Visiting New York advice

[Endor]

Also, as you want to go the Statue of Liberty, I would suggest getting crown tickets and booking sooner rather than later. They sell out pretty far in advance and are currently booking for July - tickets are available on the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tours site.

 

[PerfessorZ]

If you haven't come it this yet, search for Johnny T's NYC Tourist Tips on YouTube

 

[Sagginit]

some great tips here.

if you don't want to take the train that is your decision, but be prepared to pay to sit in traffic when you could be out exploring. i truthfully have seen far worse things taking place on the street than on the trains. yes there are some colofrul characters, but times square is loaded with them (and other areas too). if your daughter is going to fordham she will need the train so i would encourage you to try to use it this trip at least a few times. my big tip would be on weekdays if you are there avoid true rush hour whenever possible (about 8:15-9:15am and 5:30-7:00pm tend to be the worse times). in the middle of the afternoon you may often get a seat and just be on a car with a handful of people. i actually ended up on the subway on my wedding day (long story short but we ended up not on the busses to the reception) as a taxi would have gotten us there an hour late. we made it there in about 1/4 of the time the buses we hired did! i think if i can get on and off a train in a white dress without getting a spot on it, it shows how the subway isn't as filthy or terrible as people like to pretend it is

i work next to Rockefeller center so I am there and walk through times square too on almost a daily basis. if you have any questions about that area feel free to ask. rockefeller centre actually has a nice feel in the summer. its a bit open in the center and you get a nice breeze going through the trees and flags. i have not been up but i have heard wonderful things from everyone about top of the rock. they give you a specific time slot so there is no waiting in a super long line, you get your time and are free until then to sight see. there is a magonlia bakery there and it is off 5th ave, so you can work this stop into 5th ave shopping.

i would start with a list of things you want to do and then look up locations. i find it can take me longer than i thought to get places weather by walking, train, or taxi so give yourself a cushion. plan them out by what time they are open and location, you can then start to get a rough plan.

i love the MET mesueum for art as it covers so many different collections, and central park is right there for a stroll. the natural history museum is in a wonderful neighborhood. you can walk to the park or head west and you will find lots of shops/ restaurants. i actually like strolling in that area as its clean, not too crowded, and has a real new york feel. you may even want to do some of your shopping over there (times square, Soho, and parts of 5th avenue have turned into giant malls to be truthful with a lot of chain stores and few boutiques).

on 5th ave i would suggest a selection of stores between the park and times square. Tiffany's of course which is on 57th, Henri Bedel is just south of that and I think a teenage girls dream (think upscale Claire's, it even has a monogram machine for their handbags), and Saks is a classic. Bergdorf and Barneys just are dull to me. Also Saks and Bendels still feature more of the original architecture inside. If you don't go to the MET they have a gift shop in rockefeller center and you can get some non-cheesy souvenirs there. MOMA also has a super fun gift shop and they are not far from 5th off of 53rd. Bloomingdales is not on 5th but off lexington, so unless you plan serious shopping i don't think its worth the hike, although Dylan's Candy Bar is right there so you could skip 5th and plan on some stores in that area.

times square is basically a mall with broadway (think DTD with shows strewn about). i always tell people to avoid eating there as its nothing but tourist traps. real NYC restaurants are often small and crammed as the spaces here are tiny, so don't let that deter you from a restaurant. if you go to the statue of liberty the battery park area and piers down there are nice. you also may get one of the only breezes in the city down there lol.

if you value time saved over money you may wish to use plum benefits or another discount site to get broadway tickets ahead of time. summer is peak tourist season and you may have to wait in a long line for discounts at TKTS the day of. i have never used it for this reason.

 

[scottmel]

Wow guys you are great!! Thank you! Endor and sagginit thanks especially! Honestly I am getting little hung up on the transportation, I know taxis are insane slow but I dread the subway. I am trying to close the gap so to speak on doing this with abd and doing it on our own. . I have never ridden in a nyc cab so am clueless on a fare guesstimate. Here is what I have mocked up as a do it yourself plan.

Does my sequence of events make sense? Have I planned too much or not enough? If u were completely guessing at transportation alliance for the week what would I budget?

Day 1 check into Manhattan club. Ride the bus thing called the ride

Day 2 Statue of Liberty crown then Ellis island. Do u tour ellis at your own pace or do u recommend an official tour? See play tonight. Wicked?

