First time NY visitor/ Itinerary #2
 

New Itinerary based on suggestions.

What do you think of this one and where can I fit in MOMA?? :)

Hi, Everyone: I have seen /browsed so many fantastic ideas for NYC that I can almost predict any potential suggested changes to my itinerary for our first trip to Manhattan/ NYC. It will by my wife and I. We are fit 40+ and love to walk. We are northwesterners so we're used to some cold weather. We aren't museum LOVERS but very much LIKERS. My wife's birthday is New Years Eve. I've read a LOT of horrible things about Times Square on NYE, but we'll brave it anyway. We'll arrive on a redeye from Seattle at 6am at Newark. We are Subway/public trans fans so that's OK with us. We're not really 'foodies' so will catch our meals/snacks wherever/whenever includnig just grocery markets and deli's. We're also early risers (6/7am? and bedtimers at 11 or 12).

Flights are booked and so are hotels (upper west side for 3 nights/ midtown for 3 nights then 1 night at JFK before we leave at 6am on 1/2/10)

Please comment on my itinerary. Generally I'm concerned with timing, what's maybe NOT worth doing or suggestions. Also in the potential to move things around based on the amount of time available to us.

Thanks in advance! -DrToonz.
Fri, Dec 25
Day 0
Redeye arrives Newark at 6am on 12/26
Sleepy sleepy


Sat, Dec 26
Day 1
Arrive Newark at 6am - make our way slowly to Upper West Side to find Beacon Hotel
Central Park / Walking around Upper West Side / Strawberry Fields/ Central Park/ Relax / find Tom's Diner?/ Get our bearings.


Sun, Dec 27
Day 2
Natural History Museum, walk around the Upper West Side, St. John Divine/ Maybe visit Harlem and the Apollo Theater (for the "Mo Divas" show?)


Mon, Dec 28
Day 3
The E and W Village areas / walkin' around/ Highline Park/Chelsea Market/B&
H Photo/ Macy's/ NY Public Library /Grand Central/ Shopping a bit/

Tues, Dec 29
Day 4
Staten Island Ferry ride? / St Patrick's Cathedral / Ed Sullivan Theater/ Rockefeller Center at 2:30 for sunset at 4:30/ NY Public Library/ Rockettes Xmas show at 8:00pm
This is the day we change hotels from upper west side to midtown


Wed, Dec 30
Day 5
Ellis/ Liberty Islands / Battery Park. Financial district and Lower Manhattan / WTC site. Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO.

Thurs, Dec 31
Day 6
New Years Eve: Tenement Museum in the AM /Maybe Little Italy and Chinatown too/Do Times Square for New Year's Eve.
Any hints about Times Square on 12/31??

Fri, Jan 1
Day 7
The Met/ Cloisters/ Go to hotel by JFK Airport
What's the best way to get to the Holiday Inn at JFK from Midtown at midnight? Some other New Years Day Ideas: Find a pub and watch Football?/ then Air Train from Jamaica to airport then shuttle from Airport to Hotel??

Saturday, Jan 2
Day 8
Fly home leaving 8am NY time.

Home

Sunday, Jan 3
Day 9
Recover and prepare to go back to work tomorrow

Home

If you are definitely going to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, then don't bother with the Staten Island Ferry. It doesn't really fit well with your other Day 4 items anyway.

The Metropolitan Museum and Cloisters is closed on New Year's Day. See this link:

http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/general_information/

Agree with ellenem. You could fit MoMA into day 4 then.

As far as getting to the Holiday inn, you have couple of options:

1. Subway - line E to Sutphin blvd. (could be a long ride and lonely at night). Then air train, then suttle. Don't take A, not as safe IMO.

2. LIRR from Penn Station to Jamaica (quick ride - but check schedules). Then air train, then suttle.

3. Take a cab. I would opt for this one. Flat rate to JFK is $45. Would not take long at night.

Check www.mta.info for LIRR schedule and other subway/ airtrain info.

Enjoy your trip!

You have a very busy schedule and much of it is outdoors. If it's 35 or 40 you can keep moving and be OK. If it's 20, windy and sleeting you will need a lot more indoor activities - or you will freeze your toukases off. I think you need to be flexible on what you'll do each day based on the weather

Tom's diner is a real waste of time on the 26th since you'll be nearby when you do St John the Divine on the 27th.

I would do EITHER Natural History on the 26th OR take the M10 bus to midtown once you've found Strawberry fields and have your first (and perhaps last) view of Times Square and do MOMA and Top of the Rock (combo ticket)

Sunday, I'd subway to the Cloisters and M4 down back and visit St John the divine (and Toms?) and the Met - go to Harlem in the evening for dinner and your show.

Save Macys and public library for Tues

As others have said skip the SI Ferry if you are going to Ellis Island but good luck that weekend - It's crowded

I've already given my Times Sq New Years hints == avoid it!

