ggrtist

Hello!  I'm taking my daughter to New York City for 5 nights during her college spring break at the end of March.  We actually lived in Brooklyn briefly about 15 years ago (she was just 3) but only have faded memories so it will be like new for us.  We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Manhattan 6th ave. in Chelsea ($122per night via Priceline). I may have some limitations on walking as I have a herniated disc but will have some pain mgmt. treatments done before the trip.  We will be using the subway and buses to get around.

We are on a tight budget and our trip will be more about getting a taste for art & culture and exploring.  We've been told Broadway is a must, but we are not really into musicals so I'm not sure if there is anything there for us. 

So far we plan on:
- long visit at the Met museum (citypass tkt)
- Central Park
- 2 hour harbor cruise (via citypass tkt)
- Empire State Building & Top of the Rock (both in citypass tkt)
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Times Square
- Greenwich Village

 Other possibilities
- see a Jimmy Fallon taping
- Roosevelt Island Aerial Tram
- Greenwich Village food tour OR Sex and the City tour (via discount tkts)
I am a huge Sex and the City fan and am debating if we should do the tour at $30 bucks each or just visit locations on our own throughout the week using an iPhone map.  I don't care if the tour is cheesy, just want a fun time.

Questions...
- I am wondering if the food tour would be too much walking for my condition?

 - How long does the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge take?

- we are arriving into Newark airport at 6am.  What would be the most affordable option to get to our hotel in Chelsea?

- Any good budget dining choices for a Chelsea area brunch? and a dining option near the Metropolitan Museum of Art?  

- any Broadway plays or experiences other than musicals?

I think that's it for now but I do look forward to any advice or tips you can share! Thanks!

Aduchamp1

- any Broadway plays or experiences other than musicals?

Take a look at Time Out NY, which has extensive listing for all levels and types of theater.

http://newyork.timeout.com/arts-culture/theater
____

In Chelsea,
Cookshop
For a great, great donut Donut Plant on the street level of the Chelsea Hotel
Chelsea Market has number of good shops for a quick lunch and snacks.

nyer

Have you already bought that CityPass? You might find that you can see what you really want to see, and for less money, than buying a pass. For example, many people wouldn't really want to go to both Top of the ROck and the Empire State Building. A Harbor cruise might not be so much fun in bad weather

There are many good shows that are not musicals, and as a bonus to you, they are often less expensive, and easier to get tickets.

I think the consensus about the Sex & The City tour is that it was cheesy in the best sense and that people enjoy being in the company of other fans.

"What would be the most affordable option to get to our hotel in Chelsea?"
Air Train and NJ Transit combination ride takes you from EWR to Penn Station NY on about 30 minutes. it may be longer on weekends as the trains run less often. About $12.50 per person.
You can walk to the hotel 5-6 blocks from there or take a very short taxi ride. This only makes sense with light luggage--carry on only

ggrtist

Aduchamp, thanks for the link. Looks like there are lots of shows options so I will continue to check up on that. I will also plan on a little trip to the Chelsea market.

I'm hoping the hotel has a fridge rental because I'd rather not have to eat out 3 times a day while there.

nyer: we have not bought the citypass yet and it's true, we only would do about half of what the citypass includes so I'll price it out both ways. I know it includes the Met which I believe is a suggested donation of $20 or so otherwise? I should check out when the free Met times are. I think I may go on the SATC tour..heck, I may ever get another chance lol
We are light packers and will only have carry ons so the Air Train sounds good. At 12.50 pp I'm wondering how much it would save over taking a cab?

Thanks again and look forward to more input! We are so excited, this is a present for my daughter graduating HS last year.

nyer

A taxi or car service form Newark Airport into Manhattan would be around $70 -80. You are crossing state lines, and the tunnel tolls are high, and 15-20% tip is expected on the base fare.

The Metropolitan Museum doesn't ever have free times, but it is always pay as you wish, People here will argue that everyone should pay full price,, but you really can pay what you feel you can afford at any time,no waiting for specific free or reduced admission times. Paying whatever money you pay to CityPass to save on the museum admission is a false savings. Who knows what amount the museum actually gets from that deal anyway?

Elainee

You will not be made to feel embarrassed if you pay less, even much less at the Met Museum. Some people like the Staten Island ferry even more than the Harbor Tour.
A ride on the Madison Avenue MTA bus is a great way to see all the shops, so many fancy shops, that is part of the NYC scene.

ggrtist

That is good to hear. I am trying to do the whole trip close to $1500 including air & hotel. We got one flight free and good hotel deal. I think we may pass on the citypass and give what we can afford to the Met, take the Staten Island Ferry instead of the harbor cruise as I forgot it may be pretty cold to be on the 2 hour tour as nyer brought up. I also have been scoping groupon, living social and travelzoo for some dining deals...that's how I found the Sex and City tour deal

ggrtist

Oh and also...are the food tours an easy walk? I see they are 3 hours long. Anyone know of coupon codes for it?

musicfan

For your subway/bus rides, get the 7-day unlimited pass--I think it's $29, but I can't imagine you wouldn't get your money's worth in 5 days.

I am going to NY with my daughter in mid-May. We are planning on doing at least one of the food tours also.

