New York

[spm23]

Its not Disney but I am sure many will be able to help.

We have some air miles and have booked New York at Christmas and New Year. We have two 16 year olds and apart from the obvious sight seeing things to do does anyone have any great things they have done, or they have heard about. A list of must do's even if off the beaten track.

Great places to eat, walk, entertain?

Is the open top bus worth booking in advance with internet discounts or are they the same price when you get there?

Anything people have enjoyed would be brilliant.

Thanks

 

[cowza]

There's the open ice rink at Rockefeller Centre...

A Broadway show? It's worth booking if you fancy that because you will struggle to get seats together if you want to go something which is popular. If they are into Disney they have The Little Mermaid there... if not something like Spamalot is very funny and entertaining.

I'm not sure if the open bus tour is cheaper if you book before... I can't even really remember how much it was... but it is good because you can get off/on and it stops at most of the major places.

Central Park is great for walking and there's all sorts going on there usually... there are horse & carriage rides and there is even a zoo.

I'd recommend getting a book of some sort... the DK New York one is very good.

 

[tinks86]

Hi there are so many fab things for them to do - depends what they are in to really! If I was there at a Xmas I would def do the ice skating at Rockefella just 2 see the xmas tree! If Sex and the city is their thing then there is a tour of the places featured in the show! Otherwise a disney show on broadway would be fab, and I thikn Legally Blonde the Musical is still showing - not seen it but heard it is fab!!!

 

[UKDEB]

We were there over New Year 2003/04. We were told that if we wanted to be in Times Square on New Year's Eve to see the ball drop, we'd need to be there as early as 10am and that no alcohol is permitted. We were staying at the Loews Regency on Park Avenue which is home to Feinstein's (Michael Feinstein's Jazz Club) and he plays there himself each New Year's Eve, so we booked that. Its a great setting - very intimate - and the performance was incredible. We hadn't heard of him before (although we subsequently learned that he's very famous in the jazz world), so we bought a CD to familiarise ourselves with his music. He was such a great entertainer, though, that it wasn't really necessary. The price included dinner, party hats, streamers and the like. It was a very special evening, but I'm not sure whether it would appeal to 16 year olds .

It would be a travesty to miss Grand Central Station. I know it's a tourist attraction, but we nearly left it off the list the first time we visited. I'd recommend visiting Ellis Island rather than the Statue of Liberty - you'll get a pretty close-up view as you sail by and it's a more interesting place to stop off in my opinion. We really enjoyed the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Central Park at Fifth Avenue). Best of all, though, is Central Park itself. It's has so many distinct areas you could spend days there. We walked down from the MMA towards the shops and had large parts of it to ourselves. As we approached the bottom end (where the Trump funded ice rink and the pony and trap rides are located) it was absolutely packed.

ETA: The Christmas window displays are amazing, particularly those at Bergdorf Goodman - they're literally works of art.

 

[natalielongstaff]

We are going at the start of december and have brought the new york pass

http://www.newyorkpass.com/

we are hoping to visit central park, ellis island the rockefeller centre, ground zero as well as macy's windows etc

 

[wayneg]

How long you going for? 4 nights or less you will have enough with the obvious, longer you will need to do more planning. We did 4 nights and it was not long enough to to all usual attractions.
Highlight of trip for us was seeing http://www.nypl.org/branch/central/dlc/dch/pooh/ We are all big Pooh and AA Milne fans so seeing these was amazing.
Food is not something we care much about, get hungry eat in nearest place. Ate in an Italian one evening and was Ok, nothing special but V expensive, I guess all city centres are same.
We prebooked open top bus but not sure it saved anything.
Whatever you do you will love it, its an amazing city.

 

[disneyholic family]

my kids love the broadway shows....i think the first time we went to new york they were about 14 and 16 years old....
for them, broadway is a must see...

depending on how much you want to spend, you can either order your tickets in advance or buy them the same day from TKTS...
but given that you'll be there for xmas, i would suggest buying them now as i'm sure the shows sell out at that time of year..

i'll give you the website i use later today...i have to find the right one..
they're really good....and you can order your tickets for pickup at the theatre window...

other than broadway, my kids always want to go the the american museum of natural history, the central park zoo (and a walk through other parts of the park), the metropolitan museum of art, etc etc.

i think the wolman ice rink is also open in the winter (in central park, pretty close to the southeast entrance..

the open top bus is a great way to see the city - but be sure you have VERY warm clothes, hats, gloves as it is VERY cold in new york in the winter...very very very cold...

 

[Callum]

In addition to all the venues etc already mentioned you might also like try out

http://www.bigapplegreeter.org/

This is an organisation which will allocate one of their "greeters" to you and he or she will then spend 2 or 3 hours showing you around, well, just about anywhere you choose

We linked up with them a couple of years ago and the greeter took us for a stroll through Central Park and then on to the Upper West Side (where she lived). It was fantastic being with a native New Yorker who could answer all our questions and point out some of the places that are well off the beaten tourist track.

