Brahmama

We are older now (it happens!) - with some mobility problems. (knee won't bend much after bad surgery) Subway is out because uncertainty about stairs. Will walk (slower than we used to!) or take buses.

Staying at Morgans 37th & Madison. Will arrive JFK at 3:30. Taxi to hotel. Meeting our 50 YO friends coming from DC. (hotel 2 blocks from Morgans)

Still hunting tickets for a show but will have them with us. Anything Goes is our fav, but have to have an aisle seat because of that knee and really hard to find. Want a musical and checking out BroadwayBox.

Need to find an Asian or Med/Bistro after the theatre on our way back to Morgans. Suggestions?

Fri - 9:00 personal tour for the 4 of us (slowly) LES ending up in Chinatown. Lunch at a hole in the wall Asian (suggestions?) Wanted to wander in the afternoon - The Fleet is in - find a concert? Or Bryan Park (by the Library). 8:00 Wine - then dinner at French Bistro across the street (great Groupon coupon)

Sat - Bus (?) or Taxi to Strawberry Fields - then walk east seeing the sites (found a good walk online) ending at the Belvedere. Then to the Met. Depending on time - have lunch first or see a couple of exhibits. (Impressionists and the Alexander McQueen appeal to us) Lunch? Would love to do Sarbarsky if it's not too far. Or lunch there at the Met. Opinions?

No plans for the evening. May stop by the TKTS booth, and may just hang.

Sunday - friends from Queens are joining us for a brunch and no other plans. suggestions for after? (DC friends are leaving about 2:00)

Monday - train from Penn to Baltimore for a few days.

Can you fill in some of the blanks for us? Always enjoy reading the posts and always appreciate the ideas and suggestions that enhance our visit so much more!

doug_stallings

Just so you know, it's virtually impossible to find a last-minute aisle seat for any play or musical. I think you owe it to yourself to take another look at Anything Goes. It's in a brand-new theater with reasonably good legroom (which is notoriously skimpy in almost all Broadway theaters). Otherwise, I think you're just wasting your time, particularly at TKTS. You might find a front-row seat somewhere, though. Those sometimes show up at TKTS, though they are rarely the best seats.

You might look at The People in the Picture at the Laura Pels theater. It's also a newish theater and has good access without stairs (plus, it's a musical about Yiddish theater). The legroom there isn't bad ... though again not great.

MFNYC

For Med/Bistro on way back to Morgan's, Serra Mediterranean Bistro (can get discounted gift certifs on restaurant.com with addition discount coupon codes). For more info, and other ideas, check menupages.com.

yk

If you're serious about hole-in-the-wall place in Chinatown, I can tell you that last fall I ate at this place:

[copy & pasted from my trip report]

Lan Zhou handmade noodles in Chinatown
144 E Broadway (btw Pike & Rutgers)

This place is a total hole-in-the-wall. There's no ambiance and minimal service. Their menu has about 10 different types of noodle soups to choose from, all featuring their own homemade noodles. At the back of the restaurant is a marble slab where the chef kneads the dough and pull it into noodles. Another worker was busy wrapping dumplings. I ordered a lamb noodle soup. Very tasty, and the noodles are great, though perhaps not as chewy (or as much texture) as the Lan Zhou noodles I had 2 weeks ago in London. But it's definitely a satisfying "comfort food" for me, and the noodles is only $5.

Here's its listing on YELP with reviews & photos:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/lam-zhou-han...dle-new-york-2

Near your hotel is a Szechuan restaurant called Mapo Tofu (39th & Lex). My friends order delivery from them all the time and I've always enjoyed the food; however, I've never dined at the restaurant. Not sure how late it'll be when you return to your hotel; the restaurant is only open until 10pm.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mapo-tofu-new-york

I'm pretty sure that there will be a line for Sat lunch at Cafe Sabarsky. It's always busy there on weekends. You may want to eat lunch at the Met, then go to Sabarsky for coffee/cake later. Later meaning after 5pm, there'll still be a line but should only be a short wait.

mclaurie

Asia de Cuba IN your hotel is Asian. It's very loud for after work drinks but later at night it should be ok. http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/asia-de-cuba/
Just remember for most shows you won't get out till 10-10:30. Playbill.com tells you the length of every show on a link from the listings page here http://www.playbill.com/events/listing/1.html
Just click the name of the show.

Timeoutny.com will have listings of what's going on by date.

Lunch in Chinatown
Hong Kong Station
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant...ong-station02/
or Chinatown Brasserie in Noho has good dim sum.

Think your Sat. may be overly ambitious for walking. Eat at the Met or bring a picnic lunch with you and eat in the park before going into the Met. I don't think Sabarsky takes reservations for lunch and it will be packed. It's on 86th & Fifth. Definitely think you should make plans for Sat. night whether it's dinner reservations, show tickets or something else. Jazz? The Kitano hotel is not far from yours (Park & ~ 38 st.) and has a jazz club off the lobby.

Do you have a brunch place picked for Sunday?

