1st time visit in NYC in May
 

There will be 4 of us traveling to NYC over Memorial Weekend. We travel a lot but are totally overwhelmed trying to piece this trip together. If anyone can put this in some order for us to complete it would be most appreciated! Following is a list of things we have on our agenda...totally tourist! We arrive Fri am at 9 to LaGuardia and are staying at Affinia Dumont on Lexington and third.

Circle Tour
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
Top of the Rock
Empire STate Building
Central Park ? Boat and maybe bike
Brooklyn Bridge and pizza place near bridge ( walk back to Manhattan)
Ground Zero
5th ave shopping ( not much time needed for this)
Times Square at night with all the lights haha
EArly Show on Mon am before we go to airport?
or NBC tour
Madison SQuare GARden?
China town?
not interested in Museums etc this trip.
coney island and nathan's hot dog place ? if time

any restaurant ideas around these attractions would be helpful
Also wondering but hearing negatives about bus tours but wonder if it will give us a brief look at everything on first day? Thank you to anyone who can compile this into a good 4 day itinerary....one teen and three adults in 49-55 age range.

Empire State Building will eat up a lot of time and there's no point in doing that AND Top of the Rock.

You don't have time to go to Coney Island.

I have never taken an MSG tour, nut otherwise the fun is in seeing a game.

Please look at other NY board postings. many questions have been discussed in detail.

Any idea what to do on what day?

Eat in residential neighborhoods. Many NY'ers will take the opportunity to leave the city. Maybe a visitor can help but I am not sure what day to do something on a holiday weekend would matter.

I guess what I am asking is in what order should we do these things and what ones will be convenient to do in one day..like a 3-4 day itinerary...I have looked on the forums but have not seen these attractionsa ll included in a 4 day weekend. Thinking about locations and transportation etc to get in as much as possible with as little walking as possible.

Do the Midtown things on Friday and Monday, and the downtown things on Saturday and Sunday.

I've grouped these by neighborhood, moving from south to north:
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Downtown:
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (departs from downtown, Battery Park)
Ground Zero
Brooklyn Bridge and pizza place near bridge ( walk back to Manhattan)
China town?
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Midtown:
Madison SQuare GARden? (This is an undistinguished-looking sports arena--what's your interestin visiting it?)
Empire STate Building (skip this--do Top of the Rock and you'll have a great view of the ESB)
5th ave shopping ( not much time needed for this)
Top of the Rock
NBC tour (Rockefeller Center)
Times Square at night with all the lights haha
Circle Tour (I assume you mean Circle Line Boat tour--departs from midtown on the west side--I don't recommend the full circle ride since many find the last hour boring)
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Central Park ? Boat and maybe bike
EArly Show on Mon am before we go to airport?
---
not interested in Museums etc this trip. (too bad)
---
coney island and nathan's hot dog place ? if time (no time)
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Did you create a tentative itinerary in choosing these sights? Anything like, "We thought we'd do the Statue of Liberty first thing Saturday morning" so we have someplace to start with advice.

Good idea!
We get in on Fri am so thought we would go to the hotel and drop off stuff or check in.
Fri
Go on short Circle Line Boat tour ( or I read there is a speed boat one that sounded fun)
5th ave
Time Square
top of the Rock
NBC Tour

Sat go early to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
Ground Zero
Brooklynn Bridge and Pizza

Sunday go to Central Park
China Town?
Museum if time...what would you recommend?

Monday the early show before Airport
We wouldl ike to do a show but cant spend the 120 plus per ticket but if there are cheaper ones that would be fun.....

You have a hearty list on your plate for a weekend! The Statue and Ellis Island will take nearly all day. There are ALWAYS lines at this time of year. The Empire State Building is worthwhile but also very long lines and it is relatively expensive. Times Square is very crowded with mostly tourists but at the TKTS booth you can buy tickets for a show for less than full-price. Again, long lines but it IS worth it if you want to see a Broadway play. Chinatown is fun; lots to gawk at and souvenir-type junk at good prices. You can go very early to any of the 3 major affiliates AM shows. People crowd together to attempt to peer into the window at the hosts. Just remember to leave yourselves plenty of time to get from Manhattan to the airport.