Oh, and the service is free

 

[irisheyes123]

Im going for christmas too If your into shopping you could get a bus from Port Authority Bus Terminal its located between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, from 40th to 42nd Streets and go to new jersey as you pay no retail tax on clothing or shoes and they have lots of great malls also you can go Ice skating in central park we plan on doing this christmas day or like the others say catch a show on Broadway..

 

[disneyholic family]

i use ticketmaster at:
http://www.ticketmaster.com/broadway

i go online to find the shows i want, but i buy the tickets on the phone to make sure that i'll be able to pick them up at the willcall window at the theatre..
but you can probably do that online as well....i just prefer to do it over the phone..

but i use the website to find the shows and nights that i want.....and to see what's available..

our favorites are phantom, avenue Q (not sure if it's appropriate for 16 year olds - there's explicit puppet sex - welll....the puppets are under covers but it's explicit - albeit very funny), wicked, chicago, rent (but it closed in september)...

we actually didn't like lion king, so we've avoided all the disney shows since that experience...but everyone else i know loved lion king...

DH and I lived on the upper west side 25 years ago (at 72 st and central park west)....it's a great place to visit and to live....

the double decker bus is a very good way to get a lay of the land so to speak..

i suggest riding it around completely at least once and then you can use it as a hop on hop off form of transportation if you like...

there are 3 routes from what i remember, central and south manhattan, north manhattan and brooklyn.....at least do the two manhattan routes (south and north)...

i just thought of another thing to do if you have boys....the Intrepid aircraft carrier docked in the hudson river at pier 86........the website is: http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/
as i recall, the double decker bus has a shuttle that will take you there..

my kids enjoyed it...

by the way, we prefer the Grayline double decker buses...(there are several companies to choose from, we like grayline best)..

 

[juliebro]

We were there for 5 days in October 2006. Our recommendations are:

Staten Island Ferry - free - from which you can see the Statue of Liberty
The Carnegie Deli - their sandwiches and cheesecakes are amazing - and good value
For shopping - get a discount card from Macy's - you then get 11% off if you are a foreign visitor
Grayline Open Top Bus tour - 48 hour 'All Loops' ticket - we arrived in NYC late afternoon and joined the night tour - I still get goosebumps thinking about the view of Manhattan looking back over Brooklyn Bridge - stunning!
Take the bus over to Brooklyn and then walk back over the Brooklyn bridge
Top of the Rock - better than the Empire State Building for views of the city - go up in the afternoon and see the city in daylight and then as it goes dark
Helicopter sight-seeing tour
Grand Central Station - fabulous!
New York City Library - if you're a film fan you'll recognise it from so many movies
Ride the subway - for the experience
Visit Ground Zero - very moving
Broadway show - TKTS booth at South Street Seaport rather then the Times Square one - no queues when we were there
Canal St in Chinatown (to buy a 'designer' handbag - if you're brave enough! )
The best burgers in New York - the Burger Joint - a secret snack bar well-hidden in Le Parker Meridien hotel on W 56th St. - see if you can find it!

Hoping to go back next year - can't wait!

Julie

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Go for lunch or dinner at Serendipities. It features in the George Clooney film "One Fine Day" which is why I went originally (gotta love George!!), but loved it so much we went back! It is a toy shop downstairs and a small restaurant upstairs. Nothing too fancy (burgers, that type of thing, though lots of choice on the menu) but good cooked food, and some cracking, massive icecream sundaes!

This is their website

http://www.serendipity3.com/main.htm

 

[disneyholic family]

all these mentions of movies reminded me of the first time we took the kids (when they were 14 and 16 i think, or maybe a little younger)..

DH and i LOVE new york (we lived there for 3 years), so we were somewhat upset when the kids didn't like it at first...
they were really put off by the size of the city and the buildings and the hustle and bustle...

they really weren't 'into' it at all to begin with..
they did love the museum of natural history (central park west at about 82 st or thereabouts) and the central park zoo, but they didn't like the city...

so the idea popped into my head to take them on a movie eye view of the city...
so we went around visiting things that they knew from movies and that really hooked them....as everyone has already pointed out, there are lots of them...the new york public library (at 42 st ) is in many movies, including ghostbusters....lots of other spots are in ghostbusters (central park, central park west, etc)...grand central station is in zillions of movies (and is beautiful)...
there's the wall street area if you've seen the bruce willis action movies (diehard)...one of them is set partly on wall street by the federal reserve (and you see the bull that's near the exchange)...
and if you watch the tv show law and order, the court building you see is downtown too...

we always stay at the waldorf astoria in new york and that itself is in lots of movies as well as park avenue (where the waldorf is situated)....and what i call the panamerican building (i haven't a clue what it is now...pan american went belly up back when we were living in new york i think)..

and of course rockefeller center has been in lots of movies (and is where i worked when we lived in new york)...
ground zero is obvious for what it is, but it's not really much to look at...
now that i think about it, that was our first visit...
now i remember....the first time we took the kids was in 2001....less than two weeks before 9/11....
we flew out of new york on august 31...to get the kids back in time for school...
we didn't make it to the WTC because we were all so nauseous from the ferry (statue of liberty/ellis island)...
so instead of heading to the trade center (not far from the ferry) i said, "we'll go next time we're here...the trade center isn't going anywhere...."