Day 3 tenement museum
Play - dd wants to see les mis. As I mentioned earlier I've seen many Broadway plays on nyc day trips. I never got wowed by them. Just not my thing

Day 4 - museum of natural history
9-11 museum

Did I logically group the things in the general direction! Timing ok?
Here's my honest confession. I am just not that into nyc. Maybe it's the unknown or my past lack luster appreciation for Broadway etc. whatever the case is I am trying to give dd experiences that she may enjoy even if I don't and that is why abd is so appealing. I get the planning taken care of, comfortable transportation, a go to person for everything. But of course this all comes at a huge premium.

Thx for feedback on my itinerary!!!!

 

[wilkeliza]

Wow guys you are great!! Thank you! Endor and sagginit thanks especially! Honestly I am getting little hung up on the transportation, I know taxis are insane slow but I dread the subway. I am trying to close the gap so to speak on doing this with abd and doing it on our own. . I have never ridden in a nyc cab so am clueless on a fare guesstimate. Here is what I have mocked up as a do it yourself plan.

Does my sequence of events make sense? Have I planned too much or not enough? If u were completely guessing at transportation alliance for the week what would I budget?

Day 1 check into Manhattan club. Ride the bus thing called the ride

Day 2 Statue of Liberty crown then Ellis island. Do u tour ellis at your own pace or do u recommend an official tour? See play tonight. Wicked?

Day 3 tenement museum
Play - dd wants to see les mis. As I mentioned earlier I've seen many Broadway plays on nyc day trips. I never got wowed by them. Just not my thing

Day 4 - museum of natural history
9-11 museum

Did I logically group the things in the general direction! Timing ok?
Here's my honest confession. I am just not that into nyc. Maybe it's the unknown or my past lack luster appreciation for Broadway etc. whatever the case is I am trying to give dd experiences that she may enjoy even if I don't and that is why abd is so appealing. I get the planning taken care of, comfortable transportation, a go to person for everything. But of course this all comes at a huge premium.

Thx for feedback on my itinerary!!!!

Your schedule is more than fine. On day 4 just be prepared that after 9-11 you may not want to do much else so I would do Natural History museum in the morning and get a late 9-11 museum pass.

 

[scottmel]

Your schedule is more than fine. On day 4 just be prepared that after 9-11 you may not want to do much else so I would do Natural History museum in the morning and get a late 9-11 museum pass.

Thanks. When I look at crown tickets they say to allow 3 hours. What the heck do you do for 3 hours? Do they mean ferry ride plus statue crown plus Ellis island?

 

[scottmel]

Also, as you want to go the Statue of Liberty, I would suggest getting crown tickets and booking sooner rather than later. They sell out pretty far in advance and are currently booking for July - tickets are available on the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tours site.

Thanks I just looked and saw to budget 3 hours for statue. What the heck do u do for 3 hours?? Do they mean ferry ride plus statue plus Ellis equals 3 hours? No tours at Ellis except hard hat tour so I guess u just walk around yourself?

 

[mjkacmom]

Look at a map. The museum of natural history is up near Times Square, the tenament museum is closer to battery park and 9/11 museum. Figure out where you want to do, figure out how long you will be there, and plot it on a map. This will lessen your need for riding the subway.

 

[lovin'fl]

Scottmel- You walk up in line to get ticket, our line was long and we even had the City Pass already but still had to get in line to trade that for a ticket. You go through security like airport. You then get on ferry, which can have line or wait for ferry to come, and they have to fill ferry up a bit. Ferry goes to Statue where you walk around and can buy tickets to go up on overlook or whatever. Then you get on ferry to Ellis Island and that has a lot to look at inside. It's like a museum. There are films to watch too. Then back on ferry to mainland. It took us about 4 hours. We initially went the day before but when we got up to ticket counter they said 'no more ferries for the day'. So get there with plenty of time. You can stay on ferry and not get off at Statue...go right to Ellis and cut some time off.

 

[mjkacmom]

Thanks I just looked and saw to budget 3 hours for statue. What the heck do u do for 3 hours?? Do they mean ferry ride plus statue plus Ellis equals 3 hours? No tours at Ellis except hard hat tour so I guess u just walk around yourself?

The ferry takes time, security takes time, lines, waiting for the next ferry... You could spend 3 hours touring Ellis island. I think we did a walking tour with headphones.
It could take an hour even if you didn't get off of the ferry.

