AlanaP

I was wondering if it is feasible to do the following:
We ahve tickets for the first (8:45am) tour at the SOL, then were thinking of going to Ellis Island as well after.
We also have Spamalot tix for the 8pm show that night. Would we be able to see the SOL, Ellis Island, SoStreet Seaport, watertaxi to Brooklyn for Grimaldis/ice cream factory/Jaques Torres, then walk the bridge or h2o taxi back? Is the bridge walk worth the time/effort in July heat?
Is there enough time to do all that, get part of the group back to the Excelsior Hotel, and get to the Theater?
THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

nytraveler

Well - it dpeends on how much time you want to spend inn mid place. SOL yuou don;t have a lot of choices- but Ellis Island you can run through (although why bother going?) or 3/4 hours. Similarly youcan walk through the Seaport in 5 minutes - but why?

If you do the latter and stop for lunch I think your day is way too crowded and you wil be faling asleep during Spamalot. Also - are you having dinner afterwards?

If it;s really hot and humid I would never walk the bridge - so it depends on the temp that day - and your tolerance for heat - do you mind all that exercise if it's 95 and humid?

suzanne

Sounds like a pretty good plan to me, though I'd probably skip the Seaport. Unless you're really into ships, it's just your ordinary mall (OK, with nice views). Maybe just a quick stop, but don't waste your precious vacation time shopping there.

Also, if you're tired after the ice cream & chocolate in Brooklyn, you can always change your mind & take the subway or water taxi back to the city instead of walking the bridge. Yes, it can get hot on the bridge but it's breezy too. It IS a very neat thing to do. Make sure you stay out of the bike lane (I have hit many a tourist who jumped out in front of me).

Also, make sure you bring a copy of the Water Taxi schedule so you don't waste time waiting. I think they run to Dumbo every 40 mins, but I am not sure.

kcapuani

My comments on the bridge walk - I just did it for the first time last weekend and thought it was a wonderful experience. It took about 45 minutes from the time I entered to the time I ended at City Hall park. That includes reading the plaques along the way. But, it was only around 75 degrees and I was sweltering! If it is a hot, humid day, you can get just as great of a view of Manhattan from Brooklyn at the River Cafe/Ice cream factory area.

As for Ellis Island, if you have family that came through (my grandparents did), I think it is an interesting stop. I don't remember the timing of the ferries so I'm not sure what is the minimum amount of time you need to spend, but I would say no more than a hour. Probably closer to 30 minutes to take a quick look around and look up your family's history.

Finally, the So. St. Seaport is just an outdoor mall...

AlanaP

WOW! Thanks for the quick responses!
I think I may skip Ellis Island this trip..I didnt mention I will have a 4 year old in tow..
I am thinking now we will skip the seaport and bridge walk this trip too, and just subway or water taxi over. I can handle heat..I live in the Utah, and we routinely have 100+ degree days, I can take humidity too..worked on the Jersey shore for 3 summers..but I doubt it will be fun with a kidlet in tow. SO I guess i am looking at the following itinerary:
SOL ,water taxi to Brooklyn for pizza/ice cream/ chocolates/views, water raxi or subway back.
Sounds do-able! Thanks again!