First time in NYC for 5 days
 

we're going at the end of August, any input/suggestions about our itinerary would be greatly appreciated! =)

Tuesday: Ground Zero, Battery Park, Chinatown, SoHo, Times Square
Weds: the MET, Central Park, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Centre
Thurs: America Museum of Natural History, Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Bldg
Fri: UN Headquarters, Chrysler Bldg, Liberty Island Cruise, Shopping
Sat: Shopping, Roosevelt Island


QUESTION about Brooklyn Bridge: I'd love to take some pictures from Brooklyn of the Manhattan skyline around dusk/early evening, but I'm wondering if it's safe to hang around that area to take pictures? I think there's a park by the bridge and i always see tons of tourist pics from that area so i'm assuming it's probably pretty safe... are there ANY areas around Manhattan that are definitely not safe to be at night?

and also.. what's the best way to get a good deal on a popular Broadway show (eg, The Lion King?)

thanks in advance!!!

Get ready for a heat wave 95+
Dont forget to catch the free Staten Island ferry.
Call the box office for deals.
Its ok to take pics at sunset on BB.
Whats in Roosevelt island????
Dont forget to take pics with the Wall Street bull.Tip, go behind and grab him by you know what.
have fun.

I also wonder why you're going to Roosevelt Island. The tram is still not in service so you'd have to take the subway. If you're going for the views, I think there are better options.

What is the Liberty Island cruise? If you're going to Liberty Island where the Statue of Liberty is located, that's a very time consuming trip with lots of security.

Book your tickets for ESB ahead of time online to save standing in the ticket buyers line. YOu might also want to visit the new observatory in Rockefeller Center, Top of the Rock.

It's safe to take photos at the bridge. There are no areas that are unsafe but there are a few that might feel unsafe b/c they're desserted at certain times or just not very attractive. The areas around the ferry terminals can be somewhat desserted late at night.

There is no good way to get a "deal" on Lion King tickets. You pay the going rate (or more from a "scalper") or you don't go. Some of the other shows have lotteries or rush tickets on the same day, but Lion King doesn't. Here's a page that tells you which shows have rush tickets and how they work
http://www.talkinbroadway.com/boards/

Your plans challenge you geographically in some instances. For example, it makes more sense to hit the Brooklyn Bridge on Tuesday when all of your planned activities (except Times Square) are in lower Manhattan.
The Brooklyn Bridge are you asked about is safe. The tourist areas where you are likely to be are safe during "normal hours." Obviously, don't go walking the streets alone in the middle of the night!
As for the theater, there are no "good deals" for tickets to The Lion King. The same goes for Wicked and Spamalot. However, most of the other shows either have discount offers or are available at TKTS or both. For discount offers, check www.playbill.com and broadwaybox.com. Incidentally, don't try to call theater box offices. It's a wasted effort.

Oops, forgot one other sold-out show, The Jersey Boys. All the others, especially for early-in-the-week performances might have discount seats.

A third query about Roosevelt Island. Even if the tram were working (and who knows when that's going to happen) - why bother - it's all residential.

Go to MOMA on Friday night. It's a great museum and free on Friday nights.

Agree on skipping Roosevelt Island - nothing of interest there.

As for the Brooklyn Bridge, walk over to Brooklyn and head right down to Brooklyn Bridge Park (a new park between the Brooklyn and Manhaatan bridges) for the best photo spot imaginable. Have lunch at Bubby's across the street for some BBQ with a view or eat under the bridge at Grimaldis for the best pizza in NYC (arguably, I know) and then walk or hop a train back into Manhattan. A great way to spend an afternoon!

John

Ah, I just re-read and realized you know the photo spot and mentioned dusk. Yes, this area is safe until a reasonable hour. It's probably safe in the middle of the night too, but very deserted!
Walk over, take pics, have dinner, and have the restaurant call you a cab to get back into the city if you don;t feel comfortable walking back late. You can walk to the subway, it's not right near you though, it's a little bit of a walk.

You are all over the map.
Geographically, combine Battery Park with the Statue of Liberty visit (the ferry leaves from that area) and then walk up to Ground Zero and Brooklyn Bridge and have dinner in Chinatown.
There can be a very very long line for the Liberty ferry, get in line at least a half hour before the first ferry of the day.

