pat

Two of us to visit NYC for 3 days in May. Staying at the Roosevelt. We have ticket to Annie get Your Gun Saturday night. I have been reading the messages on this site and they have been a help. I still need some help. Grayline tour or not? Our time is so limited and we want to make the most of it. I really do not want to spend one whole day on a bus. What do you suggest? We want to see as much as possible. Also do we need advance tickets on the cruises? Which is better circleline or New York Waterway? Would you recomend a good place for Sunday brunch and will we need reservations?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Diane

I think a great way to see a lot in the space of, say, half a day (leaving time for getting side-tracked here and there) is to go to the top of the World Trade Center as early as possible. (Your hotel concierge can tell you when they open, and give you a good little map of the city.) They do a wonderful job of identifying what you see in every direction, and you can see how true the grid of streets and avenues is laid out as you look "uptown." When you've seen and absorbed all that, you should walk straight down Broadway (there's a good bit to see along the way) to the Staten Island Ferry. The ferry is FREE, and a ride over and back gives you fabulous views of the city skyline and the Statue of Liberty. When you get back to the ferry landing in Manhattan, you can catch a cab to the South Street Seaport (or walk if you wish -- I'd estimate it as a 20 minute walk if you don't get lost -- the streets are a little more tangled down there!). There are several "tall ships" currently tied up there, and you can even visit them, if you wish. It's a nice place for lunch or an afternoon snack. Half a day gone and you will have seen a lot and no doubt be ready to move on to visit, say, SoHo, Washington Square in "The Village." I guess you can see my suggested approach is to sort of see the city geographically starting at the South end and working your way North. We just did a "Southern end" itinarary this past weekend and had a ball. May is a great time. Have a blast!

Philip

I suggest that you skip the Grayline tour. If you want to ride around and see the city, buy a one day unlimited Metrocard (Fun Pass) and ride the city buses. You can catch buses that will take you up and down the avenues and you can get off and explore any part of town that you find interesting. The Fun Pass is $4 per day and allows you unlimited riding on buses and subways. I have taken both Circle Line and NY Waterway and have enjoyed both tours, but remember that you are only seeing what is on the "shores" of Manhattan.

PS: Reba is really great in "Annie..." and she'll be doing a television version of it soon.

rqf

List those things you want to do, in priority order, and you are certain to get information on how to best organize your days to get the most out of your trip to NYC. You indicate "3 days" - does this mean 3 full days or are day of arrival and day of departure included? If they are what time do you arrive and what time do you depart. Information would help in planning your days.

TripMeister

Pat:
As two native New Yorkers, we felt compelled to respond to your request. Tours are so wrong. This city will be a blur to you. We will give you a personalized tour of New York ourselves for a reasonable fee. Our tour will include a fabulous lunch at a a 4-star restaurant, shopping at the most unique boutiques, and views of most major points of interest. Fun guaranteed.

Gervase & Mila

John

No advertising allowed tripmeister.

lisa

If it is nice out, I recommend one of the open-air double-decker bus tours. We took one a few years ago that was great and let us get on and off at various stops. I thought it was a great introduction to the city and helped us get oriented. I think it took most of the morning. We also did the Staten Island Ferry & went to Ellis Island which was great (I would not bother getting off at the Statue of Liberty though).