d

Need some help planning a day trip to NYC. This is one of those school bus trips where they drop you off at Rockefeller Center around 10am and you're on your own until the bus departs around 7pm.

Any help/suggestions would be most appreciated. Especially if you could suggest the best order to do these things and timeframes.

Group of 4 (2 adults/2 teens)

Possible things to include:
Top of the Rock,
Statue of Liberty,
Fifth Avenue flagship stores,
Times Square (MTV & Quicksilver),
Central Park (carriage ride & ice skating), World Trade Center site and Chinatown.

Somewhere food has to be worked in--maybe in Chinatown (if it's worth including on the itinerary) or a pizza someplace.

Many, many thanks in advance to all that take the time to offer some help.

nytraveler

Bag the Statue of Liberty - since it will take the best part of the day (there are long lines to buy a ferry ticket , for security for the ferry and then to see the exhibits once you get to the island. And most of the Statue is closed for safety (not secuirty) reasons.

If you really want to see it take the free Staten Island ferry (every 15 minutes or so) for a more distant view.

You will have a lot of trouble doing all the other things you want even without the SOL.

World Trade Center is now a construction site- although you can see the church that sheltered the emergency workers.

Don;t know what you mean by Fifth Ave flag ship stores. Macy's is at 34th between Broadway and 7th and Bloomies is at 59th and Lex. There are a lot of stores on Fifth - but seeing even half of them would take all day.

persimmondeb

To be honest, I would probably bag everything downtown. Central Park, Fifth Avenue stores, and Top of the Rock are probably more than enough to keep you occupied. It's not the very best area to eat in, but it's hard to go hungry in Manhattan, and SFA Cafe (in Saks Fifth Avenue--right across from Rock Center) does a nice if slightly pricey lunch. By the way, the Fifth Ave Disney store has the best publicly accessible restrooms in Midtown (they're downstairs and not that obvious, but clean and nice and rarely crowded).

isabel

I'd do EITHER downtown or midtown but trying to do both will be more frustrating than fun. If you stick to midtown I'd walk down fifth ave but probably not bother with much shopping - most of the stores have branches in any suburban mall. If you are going between now and Christmas you'd probably want to peak into the big stores to look at the decorations but shopping would take all day. If you've never seen Times Square walking through it is interesting but I wound't linger. Top of the Rock is cool and you can buy timed tickets so no long waits. Central Park fits nicely with a midtown day. For food, 6th, 7th and 8th are better than 5th Ave. Best restrooms in midtown are in the lower level of the main building at Rockefeller ceter, where there is also food (including Starbucks) and good views of the skaters.

If you choose the downtown option I'd take the subway to Canal Street, wander around China town (the less crowded, more "authentic" chinatown is a few blocks east), walk down past the World Trade Center site, stopping at City Hall Park, then down Broadway (check out Trinity Church, Wall Street) down to Battery Park where you can see the Statue of Liberty. As someone else suggested, the Staten Island Ferry will take you close enough to feel you have "seen" it.

Newsie

I agree -- I'd skip downtown right now and concentrate on midtown or uptown. You didn't mention any museums. You could combine a trip to Central Park with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for example. Just confine yourself to one or two areas of interest, rather than trying to take in the whole museum (impressionist painting, for example, or the Egyptian collection). Since the admission is pay what you will, you can limit yourself to an hour or two and pay accordingly. The Guggenheim Museum is also on Fifth Avenue next to the park, although admission is pricey. Or, if you want to stay in Midtown, the Museum of Modern Art is a possibility, although admission there is $20. They have a decent restaurant inside and, if you try to avoid the middle of lunch hour, you can get a quick meal there.

d

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions.

Here's the new plan and I hope someone can fill in some blanks:

Arrive Rockefeller Center
-Go to Top of the Rock
-Walk to Times Square (what's the best street to walk down for shops and biggest impact when arriving in Times Square?)
-Walk to Central Park South to take a carriage ride
-Walk down Fifth Ave for shopping
-Return to Rockefeller Center and wander around there until departure time

Thoughts? Also need suggestions for a lunch spot after Top of the Rock or in Times Square and also a dinner spot around Rockefeller Center.

Again, many thanks!!

persimmondeb

I know this is a stupid question, but I wasn't completely sure from the way you had your itinerary posted--are you aware that Times Square and Central Park are in opposite directions from Rockefeller Center? That said, what I would do is--
Top of the Rock
Then eat lunch--Rock Center area is much better for this than Times Square, which isn't as horrible as it used to be, but isn't great, either--Saks Fifth Ave and its cafe are just about across the street, but you have to go east throught the Center and across Fifth in order to get to it. Also Morrell's Wine Bar and Cafe and the Dean and DeLuca thing are right there--it would be handy to know what you wanted to spend
After Lunch walk west on 50th to Broadway (this isn't a very store filled walk, but none of the ways to get there really are-unless you went down Fifth and across on 42nd, which is much longer and not as good an approach into Times Square) and then walk down to Times Square
Admire it and walk around a little bit, then get back on Broadway and walk uptown to Columbus Circle.
Walk east on 59th, go into the park if you like, take a carriage ride and end up back on Fifth.
Walk downtown on Fifth, visit stores, St. Pat's etc, end up at Rockefeller Center--once again not a great area for eating--but Morrell's serves dinner and I think the Dean and DeLuca thing will still be open too, ditto I believe for Rock Center Cafe, although I've never eaten there. There is stuff on 57th, although it changes a lot and is probably closer to Broadway than 5th-as a footnote-pretty much the only Manhattan McDonald's I'll eat in is on 57th-if you're feeling either desperate or frugal
I hope this helps, d--it would be helpful too if I knew what your price range for restaurants was and if you are going before or after Christmas.

Newsie

It's a little hard to make restaurant recommendations without knowing a few more details, such as your budget and whether you're just looking to pick up a sandwich or salad, or take in a sit down meal. For example, there are several fast food restaurants on the lower level of Rockefeller Plaza near the skating rink. On the other hand, there are plenty of restaurants in the area, too. One French restaurant I've been going to for years that caters primarily to tourists (but not in a bad way) is called "La Bonne Soup" at 48 West 55th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. They have a Website with menus and prices. There's also a Dean and DeLuca (overpriced deli) on the street level of Rockefeller Plaza which serves sandwiches, soups, deserts and coffee.

d

Thanks...and to answer the other few questions--trip is this coming Saturday. Would prefer to sit down for lunch/dinner--not fast food, just a casual place that the kids would enjoy. I thought maybe the Stage Deli or John's Pizzeria for lunch...thoughts? For dinner I guess someplace back around Rockefeller Center. Thanks!

d

If the group decides they want to do the downtown option--hoping for some help so I'm prepared.

Arrive Rockefeller Center

Go to Top of the Rock

Catch subway to Chinatown--where is the closest station to Rockefeller and what line do I take to get to Canal Street? Someone told me there is a free shuttle to Chinatown...true or not?

Lunch in Chinatown...any suggestions?

Could we take the subway close to where the Statue of Liberty Ferry is? Go over to the Statue of Liberty, return, walk past the WTC site and then catch the subway (where and what line?) back to Rockefeller to shop/dinner before leaving?

The midtown option sounds much better to me--but there are other people in the group that have other interests so I just want to present all options.

Thanks!