Given your knee issues, I'd make a list of all the shows you're interested in seeing that are on discount on broadwaybox.com and then PHONE ticketmaster and/or telecharge, whoever is the official seller of the most or the preferred and get a live person to look for aisle seating for you.

Brahmama

Doug-
Thanks for the heads-up about the legroom. Our DC friends are now saying that they will arrive about 9:00 AM so that will help. Actually, we don't prefer front-row seats, after getting one at the Half-Price Booth in London. I'm short and I had to crane my neck way back to even see the top of the actors! We were able to move back a few rows at intermission. I'm hoping for the Mezzanine. Will is tall, and he's the one with the knee prob. Maybe the Gods will be smiling on us on Thursday.


MFNYC -
Serra ed Bistro sounds good and convenient. I'll check it out - and menupages also. Thanks.

yk-
Yes, we are serious! We have had great luck with finding great Ethnic places that way. I'd like to read your trip report. I'll try to find it!

And the Szechuan sounds great. And probably close enough to deliver - I'll check it out online.

Cafe Sabarsky - that line is what I was afraid of esp on Sat. Of course, we'd really like that BREAKFAST! Hmm. Any other interesting lunch places around the Met?

mclaurie -
Oh great! I hadn't even noticed Asia de Cuba in our hotel. Perfect. Later at night should be fine for us. And thanks for the links to check the times.

We have NEVER had dim sum. I guess it's time. Thanks for those links also!

ok, about Saturday? Which part might be a bit overdoing it? The walk through the park? Can we shorten that somehow? Are there places to sit in the park?
I figure after the Park, we'll find a place to sit and sip and snack to regain our energy. But a picnic lunch would be fun and give us more time to people watch in the Park. (Where to pick up a picnic will be my next question!)

Love jazz (I'm a retired music/choir teacher) and Kitano sounds good. Do we need reservations for that? We could have a bite first and then go.

No, we don't a brunch place picked for Sunday.
Your suggestions would be appreciated.

Yes, good idea about the list (which I actually have from BB) but hadn't thought about calling to explain abut the knee problem)

Thanks for all of you who are helping. Truly, I wouldn't even attempt a trip to NYC without Fodor's and you guys.

Someone in a post referred to a "Downtown Bus on 37th". I haven't tried yet to figure out how to navigate using buses, but that sounds wonderful. I figured there would be a couple of buslines serving Madison - going up and downtown. We've always just taken the subway before - much faster than buses and taxis imho. Any links for bus information?

Brahmama

MFNYC

bus map: http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/manbus.pdf

Also bus/subway transfers are free, I think within 2 hours of one another. Occasionally I take the subway one way, and then the bus the other to save 1 fare.

Aduchamp1

For genuine dim sum try Jing Fong. And weekday lunch will be the cheapest meal you will have in NYC.

doug_stallings

But you only get a free transfer if you use a Metrocard. If you pay in cash, no transfer.

Madison is one-way going north. To go downtown, you really need to get on the 5th Ave. bus or walk all the way to 2nd. There's a downtown bus on Lexington, but it's hit or miss and doesn't run often and cuts over to Third Ave. around 24th Street.

I'll give you a few dining recs in the neighborhood, though most of my favorite places are south and east of your hotel.

I'll be honest with you. I'm not fond of Asia de Cuba. It's well past its prime, and it's loud even during regular dinner hours with thumping music. I don't think it's going to appeal to you.

But Artisanal is an excellent restaurant in about the same price range not far from the Morgans (Park/32nd Street). They also have an excellent brunch on weekends and are open late if you fancy a nice fondue after the theater, though it's not exactly on the way back to your hotel.

If you are looking for something Asian-y, there's a Japanese/Mexican restaurant on 39th Street/3rd Avenue called Zengo (a strange-sounding combination, but it works and is also a great place for drinks). It specializes in small plates, and you can get a reasonably priced meal there if you order carefully. I've been there a few times, and it's pretty good, if a little loud. I believe it's open late.

Another unique location almost next to your hotel is the Morgan Dining Room, which serves only lunch and brunch from 11 to 2:30. I've heard very good things. Otherwise, there's not much good food near the hotel.

Here are a few other places near your hotel (I live in the area). Phoenix Garden is a really excellent Cantonese restaurant on East 40th Between 2nd and 3rd (down the hill). And the burger place in the Shelburne Hotel isn't bad (there's another burger place almost across the street called Black Shack ... a Shake Shack knock-off). Both are on Lexington around 39th Street.

Also, if you want a really nice little French bistro, there's a place on 33rd Street (between 3rd and Lex) called Le Parisien. It's excellent, but tiny. You'll need reservations if you are going after 7pm on most nights (it also serves brunch). But you can call a couple of hours ahead.

mclaurie

I think walking through the park and THEN walking in the Met Museum which is huge may be more than you want to do. One thought is to consider a wheelchair at the Met. They offer them for free on a first come first serve basis. The other idea is to go to the museum first, see what you want to see, go for a nice lunch and then do your walk in the park. If you want a treat, consider Cafe Boulud.

