Christmas in New York- critique of itinerary needed
Dec 11th, 2006, 05:35 AM
#21
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If it's not cold, I'd suggest skipping South Street Seaport in favor of a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. If it is cold, then you could just go to Chinatown for lunch.
I'd also strongly second the suggestion that you skip the Guggenheim, which is easily the worst museum in NYC (of course, if you are mad about Spanish art, then that's the current exhibit, and you might do it anyway). Go to the Museum of Natural History instead. Your seven year-old will like that much better. OR just got to the zoo in Central Park.
Just so you know, there's not really anything to see on the Lower East Side, nor is it the nicest neighborhood to walk around in. But there will be very little open on Christmas Day. That's actually a nice day to go into Central Park if it's not too cold. But the tradition of Chinese food on Christmas Day is a long-standing one here in New York. Shun Lee, near Lincoln Center, is a terrific upscale place if you don't want to go all the way to Chinatown, but you absolutely must have reservations.
I'd also strongly second the suggestion that you skip the Guggenheim, which is easily the worst museum in NYC (of course, if you are mad about Spanish art, then that's the current exhibit, and you might do it anyway). Go to the Museum of Natural History instead. Your seven year-old will like that much better. OR just got to the zoo in Central Park.
Just so you know, there's not really anything to see on the Lower East Side, nor is it the nicest neighborhood to walk around in. But there will be very little open on Christmas Day. That's actually a nice day to go into Central Park if it's not too cold. But the tradition of Chinese food on Christmas Day is a long-standing one here in New York. Shun Lee, near Lincoln Center, is a terrific upscale place if you don't want to go all the way to Chinatown, but you absolutely must have reservations.
Dec 11th, 2006, 06:17 AM
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Hello! I would also recommend that you consider moving Top of the Rock to Sunday. You'll already be at Rockefeller Center, and you should have plenty of time to do that before the show. (I was there with my in-laws this weekend, and it took us about an hour tops)
At that time of year, given heightened traffic/weather, it's very likely your flight could be delayed coming in. I would instead plan to spend Friday night having a nice dinner and walking around to see the sights of the city, rather than something with a confirmed time (which will likely just stress you out on your first night!)
Plus, a perk of going to Top of the Rock in the daytime is you can see a stunning view of Central Park!
At that time of year, given heightened traffic/weather, it's very likely your flight could be delayed coming in. I would instead plan to spend Friday night having a nice dinner and walking around to see the sights of the city, rather than something with a confirmed time (which will likely just stress you out on your first night!)
Plus, a perk of going to Top of the Rock in the daytime is you can see a stunning view of Central Park!
Dec 14th, 2006, 04:05 AM
#23
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Thanks for all of the additional suggestions! We've decided to skip South Street Seaport, The Guggenheim and The Lower East Side. We are also going to see about changing The Top of the Rock to Sunday. We shouldn't be all that tired when we arrive (3 1/2 hour non-stop flight) but, I like the idea of not having a set schedule when we arrive and a warmer time of day sounds like a better option.
...so excited!
...so excited!
Dec 14th, 2006, 07:09 PM
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Just a suggestion. You may want to consider the American Girl Place for your 7 yr old daughter. You can shop and also eat. I recommend brunch or tea. The lunch and dinner seem super crowded. You could visit it between skating with Santa and the Mary Poppins show. Call ahead for reservations if you are interested. It's on 49th St.( about 2 blocks from Radio City) I would skip the Build a bear- you can get that anywhere. Another suggestion for fun with a child is the Central Park Zoo- yes it is open in winter. Your child might recognize the clock and other landmarks from the movie Madagascar. Enjoy your trip- imo nothing beats nyc.
Nov 1st, 2007, 06:33 AM
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As the cold weather approaches, I am reminded of our wonderful trip to New York City last Christmas. I wanted to post a trip report and one thing has led to another during the year and I haven't found the time. I am currently at home with the flu and going a bit stir crazy. I figured better late than never to express my sincere thanks to all of you who helped so much in the planning.
We arrived at LaGuardia and were promptly picked up by Carmel car service. The driver was great and I was quite pleased with the service. We arrived at our hotel. The room was tiny. The location was fantastic.
Pjayactor recommended dining at Utopia. It was within easy walking distance and the staff was great. This provided a welcoming atmosphere for us all. I felt comfortable. I tried to find the pic that pjayactor mentioned. I didn't. Yet, I felt a special bond in being in a restaurant that you frequent.
After dining, we tried to walk around the area a bit. It was cold and started to rain. We toughed it out for about a block and eventually made it back to the hotel.
