og719

Been to NYC the past two Thanksgivings, going again this year. We've had a great time both trips, but I'm the kind of guy who always picks the wrong subway stop or the wrong exit or the wrong street. I read about people on here who go to Greenwich Village and visit all kinds of cool places, funky shops and nice little restaurants. I can take the subway to the Village and the exit I take has nothing but a service station run by a fat guy with a boil...it's my curse.

So, my request (and that of my long-suffering wife and daughter) is specific directions to 1) interesting parts of Greenwich Village; 2) interesting parts of Central Park and 3) the same for Chinatown. They like to shop for unique stuff and I like to follow them around. We all like to eat.

I'm thinking maybe that growing up in a town with 985 deliriously happy souls in it didn't prepare me for NYC...

tpatricco

og719, do you go to the inflating of the parade balloons on Wednesday night? That's supposed to be really cool. I'm sure some NYC Fodorites know the details and best vantage points for this...

As for the rest, what do you and your family consider cool and at what price point? There's cool stuff that runs the gammut from cheap to expensive, and from down & dirty to fancy schmancy to do's in the big apple!

Do you want things that are classically New York? Non-touristy? How old is your daughter?

pepper131

I would suggest a really good map like streetwisemaps.com which has various NYC maps including a transportation map that is awesome. They are laminated and not bulky.

og719

tpat,

Thanks for the reply. We are indeed thinking about the balloon inflation thing this year. We have done some of the tourist stuff the past couple of years and I was thinking just some shopping (window and otherwise), lunch in neighborhood joints and just trying to take in some flavor.

I think we've hit all the tourist traps we intend to, so just some local color sounds good.

mclaurie

I feel your pain Let's start with a good map. Here's a URL for a bus map that also shows subway stops (circles of letters and numbers) and street names.

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/manbus.pdf

Now New York Magazine has done something just for you. They have shopping maps by neighborhood. They may not have every single place listed, but you can certainly get a sense of where the shops are concentrated. Here's the URL for all the maps.

http://newyorkmetro.com/shopping/gui...ghborhoods.htm

They've also done lists. Here's the URL for unusual women's stuff

http://newyorkmetro.com/search/store...x=9&Go%21_.y=5

Finally, here's the website for Central Park with a map.

centralpark.org

November is not an ideal time for the best of the park, IMO. Do go to the zoo if you haven't been and say hello to the polar bears. There are 2 ice skating rinks.

For eating, look at menupages.com which has listings by neighborhood, cuisine etc. I am being a bit lazy but in all fairness, there are so many good places downtown it would be foolish to have you looking for a particular one.

Hope this helps some.

gyppielou

Oh if only I could help!!! Too funny! Last year, while working in Manhattan I took the train to Greenwich for a late evening meal at Babbo. Well whatever train exit I took turned me around so bad. I couldn't find the park, the gates...finally haled a cab and paid $5 to get what is a block from the station. Yikes!!! I completely understand your frustration. I do always love taking the yellow taxi to Brookline for Grimaldi's Pizza and a walk across the Bridge. Good luck!

Gekko

Here's what you do. Take the 6 subway to Spring Street.

Walk EAST one block to Mulberry Street (ask someone if you don't see it).

Turn RIGHT, south, on Mulberry and walk through Little Italy to Canal Street. If the time is right, enjoy lunch on Mulberry (Il Fornaio is a good choice for lunch).

When you reach Canal, you're in the heart of Chinatown. Turn RIGHT, west, on Canal. Walk & enjoy.

When you get to Broadway, you have a choice. If you'd prefer the less expensive SoHo shopping experience, turn RIGHT, north, on Broadway and walk up to Houston or Bleecker.

If you'd prefer the more upscale SoHo experience, continue on Canal to West Broadway and then turn north.

You'll see three great NYC neighborhoods. Enjoy!

QC

og719, good post.

This is an easily fixable problem. The solution is not to chase individual stores and restaurants- I think what you are looking for is a guide to which areas are the "fun" ones. Here is some native advice.

First, get yourself a street map of Manhattan. All of these areas have twisty streets and can be confusing.

Then, walk down the following streets, they are short enough and iconic enough that you should just walk them end to end:

In Chinatown:

MOTT ST, BAYARD ST, or PELL ST.
Subway: (6), (N), or (R) to Canal St
Must eat: Chinatown Ice Cream Factory on Bayard. Look for the yellow banner with the dragon.

In Greenwich Village (West):

BEDFORD ST, BLEECKER ST, COMMERCIAL ST, HUDSON ST
Subway: (1), (9) to Christopher St
Must eat: John's Pizza (no slices) on Bleecker. Look a short walk west from Faicco's Pork Store and Murray's Cheese shop.

In Greenwich Village (East):

EAST 9th ST, EAST 11th ST, AVENUE A, SECOND AVE between HOUSTON ST and 14TH ST
Must eat: Veselka (Ukranian Diner), 2nd Av at 9th St OR pick an Indian restaurant from any of the 30 on EAST 6TH ST bet. 2nd AV and 1st AV (I like Mitali)

Central Park: Enter the park MIDWAY, at about 79th Street. On the West Side, you will enter near the John Lennon Memorial at Strawberry Fields (Central Park West at 81st St), on the East, you will be entering behind the Metropolitan Museum. Follow the paths across- you will bump into the Great Lawn and Belvedere Castle.

Have fun!

og719

Cool! Thanks, everyone! I'll let you know how badly I screw it up...

og719

Okay, we did it! Hearty thanks to all of you, especially Gekko and QC for the great directions. Enjoyed Little Italy, Chinatown and NYU on Wednesday afternoon. Ate dinner at Il Fornaio, would skip that one next time. Not bad, but not good.

Wish I could remember the name of the bakery/deli on the corner of Mulberry and ???. I just stood in there smelling for about 20 minutes...

Remainder of the trip was great, also. Did the park, 5th avenue, Hairspray, Movin' Out, ate at Le Madeleine (again, can't resist the place).

Wonderful trip and can't wait for next year! Thanks again, folks!