 

[scottmel]

Scottmel- You walk up in line to get ticket, our line was long and we even had the City Pass already but still had to get in line to trade that for a ticket. You go through security like airport. You then get on ferry, which can have line or wait for ferry to come, and they have to fill ferry up a bit. Ferry goes to Statue where you walk around and can buy tickets to go up on overlook or whatever. Then you get on ferry to Ellis Island and that has a lot to look at inside. It's like a museum. There are films to watch too. Then back on ferry to mainland. It took us about 4 hours. We initially went the day before but when we got up to ticket counter they said 'no more ferries for the day'. So get there with plenty of time. You can stay on ferry and not get off at Statue...go right to Ellis and cut some time off.

Oh geez maybe this is why not on abd. Is this a must see?

 

[clori]

When we do Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island it has been more like a 9-5 trip each time getting to the ferry stop earlier. There are security lines at each location (ferry and both islands) or at least used to be that add a bit to the time. We did the full audio tour of both islands last time which may also add time but we like history and they had a kids version. I've done the crown but last time we just did the pedestal since my youngest didn't meet the height requirement. We have never done an official tour beyond the audio tour so don't know about that. Part of the length of time depends on your personal interests.

To me the first time I went to NYC to meet dh's parents I knew I wanted to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. To us its a must see and every time we take someone new to NYC we try to make time to go. Both dh and I have a family history of immigration in the 1900s although no one came through Ellis Island so that may add to our interest.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Your plan is a bit off to me

Day 1 check into Manhattan club.

You are hung up on the hotel that ABD uses, you can get just as nice hotels in the same area for far less money and honestly when you are going to be out and about so much, there is no need for 2 bathrooms for 2 people!

Ride the bus thing called the ride

Im confused, what is this???

Day 2 Statue of Liberty crown then Ellis island. Do u tour ellis at your own pace or do u recommend an official tour? See play tonight. Wicked?

How are you going to get here? The Manhatten Club Hotel is on 56th street in the middle of the island, the ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island is at Battery Park at the end of the island. Thats 55 blocks between the two, which will cost a fortune in a taxi and could take over 2 hours!

Have you looked at the website for Liberty Island http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/visiting-liberty-island You can do a self guided tour of the island with an audio guide, there is a muesum exhibition in the base of the statue and then you walk up stairs to the two observation platforms. The top observation platform in The Crown gets crowded, which is why they have limited acces and timed admission.

Ellis Island http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/about-the-ellis-island is a self guided walk through museum. There is soo much to see here. I brought my mom and aunt and we spent over 3 hours here

Day 3 tenement museum
Play - dd wants to see les mis. As I mentioned earlier I've seen many Broadway plays on nyc day trips. I never got wowed by them. Just not my thing

Again you are hung up on things on the ABD , when New York has soooo much more authentic real life attractions and places to see. SO whats your travel plans for this day, how are you going to get around, where will you eat????

If your daughter wants to see Les Mis, then book tickets ASAP. This would be the first thing I would do, then plan your trip around that

Day 4 - museum of natural history
9-11 museum

This to me is totally illogical and not workable. The Natural History Museum is up town, and 911 museum is at the far end of the island. How on earth are you going to get from one to the other and back to your hotel

Seriously, just suck it up. This trip is for your daughter, who may want to go to college there. If so she will have to use the subway. You want to give her experiences and show her the city but you are not really understanding how big it is, how far things are apart and the fact that you will need to use some form of public transport.

Sorry if this seems harsh but every poster who has replied to this thread , including people who live there have given you some brilliant advise. I have been to New York 4 times, we know the city, take our advice

 

[wilkeliza]

Oh geez maybe this is why not on abd. Is this a must see?

I have lived here for 8 years now (maybe 9 lost track of time haha) and I just went to the Statue last year, the Statue was closed for renovation or cleaning and so we just went to E.I. To be honest you could scrap an actual visit out there and instead just plan that day as your 9-11 museum day. While you are downtown you can go to Battery Park and see the statue from there. Heck you can even take the Staten Island Ferry round trip and see the statue from the water.

 

[wilkeliza]

How are you going to get here? The Manhatten Club Hotel is on 56th street in the middle of the island, the ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island is at Battery Park at the end of the island. Thats 55 blocks between the two, which will cost a fortune in a taxi and could take over 2 hours!


