has reopened but I'm still not going back).

RATS !?!?!
No way !

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

Check out broadwaybox.com for discounts on theater tickets

Thanks, Nancyg56

So you think broadwaybox.com is a reliable ?

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

Yay! I ♥ New York!

Restaurants: Junior's http://www.juniorscheesecake.com & Ellen's Stardust diner http://ellensstardustdiner.com are both great for breakfast … both just of Times Square.
For lunch John's Pizzaria is great http://johnspizzerianyc.com
For dinner I LOVE Perilla in Greenwich Villagehttp://perillanyc.comor Da Nico in Little Italy http://danicoristorante.com
For a snack you must check out Magnolia Bakery…. world's best cupcakes. http://magnoliabakery.com

My favorite two activities are Top of the Rock…. in my opinion much better than Empire State building & walking the Brooklyn bridge great views of the city!

Have a great trip!

Hi amyren, thank you !

Loved your restaurant tips ! And Top of the Rock is now on my list

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

Good point. I walked it in early April and it was pleasant, I can imagine it being freezing in January.

amyren and LJRJR : We have the same concern : the freezing weather. If we are lucky enough to get a beatiful sunny day, maybe we'll give Brooklin Bridge a try ...

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Thanks , tw1nsmom

I agree with you about buying the winter gear in advance, but I live in Rio de Janeiro (Brasil) , the weather here is really hot and the only "place" I found that ships/sells to Brasil is e-bay . That's why we'll have to wait to buy it after arriving in NY. I'm looking for a store in Times Square area (near the hotel) so we can buy it as soon as we arrive .

As for the Statue, DD really wants to get inside it; the rest of the family would be pleased with the ferry ride only. If we have the time, I think we'll have to visit, so DD will bw happy too ...

Oh no. Hopefully it won't be that cold when you arrive but you could be leaving the airport and walking out into freezing cold weather. There is ususally a wait for a taxi and even if you have reserved a car service, there's a walk to the car from the luggage pickup area. If you absolutely can't get coats ahead of time, I would check into the hotel and then take a taxi to Macy's. Macy's is not far from Times Square and will have coats for everyone. By January the selection will be much more limited, but there should be something available.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I'm gonna check what sows they use to have, but how many time do you think we'll spend to get tickets at TKTS ?

I wouldn't get tickets at TKTS. You can buy tickets for the same, discounted price at BroadwayBox.com

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

Oh no. Hopefully it won't be that cold when you arrive but you could be leaving the airport and walking out into freezing cold weather. There is ususally a wait for a taxi and even if you have reserved a car service, there's a walk to the car from the luggage pickup area. If you absolutely can't get coats ahead of time, I would check into the hotel and then take a taxi to Macy's. Macy's is not far from Times Square and will have coats for everyone. By January the selection will be much more limited, but there should be something available.

Hello Chloe . Yes, we reserved a car service (the driver is somebody known by a a friend that uses his services twice a year) . As we arrive early morning , we´re thinking about making a deal with this driver to drive us to drop the lugagge at the Hotel and then take us to buy winter clothes.
So you think that Macy's would be a good choice to us ?

 

[Gabriel&Nana]

I wouldn't get tickets at TKTS. You can buy tickets for the same, discounted price at BroadwayBox.com

I'm gonna check this site because we'd really like to see Phantom and we're afraid not to get the tickets we want (and still loose time in the TKTS line). Thank you ...