gelatolover

First time post here, please be kind.

Visiting NYC Dec. 21 – 28 with husband and two teens, 17 and 15 yrs. Hotel is on Park Ave at 61st. First time visit for the kids. We’ve started making theatre reservations and have made up a wish list of things we need to do. We could use your expert advice on making realistic schedules.

On our wish list:
1. Empire State Building (I’ve read about the Top of the Rock, but kids need to see the ESB)
2. Metropolitan Museum
3. Frick
4. Grand Central Terminal
5. Christmas Store Displays
6. Explore Greenwich Village
7. Rockefeller Center (skaters, angels, tree)
8. St. Patrick’s
9. World Trade Center Site
10. Times Square
11. Fifth Avenue
12. Central Park – Strawberry Fields, Dakota Apt.
13. Guggenheim **
14. Chinatown **
15. Tiffany’s ** (But for me, it’s a must-see, even if it’s just window shopping. It’s Tiffany’s!!!)

** - Not a priority, if there’s no time

Question: What is a realistic amount of time to spend at Grand Central Terminal? I went on the website and got all excited when I saw the ff: Neuhaus, Penzey’s, the Oyster Bar, Murray’s Cheese, etc. Is a tour necessary?

So far, this is what we have:

Dec. 21, Monday.
5 pm – Arriving at La Guardia. Taking cab to hotel. Having dinner at Upper East Side hosted by family.

Dec. 22
8:30 – 2:30 – Taking private tour with driver/tour guide. It’s a stay-in-the-car-and-make-quick-stops type of tour. We can stop, take pictures, shop, eat (but the meter is running so we can’t nosh all day). The tour guide can pretty much do a customized tour based on what we’d like to see.
2:30 - ? We’re thinking maybe one of the museums, or maybe the Empire State Bldg?
It’s our 21st wedding anniversary and would like your recommendations on extra-special restaurants for dinner. Budget of $100/person, can be a little more if we can drop off the kids at the hotel where they can rest and order room service. 

Dec. 23
8 am – 5 pm. Open. Maybe a museum, Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center?
5 pm – 7:15 pm I read another thread regarding restaurant recommendations before watching Billy Eliott and on my list are: Scarlatto’s, Viceversa, Saju Bistro, Pomaire. What do you think also of West Bank Café and Etcetera Etcetera?
8 pm – Billy Eliott at Imperial Theatre

Dec. 24
8 am – noon. Open
Any suggestions on places to eat before the
2:00 pm Radio City Music Hall show
4 pm – 7:00 pm Open
8 pm – dinner hosted by family

Dec. 25
Morning is open. We’re thinking of attending mass at St. Patrick’s.
12 noon – New York Knicks/Miami Heat (Note: not yet final, because not sure if we’re doing this. 15 yr. old son really wants to go.)
5 pm. Dinner hosted by relatives.

Dec. 26.
8 am – Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island/ got reservations for Crown Access
What is a realistic time for this morning activity?
Afternoon – open
8 pm - Hair at Al Hirschfield Theatre
Any recommendations for pre-theatre dinner in the area?

Dec. 27
Morning – open
11 am – 2 pm Greenwich Village Food Tour
We’re exploring the Village the rest of the afternoon. Is there any nice place here you can recommend for our final dinner in NYC, or we can head back to the hotel if there are places you can recommend in the Park Ave/61st vicinity?

Dec. 28
All day – open.
8 pm – Flight home (La Guardia).
We’re checking out before we head out in the morning and will just be back to collect our bags before taking a cab to La Guardia. Considering the traffic at this time of the day, when should we plan on leaving the hotel to make it to the airport in time?

Are we missing any “MUST SEE” attractions?
I was hoping to see the Nutcracker but is there any time for this, considering all the places on our wish list?

Thank you so much!

Samsaf

We were there at about the same this past year. One of the things we really enjoyed was taking the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Also, not sure where you live, but we live in Georgia, and so we had prepared for much colder weather. However, it was cold in NYC even for them, and we were glad we had long underwear, hats, gloves, big coats, etc. Be sure to check the weather before you go and be prepared for COLD.