Another day, combine Times Square (it's just busy, crowded, and very very commercial, and not in a good way) with a theatre visit.

Friday looks good for UN and and Chrysler, you could add in the Metropolitan Museum which is farther uptown. The Museum borders Central Park, and the Natural History museum is close to the Park on the west side.
Visit the Met. Museum's website to plan your visit in advance and perhaps plan on a 'highlights' tour.

Rock. Center has Top of the Rock which offers very nice views, and advance ticketing so you don't have to wait in very long lines. For the Empire State Bldg observatory, plan on at least an hour in line, and more waiting inside, and more waiting to come down in the elevator.

There is nothing to see on Roosevelt Island other than apartment buildings.

Do a visit in Soho and add in Greenwich Village and/or the East Village for shopping and browsing.
Both Villages have lots of inexpensive places to eat.

For some discounted tickets in advance, check out broadwaybox.com or playbill.com as Howard suggested.

And take into account that the weather will be beastly hot and you will want to duck into air conditioned places.
Have fun.

THANK YOU for all the great replies.. I didn't know that the Roosevelt tram wasn't working, so I guess that's out. and I'm glad to hear that the Brooklyn Bridge is relatively safe at night. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to take that quintessential picture of Manhattan at dusk =) I'll consider doing that on Tues as well, since I'll be in that end of the city.

Thanks again everyone!

I forgot to add that the Liberty Island cruise that we're taking will just be passing by the Island.. i decided it would take too much time lining up to see the statue up-close

You can take the Staten Island ferry free, for a good look at the SOL.

You'll get much better pictures of Lower Manhattan/Financial District, the Brooklyn Bridge, and The Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry than from the bridge.

Why wouldn't the bridge be safe? Thousands of people walk, run, and bicycle the bridge every day. It connects to affluent areas.

I've walked it at night alone.

If you want some fabulous photo ops of Manhattan at dusk, consider the Circle Line Harbor Lights cruise. You leave in the daylight and cruise around the southern half of the island and back. The boat goes very, very close to the Statue of Liberty in both directions, and there are fabulous views of the skyline and Brooklyn Bridge (and all the other bridges along the route). Great shots of the Empire State Building also. The trip lasts through sunset, dusk, twilight, and you return to the dock in the dark with the lights turned on all over. Positively magical.

Hi

My wife and I went to NYC for the first time a couple of years back. I have posted a trip report with some pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/new_york_city_trip_report.htm . Maybe you can find some useful info there :d Have a great trip

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

I just wanted to say that you can’t get the same picture from the ferry that you can from the Brooklyn side of the bridge. And don’t worry, that area will be anything BUT deserted. You’ll be lucky to elbow a good spot for your photo! And I will never get what people see in Grimaldi’s. It’s not “real” Brooklyn pizza, and sometimes barely cooked! There’s a great ice cream place right by the bridge and that may come in handy in this heat. Enjoy your trip!!!

The advice I give to all visitors to NYC: <i>Relax.</i>

New York is a city to walk and explore, and in August, it's HOT, so take your time and enjoy what you do see and don't worry about what you don't. You <i>can</i> return.

If you're in NYC on a Friday night, you MUST go to THE AFTER PARTY. It's FREE and it's at The Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Cafe on the corner of 42nd Street and 9th Ave.

I went their opening night and SHOSHANA BEAN, who starred on Broadway in WICKED as Elpheba, was the special guest. Last week, they had LAUREN MOLINA, who plays JOHANNA in SWEENEY TODD. It's open-mic, so anyone can get up and sing. They have TONS of sheet music onstage, so you just choose what you want and hand it to the awesome pianist. NOT ME, though! But my friend sang!

Anyway, the host is a hysterical guy named BRANDON CUTRELL. It's a total NEW YORK night, so I highly recommend it. AND DID I MENTION IT'S FREE?!?!

I don't know about &quot;Lion King&quot; but if you just want to see a Brodway Show you should go to the TKTS booth (they offer 35-50% discount on day-of shows) there's one downtown &amp; one near Times Square. I'd skip Battery Park there's really nothing noteworthy nor exciting about it, if you want to do a park do Central Park. I concur on skipping Roosevelt Island. If you're looking for a cruise check out http://www.worldyacht.com/ for dinner, it's pretty romantic and you can see tons of NY landmarks from the water.