Hi,
Our girl scout troop of two 16-year-olds and two moms are planning our first trip to NYC in June. We have reservations at the Belvedere. None of us have traveled to a city of this size---our home town is 5,000.
If anyone has time can you look over this preliminary itinerary and give opinions. Nothing is concrete (except our broadway show and flight arrival and departures)---just things the girls appeared interested in. Thanks so much for any advice you can give us!!!
Friday
9:55 AM flight arrives at La Guardia,take Super Shuttle to hotel
10:45 AM check luggage w/hotel: Belvedere Hotel, 319 West 48th Street. (Can we get out of the airport and to this hotel by this time???)
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM walking tour Times Square, shopping
4:00 PM Check-in at hotel, dinner somewhere close???
7:00 PM Broadway show, The Lion King, Minskoff Theater, 200 West 45th Street, NY
11:00 PM return to hotel. *Is walking from theater to hotel a viable or safe option or do we need to plan bus or taxi---also will taxis carry 4 people???

Saturday
9:30 AM Travel by Hop-on, Hop-off Gray Line bus tour from Times Square to Lower Manhattan and back to Times Square loop.
Estimated stops are:
10:00 AM Brooklyn Bridge--walk across for photo op/sightseeing
11:30 AM World Trade Center site
12:30 PM Lunch nearby???
1:30-2:30 PM Statue of Liberty viewing via Staten Island Ferry
2:45 PM South Street Seaport museum, shopping
4:00-4:30 PM United Nations tour
5:00 PM Rockefeller Center, NBC Studios tour
6:30 PM Local restaurant--suggestions???
8:30 PM Top of the Rock observation deck (chose this at night to see Empire lights and city lights---will do Empire in daytime tomorrow).
10:00 PM Travel back to hotel (what's best at night from here, bus, walk?)

Sunday
8:00 AM Travel by Hop-on, Hop-off Gray Line bus tour from Times Square to Midtown Manhattan and Upper Manhattan loop.
Estimated stops are:
8:30 AM Empire State Building
11:00 AM walk to Grand Central Station--lunch
12:00 PM bus to Central Park, tour Belvedere Castle?
2:30 PM Lincoln Center for Performing Arts tour?
4:00 PM bus tour back to Times Square
5:00 PM Dinner in Times Square early to catch night bus tour at 6:00.
6:00- 9:30 PM Night Gray Line bus tour of NY, leaves from Times Square
10:00 PM back to hotel or window shopping somewhere???

Monday
8:30 AM bus or walk to GS Headquarters (very near Empire State building)
9:00 -10:00 AM GS tour
10:30 - 11:30 AM Macy’s
12:00 PM check out of hotel, Super Shuttle to La Guardia airport (timing right here for plane leaving at 2:10)
2:10 PM Midwest Airlines flight home

That's it. Please share your thoughts/ideas and tell me if there is something that absolutely won't work! Thanks so much!

Ok, let's approach this bit by bit. Other will chime in here!

Arrival--take a TAXI. The cost will be the same or less than supershuttle for 4 people

Walking back to hotel after show: absolutely. It is just 4 blocks, and the streets will be very busy (and safe) with all the other theatergoers mulling around

Saturday: I'd skip South Street Seaport.

The "museum" itself is probably not that interesting for moms/teens, and the shopping is not terribly exciting (standard mall stores and tourist junk)

4:00-4:30 PM United Nations tour
--you need to allow more time for this, IF you are interested.
Between getting through security, paying, getting tour started, figure another hour at least

Top of the Rock is only a few block from the hotel, so again you will be fine walking on busy streets back to your hotel

Yikes! I know some people like to tightly schedule their trips, but just seeing it scares me sometimes.

It is safer in NYC than most other places. There are always people around. I traveled there alone and had no problems. As with anything, just be aware of your surroundings and you'll be fine.

If you are going to do both, I would do TOTR during the day, and do Empire State Building later at night when it is less crowded.

Take the subway to Brooklyn, have pizza at Grimaldi's, maybe stroll the Promenade, then walk back across for the best views.

Also, you need more shopping time! Way more shopping time with 16-year-olds. Soho is great for this. Make sure they visit H&M also.

www.tripadvisor.com has a great forum dedicated soley to NYC, so check that site out as well. Lots of good info there from local experts and people who just love New York. Have fun!

As someone who went to NYC without much experience using taxis, we felt more comfortable with a car service from the airport (we used Carmel). We made it to the Belvedere within your time frame, but it was a Saturday so traffic may have been less.