The next morning, we awoke and headed over to Central Park. The big apple greeter tour did not come about. We love parks and we were overwhelmed by the beauty of this particular park. We walked around for quite a while and took a touristy carriage ride. That was enjoyable. I don't think that I would pay to do it again though.
We walked the several blocks to DT - UT. We had indoor smores and we bought some sandwiched to carry along with us. This was a great place. My daughter loved the atmosphere.
We headed back to Central Park and crossed the heavily wooded area. We eventually ended up near the MET. We absolutely love all forms of art and this was quite a treat. We did not attempt to see everything nor would we have been able to. We did see a lot.
On Dec. 24th, we did the breakfast with Santa at the Rockefeller Center. This is a bit expensive and some may find it a bit cheesy. However, we loved it. A nice breakfast was served, we were afforded a perfect view of the ice skaters, Santa posed for a pic with my daughter and ice skating tickets were included in the price. We found the whole deal to be quite magical.
Arriving back to our tiny hotel room, we rested for a moment, changed clothes and caught a cab to the Mary Poppins show. This was the highlight of the trip. We are active in theatre in our area. However, we had never been to a Broadway musical. It was amazing.
Afterwards, we walked around the much crowded Times Square area. The huge signs, the lights, the various stores...it was more than we would've ever expected. We went to several stores. I believe it was on this afternoon that we stumbled upon ToysRUs, the Hershey store, and American Girl Place. We did not have to wait in line at any of the locations. In fact, American Girl Place had few customers and we were able to browse and purchase at our leisure. I'm not sure if I enjoyed this place more than my 7 year old daughter. If I didn't enjoy it more, I would say I ran a close second. If it were terribly busy during the visit, my views would have probably differed.
Eventually, we were dead tired with all of the hustle and bustle of the Times Square area. We headed back to our hotel, walked down the street and found a place to eat at.
On the 25th, we skipped the Lower East Side as recommended. Instead, we headed straight to Chinatown. This was interesting...quite dirty. We managed to find a restaurant down a side street and it was quite clean and the food was great. Afterwards, we visited various shops and bought all sorts of inexpensive souvenirs.
We skipped the break to Central Park as we caught it on our first full day. Instead, we took a short rest at the hotel and headed to the Big Apple Circus. This was one of our favorite attractions and I would certainly recommended it as a must-see during the holiday season. This allows you to check out the Lincoln center as well. It is beautifully lit up during Christmas as is all of Manhattan.
On the 26th, we headed to the Staten Island Ferry spot and we took a ride. This afforded beautiful views of New York City and it was nice to see the Statue of Liberty. The entire trip was a bit time consuming. However, I felt that it was well worth it.
We walked around the area after departing the ferry. We happened upon the WTC site and I couldn't believe the amount of destruction still visible at this late date. I cannot begin to imagine what this looked like right after the destruction took place. I am glad that we were able to witness all of this.
As per great advice, we skipped South Street Seaport and The Guggenheim. We opted to go to the Museum of Natural History. We all enjoyed it. I believe that we ate while there. If it is the place I am thinking of, it was sort of a large food court type deal. It was crowded, the food was overpriced and the food just wasn't good.
December 27th ran almost as scheduled. Our day included: FAO Schwarz (jam-packed but magical all the same),Build-A-Bear Workshop (waited in line...daughter was insistent on going...ended up with quite a number of cute bear outfits),library tour, and Sony Technology Lab.
December 28th, we planned to pack and arrive at airport. However, we still had those ice skating tickets for the Rockefeller Center. We zoomed over to the area, waited in a semi-short line and skated for a bit. I hadn't skated in 20 years or so. I used to be fairly good at it. It took some tries to get used to it and I began to feel quite comfortable with it. I increased my speed and had a huge smile as I whizzed past my husband. Next thing I knew, I slipped and my head banged onto the ice. Quite a headache on the plane home...still consider it an experience...
This belated report is not all-inclusive. We ate at various spots that were not mentioned, we went to the Top of The Rock at some point and loved the view of Central Park and The Empire State Building. We also stumbled across other activities. We rode the subway basically everywhere. My 7 year old LOVED that. We took a taxi to the theatre. In retrospect, we should've utilized the subway at that point as well.
To sum it up, your city is amazing. We expected this to be a once in a lifetime thing. Now we can hardly wait to return. Thanks to the fodors editor and everyone else for your outstanding advice. You helped us realize the ultimate trip.
We arrived at LaGuardia and were promptly picked up by Carmel car service. The driver was great and I was quite pleased with the service. We arrived at our hotel. The room was tiny. The location was fantastic.
Pjayactor recommended dining at Utopia. It was within easy walking distance and the staff was great. This provided a welcoming atmosphere for us all. I felt comfortable. I tried to find the pic that pjayactor mentioned. I didn't. Yet, I felt a special bond in being in a restaurant that you frequent.
