Advice for Texas Family - first time in NYC
Jul 12th, 2011, 11:01 AM
#21
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Ellenem is dead on reqagrding the rules of the sidewalk. One reason I divided the rules by categories, is not to single out visitors. There are so many NY'ers plugged in, I am surprised more not killed walking acorss the street.
New York is a walking city the way Houston is a driving city. And while many cities have commercial or entertainment districts, there are streets in NYC that will congested at 2 or 3 AM.
There is a pizza place in our neighborhood, where there is a line of drunk clubbers at 3 AM. One reason is the owners are morons and do not know how to move a line but the other is there a lot people out at all hours.
Just use common sense and common courtesy and you will be fine.
New York is a walking city the way Houston is a driving city. And while many cities have commercial or entertainment districts, there are streets in NYC that will congested at 2 or 3 AM.
There is a pizza place in our neighborhood, where there is a line of drunk clubbers at 3 AM. One reason is the owners are morons and do not know how to move a line but the other is there a lot people out at all hours.
Just use common sense and common courtesy and you will be fine.
Jul 12th, 2011, 11:06 AM
#22
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We got the Affina 50 via Travel Zoo for approx $200 a nt (March). Having a small kitchen defintely saved us money by allowing us to have breakfast, cold beverages & such in the room. My bad, yes I meant Museum of Natural History.
Jul 12th, 2011, 12:03 PM
#24
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1) "But, is it really that abrupt in NYC? I think that we might be a bit more laid back here in Houston."
We aren't 'fixin to do anything in NYC, we just do it. If Houston is anything like Dallas, you'll find that our pace is a LOT faster than you're used to. Stay out of the flow of traffic (foot traffic on the sidewalks AND in the crosswalks when crossing the street) and you'll be fine. (When crossing the street, we just cross - we expect drivers to not hit us.)
2) For some varied (and pretty cheap) Italian food in the theater district, try Sbarro's at 1606 Broadway (at 49th).
We aren't 'fixin to do anything in NYC, we just do it. If Houston is anything like Dallas, you'll find that our pace is a LOT faster than you're used to. Stay out of the flow of traffic (foot traffic on the sidewalks AND in the crosswalks when crossing the street) and you'll be fine. (When crossing the street, we just cross - we expect drivers to not hit us.)
2) For some varied (and pretty cheap) Italian food in the theater district, try Sbarro's at 1606 Broadway (at 49th).
Jul 12th, 2011, 12:25 PM
#25
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Two suggestions, for good pizza check out Angelo's they have 3 midtown locations (for some reason their website doesn't list the one in the Ed Sullivan Theater (David Letterman) which is the most convenient to the theater district, all 3 have nice restaurant seating and reasonably priced, for Manhattan that is!
http://www.angelospizzany.com/menus.htm
Also there is a boutique hotel called the Carvi on East 55th Street, convenient to the Subways and withing walking distance of Rockerfeller Center. It opened a couple of years ago so the rooms should be in pretty good shape. It gets good reviews on TripAdvisor so you may want to check it out. There's also a Marriott Courtyard on 3rd Avenue & 52 Street that's convenient to all of midtown and seems to be priced at $339 but you can probably do better with an AAA, senior, military, corporate rate, etc.
Best of luck and enjoy your stay in NYC.
http://www.angelospizzany.com/menus.htm
Also there is a boutique hotel called the Carvi on East 55th Street, convenient to the Subways and withing walking distance of Rockerfeller Center. It opened a couple of years ago so the rooms should be in pretty good shape. It gets good reviews on TripAdvisor so you may want to check it out. There's also a Marriott Courtyard on 3rd Avenue & 52 Street that's convenient to all of midtown and seems to be priced at $339 but you can probably do better with an AAA, senior, military, corporate rate, etc.
Best of luck and enjoy your stay in NYC.
Jul 12th, 2011, 02:45 PM
#26
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"When crossing the street, we just cross - we expect drivers to not hit us."
@RukbatsRamblings, this cracks me up!! I'm not sure I can do this...
