New York Trip Report
Aug 14th, 2003, 09:02 PM
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New York Trip Report
Thanks to all fodorites for help in planning our trip. We packed alot into our 5 days in the city. Here goes:
Thursday - arrived LGA at 1pm. Huge line for taxis but it moved quickly. Thought we'd have to split up our group of 5 and take 2 cabs but a minivan taxi was flagged down for us and we had a comfortable ride to Times Square for $23 plus tax and tip. Stayed at the Marriott Marquis. Hotel great, rooms OK but elevator situation terrible. Spent way too much time waiting for elevators. Got in line at TKTS booth at 3pm. Wanted "Movin' Out" for me and daughter but sold out by the time we reached the counter. Bought "42nd Street" for $50 for daughter. Rest of us (parents and 2 sons) caught subway down to Castle Clinton for FREE jazz concert Josh Redman and Elastic Band. They were fantastic and we stayed for the entire 1-1/2 hr concert thru the rain. Lucky we brought umbrellas. Met up with daughter. Kids ate fast food while husband and I ate at Ta Cocina on 9th Ave. (and 44th St?). Reasonable prices, great Mexican food.
Friday: Walked up to Neil Simon Theater box office to try and sell 2 extra tickets to Hairspray. Ordered 5 tickets back in May but sons didn't want to go. I tried to sell these on eBay and was surprised no one bid on them. Everyone wanted them at half price and I knew I could get more so I waited. Was just about to sell them back to the box office (they then sell them to people in cancellation line) when 2 guys walked up and asked to buy them. Followed them to the ATM machine and sold them for face value. Picked up boys and we all went to Natural History Museum and Rose Space Center. Visited the Chocolate exhibit, saw IMAX about coral reefs and finally the 2 space center shows. Spent most of the afternoon there. Subway back to Times Square. Went to Johns for pizza. Sons spent night in Virgin Megastore and hung out on Times Square. Rest of us went to Hairspray - was FANTASTIC! Were lucky enough to see the lead in one of her final performances. Harvey Fierstein was hilarious. We really loved the play. Back at hotel noticed lots of people milling outside theater across the street. Bernadette Peters was leaving theater and spent about 15 min signing autographs for people.
Saturday: Woke up early, got in TKTS line to try for Movin' Out matinee tickets but this time, wasn't even on the board. Daughter got Gypsy for $38. I walked to Movin Out box office and got partially obstructed seat for $65. I couldn't see the band (which is on a riser above the stage) but had great view of dancers. Loved it - the dancing was unbelieveable! Sons went to the Kramer Reality Tour (Seinfeld) which was right up their alley. They went on a bus to all the Seinfeld sites and took lots of pictures. Found out lots of "behind the scenes" info about the show. Husband took the subway to the Guggenheim and spent the afternoon there until we all returned. Then we went with our oldest son to the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 6-9pm. Crowd was sparse at that time so we were able to see alot. Had the best view of our trip from the rooftop terrace. You're above the trees and see the skyscrapers in the background - lovely! Ate at the Playwright's Tavern in Times Square. It was close and we were tired. After we walked over to the theater where "Nine" was showing. Huge crowds waiting for Antonio Banderas. Saw him, Melanie Griffith and Chita Rivera. Antonio gave lots of autographs - very gracious man. A woman in the crowd told me she bought standing room only tickets that morning for $30. Had a plan for the next morning... to be continued.
Thursday - arrived LGA at 1pm. Huge line for taxis but it moved quickly. Thought we'd have to split up our group of 5 and take 2 cabs but a minivan taxi was flagged down for us and we had a comfortable ride to Times Square for $23 plus tax and tip. Stayed at the Marriott Marquis. Hotel great, rooms OK but elevator situation terrible. Spent way too much time waiting for elevators. Got in line at TKTS booth at 3pm. Wanted "Movin' Out" for me and daughter but sold out by the time we reached the counter. Bought "42nd Street" for $50 for daughter. Rest of us (parents and 2 sons) caught subway down to Castle Clinton for FREE jazz concert Josh Redman and Elastic Band. They were fantastic and we stayed for the entire 1-1/2 hr concert thru the rain. Lucky we brought umbrellas. Met up with daughter. Kids ate fast food while husband and I ate at Ta Cocina on 9th Ave. (and 44th St?). Reasonable prices, great Mexican food.
Friday: Walked up to Neil Simon Theater box office to try and sell 2 extra tickets to Hairspray. Ordered 5 tickets back in May but sons didn't want to go. I tried to sell these on eBay and was surprised no one bid on them. Everyone wanted them at half price and I knew I could get more so I waited. Was just about to sell them back to the box office (they then sell them to people in cancellation line) when 2 guys walked up and asked to buy them. Followed them to the ATM machine and sold them for face value. Picked up boys and we all went to Natural History Museum and Rose Space Center. Visited the Chocolate exhibit, saw IMAX about coral reefs and finally the 2 space center shows. Spent most of the afternoon there. Subway back to Times Square. Went to Johns for pizza. Sons spent night in Virgin Megastore and hung out on Times Square. Rest of us went to Hairspray - was FANTASTIC! Were lucky enough to see the lead in one of her final performances. Harvey Fierstein was hilarious. We really loved the play. Back at hotel noticed lots of people milling outside theater across the street. Bernadette Peters was leaving theater and spent about 15 min signing autographs for people.
