tamaraten

musicfan-I agree; I'm getting great advice. Thanks for map suggestion.

nyer - it sounds like I really have to go to the Apple store on 5th!

I just looked online exactly where Tenement museum is, etc.

Could I have suggestions please on what would be paired nicely with the Tenement - I see from their site and link that the Russ and Daughters restaurant has received incredible reviews. Maybe there for lunch after museum.

I need suggestions incorporating the Tenement Museum, maybe neighbourhoods around there like Chinatown & Soho, the Brooklyn Bridge (with Grimaldi's and Brooklyn Ice Cream), and the WTC and Battery Park. Plus boat ride?? I don't have a sense of how long all the logistics of this would take because I'm unfamiliar with the distances, transportation and reasonable time at each site, also taking into account not wanting to rush through things.

Would this be a two-day deal? (oh I forgot...and Ellis Island?)

doug_stallings

There is no "best" first thing, but I'd do something that makes a real impression on her. On my first trip to NYC, the first thing I did (literally after getting off the airport bus at the Port Authority) was to walk over to TKTS and buy half-price tickets. Then I had a hot dog at Nathan's (the real one, not the awful fast-food tourist trip it is these days). Then I had cheesecake at Lindy's, followed by my first Broadway show (Into the Woods). That made an impression on me.

The area around the Tenement Museum is the Lower East Side, which has numerous trendy bars and restaurants as well as good shopping. It's fairly close to SoHo, but there are a lot of better things nearby, including the original Donut Plant on Grand Street, il laboratorio del gelato, lots of traditional Jewish businesses, the Meatball Shop, etc. YOu could spend hours just in the Lower East Side if you want to explore it thoroughly. I'm not sure how much a 14 year-old will be interested in the shopping, but there is also Economy Candy. It's not really at all close to Brooklyn, so that's a different trip, as is the Brooklyn Bridge, though it could be tacked onto the end, after a walk through Chinatown.

musicfan

We had breakfast at the Doughnut Plant the day we did the Tenement Museum. For that day we really just wandered through Chinatown and then Little Italy...basically kind of made a big circle (oval?), very random, but that was fine...we just wanted to get a feel for the area.

doug_stallings

I should clarify one thing: Russ and Daughters is not a restaurant. It's a store. And it's not a real draw unless you are particularly fond of smoked or picked fish. That's what they specialize in.

Also: I'm not aware of long waits at Top of the Rock. The easiest way is to just walk over to Rock Center and buy a ticket from one of the myriad booths. Tickets are timed, so if it's a busy tourist day you might have to wait a few minutes, but I've never encountered a long line. The Empire State Building is a different story entirely and not recommended (by me at least).

The only way to streamline your entry into Ellis Island is to book a time in advance. A few weeks in advance should get you a decent time. It's best to go first thing in the morning, but you need to have several hours. This isn't a quick trip. It requires waiting in line, going through security, taking a ferry, and then exploring a very interesting but crowded museum (watch the film if you go). Skip Liberty Island entirely. It's the first stop, and with the Statue closed there's just nothing to warrant getting off.

We have several Apple Stores, including a great one in Grand Central and ones in SoHo and west 14th St. The Fifth Avenue store isn't my favorite. It's way too crowded, and the others have great stuff going on, though Soho (Prince Street) is still undergoing a major renovation, I believe, so it's a bit more cramped than normal.

tamaraten

Doug_Stahllings - your "first thing" sounds wonderful. I think you're really right about having something make an impression - that's really what I mean - something really memorable. At the same time, I was hoping to at the start of the trip give her some "context" - hoping that that and the impression would meld!

What would you group with the Tenement Museum for a 14-yr-old then? I appreciate your thoughts that the LES might not be too interesting to explore for her. Is Chinatown/Little Italy
interesting for a teenager do you think?

Thanks for clarification re Russ and Daughters - didn't realize it wasn't a restaurant.

Also, sounds like you're not too thrilled with Ellis Island - would you not recommend?

musicfan

We did Top of the Rock on Memorial Day afternoon. We just walked in (eventually...it's on the lower level so took some doing to find it), bought our tickets and were up top in just a few minutes. For a $ cost per minute activity, it was probably one of the pricier things we did, but I can't imagine NOT doing it.

Lookin_Glass

Beware the posters that tell you what you must and must not do.

I love Grimaldi's. Would I wait 2 hours in line? Hell no, but maybe a half hour if the timing is right. What fun you will have!

Bowsprit

I've never had to wait on line at TOTR. A lunch at Grimaldi's will entail a long wait. Honestly. Go to John's in the West Village instead; you'll be much happier and the quality of the pizza is superior, imo. There's nothing special about Brooklyn Ice Cream. If you're really into ice cream, there are better places around. If you're looking for a fun afternoon, you'll enjoy pizza and an ice cream, that's for sure. (who wouldn't?)

btw: Bring cash for John's Pizza.

Bowsprit

Lkn-glass: That's funny! By telling her to 'beware' you've become the poster that has told her what to do!