That's a good head's up on noting that the Met Museum is closed on Jan 1. In fact, all visitors should check museum schedules for their closing days. Many people show up on a Monday to visit the Met - it's closed (except for certain holiday Mondays)

Not sure why you are waiting to go to JFK at midnight?

You can do shopping on the first - stores will be open.

Agree that all those outdoor activities may not be so enjoyable/doable, depending on the weather. NYC winter cold/wind can be quite brutal. Best to bring windproof outerwear (along with hat, scarf, gloves, warm footwear) so as to be comfortable while out and about. But, layers, as indoors tends to be overheated. You could get lucky...weather over New Year's has been quite mild at least twice in recent years.

About New Year's Eve...take a walk ahead of time. There are places along Broadway or 7th (can't remember which) many blocks north of the crowds and penned in areas where you can see the ball drop and not have to arrive hours ahead of midnight.

Tom's is at 2880 Broadway (112th), only a few blocks from St. John the Divine. If you're Seinfeld fans, Kenny Kramer's Reality Tour is great fun (and there's one running New Year's Day this year).

You may want to consider the Circle Line sightseeing cruise, rather than the Staten Island Ferry to a trip to the SOL and Ellis Island, especially if it's cold/windy, unless you have a huge desire to spend time at SOL and on Ellis Island. Great views of both, along with the magnificent skyline all around lower Manhattan and the bridges.

Recommend skipping Natural History in favor of MOMA and Met.

More great and appreciated tips! Thanks again. You know, I even had NOTES to myself that the Met was closed on 1/1. I will trade those with a different day. For those reading: the Tenement Museum is also closed on 1/1.

@NYTRAVELER: the idea of flexibility is one I will take to heart for sure. I don't think anything is really 'written in stone' and my wife (who doesn't know about this birthday-present trip for her) will need to be in on the "OK, we're in NYC...whaddya wanna do?" factor too! I'm just trying to prepare as much as possible so that I don't regret finding out something before hand. COLD is also something that I hope to be prepared for. We're skiers so we are familiar with dressing for cold.

@SueNYC: May be going to JFK late because of a show I'd like to catch on the 1st but leaving at 8am on the 2nd so booked last hotel night near JFK.

@djkbooks: Cool advice to scout Times Square earlier in the day to look for vantage points. We'll try it!
@djkbooks: I'll look into the Circle Line.

ANYONE: Is the SOL/ Ellis Island thing a 'must see'?? I can't get tix to climb so I'm not that into it, but my wife might be. Should I instead just do a Circle Line tour and call it good? OR should I just do the Staten Island Ferry and call IT good??

ANYONE: Are any of the above items things that I should buy tickets for online before getting to Manhattan? I have already got Rockettes tix and will likely buy tix for the Mo Diva's show if I decide to go to that one. It looks like TOTR/MoMA combo is not avail online so I'll have to do that later, eh? Should I not chance that and instead just get the TOTR tix online asap?

I think I've got a pretty decent and honed itinerary now and I'll go with it. Now it's just getting down details and I'll need to familiarize myself with the subway a bit. Oh, and maybe research some restaurants that aren't spendy (too spendy). Keep an eye out for more Q's from me! Thanks, guys!

If you can't get into the Statue of Liberty, then the other big appeal of that effort is the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island. If you're not interested in the immigration museum, then you probably shouldn't bother with this at all. Many find the museum very interesting, but be prepared for it to take at least half your day by the time you wait in line (even with reservations), take the boat across, visit, and boat back.

The Circle Line cruises have different options that provide views of Manhattan from the water. If you really want to see a lot of the different parts of Manhattan (uptown, midtown, downtown, east side, west side) then a Circle Line cruise might be a good choice.

If you just want a sense of NY harbor and a glance at the Statue of Liberty, then the Staten Island Ferry is for you. And it's free.

TOTR tickets don't need to be bought much ahead. I've been a few times and have just arrived and walked right in. I would wait until you were in NYC, or very close to you trip, so you could verify the weather--you'll want a clear day.

Yes, you can go to TOTR anytime, and often there are days on end without a sunset (due to overcast skies, etc.), so it's best to wait for a good day.

You can take a two-hour Circle Line cruise around the southern end of Manhattan from the 42nd Street pier (versus travel all the way to South St. for the Staten Island Ferry or Battery Park for the ferries to SOL/Ellis Island). The boat has better views from indoors (if the weather precludes being outdoors on the boat), and goes a lot closer to SOL than the Staten Island Ferry. If it's not too cold/windy, fantastic photo ops from the outdoor deck on the water level as you go by SOL and Ellis Island. And, you do experience magnificent views of all of lower Manhattan, Midtown, etc. It's not necessary to pre-book the boat tours from 42nd Street.