Doug may be right about the noise level at Asia de Cuba. I like Artisanal too, but that's also noisy. Another place in the area of the hotel that I've rediscovered is Dock's on 3rd & 40th st. It's seafood and they have a very good happy hour during the week and a good value prix fixe dinner. http://www.docksoysterbar.com/index.shtml

There are endless ideas for brunch including some jazz options but maybe you should decide what area you want to be or what else you plan on doing. Btw, I would make a reservation for the jazz at the Kitano on a holiday weekend.

bspielman

We suffered abysmal service at Artisanal two times in a row a few years ago and haven't been back. One time, we were in their "cheese cave," where many servers and others were in and out constantly; everyone, that is, except our waiter.

Brahmama

Doug,
I am overwhelmed with the variety of listings of cafe/restaurants for us that are walking distance from our hotel. One can look in MenuPages for hours, but nothing beats a rec from a person who lives near and has dined there! Thank you for taking the time to list them and the links. I have looked at a couple. The Morgan Dining Room looks very interesting and by the way, it is open on Friday evenings for dinner - the only night. That is the night that the museum stays open until 9:00.

I am intrigued by the Japanese/Mexican Zembo but haven't read about them yet!
I am disappointed that the restaurant right in our hotels has such mixed reviews! I read many of them - and it seemed they had either 4/5 or 1/2 ratings - very interesting. I did love the sound of that calamari salad!
I also appreciated the variety of the restaurants - from Burgers to a French Bistro.

I will be asking specific questions about the buses/taxis as I haven't had time to really delve into the schedules yet. That is the hardest part of the trip for us now that we aren't as mobile as we were. Thanks again for the help.

Brahmama

mclaurie,
I do agree that we need to have a good break between the two activities. It may be easier to start at the MET as I'm hoping the Madison Bus will take us there without having to change. We are going to just two exhibits, but the museum is so large, just walking through it will be tiring!

But you really hit the mark with the Docks Oyster Bar! WOW! That looks like our Saturday night destination - Mussels and Lobster and Key Lime Pie.
We will need to walk afterwards. I would also like to hear some music then and will check out the Kitano.

Thanks so much for all your help. I remember a few years ago when I was planning a trip and you gave me a lot of tips. I thought for a while you were another Laurie that I had met online while planning a trip to Italy! You've been helping people a long time. How many years??

maxima

1. take the madison ave bus and get off at 81-82nd street stop.
2. you then cross madison, walk one block west to fifth avenue and cross the street to the museum
3. there is an entrance marked handicapped on the street level. its behind the fountain. you will not have to walk up the main outside stairs.
4. once inside, you can pay your admission(what you wish) and take an elevator upstairs. (there are rest rooms at the entrance level too). if you are going to the impressionists the elevator will leave you nearby
5. you can eat at the met ..( you can even bring in your lunch and have it at the cafeteria) its not so crowded and will save time
and extra walking.
6. anything goes.. if you are willing to pay full price call the roundabout theater line directly and see about tickets they are very helpful when it comes to disabled theater goers and may help out with the knee issue
7 chinatown im a big fan of joe's shanghai .. love the soup buns
8. mta website will give you all the bus routes ask at the hotel if they can give you a bus map.. get a metro card some neighborhood shops sell them or else one of you can go to the subway and get one.. more than one person can use it..
if you pay with exact change you still get a paper transfer i believe.

sf7307

We really enjoyed Artisanal except for the noise, which was brutal! I really dislike fondue, but I liked it there.

yk

The Met has numerous dining options. The most economical is the subterranean cafeteria; does the job but lacking any sort of charm.

I've dined at the Petrie Court cafe several times. Food is good and I like the setting/ambiance.

Haven't dined at the new American Wing cafe yet, so that's another option.

http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/dining/

mclaurie

I have not been to dinner at Dock's on a Sat. night. It's a very popular spot during the week with so many office buildings nearby, but I don't know what it's like on a Sat. night. The lobster that comes on that prix fixe is just a 1 lb. It could be fine, just trying to temper your expectations.

As for Anything Goes, it looks like the only way to get discount tickets is to buy a subscription to all the Roundabout shows or take a chance on the TKTS booth where it has appeared. The other thought is, you could join tdf as a national member and see if you can get tickets that way. http://www.tdf.org/TDF_SupportPage.aspx?id=76

doug_stallings

I've only eaten at Docks twice, but but experiences were negative (not service ... food). I had one of the worst-cooked pieces of salmon there I've ever had at a restaurant. But a lot of people love it, and it's always fairly busy, so I guess it can't be that bad all the time.

Aduchamp1

I am with Bspielman. I have not enjoyed Artisinal and have been there twice, the second time with a friend who was equally disappointed.

Aduchamp1

We have also not been to Docks in years. The place was a meat market at the bar and the food was just a hair better than average.

For fabulous seafood-Mary's Fish Camp in the West Village. It is unfortunately cramped.