Saturday: Woke up early, got in TKTS line to try for Movin' Out matinee tickets but this time, wasn't even on the board. Daughter got Gypsy for $38. I walked to Movin Out box office and got partially obstructed seat for $65. I couldn't see the band (which is on a riser above the stage) but had great view of dancers. Loved it - the dancing was unbelieveable! Sons went to the Kramer Reality Tour (Seinfeld) which was right up their alley. They went on a bus to all the Seinfeld sites and took lots of pictures. Found out lots of "behind the scenes" info about the show. Husband took the subway to the Guggenheim and spent the afternoon there until we all returned. Then we went with our oldest son to the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 6-9pm. Crowd was sparse at that time so we were able to see alot. Had the best view of our trip from the rooftop terrace. You're above the trees and see the skyscrapers in the background - lovely! Ate at the Playwright's Tavern in Times Square. It was close and we were tired. After we walked over to the theater where "Nine" was showing. Huge crowds waiting for Antonio Banderas. Saw him, Melanie Griffith and Chita Rivera. Antonio gave lots of autographs - very gracious man. A woman in the crowd told me she bought standing room only tickets that morning for $30. Had a plan for the next morning... to be continued.
Aug 14th, 2003, 09:26 PM
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New York Trip Report (cont'd)
Sunday: Walked over to "Nine" box office at 9:15 for what I thought was 10am opening. Found it opens at noon on Sunday! Had to stay in line (since I had committed at that point) and got 2 tickets for me and daughter. Husband and sons went to Yankee game on subway. SRO tickets had great view of stage and were only $30. At intermission ushers found seats for both of us (people left or never showed up). After play, audience and cast serenaded Antonio B. with "Happy Birthday." Got his autograph and picture afterward. He must have spent 15-20 minutes signing and talking with the crowd. Met up with the boys and took subway to East Village and ate at Mary Ann's (Mexican). Great food, very reasonable prices. Walked to Little Italy for pastry and gelato. Very festive atmosphere at night with all the sidewalk cafes and everything lit up. We moved to Doubletree Guest Suites for the last 2 nights and liked it much more. Quieter, roomier, and fast elevators, even though we were on the 30th floor. Great to have a refrigerator too.
Monday: I took a walk down to Rockefeller Plaza and watched the Today show doings for a while. Then jogged down 5th Ave and a bit through Central Park. CP was beautiful and so green due to all the rain. We all took the subway to Columbia Univ and walked around the grounds. Bought T shirts in the bookstore and ate at Tom's Restaurant (Seinfeld again!). Bought dessert at the Hungarian Pastry Shop for later. Then subway down to WTC. Boys visited Trinity Church while the girls shopped at Century 21. Surprised what we could buy in 45 minutes - huge crowds in the store. Subway back to hotel and cleaned up for dinner at Carmine's. We shared a salad and 2 entrees and we were all full. The whole family went to Phantom of the Opera (bought 1/2 price tickets online last month) and really enjoyed it. Still think the boys would have loved Hairspray though. Spent the late night walking around Times Square.
Tuesday: Husband and I got up at 7am and walked to Bryant Park and then to buy some great chocolate at La Maison de Chocolate (Rockefeller Plaza). The most expensive chocolate I've ever seen but it was fantastic! Took the subway to see the Flatiron Bldg, then home. Checked out and shared one taxi (for 5 of us - we gave the driver a big tip and he let us squeeze in). Got to LGA superfast and it only cost $21 this time.
All in all we had a great time. Luckily our kids are old enough that we were able to split up and everyone got to do what they wanted to. We were able to see lots of plays and eat some great food at cheap prices. I used this forum and Time Out travel guide and it really helped. What a great city!!!
Sunday: Walked over to "Nine" box office at 9:15 for what I thought was 10am opening. Found it opens at noon on Sunday! Had to stay in line (since I had committed at that point) and got 2 tickets for me and daughter. Husband and sons went to Yankee game on subway. SRO tickets had great view of stage and were only $30. At intermission ushers found seats for both of us (people left or never showed up). After play, audience and cast serenaded Antonio B. with "Happy Birthday." Got his autograph and picture afterward. He must have spent 15-20 minutes signing and talking with the crowd. Met up with the boys and took subway to East Village and ate at Mary Ann's (Mexican). Great food, very reasonable prices. Walked to Little Italy for pastry and gelato. Very festive atmosphere at night with all the sidewalk cafes and everything lit up. We moved to Doubletree Guest Suites for the last 2 nights and liked it much more. Quieter, roomier, and fast elevators, even though we were on the 30th floor. Great to have a refrigerator too.