I just read your reply which indicates your proposed itin for Friday. Good luck getting ALL of that done on Fri. It is WAY too much. I don't think you realize how big Manhattan is and you add on some post "with as little walking as possible". If you don't walk extensively and briskly, how do you propose to get to ALL of these sights? Will you hire a driver? If you plan on cabs be prepared to spend a substantial amt. for fare. If you plan on subway and bus remember they are not so easy to navigate. Once you get off public transportation, be prepared to know exactly where you are and where you need to get to. It is not easy for the first-time visitor therefore, it takes time. Just a word of precaution, don't try and cram your visit with far too many must-see sights. You'll end up being disappointed and frustrated. It is the GREATEST city on the earth and with that being said, it is not simple!!

Actually I think Frdiay sounds fine. They arrive at LGA at 9AM so they should be checked into the hotel and ready to go by noon. Does the high-speed boat leave from the midtown piers or downtown? That's the only question I see for Friday. Times Square can wait until the evening for the best lighting effects.

Check for discounts for Broadway tickets at broadwaybox.com.

For Statue of LIberty you need to buy timed ferry tickets in advance as well as advance tickets to get inside the Statue. Otherwise the line to get on the ferry can be hours and you can be shut out of seeing the Statue. to do both the Statue and Ellis Island - including ferries to and fro you need to allow at least 6 hours - more if it's very busy.

Agree to bag the Empire State building (huge lines again) and get advance tied tickets for Top of the rock. Best to get tickets timed near sunset so you can see the city both in the daylight and lit up at night.

I would skip the Statue of Liberty. Just stay on the boat and see it, but go to Ellis Island instead. you cannot go all the way up and the security line is at least an hour in itself. You can get a great view and a sense of it all from the ferry. However, my guess that Memorial Day weekend the security will be extra tight AND lines very long. If you must do this, go very early in the AM.

Also agree to skip ESB if you are going to Top of the Rock.

I think you need to make time to just walk around and get a sense of the neighborhoods. Perhaps you can do that if you are walking back from the BB.

Times Square should be saved for the evening so you can see the lights. Do you have anything else planned for TS? Play?

Thank you to everyone who is replying! I think we will skip the ESB and go to Top of the Rock at Sunset one night. I don't care so much for the lines either! We would go to SOL on Sat am on the first boat and get reserved tickets.
I guess it is hard to know how big Manhattan is and how long it takes to get from one place to the other. Is Central Park worth doing? Is it safe?
Not sure what is in TS but thougth we had to see IT...I would like to do a play so will work on getting some advice on that..thought Wicked might be a good one to see.Maybe skip the NBC tour and just try and go to the plaza when it is taped?
We were thinking of using the public transportation and will plan ahead where and what to take once we know itinerary.
Has anyone had a positive experience using a tour bus? My thought on this was it would take us to many places to "see" and then we can go back and explore the ones such as sol and totr and central park, 5th ave and times square.

Has anyone done the Ducktours?

Central Park is definitely worth the walk if it is a nice day. During the day, it is safe. There is a thread from the past month if you search that recommends the walking route.

Go to Times Square at night. It won't take much time as it is just an area of stores / restaurants, but great for people watching. It is over-priced though and too busy.

Tour buses are ok, but subject to traffic etc so you may not see everything and may be overcrowded. Feeling around here is to skip them. They do a good overview

Somehow posted before finishing my sentence.

They provide a good overview but the drawbacks outweigh the positives.

I have gone on a few duck tours and enjoyed them. They can be tacky but fun. Not sure where they go in NYC though. If you are doing the Circle Line boat tour / SOL trip, you probably don't need the duck tour.

Your "reserved tickets" for the SOL aren't really reserving you a place in line. I had the reserved tix for 1:15 one day, and we waited around. We then got to the line a little early and I asked the woman if we can get in line earlier - she said that the time really didn't matter and that we can get in line as soon as we arrived. We were in line before 1:00 and got into the Statue about 2:00. You WILL endure long waits to get on the boat (and back) and your WILL have at least an hour long wait in the security line before you can walk up about 4 flights of stairs. Really, if you need to remove something from your trip, this would be it.

TS is all about the people and the lights. IT's amazing, and you could be done with it in 5 minutes or in 50 minutes. It's always crowded - last time I was there on a weekday in early March it was super crowded - so expect even bigger crowds on that weekend.

Central park is great. You could actually combine that with your Fifth Ave shopping trip. It's right there 5th Ave.

Lexington and Third? These avenues are parallel...but do take a look at a map of Manhattan; the streets are (mostly) a numbered grid, which makes it very easy to navigate and plan your journeys.