This to me is totally illogical and not workable. The Natural History Museum is up town, and 911 museum is at the far end of the island. How on earth are you going to get from one to the other and back to your hotel

Outside of the president visit or UN in session it has never taken me 2 hours to get from midtown/CP area to Battery Park. It is 6 miles. Even in the worst traffic you would go to riverside highway and be there in less than an hour. Just checked my traffic map and it is a 30 minute drive with several spots that already have bumper to bumper Friday night traffic. The R train is 30 minutes as well so it is roughly the same time.

Yes the two museums are in different areas of the city but doing the Natural History Museum in the morning and early afternoon and doing last entry at 9-11 are not unheard up. Natural History usually closes at 5 so if you get there at opening and leave around 2 or 3 you have more than enough time to grab a bite and be to 9-11 by last entry which is 6pm.

 

[lovin'fl]

I have lived here for 8 years now (maybe 9 lost track of time haha) and I just went to the Statue last year, the Statue was closed for renovation or cleaning and so we just went to E.I. To be honest you could scrap an actual visit out there and instead just plan that day as your 9-11 museum day. While you are downtown you can go to Battery Park and see the statue from there. Heck you can even take the Staten Island Ferry round trip and see the statue from the water.

Yes. Seeing the Statue from many places is just fine. But we really liked Ellis Island. There was a lot of neat stuff and facts to see and read there. When we went the first day and missed the last ferry, my family said 'we'll come back tomorrow' and I was kind of thinking 'no need, I'll sleep in' and I took a picture right there from the shore. But I went back the next day and was glad I did as Ellis Island and standing in that room where my ancestors may have once stood...really cool. Maybe could skip it though. Now, 9/11 Memorial and museum is a must do. Inlaws told us to skip Central Park in lieu of going to see the diamond district. DH, my DDs and I went to Central park and I am glad we saw that...and got a waffle dessert at Waffel and Dinges kiosk that was YUMMY!

 

[BadPinkTink]

sorry @wilkeliza I guess the planner in me, tends to do things in the same area on the same day. On a 4 day visit to New York I just would never plan attractions near Central Park on the same day as going to Battery Park area

Also going to Ellis Island is an important part of American history so for a teenager I would defiantly put this top of the must sees

 

[PerfessorZ]

Subways are SO not scary. They are really the absolute fastest way to move around the city and they're so inexpensive for what they provide. If you want to stay in midtown and tour things downtown, the subway system is hands down your best option to optimize time and cost.

I also strongly agree with previous posters about plotting everything out on a map. NY is a great walking/public transportation city. If you group your day's activities in a general area, you just need to get yourself there, then walk & explore. You'll save tons of time this way.

 

[wilkeliza]

Yes. Seeing the Statue from many places is just fine. But we really liked Ellis Island. There was a lot of neat stuff and facts to see and read there. When we went the first day and missed the last ferry, my family said 'we'll come back tomorrow' and I was kind of thinking 'no need, I'll sleep in' and I took a picture right there from the shore. But I went back the next day and was glad I did as Ellis Island and standing in that room where my ancestors may have once stood...really cool. Maybe could skip it though. Now, 9/11 Memorial and museum is a must do. Inlaws told us to skip Central Park in lieu of going to see the diamond district. DH, my DDs and I went to Central park and I am glad we saw that...and got a waffle dessert at Waffel and Dinges kiosk that was YUMMY!

They told you to go to the diamond district? To me that place is just blah. Yes, tons of diamond stores but nothing spectacular to do on a vacation. I did enjoy Ellis Island when I went and had the same feeling (of course until I realized my family came through Texas so they would not have come to Ellis Island) but I was just saying it wasn't a rush for me to do when I first visited because I knew I'd be coming back so I could do it some other time.

@BadPinkTink I totally get it but was just trying to let the OP know that it isn't completely un-doable to go to those two museums in one day or do something downtown then go to a show at night.

 

[lovin'fl]

Just out of laziness and not wanting to plot out a path and the Subway we took taxis all over. And we got it all done in a 2 night/3 day trip. The longest taxi ride was 20 minutes. But, yes, the Subway would be the cheapest and most time saving if you take the time to plot everything out. Though at $3pp and we were groups of 4 (3 taxis of 4 most of the time)...$12 for subway or $15-25ish for a taxi ride.