Are you planning on using the Grey Line tour as your main transportation? You can't count on catching a bus whenever you want. They get caught up in traffic. We ended up taking taxis more than once because we got tired of waiting for a bus to show up.

Your times kind of scare me if you are planning on specific times for tours. For instance we had to wait for the Staten Island Ferry. I think you will find that you will feel much safer than you anticipate.

A few restaurants in the Times Square area that wioll not be over-touristy or (argHH!!) chain stores.


Becco - 355 w 46th st - 212-397-7597 (Maake a reservation)

Cafe Edison in the Edison Hotel - Very reaqsonable for the Times Sqaure area and an old-timer:
228 W 47th St
New York, NY
10036
Phone: (212) 840-5000

Le Madeleine -
403 West 43rd Street New York, NY 10036
(212) 246-2993

Don't expect to land at LAG when it says you will. I think you're cutting it close if you have to first get your luggage and then get to your hotel to be off again at 10:45.

As far as taking taxis - If you can walk it; do it. NY is a walking city. Consider less than 15 blocks not a problem.

BTW - You're close to Bryant Park at 6th Avenue between 42nd and 40th Streets. It's really lovely and a good place to just relax duirng a long day, and eat a snack. Very civilized.

ALSO - You will be floored by Times Square and the crowds there if you're coming from a town of 5,000 or, for that matter, almost anywhere else. Just know that all of us here in NYC don't live right there and it's crazy to us too!!

Have a blast. (Nix on the South Street Seaport.)

You are covering a lot of ground. Do you have any interest in museums?

A few thoughts:

1. For 4 people, take a taxi from LGA, which will be less expensive and quicker than Super Shuttle. Taxis charge by the taxi-load, while Super Shuttle charges by the person.

2. Skip the South Street Seaport Museum (not worth the effort to get there to see a very uninteresting museum) and skip Lincoln Center (not much to see if you're not attending ballet, philharmonic or opera)

3. What is the GS tour?

4. I would add one museum, even if for a few hours -- either the Met, MoMA or the American Museum of Natural History.

Agree with thit-cho - Museums are a must. They're not stodgy and there's so much in them, you can find what interests you.

First, relax. You can not and will not "see it all," and you can return.

New York is a city to walk, to explore, and to savor. Take your time and forget about the to-the-minute itinerary. Sure, you'll want to see some of the major sites, but otherwise, relax and enjoy your vacation.


(And, yes, just say "No" to the "super" shuttle.)

Thank you for all of your tips! You can't imagine how much help they are! Please send more!
We have no problem skipping Southstreet--it was just one of the attraction brochures we got in the mail.
Switching Empire to night time is a great idea to beat the crowds.
Times on the schedule are just for the benefit of mapping things out and we really didn't know how much time to allow for things either. If things run late we'll just shuffle stuff around or skip it.
We were using the tour bus package for two days plus the night tour as may means of transport. So thanks for the headsup about them not running exactly when you need them. We're having trouble picturing how far it is from one area to the next so just thought the bus tour would be the easiest way around to all the 'sites'.
I'll check to see how "into" the United Nations tour they are before we dedicate time to that one.
Any tips on things we've missed that would be more along the girls teenage interests?
It's the news from people that have been there/live there that we love hearing! Reading it on a brochure or looking it up on a map cannot compare to advice from you guys!
Thanks again! We REALLY appreciate it!

IMHO, your scheduled plans for Saturday and Sunday are much much too tight, not allowing enough time at or between each site. For instance, on Saturday you have yourself scheduled for a UN tour from 4:00-4:30, yet their web site says that the tours last 45 - 60 minutes.

I think you would regret relying on the Gray Line buses as a major transportation option between sites, especially given your time constraints. Try doing a search on these discussion boards for some insight into these buses. You might be better-off spending that money on taxis.

Relax. There is no reason to be nervous in NYC. It is a very safe big city (as long as you aren't completely careless). I think you have a good plan but you are cramming a lot in. Here are some suggestions so you can enjoy your time here.

Friday:
I think you have a good plan for this day.
Take a taxi from the airport to the hotel.
I would do whatever shopping you are interested in first (5th Ave, Madison, etc) You can always walk around Times Square after Lion King. It will be perfectly safe and probably still crowded.