We spent an hour or two at Grand Central Terminal and didn't feel like we needed a tour.

travelbuff

You are going to be here at the BEST time of year IMHO. The windows and decorations are so beautiful, it really makes the whole city SHINE.

A couple of things I thought I would add to your list. A MUST see during the holidays is the "Tree" at the Met Museum. It is an annual event, and well worth the trip to the museum. It is decorated with priceless small statues from the 1400's -1600's. The museum has a guide you can pick up about the tree or try the museum website. Also check the website for special exhibits open while you are here.

The Museum of Natural History also has a big tree, decorated by local kids doing oregamy. There are also great exhibits there that your kids would love (Central Park West and 79th St), and you might want to see the Planetarium as well.

There are a couple of other big trees in town, City Hall, 2 Wall ST, ST. Vincent's Hospital, (7th Ave around 12th ST) and LINCOLN CENTER, has a beautiful tree. You might make it kind of a special hunt to see all the big christmas trees in the city.

Check the website for Carnegie Hall, as there are usually some GREAT concerts there over the holidays, Oh and Lincoln Center too. All of the major 100-200 member choruses do concerts in December so you might be able to find one of those.

The Empire State is a great view of the city, but the problem is that all the tourists coming think so too, so you will spend litterally HOURS inline to get inline, and then to get tickets then get inline for the elevators then inline to get back down. A better idea is to walk around the ESB an then go uptown to the Top of The Rock, less wait time and the view OF the ESB is beautiful.

Get a good map / tour guide book of the city so you have some idea of where things are in reference to what you want to see, and plan your site seeing based on areas. Downtown- South ST. Seaport, WTC, Ellis Island, Wall St, Chinatown, Little Italy are all within walking distance so you might pick a day to see everything there. Also if you are getting tickets to Broadway, you might try the TKTS booth at the South St. Seaport, half price tickets there. If there is something you really want to see get tickets in advance. TKTS is a hit or miss thing, but you can get really lucky there as well and see a great show for ALOT less.

Over the holidays we have "gridlock" days, and the already bumper to bumper traffic is WORSE, so you might not want to do your car tour, since you will be spending so much time in traffic to see anything it may not be worth the price. If you get a good guide book it may be easier to do the tour yourselves.

A personal favorite museum is The Cloisters which is part of the MET and up in my area of Manhattan. Take the A train to 191st St and you can walk up through Ft. Tryon Park, or take the Bus (bus stops at the subway stop and will drop you off in front of the museum). You are still in Manhattan but will feel a world away. Beautiful views of the Hudson from there. It is the highest point on Manhattan Island.

Also as mentioned earlier the TRAFFIC during the holdiays is AWFUL, think of the worst traffic in your area and tripple it. That's what we have to deal with each holiday season. So get a METRO CARD, and use it to get around the city, subways and buses. If you get an unlimited card for each of you for the time you will be here, you will save alot of time and cabfares. The subway is the easiest way to get around over the holidays.

Ok that's my 2 cents.

Have a great time while you are here.

Gwendolynn

Ah... you're staying at the Regency (right?). anyhow you're staying in a wonderful location. the Nutcracker performances of NYC Ballet are a big part of the NYC Christmas season. Tickets go fast. If you're interested I"d check with the concierge at your hotel. A special rest. near your hotel is Park Avenue Winter. (Used to be Park Avenue Cafe.) Pricey... but gets good reviews.
Check out Zagat... or (not as good) menupages.com

Aduchamp1

The only problem with your trip might be the weather. There does not seeem to flexibility with switching outdoor activities and indoor activities.

The other thing I would recommend is to eat in the residential areas during that week. The theatre district and midtown are nuts.

As travel buff has ponited out both pedestrian traffic and vehicular traffic are beyond insane that week.