While you mentioned you don't like musicals, there is a play opening you might consider (we already bought our tickets)...a limited run of "Death of a Salesman" directed by Mike Nichols starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield. If you go to www.broadwaybox.com and www.playbill.com you can sign up to get notices of upcoming shows and discounts.

Have a great time--I want to read your trip report after you get back!

MichelleY

With disc problems, sitting thru a play may be agony. One thing my BFF and I enjoyed was lunch at the Boathouse in Central Park then heading over to the Frick Collection. Small, interesting collection and space. $18/ adult and $10/ student. Well worth an afternoon.

Bowsprit

The food tours start and stop and start up again giving you a chance to rest from walking. The tour is spread out over hours so you're strolling through the area, listening, eating, observing. You'll be sitting down a few times for a short time. It's a pretty relaxing experience, actually.

The Brooklyn Bridge is a fine walk and a long walk but you can take your time doing it. There are a few benches along the way but they're few.

Although the Metropolitan Museum's floor is marble there are plenty of places to sit and take a break if you need to.

isabel

For the Brooklyn Bridge - its a long walk from the Manhattan side all the way to the subway on the Brooklyn side. But you can get just as good an experience if you walk halfway across (from Manhattan) and then turn around and it's a lot less walking (because the subway on the Manhattan side is right there whereas the closest one on the Brooklyn side is a bit of a walk). So unless you want to actually do something in Brooklyn I'd just go halfway across and then back.

JADSJBD

We took the Staten Island Ferry and loved it. It's huge, you can sit or walk around while riding, and there is a place onboard that sells food (breakfast, hot dogs, sandwiches, drinks). (and the ride is free).
Your daughter would probably love walking around SOHO, great shopping, both crazy expensive and cheap. H&M is a good place for inexpensive, yet nice trendy clothes.
Chelsea is wonderful for gallery hopping. Stop in one and pick up a "Gallery Guide", it has good maps, a listing of all the galleries and what is showing, plus the openings for each week. They can be a fun and cheap way to see art, sip wine and have a snack...free! Beware, Chelsea streets are long, so map out where you want to go and try to group things in one area.

ggrtist

These are great suggestions! Looks like our plans are starting to shape up, now I will just have to start nailing down an itinenerary so we can tackle all our must sees one day at a time.

I'll have to check out the Fodors guidebook for maps to group sights by area. Is there a particular day that may be best for visiting the Met, in terms of less visitors? Boathouse sounds good for lunch while we are in the area as well (thanks for rec MichelleY).

musicfan: searching through the forum I was surprised too see several other mother daughter trips planned, pretty cool! We were originally going to gofirst week of June but I'd rather have cooler than warmer weather and the lodging was slightly cheaper. I will definitely get the subway passes!

Bowsprit and Isabel: thanks for the info re: walks...this dang disc problem has been a literal pain in the butt for me for several months but I am glad I can put the food tour on my list. And half or even 1/3 walk on the Brooklyn Bridge should be plenty.

Jadsjbd: Shopping and a gallery day will be fun, my daughter will definitely enjoy that and sounds like a good day to feel like we are "locals"

I am thinking instead of paying $25 pp to go to Top of the Rock, would rather use that toward a lil meal or appetizers at one of the rooftop restaurants or lounges with a nice view. I found a ton of options at this website: http://www.rooftoprestaurants.com/

Thanks again for all the help!

nytraveler

Um - at most of the rooftop restaurants the views are quite limited - may be for a few people with the good tables - but others aren;t likely to see much. And I'm not aware of any of them that you would go to voluntarily for the food.

The Ritx Carlton Battery Park City rooftop bar has great views of the harbor - but it's not a place to eat.

ekscrunchy

I would take some of the places on that site with a grain of salt. Just because a place has a rooftop level does not mean that it has a good view of anything more than the street below.
For example:

http://suttonplacenyc.com/media/suttonplace.html

ggrtist

Haha....ok ok I won't put much stock into those rooftop bars, however one that appealed to me was the Lobby Lounge at Mandarin Oriental, we will just have to wing it. Guess I'm not sure how important it is to go to Top of the Rock just for the view. I'll leave the choice to my daughter since the trip is her present.

BTW...anyone use the Fodors New York guide iPad/iPhone app?

ellenem

Skip the Empire State Building. Go to the Top of the Rock. At Top of the Rock you will be able to take photographs with the Empire State BUilding in the background, and have a wonderful view of the city. Plus it is much quicker to visit TOTR.

doug_stallings

The lobby lounge at the Mandarin Oriental is on the 35th floor and has a wonderful view of Central Park. So I'd highly recommend that. I'm not sure if they serve any kind of food, and the restaurant, Asiate, is very expensive, so I'd skip that and have a drink unless you want to have the more affordable lunch or breakfast (weekend brunch is great, but it's $54, so it's a big splurge).

I'd strongly recommend skipping the Empire State Building. It's not the amount of walking, but rather the need to stand in a line that is usually well over an hour. I think that's going to be worse on your back than walking.

HowardR

As for a non-musical Broadway show, you can do no better than Other Desert Cities. It is great theater!