After dining, we tried to walk around the area a bit. It was cold and started to rain. We toughed it out for about a block and eventually made it back to the hotel.The next morning, we awoke and headed over to Central Park. The big apple greeter tour did not come about. We love parks and we were overwhelmed by the beauty of this particular park. We walked around for quite a while and took a touristy carriage ride. That was enjoyable. I don't think that I would pay to do it again though.
We walked the several blocks to DT - UT. We had indoor smores and we bought some sandwiched to carry along with us. This was a great place. My daughter loved the atmosphere.
We headed back to Central Park and crossed the heavily wooded area. We eventually ended up near the MET. We absolutely love all forms of art and this was quite a treat. We did not attempt to see everything nor would we have been able to. We did see a lot.
On Dec. 24th, we did the breakfast with Santa at the Rockefeller Center. This is a bit expensive and some may find it a bit cheesy. However, we loved it. A nice breakfast was served, we were afforded a perfect view of the ice skaters, Santa posed for a pic with my daughter and ice skating tickets were included in the price. We found the whole deal to be quite magical.
Arriving back to our tiny hotel room, we rested for a moment, changed clothes and caught a cab to the Mary Poppins show. This was the highlight of the trip. We are active in theatre in our area. However, we had never been to a Broadway musical. It was amazing.
Afterwards, we walked around the much crowded Times Square area. The huge signs, the lights, the various stores...it was more than we would've ever expected. We went to several stores. I believe it was on this afternoon that we stumbled upon ToysRUs, the Hershey store, and American Girl Place. We did not have to wait in line at any of the locations. In fact, American Girl Place had few customers and we were able to browse and purchase at our leisure. I'm not sure if I enjoyed this place more than my 7 year old daughter. If I didn't enjoy it more, I would say I ran a close second. If it were terribly busy during the visit, my views would have probably differed.
Eventually, we were dead tired with all of the hustle and bustle of the Times Square area. We headed back to our hotel, walked down the street and found a place to eat at.
On the 25th, we skipped the Lower East Side as recommended. Instead, we headed straight to Chinatown. This was interesting...quite dirty. We managed to find a restaurant down a side street and it was quite clean and the food was great. Afterwards, we visited various shops and bought all sorts of inexpensive souvenirs.
We skipped the break to Central Park as we caught it on our first full day. Instead, we took a short rest at the hotel and headed to the Big Apple Circus. This was one of our favorite attractions and I would certainly recommended it as a must-see during the holiday season. This allows you to check out the Lincoln center as well. It is beautifully lit up during Christmas as is all of Manhattan.
On the 26th, we headed to the Staten Island Ferry spot and we took a ride. This afforded beautiful views of New York City and it was nice to see the Statue of Liberty. The entire trip was a bit time consuming. However, I felt that it was well worth it.
We walked around the area after departing the ferry. We happened upon the WTC site and I couldn't believe the amount of destruction still visible at this late date. I cannot begin to imagine what this looked like right after the destruction took place. I am glad that we were able to witness all of this.
As per great advice, we skipped South Street Seaport and The Guggenheim. We opted to go to the Museum of Natural History. We all enjoyed it. I believe that we ate while there. If it is the place I am thinking of, it was sort of a large food court type deal. It was crowded, the food was overpriced and the food just wasn't good.
December 27th ran almost as scheduled. Our day included: FAO Schwarz (jam-packed but magical all the same),Build-A-Bear Workshop (waited in line...daughter was insistent on going...ended up with quite a number of cute bear outfits),library tour, and Sony Technology Lab.
December 28th, we planned to pack and arrive at airport. However, we still had those ice skating tickets for the Rockefeller Center. We zoomed over to the area, waited in a semi-short line and skated for a bit. I hadn't skated in 20 years or so. I used to be fairly good at it. It took some tries to get used to it and I began to feel quite comfortable with it. I increased my speed and had a huge smile as I whizzed past my husband. Next thing I knew, I slipped and my head banged onto the ice. Quite a headache on the plane home...still consider it an experience...
This belated report is not all-inclusive. We ate at various spots that were not mentioned, we went to the Top of The Rock at some point and loved the view of Central Park and The Empire State Building. We also stumbled across other activities. We rode the subway basically everywhere. My 7 year old LOVED that. We took a taxi to the theatre. In retrospect, we should've utilized the subway at that point as well.
To sum it up, your city is amazing. We expected this to be a once in a lifetime thing. Now we can hardly wait to return. Thanks to the fodors editor and everyone else for your outstanding advice. You helped us realize the ultimate trip.