Now that you all have given me some realistic price points for hotels and some links (thank you!!), I feel like I am finding some great options. I will let you know what we decide.
@RukbatsRamblings, this cracks me up!! I'm not sure I can do this...
Now that you all have given me some realistic price points for hotels and some links (thank you!!), I feel like I am finding some great options. I will let you know what we decide.
Jul 12th, 2011, 06:44 PM
#27
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I would like to point out that millions of tourists visit NYC every year and navigate the sidewalks without having read Adu's rules. And yet, they, and the New Yorkers around them, survive. grants04, you sound like a considerate and thoughtful person, I am sure you will do fine.
Jul 12th, 2011, 06:44 PM
#28
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"When crossing the street, we just cross - we expect drivers to not hit us."
@RukbatsRamblings, this cracks me up!! I'm not sure I can do this...
Feel free to follow the traffic lights. Some people do.
@RukbatsRamblings, this cracks me up!! I'm not sure I can do this...
Feel free to follow the traffic lights. Some people do.
Jul 12th, 2011, 08:26 PM
#29
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2) For some varied (and pretty cheap) Italian food in the theater district, try Sbarro's at 1606 Broadway (at 49th).
That is not Italian food that is Sbarro's.
If you really want to experience New York, do not eat at chains with the exception of Le Pain Quotidien. There is so much good food here, it would be ashame to waste your time and money there.
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I recently ate the Angelo's next to Letterman, it was fine but not on my top pizza places list.
That is not Italian food that is Sbarro's.
If you really want to experience New York, do not eat at chains with the exception of Le Pain Quotidien. There is so much good food here, it would be ashame to waste your time and money there.
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I recently ate the Angelo's next to Letterman, it was fine but not on my top pizza places list.
Jul 13th, 2011, 05:29 AM
#32
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HappyTrvlr: "I would trust Adu on NY pizza as well as his other NY dining recommendations."
Why would you give tourists visiting for the first time, pizza recommendations in Brooklyn and the East Village??
Something tells me they would rather stay in midtown, particularly the theater district. They may serve great pizza on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx (technically NYC), but I wouldn't send a first time tourist there, sometimes parcticality wins out.
Besides pizza is a subjective thing, what you think is great, someone else thinks is nothing special. I happen to think Angelo's serves a good pizza with a good ambiance in convenient locations at reasonable prices. Is it the best in the City? I wouldn't know I haven't tried every pizzeria and I don't think you will find a consensus of opinion on the topic.
Why would you give tourists visiting for the first time, pizza recommendations in Brooklyn and the East Village??
Something tells me they would rather stay in midtown, particularly the theater district. They may serve great pizza on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx (technically NYC), but I wouldn't send a first time tourist there, sometimes parcticality wins out.
Besides pizza is a subjective thing, what you think is great, someone else thinks is nothing special. I happen to think Angelo's serves a good pizza with a good ambiance in convenient locations at reasonable prices. Is it the best in the City? I wouldn't know I haven't tried every pizzeria and I don't think you will find a consensus of opinion on the topic.
Jul 13th, 2011, 07:42 AM
#33
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This is a long standing argument of which I have stopped arguing. If someone wants to go a place that is convenient, than that will just leave tables open at the better spots.
There are thousands of restaurants in NYC and we probably have the world's great diversity of ethnic food. And part of the NY experience is tasting the world. So if someone wants to eat somehwere because it is convenient, they are ones that are not having full NY adventure.
And Frank, Arthur Avenue and The Bronx are not techincally New York City, The Bronx is part of the New York City and the only part connected by land to the rest of the United States.
There are thousands of restaurants in NYC and we probably have the world's great diversity of ethnic food. And part of the NY experience is tasting the world. So if someone wants to eat somehwere because it is convenient, they are ones that are not having full NY adventure.
And Frank, Arthur Avenue and The Bronx are not techincally New York City, The Bronx is part of the New York City and the only part connected by land to the rest of the United States.
Jul 15th, 2011, 10:23 AM
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We were recently in NYC and I reported on it here....
