NYtravel1

Friends,

Please comment on the following itinerary. We are staying at Hilton on the 57th so meal locations (cheaper but something worth experiencing) nearby would be immensely appreciated.

Yes, I am sure we have crammed more than we can see. That's why I am posting to ask you!!

Day 1: Arrive in the evening. Dinner and meet with friends. Stay at Hilton on the 57th.

Day 2: Buy CityPass

1. Breakfast where?
2. Empire State Building
3. Grand central terminal: audio tour
4. Rockefeller Ctr or walk up 5th Ave or NBC Studios. Coupon at DestinationCoupons.com.
5. Lunch??
6. MOMA- Museum of Modern Art. 2hr. 30min minimum.
7. Dinner location? Show?? Or just walk the Theater District. Or visit Timesquare.

Day 3: Lower Manhattan
1. New York Stock Exchange at 11 Wall St. + Breakfast
2. Battery Park. Ferry to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
3. World trade center site: Late lunch nearby?
4. Chinatown.
5. Little Italy. Dinner? 5:30
6. Subway or Bus to Brooklyn Nets Game. See Brooklyn Bridge and views.

Day 4:
1. Early Breakfast near hotel
2. Lincoln Center Tour
-The Juilliard School
-Metropolitan Opera House
-New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
-David Koch Theater (home of the NYC Ballet)
-Avery Fisher Hall (home of the NY Philharmonic Orchestra)
-Alice Tully Hall (home of the Chamber Music Society)
3. Walk to Central Park and do the South End Self-Guided Tour.
-The Pond and Hallett Nature Sanctuary
-Chess and Checkers House
-Wollman Skating Rink
4. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Allow 3hrs minimum. Lunch ?
5. Walk towards Guggenheim Museum. Allow 2 hrs minimum.
6. Broadway: Newsies. -Dinner?
7. See timesquare in the night.

Day 5:
1. Breakfast with friends
2. Three hour time window.
3. Flight out of LaGuardia at 2 pm

nytraveler

Not sure when you are coming - but a couple of notes:

Do NOT buy the City Pass - it's practically impossible to make it pay for itself and the other benefits are illusory - just a waste of money

If it;s soon I believe that Liberty Island is still closed (damaged during Sandy_ so no way to get to the SoL. If it's open you need to get ferry tickets far in advance. If you do the Sol and Ellis Island you need to figure 5 to 6 hours including the various ferries - so it will take almost the whole day even if you get an 8 am ferry

For b'way tickets get them discounted in advance at Broadwaybox.com - rather than standing on line for an hour of you very limited time in NY

Top of the Rock is a better choice than the Empire State - you don;t have to wait on long lines (can get advance tickets) and the views are better

Stock Exchange is ot open to the public - so not a lot to see/do

And if Sol isopen you won;t get to World Trade Center (you need advance tickets) until late in the afternoon

Food in Little Italy (which is almost gone) isn;t very good at most places

And Chinatown is really just a place to shop for tschotkes

What to see in Cenral Park depends on when you are coming - trees are in bud in early April and not in leaf - or many fllowers - until mid or late April (so ot a lot ot see in the Park before then)

Also IMHO Guggenheim is a must miss - the building is interesting but exhibits are not much. It's difficult to do this along with the Met in one day.

And overall - yes you have too many places in the time allowed - and don;t appear to have left any time to get frm one palce to another (from your hotel down to South Ferry is 50 minutes or so).

darlenef17

I second the advice to NOT buy the City Pass - you won't get your money's worth.

DAY 2: Breakfast - there are tons of little places along the streets of NYC to get pastries, fruit cups, coffee, etc. I'd just pop into one of those or even a McDonald's if you're not opposed and save your $ and appetite for lunch and dinner. If you are a die hard breakfast person, this place should not be missed: http://goodenoughtoeat.com/

I would skip the ride to the top of the ESB. LONG lines to get a view similar to what you can get from any tall building. IMO - it was very anti-climatic. In the evening I would have an early dinner, see a show and then wander TS.