Monday: I took a walk down to Rockefeller Plaza and watched the Today show doings for a while. Then jogged down 5th Ave and a bit through Central Park. CP was beautiful and so green due to all the rain. We all took the subway to Columbia Univ and walked around the grounds. Bought T shirts in the bookstore and ate at Tom's Restaurant (Seinfeld again!). Bought dessert at the Hungarian Pastry Shop for later. Then subway down to WTC. Boys visited Trinity Church while the girls shopped at Century 21. Surprised what we could buy in 45 minutes - huge crowds in the store. Subway back to hotel and cleaned up for dinner at Carmine's. We shared a salad and 2 entrees and we were all full. The whole family went to Phantom of the Opera (bought 1/2 price tickets online last month) and really enjoyed it. Still think the boys would have loved Hairspray though. Spent the late night walking around Times Square.
Tuesday: Husband and I got up at 7am and walked to Bryant Park and then to buy some great chocolate at La Maison de Chocolate (Rockefeller Plaza). The most expensive chocolate I've ever seen but it was fantastic! Took the subway to see the Flatiron Bldg, then home. Checked out and shared one taxi (for 5 of us - we gave the driver a big tip and he let us squeeze in). Got to LGA superfast and it only cost $21 this time.
All in all we had a great time. Luckily our kids are old enough that we were able to split up and everyone got to do what they wanted to. We were able to see lots of plays and eat some great food at cheap prices. I used this forum and Time Out travel guide and it really helped. What a great city!!!
Aug 15th, 2003, 05:11 AM
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Nancy - We just got back from NYC too. Reading your report helped me re-live my trip a little too! We only had 2 days and just can't wait to get back. NYC is great. Did your kids love the Planetarium show? My DH thought it was the greatest...
Aug 15th, 2003, 06:06 AM
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Great trip report! Going to NYC in December - trying to decide about shows, etc. Glad to hear you enjoyed Harispray - thinking of seeing it. How did the daughter like Gypsy? Also thinking about it. Also Movin Out. Would love to see them all! You all really did a lot - sounds like even more since you were able to split up and go different ways.
Aug 15th, 2003, 10:48 AM
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In answer to a few questions: My kids liked Phantom but I'm not sure all kids would. It isn't as "fun" as some of the others, especially Hairspray or Mamma Mia. But we've listened to the music for years and my kids all play in orchestras so they loved it. My daughter had no interest in seeing Gypsy until she saw Bernadette Peters signing autographs the night before. She really loved it though. Movin Out is all dance and music (no speaking at all). I love dance though and so it was perfect for me. There is a story that accompanies the lyrics and dancing and it's easy to follow. I guess if I had to list my favorites in order they'd go:
1-Hairspray
2-Movin Out
3-Nine (the storyline was OK but seeing Chita Rivera dance live on Broadway and Antonio B. in person, would make it a "1"
4-Phantom
But I loved them all.
If you're looking for cheap tickets, sign up for hitshowclub.com, playbill.com, theatermania.com and broadwaybox.com for discount codes. We were able to get great seats for Phantom $45/ea using the discount code when I ordered last month. TKTS booth is always an option but they rarely have the top shows. Some theaters have SRO policies so go to the box office 30 min before it opens the day of show. Hairspray had a huge cancellation line and I don't think they have SRO tickets. We knew that would be a tough ticket so bought them in May thru ticketmaster at full price. Lots of theaters have partially obstructed seats at a discount price that you can buy the day of show, especially the sold out shows.
Last year we saw Mamma Mia and loved it. We visited NYC last year and saw some of the other tourist sites (ESB, Brooklyn Bridge) so didn't repeat those this year.
What amazes me about NYC is that the prices for many things are as good or even better than back home. I couldn't believe how cheap fresh flowers at the little grocery stores were - $7 for a dozen roses and beautiful orchids! Granted there are plenty of restaurants/hotels that are very expensive but there are so many small restaurants off the beaten path that have great quality at a very reasonable price.
1-Hairspray
2-Movin Out
3-Nine (the storyline was OK but seeing Chita Rivera dance live on Broadway and Antonio B. in person, would make it a "1"
4-Phantom
But I loved them all.
If you're looking for cheap tickets, sign up for hitshowclub.com, playbill.com, theatermania.com and broadwaybox.com for discount codes. We were able to get great seats for Phantom $45/ea using the discount code when I ordered last month. TKTS booth is always an option but they rarely have the top shows. Some theaters have SRO policies so go to the box office 30 min before it opens the day of show. Hairspray had a huge cancellation line and I don't think they have SRO tickets. We knew that would be a tough ticket so bought them in May thru ticketmaster at full price. Lots of theaters have partially obstructed seats at a discount price that you can buy the day of show, especially the sold out shows.
Last year we saw Mamma Mia and loved it. We visited NYC last year and saw some of the other tourist sites (ESB, Brooklyn Bridge) so didn't repeat those this year.
What amazes me about NYC is that the prices for many things are as good or even better than back home. I couldn't believe how cheap fresh flowers at the little grocery stores were - $7 for a dozen roses and beautiful orchids! Granted there are plenty of restaurants/hotels that are very expensive but there are so many small restaurants off the beaten path that have great quality at a very reasonable price.
Aug 15th, 2003, 11:06 AM
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Thanks for all of the great info. DH and I have just decided that we are going to NYC for our 10th anniversary next Oct. Can't wait, and I have so many people to thank on this forum for their great advice, stories. Keep 'em coming everyone!!!!
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