we were going to visit DH's old office in the trade center (where he worked when we lived there)..

i wish they would rebuild it exactly as it was...i loved the trade center...
those buildings were beautiful....anyway...
ground zero itself isn't really much to look at....
it looks kind of small....it's hard to imagine how immense the towers were when you see this relatively small footprint...

i love new york...so does DH....the kids still don't like new york...even after 4 visits....but they always enjoy the things we do there....
they just don't like how very big it is...it's too much for their taste...

by the way, since you'll be there at xmas, in addition to broadway, lincoln center will have a lot to offer.....if you like classical music, ballet, opera, you should check out if there's something you like..
i would assume that the new york city ballet or the american ballet theater will have the nutcracker ballet on offer at that time...both are top notch ballet companies..
i don't know if the metropolitan opera is on at that time, but if it is, and if you're into opera, it can't be topped for opera quality....(i'm one of those weirdos who love opera)..

anyway...enough...

 

[rosiejo]

A disney show on Broadway?

The view from the top of the Empire State Building is not to be missed - and the Statue of Liberty is pretty impressive too.

The tour buses are great and it is cheaper to book before you go. You can also get a New York Pass or similar which lets you into attractions much cheaper.

Hope you have a fun trip

 

[Frances999]

Lots of great advice already, but if you'd like to actually go inside the Statue of Liberty, as opposed to just walking around the outside on Liberty Island, make sure you reserve tickets in advance (admission to the inside of the statue is free-of-charge when bought with the boat fare, it just needs an advance reservation). The security is quite extreme, but it's well worth it. We've always had extremely knowledgeable and friendly guides, and you are taken around in small groups with lots of times to view the exhibits and the views from the balcony. It's amazing how many people arrive on Liberty Island and then get all upset when they realize they can't go inside the statue because they didn't book in advance. Numbers are limited each day, so book as soon as you can.

I'd recommend visiting some of the museums, too, if you are interested. The Natural History Museum is fantastic for kids and adults alike; we always spend hours there. I'm also a big fan of the Museum of Modern Art and The Guggenheim. We also love eating at The BoatHouse in Central Park. It's touristy, but the ambience is wonderful and the restaurant has great views. The food is excellent, with entrees starting from around $20 at lunchtime.

I guess your children are a bit old now, but there is a great Toys'R'Us in Time Square, with an arcade and some fairground rides, and a trip to FAO Schwarz is a must-visit (and, of course, The World of Disney!).

Where are you staying?

 

[spm23]

Wow,

Thanks everybody. We are lucky enough to be there for 10 days so lots to do and see.

Staying in New Jersey, that was the compromise on a few extra days at a cheaper hotel but it has a PATH train system next door to it.

The greeter experience looks great and the tips on show tickets, statue etc and grayline buses will help us plan.

I think ice skating Christmas Day in the park may be a must.

 

[wayneg]

Just watched the tv show with Griff Ryhs Jones in New York that was on a few days ago, made us want to go back again

 

[irisheyes123]

Wow,

Thanks everybody. We are lucky enough to be there for 10 days so lots to do and see.

Staying in New Jersey, that was the compromise on a few extra days at a cheaper hotel but it has a PATH train system next door to it.

The greeter experience looks great and the tips on show tickets, statue etc and grayline buses will help us plan.

I think ice skating Christmas Day in the park may be a must.

Im staying over in new jersey too in meadowlands secaucus I've stayed in new jersey a good few times now its great away from all the hustle and bustle but still near enough to NYC

 

[barry7767]

Woodbury Common in NJ was good for shopping - similar to Premium outlet malls in Orlando - we got bus from Port Authority but if you are staying in NJ no doubt there wil lbe other services to get there.

We did the tour of the Federal Reserve Bank - went down to vault to see the gold (it was featured in Die Hard with a Vengeance) though not sure if there will be much left at the minute! Had to pre-book through website, but tour was free. Only last around 30 mins, not fantastic, but ok.

Food - we like the Outback, went to two different ones in NY, one of which is near the Flat Iron building. Went to TGI's on Times Square, has about 5 floors - disgusting service, filthy, waited forever for food. Don't go there!

Gray Line bus was good - saved around £10 between 2 of us by pre-booking. Still have to collect tickets from office just off Times Square. We did both Empire at night and Rockafeller (Top of Rock) during day, and preferred the latter as it was less crowded and gave views of Empire and Central park.

 

[Shazzie B]

How long you going for? 4 nights or less you will have enough with the obvious, longer you will need to do more planning. We did 4 nights and it was not long enough to to all usual attractions.
Highlight of trip for us was seeing http://www.nypl.org/branch/central/dlc/dch/pooh/ We are all big Pooh and AA Milne fans so seeing these was amazing.
Food is not something we care much about, get hungry eat in nearest place. Ate in an Italian one evening and was Ok, nothing special but V expensive, I guess all city centres are same.
We prebooked open top bus but not sure it saved anything.
Whatever you do you will love it, its an amazing city.

Thanks for this tip - I'm a big Pooh fan too, just need to persuade DH!