Saturday:
Be prepared for lines to get back on the bus at the popular destinations.
I would walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, eat an early lunch at Grimaldi's, back across the bridge, walk down to Ground Zero (5-10 min walk, safe), then walk to the Staten Island Ferry (you will pass Trinity Church, Wall Street, and the bull). Like others have said I would omit South Street Seaport.
You should pick the UN tour or the NBC studio tour. You won't have enough time to do both and do them justice.

Sunday:
Given your limited time I would pick between the Empire State Bldg and Top of the Rock.
I would skip the ESB and go straight to Central Park. Wander around. Then do Lincoln Center (or the Met Musuem of Art or the Natural History Musuem or one of the tours you dropped from yesterday)

Monday:
You can see the ESB from GS Headquarters. Do they really have much to tour? It looks like every other office building. The rest of the day sounds fine.

I also think they would like shopping in Soho. Any interest in Greenwich Village or Washington Square Park? Fun places, crowded but a little more relaxed. I see you have an hour in Macy’s. I think it will take that long to find the right department! I’d skip that and find an H&M.

Times Square is a zoo and often a bit of a freak show! Dig your heels in and just enjoy. I was there 2 wks ago and even I stood on the corner a while to just watch the world go by.

Is GS Goldman Sachs? I thought they were at 85 Broad, near Wall Street -- did they move to midtown, like so many of the large i-banks.

Thanks HCart. Your advice is wonderful.
The GS tour is just so the girls can run in and get a patch and quick tour of the national headquarters since it's a GS trip.
We didn't add any museums because we are coming to NY from 4 days in DC and touring all the museums there. We were afraid the girls might be "museumed" out!
I can't wait to show them everyone's suggestions. I know they'll love the Brooklyn pizza idea!
Thanks kenav for your tips on Times Square places to eat, too!
You are all making this nervous nellie feel better already!
I see lots of suggestions of using taxis. Our town doesn't even have a taxi, so that's probably why we didn't consider that option. We'll definitely look at comparing those costs now. Dumb question I'm sure (please dont' laugh out loud!), but will 4 people and their week's worth of luggage (say 6 bags) all fit in one taxi? One person sits up front?

Oops, forgot to clarify--GS is for Girl Scouts. It's our national headquarters--so we gotta peek inside. As members we can sign up for a private tour of any of their departments and visit the GS shop.

dkopp9, don't be nervous, it's very safe here! You'll have a great time.

4 people in taxi will definitely be cheaper than shuttle. Last time I checked shuttle is $12 each and taxi from LGA to time sq shouldn't be more than $35, unless there is major traffic.

You're pushing real close for the 11am tour. LGA is a VERY busy airport. Even if arrival is on time a plane often has to wait for a gate to open after landing. plus luggage pick-up time and waiting in line for a taxi, you may not get in a taxi until 10:30am.

4 people plus lugguage should fit in a taxi no problem. If your suitcases really are huge there are always minivan size taxis. You don't have to go to a different line or anyhing to find one. Just go to the normal taxi line, let other people waiting behind you to get on the normal size taxis first, until a van size one comes around. You won't have to wait long for one.

I hope you have a great time!

I don't believe you are allowed to sit up front in a taxi - against regulations.

When you get on line at LAG for a taxi - they'll see what you have and probably give you a large taxi.

Taking taxis in Manhattan is OK, but once again, I say walk it if it's less than 15 blocks. Part of seeing NYC is seeing it! And walking the streets allows you to do this.

Be flexible - if weather is better on a day that wasn't set up to go across the Brooklyn Bridge, then do it on that good weather day anyway in case it rains the next. Also, spend time in Brooklyn, not just at Grimaldi's. The neighborhood around there is very interesting. Go to Jacques Torres' chocolate store (ask at Grimaldi's - they will probably be able to direct you there). Incredible chocolate and hot chocolate like you' ve never had before. Definitely not Nestles!

Also, go into Empire State Park also in this neighborhood ("DUMBO"). Fantastic vistas. A true NY neighborhood.

Four people and all your luggage should fit in a taxi. Maybe you'll have to keep a smaller bag on your lap--depends on the size of your bags. Definitely take taxis to and from LaGuardia.

As others have said, your Saturday is very packed with scheduled tours too close together timewise and not close together locationwise, so you'll have to make some choices.

As others have said, DO explore away from the busy midtown areas. Take a walk in the Village where you'll find quaint streets with shorter buildings and shopping that is not nationwide chains.

I highly recommend buying one of those laminated street maps of Manhattan. I have seen them by Silver Linings and Streetwise. I have bought them at Barnes and Noble. You'll be walking more than you think.