day in NYC--what to see?
 

We're coming in from a cruise to NYC, docking about 7am. Our flight leaves from JFK at 5:45pm. Taking into consideration time to actually get off the boat, and time to get to the airport, what should we do in the middle to see sights in NYC? After reading the post about going up the Empire State Bldg. and the time it takes, that's obviously not an option. Thanks!

You won't have much time. How about a quick visit to midtown? You could walk along Fifth Avenue, see St. Patrick's Cathedral, lunch in Rockefeller Plaza, etc.

Or if you like art, head straight to the Metropolitan Museum on Fifth at 82nd Street.

Be sure to return to NYC when you have more time.

Agree with Gekko, bset to walk around and explore Midtown. I also recommend a visit to Grand Central Terminal and haveing lunch at the Oyster Bar. You take the shuttle train from Times Sqaure to Grand Central.

I think you could either spend quality time in one area, as Gekko suggested or see a little bit of everything. I personally would prefer the latter if you don't mind doing some walking and possibly feeling a bit rushed.

Assuming you get off the boat at 8AM, you could take the M42 Bus to Times Square. I'd look around for maybe 30-45 minutes before hoping on the
1 and 9 subway train and taking it down to South Ferry. Go to Battery Park and look at the Statue of Liberty. Then walk over to Broadway, pass the "Bull", and head to Wall Street and get a glimpse of the NY Stock Exchange. Ground Zero is a short walk away. Walk to City Hall from Ground Zero and take the N and R subway trains to Fifth Avenue. You should be at the outer fringes of Central Park. You can explore Central Park for a bit or walk down Fifth Avenue. Then do what Gekko suggested.

If you pace yourself correctly, you should get out of the N and R by lunch time. You obviously won't see anything in great detail, but you'll have seen alot.

As someone who just finished a cruise in NY recently, give yourself more than an hour to disembark. I don't know if it varies from line to line, but the one we were on docked at 8am, but the crew didn't start disembarking procedures until 9. Then they call passengers deck by deck to leave. If you chose to have the crew carry your luggage off the ship for you, then you had to wait until everyone carrying their own luggage off leaves first. Plus if you're coming from another country, you have to go through customs. Lastly, we had two other cruise ships disembarking around the same time, so the terminal was a madhouse to manuever.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions, especially Shebs with the detailed itinerary. After sitting on a cruise for 7 days, walking around would probably do us some good. :) And Mcat, you have a good point about the time to get off the boat. It should be interesting to see how long it actually takes. I already checked with the port, and there will be 3 other boats in that morning. Should be fun!

We recently zipped into NYC on a Sunday on the way home from the Cape. Our purpose was to see Ground Zero. Luckily, traffic and people were non-existent when we went in. It was obvious everyone in town was a tourist. Anyway, we got lucky--drove right to a side street 1-2 blocks from Ground Zero (my husband found it easily because it was the only open area in the whole city). We walked around Ground Zero, then walked up Broadway a bit, hit Au Bon Pain for a quick lunch, walked back past Ground Zero through the Financial District, NYSE, etc., and into Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty, then walked to the Pier, which just a note the shops are closed on Sunday. BTW, since you are on a cruise, I would be very surprised if the cruise line did not offer an excursion to passengers whose flights leave after a certain time. Be sure to check the excursion offerings when you board if you don't already have them.

If you go to Central Park check out the zoo there. The penguin exhibit is great.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. The cruise does have an excursion for people flying out late. It's a bus tour of the city. So I think we'll just do that. Thanks again!

Bus tour sounds like a better choice. Ask the driver to stop at Zabar's for a great NYC experience, and the best foods. Have a great trip.

I would call one of the car service companies and work out an hourly rate for a tour and then have the car take you out to JFK.

That way you can put all your luggage in the trunk, see some of the city and then head to the airport.

For a 5:45 flight on a weekend, I would leave the city around 3 pm, so you can get there, check luggage, go through security and get to your gate for check in.

Have a great time while you are here.