scott23

I am a 19 year old trying to plan for a group of four other 19 years old into Manhattan. It's a little harder than I thought. We are staying at Greenwhich Village and flying into LaGuardia. About how long does it take to get from LGA to lower Manhattan? Also, does anyone know of any neat places to visit around Greenwhich Village on 12th street?

mdn

It'll take ~30 minutes from LGA without traffic and can take as much as an hour with traffic.
You'll have to be more specific as to what
sort of neat places you're looking for- i.e. bars, restaurants, parks, museums, shops...?

Postal

By the way, it's Greenwich Village.

There are plenty of neat restaurants and shops in that area. When I was a teenager in the 70's, it was THE place to go when we cut school!

If there's traffic (and there usually is), your trip from LaGuardia could be a lot longer than one hour. Are you taking a taxi cab? Have you considered a car service instead? I've never used one in NYC, but it seems like a flat rate would make a lot better sense than taking a chance with a cab, with the meter ticking away.

bill_boy

You may need 2 cabs (or 2 cars from a car service).

MFNYC

I don't know exactly what you would consider 'neat', but if your talking E. 12th st, you have the East Village, where you have St. Mark's Place, Astor Place, and loads of little and in many cases, reasonable, restaurants and a variety of shops (trend boutigues to vintage to used record, etc). As Far as west 12th St, you have the Meatpacking district which is more high end with some galleries, fancy hotels and higher end designer shops. This area is compeltely walkable, with Union Square and Washington Square near by, and loaded with little shops, restaurants, clubs, and theaters.

scott23

Has anyone ever heard of Chumley's? A restaurant around Greenwich Village. The Isaacs-Hendricks House (the 10-foot wide house) sounds pretty neat, I don't know if it's something that I should go out of my way too much to see it.

lizziea06

Chumley's is a great little burger place with a lot of history. It used to be a speakeasy way back when, and there are no signs marking it from the outside. They have great house beers, and also burgers (they serve them on english muffins).
It sounds like you are interested in checking out some of the historical parts of the village. I would suggest going on a www.bigonion.com tour while you're in town. You'll see the 10 foot wide house, and a lot of other unique buildings in the village. I took my parents on one last winter, and the tour guide ended the tour at Chumley's, whic sounds perfect for you.

kcapuani

I have not eaten at Chumley's, but have been inside. It is an old speakeasy and there is no sign on the street. There is still "secret" entrance through a courtyard, on Barrow I believe, that remains from Prohibition days. I would definitely go there for a bite to eat.

Gekko

Chumley's is at 86 Bedford Street; I was there 2 nights ago.

Margo_Chester

Chumley's is fun, good burgers, lots of history there; the building dates to the 1830s when it was a blacksmith and supposedly it was a stop on the underground railroad where escaped slaves could hid. By the 1920's the busilding evolved into a speakeasy/gambling den and the tradition of not marking the entrance continues. Chumley's later became one of NYC's literary hangouts, and the authors' original dust jackets, and their pictures are on the walls.

Most of the bartenders are NYFD, if you go be sure look at the side of the chimney to see the tribute to 9/11, drawn by an unknown artist shortly after the attacks.

Postal

I have also been to Chumley's and heartily recommend it! It's definitely fits the description NEAT!

mp

Not to be a downer - but the OP says he is 19 years old . . . he may run into difficulty, especially with 4 other teenagers getting into bars, even as laid back a place as Chumleys . . .

Margo_Chester

Also forgot to mention that Chumley's supposidly is haunted. To quote a New York magazine article, "The ghost of the fabled speakeasy’s proprietress, Henrietta Chumley, has been said to quaff Manhattans at her favorite seat by the fireplace and tip bottles off the shelves. Owner Steve Schlopak, who keeps a log of supernatural occurrences, believes it might be his former employees, twelve firefighters killed on September 11, who return to play the jukebox even when it’s unplugged, selecting songs that jibe with conversations and holidays".

Just adds to the atmosphere!

lizziea06

I don't think he'd have any issue eating at Chumley's, just ordering drinks. I assume the y/o is not going to attempt this, or he will bring a fake ID.

ggreen

Big Onion tours are great; they're led mostly by grad students in anthropology and related fields, so you get great details. I learned more about Wall Street and vicinity in the 2-hour tour we took than in all my years of living and working here.

If you're into history, another cool place to visit is the Tenement Museum, which is set up in a tenement building on the Lower East Side. If you're planning on visiting Ellis Island, this would be a great place to follow up with, as it represents where a lot of those immigrants ended up. They also do walking tours of the area (but I prefer Big Onion). www.tenement.org

scott23

Haunted? Wow. That sure does add to the atmosphere. Chumley's sounds like a definite stop. I noticed on the subway map, there is a subway terminal nearby 12th and 5th. I've never been on the subway, so I don't know how it's going to be traveling with four other people. Is a MetroCard a pay-per-ride type thing or a daily pass? Any suggestions on how to navigate the subway system?

ilovetotravel29

You are in a great neighborhood---I stayed at west 11th and 5th ave in greenwich. It takes about 30 minutes to an hour to get from LGA to the village---it depends on traffic, though.

There are tons of cafes and restaurants, a kate's paperie (which some people like, except myself), delis, colleges, etc.

HenryR

Take the Foods of NY tour of Greenwich Village. It's fun and you'll learn a lot about the area. You need to reserve ahead of time on foodsofny.com.

ellenem

You will have access to most Manhattan subway lines at a few different subway stations within a few blocks of your location at 12th St and 5th Ave.

There are many threads here describing how to use the NYC subway system. MetroCards are available in pay-as-you-go cards as well as one-day and weekly passes. A one-day pass is cost-effective if you will ride 4 or more times in one day. The MetroCard also works on the bus.

scott23

Thanks for all the advice, Fodorites. My trip starts tomorrow. Wish me luck. I'll be sure to report back.