new york...

[davidmolliesmum]

we'll have 24 hours in new york... whats the (realistic) must-do's to do??

 

[kdog_1981]

What time of year?

 

[davidmolliesmum]

sorry... september 19th.... 11am to 11am the following morning

 

[sandshal]

Top of the Rock or ESB, Times Square and maybe Staten Island Ferry

 

[Wills Mom]

Another vote for Times Square and Top of the Rock. We did Empire State Building too but at night the queues are less and it would make it that bit different too! Also Central Park! Loved it there! We rode the carousel and did the carridge ride too.
Try to do one of those bus tours. Its super touristy but you get to see a lot and when you just have 24 hours its definitely a good option Enjoy!!

 

[davidmolliesmum]

fab thank you!!
definitely time square, love the sound of empire state at night! but pardon my ignorance, whats 'top of the rock' ?

 

[davidmolliesmum]

just googled it!!

 

[Mermaid2sea]

Can anyone recommend a hotel? We may do it as a stopover.

 

[thestevied]

We recently stayed at the americania. It was a few mins walk from Times Square, but pretty cheap. A nice hotel, we didn't eat there but it was a good base for us.

 

[thestevied]

I agree with Empire State and top of the rock (do this at night). I'd also highly recommend the 9/11 memorial.

 

[Holstar]

The best advice we were given before our last trip to New York was to do Top Of The Rock and not the Empire State Building! The justification was that you want the Empire State Building in the skyline of any photographs you take, and you can't have that if you're standing on it!

Plus, TOTR has really nice Sunset/Sunrise packages! Definitely one of the best decisions we made - and the pictures I have are stunning!

The Empire State Building from the Top Of The Rock at sunset...

And Central Park from the Top Of The Rock...

Lot's of people think it's over rated, but one of my favourite moments was getting a taxi across Brooklyn Bridge and then walking over at sun rise! This was a picture of the Skyline, not the best admittedly... but it was a lovely walk!

And, the only other thing I would say is possibly don't bother with the Statue of Liberty. Well, don't get tickets to go in/up. There are some wonderful water taxi tours that are really reasonably priced that guide you past Ellis Island and you have the opportunity to take stunning photographs! We did a lot of bus tours, but on the whole, I found I enjoyed the water taxi tours much more!

(you do get much closer, but all of my other pictures have people in them!)

The 9/11 memorial is lovely, and quite moving. But, with limited time I wouldn't recommend it. Security is extensive, and the queues can be very long... I'm sure this very much varies throughout the year, but I would imagine September would be busy.

Food wise, if you want something special there's a lovely restaurant called the River Cafe, which is on the riverbank with stunning views of Manhattan! Pricey, but amazing food and the view is gorgeous!

Have a fab time!

xxx

 

[disneyholic family]

the double decker hop on hop off bus will get you all around manhattan and really give you a complete view.
i would do both the north and south loops (upper and lower manhattan).

i lived in manhattan for 3 years, but when DH and i took our kids on this bus tour, we saw more of manhattan than we ever did in the 3 years of living there..

and the reason we took that tour? we were staying at one of the fanciest hotels in manhattan and asked the concierge to get us a private tour guide to show us the sights - the concierge said he'd be happy to do that, but in his opinion, the best way to see the city was on the double decker bus - best view..
and i think he was right....we really enjoyed it - as touristy as it is..

we rode it all the way around once and then used it to hop on and off of..

as for the must sees and dos....there are so many, 24 hours is an impossibility...

this is the hop on hop off company we used:
http://www.newyorksightseeing.com/

specifically, we did this one: http://www.newyorksightseeing.com/tourpage.php?item=AL
it's a 48 hour pass.
i don't know if they offer a 24 hour pass. Maybe

 

[pampat]

For the evening I highly recommend The Ride: http://www.experiencetheride.com/
Its a fab experience, only takes about 90 minutes and there's a surprise round every corner.

Pam

 

[Kath2003]

Hotels - we stayed at the Hampton Inn on W31st Street (sometimes referred to as the Madison Square Gardens one)- surprisingly nice, right next to Penn station/34rd street stops and and short, easy walk to Times Square and Empire State Building. Free wifi. Warm cookies on check in and a (surprisingly good!) breakfast buffet (hot & cold) or they bag your breakfast up for you to go (apple, bagel, muffin and a bottle of water when we were there). We paid just over £130/night in 2011, which is very reasonable for NYC and the location.

I also stayed in a great place down in the Lowest East Side (alphabet city) but it's a bit far out if you only have 24 hours. Worth it for longer trips though.

 

[davidmolliesmum]

these are all fantastic.... now i need to start planning, hotel near newark and travel arrangements to and from nyc... maybe a cheeky little stop off at 'cake boss' shop in hoboken.
xxx

 

[zippy99]

Reading this with interest....

We were looking at flying

18/08 from LHR to JFK - arriving 8pm
then on 19/08 Flying from LGA to MCO at 7pm
We would then just fly home from MCO to LHR on 03/09

The cost to us (due to our £96 of Delta vouchers each) is £430 per person

I am sure we will get to NY and pretty much hit the sack but be up early to catch a few sights before flying down to MCO - but DH just thinks we will be too tired - I would love to see Central Park & Time Square.

Anyone think this is viable or wise - or are we trying to cram too much in to the day?

 

[Kath2003]

Reading this with interest....

We were looking at flying

18/08 from LHR to JFK - arriving 8pm
then on 19/08 Flying from LGA to MCO at 7pm
We would then just fly home from MCO to LHR on 03/09

The cost to us (due to our £96 of Delta vouchers each) is £430 per person

I am sure we will get to NY and pretty much hit the sack but be up early to catch a few sights before flying down to MCO - but DH just thinks we will be too tired - I would love to see Central Park & Time Square.

Anyone think this is viable or wise - or are we trying to cram too much in to the day?

Make use of the jet lag. Get a hotel in the city and crash as soon as you arrive (should be there by 10pm). Get up at 6-7am (won't feel early) and set out for your day before 8am. That'll give you a good 8 hours to enjoy the city. Do brunch!

 

[anthony2k7]

Can anyone recommend a hotel? We may do it as a stopover.

we've stayed at the sanctuary hotel just off time square and loved it.

quite expensive though.

 

[anthony2k7]

The best advice we were given before our last trip to New York was to do Top Of The Rock and not the Empire State Building! The justification was that you want the Empire State Building in the skyline of any photographs you take, and you can't have that if you're standing on it!

lol why didnt i think of that?! seems so obvious now!

 

[Holstar]

Reading this with interest....

We were looking at flying

18/08 from LHR to JFK - arriving 8pm
then on 19/08 Flying from LGA to MCO at 7pm
We would then just fly home from MCO to LHR on 03/09

The cost to us (due to our £96 of Delta vouchers each) is £430 per person

I am sure we will get to NY and pretty much hit the sack but be up early to catch a few sights before flying down to MCO - but DH just thinks we will be too tired - I would love to see Central Park & Time Square.

Anyone think this is viable or wise - or are we trying to cram too much in to the day?

Definitely viable! Look for a hotel central to Time Square/Central Park and you'll be fine!

We've always stayed in The Helmsley Park Lane - it's beautiful and directly faces Central Park, with Time Square a ten minute walk behind it. Genuinely, you come out of the hotel doors, cross the road and you're standing in Central Park!

It's a little pricey... Just had a quick look for your dates, and for two adults it's $224. But, for the view (and the gorgeous restaurant!) it's worth it!

xxx