Day 3: You will have time for a quick look at Wall St. and Battery Park when you go to get the boat. No time for Chinatown and Little Italy on this day.

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are amazing - do them if you are able and be sure to watch the movie at Ellis Island. Allow 4-5 hours, including transportation.

DAY 4: Unless you're in NYC to see Museums, I would not go back to the Guggenheim. Use that time to "see" NYC - walk the Brooklyn Bridge from the Brooklyn side in the early evening to see the city lit up; go to Chinatown in the afternoon; wander around Soho, or anything that appeals to you. I would just try to set aside some time for the city itself.
For the Met, do your homework and pick out what you want to see ahead of time or you'll waste time much wandering and looking at maps.

Little Italy is basically just one street now - not much there and MUCH better Italian restaurants all over the city.

You need to cut a few things out as your current plan is really too full. Once you've been, you'll want to return, so put a few of those sights on your Second Visit List! Safe travels!

october_fun

We went to the Top of the Rock for our view of Manhattan. Spectacular view as you are seemingly in the middle. One side has Central Park so you get a great perspective of its size and the other side is the skyscrapers of the lower end with Empire State right in the middle. I preferred to have that view with ESB standing out amongst the other skyscrapers rather than being in it and not seeing it in the skyline. I took a great photo of my husband with the ESB next to him in the background. It is such a great building to have in the background.
I agree with the other posters about time. We did a walking tour of the 911 Memorial, Battery Park and then on to SOL and Ellis Island. It is a full day and the 911 memorial has to be prebooked as it is a timed visit. Our tour guide told us early morning is best before all the school excursions and make the lines even longer.
New York is fabulous and even after a week we only scratched the surface. So much we didnt get to see.

NYtravel1

Thank you, thank you! Note that I meant the NY City Pass (six attractions for $89 a pop), not the NY Pass (for hundreds of attractions).

Does this modified version seem okay? Definitely need recommendations for restaurants like goodenoughtoeat (thanks darlenef17!):

Day 1: Arrive in the evening. Dinner and meet with friends. Stay at Hilton on the 57th.

Day 2: Buy CityPass

1. Rockeffeler center tour with top of the rock, NBC studios, Ice rink:
- NEED BREAKFAST LOCATIONS NEARBY!
2. MOMA- Museum of Modern Art
- NEED LUNCH RECOMMENDATIONS NEARBY!
3. Dinner at Time square: Walk over to Time Square, visit empire state observatory if time allows, and walk broadway.

Day 3: Lower Manhattan

1.Metropolitan Museum of Art: Allow 3hrs minimum.
2. Lunch at Goodenoughtoeat on Upper west side
3. Lincoln Center tour
4. Walk through Central Park
-The Pond and Hallett Nature Sanctuary
-Chess and Checkers House
-Wollman Skating Rink
5. See Guggenheim on the outside
6. Brooklyn Nets game: See Brooklyn Bridge and views
- NEED DINNER LOCATIONS!

Day 4:

1. Breakfast on/near Wall street (ANY RECOMMENDATIONS?). See the Bull and buildings from the outside
2. Sol Harbor cruise
3. World Trade Center site
4. Subway to Chinatown
5. Newsies on Broadway and dinner nearby

Day 5:
1. Breakfast with friends
2. Three hour time window.
3. Flight out of LaGuardia at 2 pm

HappyTrvlr

Day 2 unch suggestions.. Near MoMA.. W.56th, between 5th and 6th has many good choices, from Chinese to French to burgers. Google "56th between 5th and 6th restaurants " to see .
On 6th between 55th and 56th, I have taken my grandkids to Pazza Notte, nice, Italian, good food,casual.
Dinner: Do NOT eat in Times Square! Look at Times Square,walk around taking it all in then leave to walk a short distance west to 9th Avenue for better choices, including ethnic restaurants. Restaurant Row 46th, between 8th and 9th also has many choices better than the chains in Times
Day 4: Wall St breakfast.. Eat near your mid town hotel. Or grab a bagel somewhere if time is an issue.