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-big-apple.cfm
We were 4 adults and 1 child and got a great deal at Affinia's Eastgate Tower Hotel for $219 a night. And we used Carmel car service from Newark into Manhattan.
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-big-apple.cfm
We were 4 adults and 1 child and got a great deal at Affinia's Eastgate Tower Hotel for $219 a night. And we used Carmel car service from Newark into Manhattan.
Jul 15th, 2011, 10:27 AM
#36
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We went to NYC two years ago (or maybe three) when my kids were about your kids' ages. We stayed at the Blakely Hotel -- great location -- you could walk to many things. Big enough room for all of us to feel comfortable.
Agree with doing Top of the Rock. See Central Park -- we did a bike tour that was wonderful! I wrote a trip report, should be on this forum if you search. Enjoy NYC!
Agree with doing Top of the Rock. See Central Park -- we did a bike tour that was wonderful! I wrote a trip report, should be on this forum if you search. Enjoy NYC!
Jul 15th, 2011, 11:47 AM
#37
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Frank, you said: "Why would you give tourists visiting for the first time, pizza recommendations in Brooklyn and the East Village??"
I would do so because that's where some of the best pizza places in NYC are located. My personal favorites for NYC pizza, by the way, are Grimaldi's and John's -- and while Di Fara's pizza is the best I've ever had in the city, I wouldn't recommend them on any other parameter of the eating out experience. Grimaldi's and Di Fara are in Brooklyn, John's is in Greenwich Village and Times Square. Just because Pizza Hut has convenient tourist based locations in Manhattan doesn't mean one should bother to stop into any of them. And that goes especially for RukbatsRamblings's suggestion to try Sbarro, which is a chain and in my experience a pretty darned awful one.
Frank, you also said: "And we all know what a gourmet Adu is?"
Aduchamp1 is a long-time poster here with a distinguished track record. I don't agree with everything he says (heck, I can say that about everyone here), but he's right a lot of the time and I think a valuable voice on this forum.
I would do so because that's where some of the best pizza places in NYC are located. My personal favorites for NYC pizza, by the way, are Grimaldi's and John's -- and while Di Fara's pizza is the best I've ever had in the city, I wouldn't recommend them on any other parameter of the eating out experience. Grimaldi's and Di Fara are in Brooklyn, John's is in Greenwich Village and Times Square. Just because Pizza Hut has convenient tourist based locations in Manhattan doesn't mean one should bother to stop into any of them. And that goes especially for RukbatsRamblings's suggestion to try Sbarro, which is a chain and in my experience a pretty darned awful one.
Frank, you also said: "And we all know what a gourmet Adu is?"
Aduchamp1 is a long-time poster here with a distinguished track record. I don't agree with everything he says (heck, I can say that about everyone here), but he's right a lot of the time and I think a valuable voice on this forum.
Jul 15th, 2011, 11:52 AM
#38
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Thank you Bachslunch, that is very kind of you.
I rarely write about expensive restaurants, but here if you are opininated about pizza, then you qualify as a gourmet. Standards shift as the argument dictates.
I rarely write about expensive restaurants, but here if you are opininated about pizza, then you qualify as a gourmet. Standards shift as the argument dictates.
Jul 15th, 2011, 12:06 PM
#39
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We went to the Empire State Building on a weekday morning and there were virtually no lines getting in. Maybe 10 minutes? So I wouldn't worry as long as you can get there early, it did start getting busy later. And by early I mean 10:00, so not even THAT early. If you do the Empire State Building, I think the audio tour is worth it. Only one of you would need to get the headset and you could share.
Jul 15th, 2011, 12:12 PM
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Oh, and as for the Statue of Liberty, I don't think climbing the crown is worth it at all (did it about 10 years ago) but this time we did the island again with an audio tour and I got so much more out of it. I really appreciate the statue now in a way I didn't before (it's so easy to see it as tacky because of all of the awful tourist souvenirs). So I do think it's worth it to actually get out and see the statue, not just from the Staten Island Ferry.