Special dinner

Cafe Boulud

Gwendolynn

PS...Don't know what your budget is for that special nite... but if you want to throw all caution to the winds you might consider L'Atelier du Joel Robuchon in the Four Seasons Hotel (on 57th between Park and Madison.) They have table service... but sitting at the "bar" is great fun. (Tho I must admit when we've done this (twice) it's been at his original Atelier in Paris.)

nytraveler

I fyou have reservations for the Statue of Liberty it should tell you what ferry to take. You need to allow 45 minutes on line for security to get o n the ferry and then time for the ferry to get to Liberty island. Typically they tell people to get to South Ferry 2 hours ahead of the time of you tickets to the Statue - but I would contact them and ask - as this time of year will be incredibly busy.

And agree you need to be prepared for the cold (esp windy and dampif near/on the water). We usually don't get much snow before Christmas, but a couple of years ago got 12" on Chrstmas eve. Won;t be a long-term problem in the city - since the subway is underground and buses large enough not to be stopped by that much snow. But you need warm winter coats, hats, scarves, gloves and waterproof booties with non-skid soles (ice can hang around for a while.)

Agree you need to be flexible based on weather - you can get a day in the 40's when Central Park is beautiful - or you can get a day when more than 10 minutes there is just too much.

gelatolover

Thanks, everyone, for the replies. One thing I forgot to include on our "wish list" is to go see the MOMA. May Vincent and Andrew W. forgive me for the omission. We'll probably go see the Nutcracker on Dec. 27 at 5 pm, right after our Greenwich Village food tour/exploration.

Samsaf,

Noted: Will allow approx 2 hrs at Grand Central Terminal, and will bring the appropriate cold weather clothes/coats/accessories.

Travelbuff,

Will be sure to check out the tree at the Met. We already have our tickets for Billy Eliott, Hair, and Radio City Music Hall as we didn't want to risk not being able to see those.

Noted your advice to go to the Top of the Rock instead of the Empire State Bldg., but we feel that our teens would really think it's the "coolest" to be able to go up the ESB. We'll just get the Express Pass tickets that I understand will let us go to the front of each of the lines. Have heard that these tickets will literally save us hours of standing in line.

Yes, we will make sure we get Metro Cards. We've mastered the Metro in Washington, D.C. but I'm afraid that the NYC subway system is a whole different beast.

Gwendolynn,

Yes, we're staying at the Regency. First time in that hotel. I checked menupages.com but could only come up with Park Avenue Summer and Park Avenue Bistro when I searched for "Park Avenue Winter".

Regarding our anniversary dinner, if we took the teens back to the hotel and have them order room service, the budget will probably be able to manage L'Atelier du Joel Robuchon per your suggestion. What's the suggested attire?

Aduchamp1,
Cafe Boulud sounds good - maybe after the Nutcracker ballet on the 27th. That will be our final dinner in the city.

nytraveler,
Oh dear, that means we have to be out of the hotel really early to make it to the 8 am date with Lady Liberty. That was the only time available that would give us crown access - everything else had sold out.

Regarding winter coats - we each have very heavy parka-length down coats. Will make sure we all get the right boots in case we get a lot of the white stuff. If my husband and I were to go to the nicer restaurants like Joel Robuchon, do I need to bring a dressier coat? Am just worried about the luggage limit of 1 suitcase/person. We'll be bringing quite a bit of bulky sweaters, scarves, gloves, boots, etc. that will pretty much fill up suitcases. Yikes, no room for souvenirs???

May I hear more suggestions regarding restaurants for lunch/dinner close to the places that we'll be visiting?

For our anniversary dinner, we've already noted L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. We've heard about Per Se at a different forum. Any other comparable restaurants? For those fortunate enough to have enjoyed these places, would you recommend one? Alas, we can only have ONE special dinner, at these prices!

Thank you!

Centralparkgirl

You are going to have the BEST time! You've already gotten very good advice here. As far as your anniversary, you will do your kids a favor by letting them stay in the hotel. What could be better than room service and a movie? As far as dinner, we have enjoyed Bouley and Chanterelle for anniversaries. Park Avenue Winter is convenient and good. So is Jeans Georges. But Eleven Madison just got a four star review and the room is so striking. That's where I would go.

http://events.nytimes.com/2009/08/12...n&st=cse&scp=1

One night, so many great choices - enjoy!