sf7307

I would also choose Ninth Avenue over Times Square for the plethora of restaurants, but if you happen to find yourself in T'S and want to eat, the Brooklyn Diner is a very good choice - their macaroni and cheese is the best I've ever had (still trying unsuccessfully to replicate it)

Teacherfish

Here is my suggested tweaked itinerary
Day Two
Don't buy any pass but the one for the New York City public transportation -subways and buses. Available in any subway station)
1)Walk to Rockefeller Center. Watch the rink. (Don't invest in the paid tours- really not worth it) Walk over look at Radio City, walk up 5th Avenue look at St Patrick's Cathedral, Take an uptown bus to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (pay what you want- suggested donation only) Spend the afternoon there. If you wanted to you could go farther uptown on the bus get off by the Guggenheim then walk down 5th Ave to the Met If it is still light when you emerge look at Central Park. If you aren't beat walk through the park to the West Side, take a bus or train down to Times Square. If you can't walk any more take public transportation to Times Square or splurge on a taxi

Find dinner on 9th Ave. Check out Yelp.com for restaurant suggestion. Then see a play.

Day 3
Walk up to Central Park, look around-don't feel obliged to hit any one spot. Walk west to Lincoln Center. Take the tour if you must, but again I think you can wander around for free and get the feel for it.Walk back to 8th Ave take subway to Chinatown. Walk around, eat there. Take the subway up to Greenwich Village if you are not beat, check out the scene there. If you have energy- and the weather is fair, go take a walk on the highline. http://www.thehighline.org/ Altternatively go east and check out the views of the Brooklyn Bridge. You can go to the Nets game if you can get tickets, but it is nowhere near the Bridge.

Day 4,
See MOMA in the morning. Take the subway to Downtown- you could get straight to Bowling Green where the Staten Island Ferry terminal is and check out the Bull, Wall Street and the Federal Reserve all within a few blocks. Look down at the markers for Ticker Tape parades on Broadway as well. Alternatively you could go to the World Trade Ctr. Site and then walk south to the tip of Manhattan from there. I would take the free Staten Island Ferry for my harbor excursion. You will see exactly the same things,(Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the NYC skyline) and besides being free it will take less time.

Eating- NYC is filled with delis which offer hot and cold food bars sold by the pound. I would save my dining dollars for the expensive dinners and buy food for breakfast and lunch in the delis or any small restaurant you happen upon. We have a new system where restaurants must post there health rating- so you feel comfortable in picking one without specific recommendations. Again if weather is fair, certainly plan to eat on the Highline, or in Central Park or even Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. You will get to see a lot of NYC pass you by as you munch. If you have a smart phone do download a Yelp app which will lead you to eating places close to your current position. NYC is filled with so many ethnic choices I wouldn't preplan any eating experiences except for the dinners.

Also be aware the above itinerary is very ambitious and requires lots and lots of walking.

nytraveler

Agree not to buy any pass except a Metro card for the subway. they are just a waste of money - and don;t provide (or you don;t need) what they claim to.

As for places to eat you need to tell us what you're looking for.

For NY breakfasts there are a plethora of places - but we don't typically go for sit down hot meals - more likely to do coffee and a bagel - or if you want to sit do pain quotidien or similar.

For casual lunches almost all neighborhoods have ethnic places with quick budget lunches - chinese, thai, indian - or even just a slice. I would do nicer dinners - and for that we need more info from you (cuisine, budget and atmosphere). It's a pity to visit NYC ant not have at least one nice dinner.

There are a plethora of inexpensive places with OK food - Brooklyn Diner is one - but IMHO mac and cheese is not worth getting in a restaurant unless you are dealing with little kids that are very picky eaters. If you tell us what types of food you like - and if you are looking for basic neighborhood places or something better for at least one of the nights people can make more recos.

darlenef17

I agree with the above posters - get the metro pass! You will be happy you did. As far as the other pass you reference, the only way to know if it's a good deal is to check the admissions of the places you want to see and add up the total to determine if you'll save with the pass.

