Early Morning Manhattan
 

We are from the UK and are spending some time in NYC in January 2005.
Because of the time difference, on the first morning we usually awake at around 4.30 am and sit in bed watching TV for 2 or 3 hours.
However this time we want to max out in the Big Apple and hit the streets as soon as possible.
We thought it would be a good idea to check out the Fulton Street Fish Market, grab breakfast, walk Brooklyn Bridge to watch the sunrise on Lower Manhattan from the promenade, pass the former WTC site and wait for the first ferry for Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
However we have discovered that the fish market is about to be re-located out of town.
Anyone have any early morning replacement for us or other ideas?
For what it's worth we are staying in Times Square, and the day in question is a Sunday.
Thanks in advance.

I hate to say it - but that early on a Sunday morning in January is going to be very quiet - and probably bitterly cold as well. You can certainly try to walk the Brooklyn bridge - but be aware that in NYC at that time of year wind chills are often below zero (farenheit not centrigrade) so be prepared to dress very warmly. (Yes, NYC is really much colder than London- and very windy to boot - the tall buildings create wind tunnels up from the rivers on both sides.)

You may luck out and get a warmer day - but I would have a back-up plan in case its just too cold. Unfortunately, many of the museums etc don;t open until 11 or 12 on a Sunday - so you may be limited to something like a very early church service. Perhaps check out if St Pat's - or one of the other nearby ones - has a 6am mass/service.

I'll offer a different viewpoint. I like your idea. I think it'll be a great experience to have New York City all to yourself early in the morning.

Coming from UK, cold weather shouldn't be a problem for you!

You'll be able to find places for breakfast at the many 24-hour diners and coffee shops. And, yes, do watch the sun rise over lower Manhattan. I believe the Staten Island Ferry runs 24 hours. So that's another early-morning option....and it's free.

Hey, even walking around Times Square at that hour should be interesting.

PS: For the record, museums open earlier than 11 a.m. on Sunday. The Met, for example, opens at 9:30.

I think the Metropolitan Museum is the only one that opens so early, but I always enjoy being among the first to arrive an having the galleries to myself.

The problem part is the Sunday. I'm sure at 4 or 5am you could run into the downtown crowd who's still up from the night before, but since I'm not with them, not sure where to tell you to go.:))

Maison is a French Bistro near Times Square that's open 24/7.

I think there's still a flea/antique market on the weekends that opens around 7am but I've never been at that time of year. Here's the info

Annex Antique Fair & Flea Market, 6th Avenue from 24th to 27th St, (212) 243-5343
Saturday and Sunday, Sunrise to Sunset
Furniture, Decorations, Jewelry, Clothing, Silver, and Works of Art.
$1.00 admission fee

Go to nycvisit.com and check their calendar on your dates. There are walking tours of downtown every weekend but they start at 9 am.

Hey, mclaurie, sure you jest about 4-5 a.m. crowds. No, I've not caroused all night through 4-5 a.m. (well, certainly at least not the last couple decades or so!), but I can't believe the Brooklyn Bridge and Staten Island Ferry would be teeming with all-night revelers at that hour!
However, I can say from experience that having the city all to yourself early in the morning is indeed a wonderful experience.

I know that I have left Manhattan at 4 a.m. on a Sunday and had my hotel lobby, restaurant, and the street in front teeming with late night partiers. However, I haven't seen that sort of scene all over the city at that hour. The rest of the city has always been pretty quiet at that time of morning.

I agree that it would be a nice experience to have Manhattan all to yourself at sunrise. Just be sure to stay out of any areas that might be unsafe at that time of day.

Thanks for all your replies, but guess what happened - our flights from the UK were cancelled for two days running, and we didn't make it!
I have developed a habit of watching NY1 on the web, and I can see what "cold" means! The ice in the harbour looks unbelievable.
Anyway,we have rearranged our visit and will arrive in two weeks.
Watching NY1 in bed until the mercury rises is now top of our list!
Sincere thanks for your input.

It'll still be cold at 4 a.m......But, I still say, "Go for it!"

The ice isn;t actually that bad now. A couple of years ago there was so much the ferries had to be temporarily suspended. The river wasn;t frozen solid - but there were so many ice flows/frozen chunks they were afraid the boats would get stuck. They were considering bringing in an ice breaker - but I think didn;t bother - since a thaw was anticipated.

FYI -this current storm deposited about 13" of snow. that year there were several big storms - one with 28".

I think too that it will be too cold for an outdoors activity. And I personally love watching TV in a hotel room.

But - if you want to get out - there are 2 24 hour downtown palces that I think would be interesting at an odd early mornings hour:

Veselka, on 2nd Ave & 9th St in the East Village, which is a very late night neighborhood.

and Florent, on Gansevoort between Greenwich and Washington Streets, which is a bistro/diner. Both are Manhattan institutions.

& needless to say perhaps I advise taking a taxi to either one.

Steve, sorry you missed the trip!

I'm also an early riser but not quite that early but this is what I like to do and it feels like a very NYC experience.

I rise between 6-6:30AM. I put on a pot of coffee (make sure I snag extra coffee from maid service the night before along with creamer and equal or splenda from restaurants or Korean) put on my joggers and sweats and run to the nearest news stand.

I purchase The New York Times and The Post. Unless it is Sunday, I try to read both cover to cover but on Sunday I get the Times on Saturday night.

The Post always gets read but I only read the good parts of the NYTimes.

You could hit the last few hours of one of the cities hot nightspots or have Chinease food at Wo-Hop on Mott Street. Back in my bachelor days, many a Saturday night ended with Wo-Hop at 4 in the morning.

The Staten Island ferry is a great idea as it'll be warm. Depending on the weather, you might consider taking the PATH train to Hoboken. From there, you should be able to see a beautiful sunrise with Manhattan in the foreground. Hoboken has several piers which stick out into the river and provide great views of the skyline. The best sport might be on 14th Street as that pier is just about parallel to the Empire State Building.