NYC Questions

[Disney Daniel]

Going to be in Boston for a few days next month and plan on taking the train to New York for the day with my grandfather. We will arrive at Penn Station (Amtrak) and will have a little over six hours in the city. The three main places we wish to see are Times Square, Ground Zero, and the Empire State Building. I have not been to NY in the past and my grandfather has not been in 30 years. Are we going to be able to see these sites in this time frame without rushing too much? What would be the most efficient way to get between the sites? Any other recommended sites during our short visit?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

here's how I would do it:

when you get off the train at Penn Station, walk downstairs from the Amtrack level to the Long Island Railroad level. walk to the 8th avenue side of the station and board the "E" train to the World trade Center (yes, the train still says it goes to the trade center.) the subway ride should take about 15 minutes. get off at the last stop, walk all the way to the front of the train to exit the subway. you will be on the corner of Vesey and Church Streets, right at the northeast corner of Ground Zero. there actually isn't much to see there, but it can be overwhelming, so you may want to leave yourself time to absorb the emotional aspects of the site.

I'd also give myself a few minutes to walk down to Battery Park. go to the southeast corner of Ground Zero -- Church and Liberty. walk east on Liberty one block east to Broadway. turn right and walk south on Broadway until you get to the park. there are two things worht mentioning here. at the entrance to the park is the Sphere -- it was a sculpture on the plaza of the trade center, and is now a memorial to the trade center. and if you walk acorss the park to the harbor, you can see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the distance. a trip to the Statue is an all-day event, but you can see it from shore.

at the entrance to the park is Bowling green Station, where you can catch the number 4 or number 5 trains uptown. take the train 3 stops to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall, then change for the number 6, which is a local. take the number 6 to Park Avenue and 33rd Street. when you get out of the subway, walk up to 34th street and then walk west to 5th avenue. that's where you'll find the Empire State Building. you can take as much time as you want exploring the observation decks. there's also some sort of movie ride, I haven't been on it.


Times Square is located at 42nd Street and 7th avenue -- where Broadway and 7th cross. I'd walk from 34th street. there's a lot of shopping in the area -- the Virgin Megastore, lots of theater stuff, the huge Toys R Us. I like the Hershey candy store on 49th. and there are some nice places to eat -- like John's pizza on 44th and 8th, Ollie's Noodle shop, Carmine's Italian. and if you have time, go to Madame tussaud's on 42nd street -- great wax museum.

to get back to Penn, you can either walk to 34th St. or take the number 1,2 or 3 from Times Square to Penn Station.

 

[crazyme5kids]

You need to take into account how much walking you and your grandfather can do. If you need to limit the amount you walk, take taxis.

 

[dcgrumpy]

I would probably go to Ground zero, Time Square and then Empire State Building. Penn Station is a block from the Empire Station, if you do that last you only have to walk one block afterwards.

 

[charlie,nj]

check out: www.nyctourist.com

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Times Square at night would be neat to see with all the lights on.I'll also plug two of my favorite places: Greenwich Village and Broadway

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

Originally posted by dcgrumpy
I would probably go to Ground zero, Time Square and then Empire State Building. Penn Station is a block from the Empire Station, if you do that last you only have to walk one block afterwards.

two very long blocks across town or ten short blocks downtown. frankly, I find the ten blocks a more interesting walk.

to do that, you'd take the E train back uptown to 42nd Street.

if you want to take a cab from Times Square to the Empire State Building, try going to one of the hotels -- like the Marriot Marquis -- and let the doorman get the cab for you instead of trying to hail one yourself.

 

[Disney Daniel]

Thanks, for the info.

It would be great to see Times Square at night, however our train back to Boston leaves at 7:30. Too early to see any lights.

* Edited to add.....Just for the sake of comparision, if we wanted to take a taxi from Penn Station to ground zero how much would it cost? (It would be mid-day on Saturday)

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

Good morning Disney Daniel.

The three main places we wish to see are Times Square, Ground Zero, and the Empire State Building.

Considering your time constraints, my recommendation would be to visit downtown areas only (Ground Zero) or midtown (Times Square & The Empire State Building).

From what people have told me, Ground Zero is a sobering sight. I personally cannot go back there. Near enough is The NYC Fire Museum and South Street Seaport. You also have Wall Street, Chinatown and Little Italy.

Along with Times Square is Rockefeller Center, Radio City, The Plaza, Central Park south, 5th Avenue, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall (we all know HOW to get there - lol) and so on. A novel dining establishment is Ellen's Stardust Diner. Ok food. Great entertainment.

Y'all have a terrific visit and come back soon...

 

[PamOKW]

It would be great to see Times Square at night, however our train back to Boston leaves at 7:30. Too early to see any lights.

I think you'll be seeing the lights. It gets dark earlier and earlier every night.