I also second NOT eating in Times Square, and agree with Teacherfish about not doing some of those tours. Rockefeller Center and Lincoln Center can easily be done on your own. His recommendations are spot on and will give you a chance to experience NYC rather than just seeing the inside of museums and sights.

As far as Good Enough To Eat, I have only been for breakfast, so I cannot comment on their lunch. They have AMAZING and very unique breakfasts that will hold you until dinner with just something small in between. I'm sure the lunch is good to, but again, I can't recommend it personally.

Dining:
You can't go wrong just walking down Ninth Avenue. There will be something there you like!

Splurges:
Sushi in lower Manhatten: http://www.kanoyama.com/
Steak on Ave. of the Americas: http://delfriscos.com/

Grand Central Station has a good restaurants if you happen to be there around lunch time. I see it's not included on your new itinerary, but if you happen to be there this might be good to know.

Italian: 44 Southwest (at the corner of 44th and Southwest)
http://www.44southwest.com/

If you are in Brooklyn, it's almost obligatory that you have Grimaldi's Pizza - http://grimaldisnyc.com/ Also close to the foot of the bridge, try http://www.brooklynicecreamfactory.com/ for some good ice cream, and a really nice view of the city at night! Expect a line at both places.

Have fun!

5alive

You are getting great advice from the regulars. Our family went last summer. A few more thoughts.

Regarding the Metro pass for the subway, in New York it is also good for the bus. It was sure nice to hop on for a few blocks and just swipe that pass. You don't realize how much walking you will be doing in the exhibits, standing in line etc., , that saving a few blocks is so nice.

Regarding breakfast near Wall Street, we did not see any good inexpensive restaurants in the downtown area. I also checked Yelp while wandering around and not much was intriguing. Hopefully someone can help you. I can see where you hope to watch the people walking into the Stock Exchange that morning. I'd say stop at a bagel place the afternoon before and bring those with you that morning.

Regarding the City Pass: My biggest problem with those is that it locks you in when there is no good reason to do so. You have a pretty rigorous schedule. You may find that invigorating--but you may change your mind and decide to skip MOMA. Maybe you want to slow down, or maybe you decide you'd like to branch out and explore Harlem or the Chelsea Food Court or ...who knows?Unfortunately, you've already prepaid for the darn pass.

curiousgeo

Look outside the Hilton on 6th and 53rd and you will notice a long line at the Halal Guys food cart, regardless of the hour. Great for a quick, hot, cheap meal, $4 wraps and $6 chicken/gyro rice bowls.

You could have lunch at the Grand Central Oyster Bar, a classic NY experience. Just a block away is Cafe Zaiya for a quick, cheap Japanese lunch.

In the theater district is Don Antonio, a branch of a Naples restaurant serving excellent thin crust pizza. On 6th and 49th there is Del Frisco's Steak House. If you order from the bar menu, you can get steak tips with mashed potatoes for about $14, a good deal considering their regular steaks are in the $40-$50 range.

NeoPatrick

curiousgeo, I think since this whole thread is a year old, the OP's trip is long over. This thread was revived as an opportunity to post a link to a website, apparently.

curiousgeo

Neo, my fault, I didn't even notice the original post date. I'm usually more observant but not this time!

IMDonehere

If you are in Little Italy look at Torrisi and their restaurant clever young chefs who know what they are doing.

The food in Chinatown has gotten better over the last few years as they are bringing in cooks from Flushing. During the week go to King Fong for dim sum. Best inexpensive meal you will have in Manhattan.

Best food values are in East Village. Skip Grimaldi's over rated and waste of time, my favs include Motorino and Luzzos. Look them up, highly regarded, not that well known especially by visitors.

janisj

IMDonehere: check the posts directly above yours ... The thread us old - was topped by a spammer.

IMDonehere

In case someone accidentally needs help the recs remain.

kenav

For a diner type of breakfast, I would recommend this. Right near The Hilton:

Astro Restaurant

1361 6th Ave, New York 10019
(At 55th St)

(212) 489-6284