Centralparkgirl

Park Avenue Bistro became Park Avenue.....the name of the current season. Although it's very good, not my choice for an anniversary dinner when visiting NY.

Centralparkgirl

Just read the rest of your post. The down coat will be fine if the weather is terrible. Our anniversary is in Feb and I have gone to many a dinner in snow boots and then changed in the restaurant into a shoe. Do what works for you. You can always tell (especially on a week night) who is celebrating and who is coming from work. It doesn't matter.

sf7307

They'll take your coat from you when you enter anyway, so it doesn't matter - not like you're going to hang it on the back of your chair!

Centralparkgirl

As far as pre-theatre dinner goes, they are hurried and mostly average. Esca is an exception, but it's quite pricey and not sure if your kids would appreciate it. Some other possibilities: Becco (Italian), Haru (Japanese/sushi) and La Masseria (Italian).

Gwendolynn

Well..... I'll tell you a funny story about dress. My husband and I sit in the Grand Tier at the Met. I've never noticed that people dress in any special way. However, one nite in January... we had a make up performance... not our usual seats... the weather was awful. I said...I'm wearing my sneakers... who cares... we never see anyone we know. So.... we're walking into our seats.. and from the other side the people sitting next to us are advancing. It's my neighbor from four floors down! What are the chances??? Anyhow... she was wearing sneakers, too. -

ellenem

"We'll be bringing quite a bit of bulky sweaters, scarves, gloves, boots, etc. that will pretty much fill up suitcases."

I wouldn't pack any "bulky" sweaters. Chances are the weather won't be that cold or snowy yet in late December. Plus, if it IS cold outdoors, when you go indoors the heat will be blasting and you will be uncomfortably hot in a bulky swaeter. Better to pack thin long-sleeved layers--like a long-sleeved T-shirt or turtleneck and another lightweight sweater or cardigan or even thin fleece vest that you could wear over it and then wear the coat over everything. Chances are that in December you won't need all those layers at once--probably just one shirt layer, a coat, and gloves with scarf. But you'll have the extra layers if you need them. I wouldn't bring snow boots--just bring shoes that are water resistant.

MOst importantly: watch the 10-day weather forecast for NYC the day before you head to NYC and adjust your packing based on the predicted temperatures and precipitation.

Aduchamp1

Per Se is way above a $100 per person.

http://www.tkrg.org/upload/ps_menu.pdf

And for name sake here are some of my favorites:

il laboratorio del gelato

http://www.yelp.com/biz/il-laborator...elato-new-york

Grom, an Italian chain with a couple of outposts in NYC

And for reagular ice cream:

Cones on Bleecker Street
Chinatown Ice Cream factory
Ronnybrook Farms (in Chelsea Market)

travelbuff

You can also get additional things while here, if you find you didn't pack enough and the prices around the holiday season will be heavily discounted for Christmas. If you buy quite a bit, then buy an extra suitcase to take everything home, or pack it up and send it by mail.

K_brklyn

Also check out the decorated Palm Trees in the World Financial Center's Winter Garden if you have the time. They are the buildings behind the World Trade Ctr. WFC also has restaurants and shopping if you need to take a lunch break indoors.

Also Gramercy Tavern is great for a special occasion dinner. I'd also rec, 11 Madison. Both are around $100 per person. Reservations can be made on opentable.com

Dress in layers for the cold weather.

Check out the SAKS window display, part of it is set to music.

West Village restaurants: Little Owl, Tartine (BYOB), Spotted Pig, Blue Ribbon Bakery, Mas, Blue Hill,

Chinatown: Peking Duck House

nytraveler

Per Se is fantatic - a unique experience. But we've spent about $800 for dinner each time we went - including wines. You can do it for les - but $100 won't even get you near the door.

For most "special" NYC restaurants dinner for two with a moderate wine are in the range of $300 invluding tax and tip.

It's certainly possibel to eat very well for less - but not sure what you mean by special - if it's atmosphere and food I would figure on the $300.

michelleNYC

One of my favorites is Corton for dinner (down in Tribeca). For lunch, I absolutely love The Modern (dining room) at the Museum of Modern Art. Great food and outstanding service.