The OP is a seasoned traveler; she's looking for recommendations and is perfectly capable of making up her own mind, I am assured.

So recommend away...

blh

We had 9:00 am tickets for the ferry to Ellis Island which I bought online. It takes about half hour to get to Ellis Island. We were there about 3-l/2 hours. You could spend longer than that, but we felt like we saw most of the exhibits. We didn't hurry through, but we didn't read everything either. We took the 45 minutes to see the video which gave us the history of Ellis Island. When we arrived at about 9:30, we were almost the only ones there, but it quickly got crowded after two or three more ferries arrived - they come about every 20 minutes. There were hundreds of school children - and some were not very well behaved or supervised. But by the time you go, school will be out, and it should be better. It wasn't that it was too crowded, just that the kids were running everywhere and made it a little overwhelming.

Our timed ticket to the Memorial wasn't until 5:30 pm, so we spent the afternoon (from about 1:30-5:30) in the area. There was plenty to do with Wall Street and the churches in the area. Trinity Church is right there and so is St. Paul's where all the World Trade Center memorial things are on display. WTC Memorial took less than an hour - probably 30 minutes. We should have tried to go in earlier, but our tickets said not to arrive more than 30 minutes prior to our time. But they really never looked at the time on our tickets. We did spend some time waiting in a cafe when we could have probably gone on to the memorial.

We didn't experience any waiting in long lines at Top of the Rock either. Our ticket was for 7:45 pm, and we went right in and right up on an elevator. Of course, we then waited until dark at about 8:30-8:45 so we could see the city lights. There were benches to sit on - so that helped. I had also heard that there could be long waits even with the pre-purchased tickets. We were there on a Sunday night, so that might have been better than a Friday or Saturday night.

You could also do Chinatown or the Brooklyn Bridge in the afternoon after Ellis Island. We took the subway to Brooklyn and walked back to Manhattan - this would be great to do at night as well. My timed tickets - 9:00 am for Ellis Island and 5:30 pm for the WTC Memorial took the whole day. The 5:30 tickets were all I could get. But it's possible that we could have gotten walk up tickets. I just didn't realize that.

VCanada

tamaraten - our plan for after the Tenement Museum is 'wandering with a purpose' through Chinatown - the purpose being trying $1 a plate dumplings and ending at the "Original chinatown icecream factory" www.chinatownicecreamfactory.com

Here is my google map of cheap dumpling places that one of several people I found through googling liked LOL. http://goo.gl/maps/hy0v

We go in July so I will let you know how it goes over.

We went up both ESB and TOTR. We did TOTR and ESB both. We got a timed ticket for TOTR and then went and grabbed dinner at Tri-Tip grill which was right by the entrance (we picked it because it was what we found close by but it was actually really good - salads, burgers, steak sandwiches). There were some elevator lines, but nothing unbearable. ESB we thought going after the theatre would be good - the worst thing about it was that the lines are very deceptive. After each corner it seemed like there was another line - then we got to the point like we felt we had invested too much time waiting to bail. And when we got to the top it was crowded, and a view we had already sort of seen, so we didn't spend much time there. But youngest son summed it up by saying it was the 'sight' that he enjoyed the least, but he was glad to know he had been up it...

And yes we did the Real New York tour our first FULL day (i.e. arrived on Sunday afternoon... spent Monday on the tour)

As far as travel times, I used both google maps and hopstop to get transit and walking distances between places that gave a good indicator when planning.

Lookin_Glass

I must be the only person on this forum that had a horrible experience with TOR.

Certainly, I should have known better as we had just left a Rockettes Holiday show, BUT, we walked in to a no line downstairs area, where we purchased tickets for 10- minutes later. Well it wasn't until we were told where to line up that we realized that the reservation in 10 minutes was over an hour wait. By the time we realized, it was too late to turn back, and by the time we got to the top we had to consider the hour long line down in order to make our dinner reservation. The ticket people basically lied to us that we had a reservation. It was a really really bad experience.

I only share this, as I was foolish to trust that we were in a 10 minute line. I am sure you will not have that issue during your visit, but perhaps my story will make you be pro active when purchasing tickets.

And yes, I think if it is a quiet night that would be a lovely way to introduce your daughter to NYC including the stroll!

Bowsprit

Don't forget to Look Up! when you're ascending in the elevator. A twilight or visit at dusk is especially appealing.

I wouldn't miss Ellis Island. You can easily spend a day there but 1/2 day might be enough for you. Get on the first trip in the morning!

doug_stallings

I actually really like Ellis Island. It's an incredibly worthwhile experience, but it's not a fast one. That's all I meant. You have to budget at least a half-day for this to really get something out of it. Now the Statue of Liberty is a different story ... right now at least. Since the statue itself is closed, I find absolutely nothing interesting about Liberty Island. You can even get a better view of the statue on the Staten Island ferry.

