Need advice on planning first NYC trip

[luvgoing2disney]

As a family, we have never been to NYC but are considering it this summer. My wife has been on business, but did not do the "touristy" things due to time constraints.

Where do I start planning this trip? I know I want to see a Boadway Show, (Maybe "Mary Poppins"), Times Square, maybe some show tapings, Central Park, Statue of Liberty and tons of other things, but where to start?

So do most first timers make the plans yourselves? or do you use a tour company? What about booking the flight and hotel, then selecting what we want to see through the concierge?

Help me out, Diser's!

 

[Lorelei Lee]

"Mary Poppins" closed a long time ago, so you are going to have to choose another play. You can get information on what's playing at Broadway.com.

You have lots of options for purchasing tickets. Most shows are available through Broadway.com. You can also buy at the box office. You can probably find tickets on Stub Hub, but if it's a popular show you will pay a premium. If you don't have a specific show in mind, you can go to TKTS for day of show discount tickets.

 

[luvgoing2disney]

Crap, did not know it had closed--which shows how up I am on current productions.

We are considering being there for the week of July 4th, which may be nuts as well, but it's a thought.

 

[xlsm]

Subbing in so I can benefit from any tips you get! We're wanting to plan a trip to NYC, too.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

the city is actually pretty empty that weekend, except for the fireworks, of course. Don't know if they're going to be on the East River or the Hudson this year, but if you come for the 4th you need to find a spot to camp out several hours before it gets dark.

 

[Lorelei Lee]

Another planning source

http://www.newyorkpass.com/En/?aid=27

 

[faith]

Check out Tripadvisor New York.
Hotel, sightseeing etc. good advice.
Of course the Dis will be of help too.

 

[Desnik]

Just wanted to add broadwaybox dot com is great for finding discounts on Broadway shows & NYC attractions. We use that site all the time.

Tripadvisor is great for finding a good hotel.

 

[Pugsly]

I second the suggestion to read trip advisor. It will help you decide what are the must-sees for your family.

Prior to our October trip, I took our list of must-sees and checked the locations of each on google maps, then set up our touring plan. I ran the plan by some friends who go to NYC frequently. And I was absolutely surprised by how much closer things were than how they looked on Google maps (left lots of extra time for just walking around).

Check out the City Pass or New York pass, to see if your must-sees are included and whether that would be worth it to you.

Order your 9/11 tickets online before you go. If I remember, they're free, but you'll pay a small processing fee.

Can't help you with booking of flights or hotels as we used frequent flier miles and looked for hotel deals on hotel.com.

 

[elgerber]

We are going in July as well, so I will also be interested in the answers .

 

[VAfamily1998]

If you want to visit the statue of liberty, especially if you want to go in the crown, you will want to make reservations ahead of time
http://www.statuecruises.com/choose_tickets.aspx

I think they start booking 3 months in advance? (but double check for yourself!)

If you are staying in Manhattan, you will want to choose the "Battery Park" departure location.

For other advice, I'd need to know how many people are you going with, and are they little kids? Teens? Elderly adults?

But some of my favorite parts of NYC
-The Tenement museum. If anyone in your party is into history, this is a must
-The Cloistures. Beautiful grounds, beautiful medival art--it's part of the MET but in a location far removed from the main building. It's actually in the north east part of Manhattan and might take about an hour to get to via subway, depending on what part of Manhattan you are coming from
-East village--kind of the gritty punk scene part of NYC. Lots of great options for dining here!

 

[meajuly5]

Timeout New York is good as well.

Depending on what show you choose, you may be right In the heart of times sq. Broadway.com is a good resource for show info. You can order tickets direct through that site. There is a discount line in times sq for day of tickets. Nice to know if you are not picky about what you want to see or if you want to fit another show in once you get there.

A lot of people love to walk over te Brooklyn bridge. The museums are magnificent depending on your interests.

A trip to lady liberty gives you nice vantage points of the city as well as the statue. That takes most of the day of you want to tour the ellis island museum.