Marla

Spending 5 days in NYC, any suggestions on top things that we have to see and do while there? Any ideas on restaurants also?

Thankyou.

Paul Rabe

Check out the thread "Top 5 in NYC" below.

And, as I always say to those with just a few days in NYC -- don't bother going to Liberty Island, just view the Statue from the Staten Island Ferry. It takes an hour in line to get to the Island, and once there, you see nothing you don't see from the SI Ferry. Going to the top involves standing 2 to 3 hours in line, the last hour looking at the rear end of the person in front of you; and all you get is a five minute, VERY crowded view of Manhattan.

Brenda

Marla, we are also going to NYC. Would you mind emailing us what places you liked best to see/eat/enjoy? Would appreciate your input after you return. Have fun.
Brenda

tc

Downtown financial area & staten I ferry, Central park & midtown,Greenwich village(night life), Broadway play, yankee stadium

Allyson

Marla, When will you be coming to the city? Also, what kinds of food do you enjoy? Are you on a budget. If you like, you can email me with more specific questions. As for things to do and see: Central Park is fabulous anytime of year. Take a couple of hours to leisurely stroll around and people-watch. You might want to check out one (or more) of the museums- The Met, The Museum of Modern Art, The Museum of Natural History, The Guggenheim, The Whitney... the choices are endless. As for neighborhoods, Greenwich Village is a lot of fun. Great little restaurants, shopping, etc. Soho is also a cool neighborhood. Try to go there during the week. It gets so congested on the weekends. I also think the Upper West Side is a lovely, residential area to visit. Go to see a Broadway or Off-Broadway show. Go to TIKS (in Time's Square) and purchase tickets for a same-day performance. If you like baseball, this is the year to see the Yankees play. Battery Park City (downtown) offers a great view of the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson River. Have fun and enjoy!

cathryn

We just spent a day in NYC with visting family from over seas. The World Trade Center was a big hit for all of us. There's an elevator that takes you (rapidly!) to the 107th floor where floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides give you a breath-taking view of Manhattan, the harbor (the Statue of Liberty looks tiny from there!) and, on a clear day, several states as well. There's a theatre with a Disney-esque movie (10 min. or so) of a helicopter tour of the city---complete with tilting seats. Of course, there's a pricey restaurant and gift shop,too. But then you can also take an escalator up three more floors to the open-air roof,too. We all enjoyed it. Tickets are $12. for adults, $9. for students and $6. for kids under 11. We went on a Saturday
in July and the line moved quickly---maybe a 15 min wait for the elevator. Not bad, since I've heard that the wait at the Empire State Bldg can be 2hrs. Enjoy.

Carole

Definitely hit all of the major attractions, and I'd recommend taking a Circle Line tour your first day, so you can get oriented to the city. I live just outside the city and finally did that one day just for fun - it was pretty good. If there's something in particular you're interested in learning about or seeing, such as Little Italy, your absolute best bet is to arrange a walk with the wonderful folks at Big Apple Greeter (they're online at http://www.bigapplegreeter.org ). A friend of mine did that and said it was fantastic - plus, it's free!

Here are a few other great sites to check out, to see where to go and what to eat. There's ALWAYS something going on here.

http://www.citysearchnyc.com
http://newyork.sidewalk.com
http://www.newyorktoday.com

michael

A museum not to be missed, even by those who don't normally like museums, is the Frick on 5th and 70th. It is a furnished mansion from the turn of the century in which hangs the private collection of Henry Clay Frick. The collection includes some of the finest Rennaisance and Old Masters art in the world, and the setting is that of a home, which makes it a joy to see.

Adam

to get away from the hustle and bustle of Manhatten, check out Brooklyn. Brooklyn Heights is great to walk around, and the promenod has one of the most famous city views. Take the subway to Prospect park, and hang out in Park Slope.

Laurie

As a long-term resident of NYC, here are some of my favorite places, depending on your interests:

The sculpture garden on top of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the top of the Empire State Building at sunset (and preferably during the week to avoid the crowds; I feel more connected to the city here than at the World Trade Center); the western part of Greenwich Village (across Sixth Ave), where you will find a small "restaurant Row" on Cornelia Street,between Bleecker and W. 4th St, featuring many intimate, reasonable restaurants such as Po (Italian) and Home, (creative American cuisine) with its year-round outdoor garden; the secret garden behind St. Luke's in the Field Church in the West Village; the Pierpont Morgan Library, with its wonderful exhibits and antiquarian books, including a rare Gutenberg Bible; the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, part of the Smithsonian and always interesting; a walk along the Battery Park City promenade from the World Financial Center (catch the poetry in the fence) down to Wagner Park, where you have a postcard view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island; a ride (free) on the Staten Island Ferry and its approach back to New York--it will remind you that NYC is an island; the Art Deco lobbies of the Chrysler and the Daily News on East 42nd Street, and the beautiful renovated interior of Grand Central Station (the Municipal Arts Society conducts free tours of it during the week). There's something here for everybody, and things are changing constantly. Bon voyage!