You mentioned touring Madison Square Garden...did you perhaps mean Radio City Music Hall instead? If you were interested in that, it could be combined with your Top of the Rock/NBC day. I toured it during my first trip to NYC, 10+ years ago (before it was refurbished) and found it fascinating.

Also, if you find yourself running short of time, make sure you consider the subway...get a transit pass when you get there so you can easily use whatever transportation fits your needs. Don't be intimidated...they are pretty easy to figure out and are not affected by traffic.

"Lexington and Third? These avenues are parallel..."

The Affinia Dumont is on E 34th St between Lex and Third.

sunshinegirl, you need to get a good street map and start marking they key things you plan to do.

I knew it was there just abbreviated. I did get a good map today too which made it all more visual! I can see now where we want to go. Just difficult to know how much time it really takes to go from one thing to another. I am seriously wondering about doing a hop on hop off bus tour as we could see a lot more than on our own.
Here is what I am thinking we should do now..see what you think:

Friday pm ( we land in la guardia at 9 am)
Circle boat tour or speed boat tour
5th ave shopping
Times square
NBC Tour ( if we can get tour tickets ahdead of time)
TOTR

SAT
hop on hop off bus tour? to get a look at all the extra things we dont have time for?
chinatown on bus tour?

Sun
SOL( get tickets and reserved sol ahead of time
Brooklyn Bridge ( walk toward Manhattan) Have dinner or lunch at pizza place by bridge?


Sunday
one of the morning shows then to airport as flight leaves at 1

Central Park has daily free walking tours. Check their website. Also check my thread-first time visit to New York

I have always thought that viewing the Statue of Liberty from a passing boat is the exciting view -- that is the view that newly arrived immigrants saw when they entered New York Harbor. I don't think there is much of a point in getting off and crawling around the statue or even climbing it (do they allow that now?. Ellis Island Museum is worth a visit - immigrant history of New York. And you get a great view of the Statue. Also - no point in doing both Top of the Rock and Empire State - Top of the R is probably more preferable.

Good point on the SOL. Skipping Empire State Building and doing Top of the Rock. Thank you!

You're picking a great time to go. A lot of the residents head out of town on long wkends and you should have great weather. Looks like you already may have a plan of attack try to do midtown on Sat or Sun. Since this is one of the busier and commerce centered areas of the city, there's less traffic and crowds during the weekends (fewer folks at work) which makes getting around a bit easier.

Circle Line is an excellent tour, but a long tour. Be prepared for three to four hours. The tour is fully narrated so it has a lot of interesting info, but it circumnavigates the island so it does take a while.

I've done the NBC tour and it takes an hour or so. It's really not that great. The MSG tour is even more underwhelming. A tour I did like was Radio City Music Hall's.

Central park is very nice but huge. Check out a map and pick a place or two (the zoo's nice, the boathouse for lunch is pretty good, avoid tavern on the green) and head there. Otherwise it's easy to get turned around on some of the winding pathways. And yes, it's safe.

For shopping, head downtown. Century 21 on Courtland (close to ground zero) is my favorite store in NYC. It's a square block of discount designer clothing. Think of a Marshalls or TJ Maxx with Marc Jacobs, Armani, and other top designers and that's Century 21.However, it does get crowded. Fifth Ave is more fun to window shop than to spend; it's expensive.

It sounds like you're going to be very busy. New York isn't going anywhere and if you like it, head back. It's cheap enough to get there. I suggest fewer activities, lingering over lunches with your friends, and taking in the "vibe" of the city rather than trying to get it all done.

Either way, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Thank you for your honesty and insight!I do think we should relax a bit and not try to do so much. As a Michigander who has never been there but hears about NYC so much, it is tempting to try and "see" everything.I am thinking one of the hop on hop off busses might get us everywhere one day and we can get off at the places of interest and pass the others by but we still will have seen areas? I know they have a touristy reputation and it is recommended not to do it but thought it might get us all over one of the days? Any opinions on this or on a particular company to use? or tour to take? We were thinking the 48 hour one so we could come and go ......so much to do and so little time!

OK, I hate to be the one to mention this--but sometimes NYC weather (even Memorial weekend), doesn't cooperate. I've lived here all my life and had to move many M weekend plans indoors due to rain. In that case, you may want to add a museum. (They are all fabulous!) On the flip side, I've also experienced hot as you-know-what Memorial Days. This will also slow you down and could make you feel cranky. The hot pavement wears on tired feet.