I think TOTR is busier on some days, and the Christmas holidays is one of the heaviest crushes of tourists NYC ever sees. I went to Rockefeller Plaza one night after the tree was lit, and it was scarily crowded. That's not the case right now, though it is very busy. But I've been up twice and didn't encounter a line either time. Nothing.

Your daughter might enjoy the frenetic atmosphere of Chinatown more than the Lower East Side, but I love the LES myself. And there's a much better range of dining options. But I"d still try to set aside some time to have dim sum in Chinatown. That's well worthwhile.

I'm sure you'll have a good time regardless of how you schedule your time. Just realize that, except for stuff you have pre-booked and paid for, you can always change your mind if you get tired or just have a change of mood. Don't feel like Brooklyn? Save it for another trip. Have a hankering for dim sum early? Then do it. Don't get too hung up on itineraries. That's my best advice.

doug_stallings

Sorry ... I keep remembering things I wanted to tell you. If you are ever looking for a nice meal close to our hotel, consider Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecote, which is on the corner of 52nd and Lexington. It's a French steakhouse with exactly one meal and nothing else: a salad with vinaigrette and walnuts, and then a slice sirloin steak with their delicious secret sauce. And good bread. They also have good cheap wine and decent ice cream desserts. It's a reasonably priced restaurant by NYC standards.

tamaraten

Bowsprit - when you say get to Ellis Island first thing, do you mean for less crowds? What would you pair that with given my list and people's suggestions? (ie. Brooklyn Bridge, Tenement Museum, LES in general, Chinatown, WTC..) Never heard of John's in all my reading - thanks for recommending.

Lookin_Glass - you might be the minority on this Forum re TOTR line-hassle, but believe me, I've read so many types of reviews on TOTR, and there are many that talk about experiences you describe. That's what caused me to ask about TOTR lines to begin with. It's not unreasonable that you would trust the place from where you purchased the tickets!!

Doug_Stallings - Whatever you remember is appreciated!! Even if it's in many different posts - I love hearing all the great advice and recommendations. It truly helps, as indecisive as I sound at the moment!

VCanada - I look forward to hearing about your trip - when do you get back?

blh - thanks for very informative answer re timings.

BTW, for all who have done TOTR - Is it anything at all like going up to the top of the EIffel Tower in their elevators? I did this in March and never ever had a fear of heights in my life. I felt really scared for the first time ever, and really nauseated. Maybe I'm starting to have a problem with heights in my (mid-40's) old-age (!), but wondering about this re TOTR.

VCanada

tamaraten - we will be back July 15th and I will let you know how things go

When we rented bikes and biked over the Brooklyn Bridge we got them from Rock and Roll bikes that was right beside the boats to Ellis Island. We also went first thing (tickets for the 9am ferry) and really liked the Ellis Island museum. So the Brooklyn Bridge might be a good one to combine with the Island. Although we haven't gone to the Tenement Museum yet, I would think that the stories from Ellis Island and from the Museum are similar enough in theme that I would personally want to put them to two different days (and maybe Ellis Island first) so that each experience had a chance to sink in on its own. We've found that for us it is always good to combine a 'brain activity' with something more active (like a walk or a bike).

Doug's advice about flexible itineraries is I think really good. Even with our 'packed full of things' trip last year had no more than one 'planned activity' per day. Each one of us picked the one thing that we didn't want to miss, and we scheduled in that, and then we had options for the rest of the day. We still ended up packing a lot in, but it didn't feel packed in because most of it was optional (if that makes sense).

And the TOTR elevators are more just like an office building, not like the Eiffel tower

Centralparkgirl

The Apple glass cube and staircase on 5th should be seen. But be prepared to not spend much time there. It is the highest grossing Apple store in the world and the most crowded. Sometimes, it's oppressive. So see it, but if your daughter wants to sit and use the iPads, PowerBooks, etc., GC is the place. I was there yesterday, and there were plenty of places to sit and plenty of Apple staff to speak to. The GC self tour is worthwhile and there are some shops, markets and places to eat while there.

skatedancer

agree that you should pick one sight for the day, and then have a list of nearby neighborhoods and possibilities and then just see how you feel. It will be tiring!

When it comes to the food recommendations, I would just carry the list of places with you and if you happen to be near one when you're hungry, then give that place a try if you want. I find that many of these places don't meet the high expectations (Jacques Torres and John's Pizza come to mind for me); they're good, but not so great as to make a special trip for, at least IMO.

You will find so many charming and interesting restaurants and food choices along the way; don't miss out on making your own discoveries.

I wanted to add to your list: Washington Square Park (in the Village). There are entertainers and a fabulous chalk picture guy near the arch. I am pretty sure you can find them every day of the week, but maybe someone else can chime in on that.

Bryant Park is also a nice respite (behind the main branch of the Public Library).

skatedancer

I also agree that if you are looking for a whiz bang / orienting stop for your first day, to do TOTR for that (and wander Rock Center area) maybe also head to Central park -- Don't go in Central park after dark though! New York is really safe, but I am pretty sure that this is still one of the caveats for anyone there.....