If it's a nice day--Central Park is an absolute MUST!! Especially in early summer, it is the heartbeat of the city. You can buy a NYC hotdog or pretzel, walk through the park (maybe near the zoo at West 67st) and meander around, sit, and take in the scene. You can find a bench and literally sit for hours. Or—buy lunch at a Korean Market or fabulous gourmet deli and find a spot to picnic. It's an oasis.

Yes, it’s OK that is hitting all the very touristy spots to “see" NYC, but haven't allowed any time to truly experience it. Why not plan for a leisurely lunch at an outdoor cafe, in a fun neighborhood? Sit on the steps of the Met Museum and people watch? Head to a downtown neighborhood and meander? There may be lots of free stuff that weekend, street fairs, free concerts, etc. Check NY Magazine or TimeoutNY before you go.

I agree about 5th Ave shopping. Unless you have big bucks to spend at Bergdorf’s, Bendels or Tiffany’s, the best shopping in NYC is NOT on 5th Ave. If you do go to Chinatown, it will be worth it to head to NOLA, the Lower East Side, Soho, East or West Village or any downtown locale. It's young, hip and fun and much less filled with (forgive me) tourists.

You didn't mention your age group. But if you are young at heart, I urge you to take some time here to just go with the flow, relax and enjoy!

We are aged 49-55 and a 17 year old daughter.Like you said young at heart! Anything in particular a teen would love to experience...? We will go to Central Park and were thinking of a boat or bike and lunch at one of the lakes. I did think about the weather possibility...what museum would you suggest if we did do a museum? I will check out the magazines you mentioned! Thank you!

Do not do Hop On/Off buses. there are several detriemnts:

They cost a fortune
They don;t runs frequently (every 30 minutes or so versus 5 for city buses
They can;t go lots of places - buses arent allowed on any of the side streets or into Cenral Park (which is pedestrian/bike only except for a couple of hours M-F rush hours)

For transit subway is fastest and esiest, buses are much slower due to traffic but you do get to see things (if you really want just to look at things through a window) and OK for short distances

If you go to hopstop.com you can input addresses and it will tell youhow long to get there via foot, subway etc.

Thank you for that website!

You are all very helpful! We have decided to prob not go into the SOL but visit by the Beast or 75 min Circle Tour Cruise.
Wondering about a great restaurant in China Town with chinese food.
Also any casual restaurants, cafes in Times Square ( gotta do it!) and around the Affinia Dumont?
Thank you!
I love the hopstop.com!

I really think you would enjoy going to a Broadway musical. Go to www.broadwaybox.com and see which ones have discounts and sound like something you'd like. You can see Times Square when you're going to and coming from the show--it's right there.

Whenever I'm in NYC, I just eat breakfast and lunch wherever, and don't plan for a specific restuarant. There are pizzerias, sandwich shops, delis, Whole Foods, etc. everywhere, and you can just grab a bite there--or get take out and eat in Central Park. I think it's often a waste of good sightseeing time to have a sit-down lunch unless you have a specific restaurant you have your heart set on.

Riding bikes in Central Park would be fun.

In my opinion, Fifth Avenue shopping is best done by window shopping as you walk along Fifth en route to your next stop. It's fun to look in the stores in the diamond district, too.

Another really interesting thing to do is the Tenement
Museum--the teenager would definitely like this--it's not really a museum. Get tickets in advance. www.tenement.org

If you go to a "real" museum, go to the Met. www.metmuseum.org I'd advise looking on the website first, and picking out two or three areas/exhibitions to see. Otherwise, you'll be overwhelmed.

"I think it's often a waste of good sightseeing time to have a sit-down lunch ..."

We do the opposite: Have our main meal at mid-day, so we can take a rest and get good food for more reasonable prices (and often smaller portion sizes). Then supper is something quick and light, possibly followed by the treat that we were too full to tackle at lunch time. This also removes any anxieties about curtain times.

By the way - it's Fleet Week so there will be lots of cute guys with tight white pants in the streets and on the ships!

Fleet week eh? My niece may enjoy the view!

slow down-just being on the street in New York is exciting. Whenever I travel I get as much information as I can, but never plan a rigid itinerary. Allow time for the happenstance.

Thank you for that advice...that makes sense. We just need a few places that we know in advance we want to experience and then let the rest happen.
Still thinking of a show...found tickets to Hair.... not sure if we will buy them yet or not.