Here is the plan, my wife and I are going to New York November 2-10. We will be staying at the Pennsylvania Hotel in mid-town. One day will be devoted to the Met, one day for shopping and strolling. While there we want to see Ellis Island, statue o
 

Thanks for your help

....please take a step back and a big breath in, Larry....before you pass out.

Run, do not walk, to your nearest telephone and call the Pennsylvania Hotel and CANCEL your reservation. This place consistently gets horrible reviews.

Do not stay at the Pennsylvania. One full day is a lot at the Met even though there is so much to see. It can really put you on overload.

While at the Met, find time for Central Park. Also you should explore some neighborhoods, particularly the village area and soho. There are many interesting shops, restaurants, galleries, etc. Also Chinatown and Little Italy are worth seeing once.

Thank you for posting such an informative title Larry. Don't forget the outer boroughs (e.g., Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens).

Do not stay at the Pennsylvania. Awful. Get tickets for some of the wonderful Broadway & off Broadway shows, and a concert,ballet, or opera at Lincoln Center. Out of the way, less frequented sites might be: The Tenement Museum, The Morgan Library, Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn Heights.

I always take a full day at the met and I have lived in NYC for about 15 years, not an art buff but love walking around exploring revisiting. I can't imagine coming to NYC and not giving it a day. You can break for lunch in the cafeteria, wonder outside in the park if you get a warm day. Get to Ellis Island ticket counters as early as possible lines cue up long early.<BR><BR>Out of the way stuff to do pick up a time out. Go to citysearch.com and see what is on for that week. 92nd street Y sometimes has great lectures just off the top of my head.<BR><BR>I would say out of the way sites for most tourist that frequent this board would be Soho, Fairways, Zabars (Upper West side 75th street (you can stroll up when you get out of a Lincoln center production. I just passed by last night and Fairways was open at 9:30.pm. I think they may be open 24 hours. You would stop here if you want to take home hard to find European food items like cheese,chocolates, cookies and a lot of other stuff. ABC Carpet on 18th Street & Broadway over the top expensive but soup to nuts on decorating.<BR><BR>I like the Asia Society around 72nd and Park small and great look at Asian American Artist with some foreign exhibits.

TTT for Larry!

Thanks to everyone for their help i want to apologize for the length of my title i didn't realize what I was doing until i saw it posted later on as you can tell this is my first time on the forum. i didn't know the pennsylvannia was so bad, we had some friends stay there for a weekend a couple of years ago and while they said it wasn't the nicest hotel in the city the price was cheap and the location was good to get around to a lot of different places. i'll see what other options are out there if there are any other ideas please let us know of things to do everything is sounding really good so far. Bye

You will have probably have a hard time switching rooms for the first night or 2 - the NYC Marathon is November 3rd. I would definitely try to see some of it.

I have to agree - get yourselves out the Pennsylvania Hotel - it couldn't be worse. Check for some hotel rates on hotelkingdom.com and quickbook.com. "Try This" is right, it might be tough to find a new place for those first two nights, but after that you should be all set.<BR><BR>The immigration museum at Ellis Island is excellent, plan to get there early so you won't be rushed. I also spend a full day at the Met - take one of the free "highlight" tours and then go back to check out the things that you want to spend more time at. When you think you're on "over load" stop and have something to eat at the cafe and then continue on.<BR><BR>The Frick museum is also interesting, and add Madison Ave to your shopping tour - there are some interesting boutiques starting around the 50s and on up. Take time to see the Village and SoHo, and certainly a few shows! Also, checkout the wax museum - it is really done well and it's fun!<BR><BR>Pick up an "Eyewitness Guide" to New York, it's the only guide book you'll need and there are photos. maps, walking tours, admission times for museums, etc. Have a wonderful time, I envy you being able to be in NYC for 8 days.

I recommend you try the Waldorf Astoria. They are part of the Hilton chain and you can get some surprisingly good deals. The marathon is a wonderful event to watch, as the runner arrive back in Central Park. Other tips:<BR>1. Go for a sunset drink at the top of the PENINSULA hotel on 5th avenue, great views, outdoor terrace. Hope you get a full moon.<BR>2. Go for a drink at the Four Seasons, best bar in NYC. Get there EARLY. <BR>3. Go for weekend brunch at the Boathouse Cafe in Central Park.<BR>4. For amazing beef and the best wine list in NYC, try Smith and Wollensky's.<BR>5. For sushi try Japonica in the Village but there EARLY <BR>6. Take pix from roof of the Met<BR>7. If your wife wants to do power clothes shopping book a free personal shopping appointment at Saks, try Trish Heyman. You get the best, the sales, everything in record time. She can preshop for anything and have the stuff ready for you to try on.<BR>8. Walk up the full length of Madison Avenue shopping and have dinner at La Goulue. <BR>9. Eat lots of bagel sandwiches and street hot dogs, both terrific and cheap for lunch.<BR>10. From 6PM on, it is HARD to get a taxi in midtown. Plan accordingly or stay at the Waldorf! <BR>

Dude, learn how to type a SUBJECT LINE and then put your text in the message box!!

former nyc resident: Your ideas are wonderful - but will you pay their bill?

Ellis Island is haunted. You can absolutely feel the sturm und drang that the people went through. I advise that you go late afternoon when it is empty and the shadows are lengthening. It is the most ghostly time. I had no idea until I went there myself. This is perfectly true and you will remember forever. I agree with the other poster, do not go when it is crowded. Let the people's voice speak to you. They will, they really will. The stories you will learn there are amazing, about rich NYC women making the women over who came from Eastern Europe so that their husbands, who usually came first, would accept them. Many people got there, turned around and went back. Families with sick members were divided, the ailing were sent back. Many people stayed there 8 months or longer, many babies were born there. Feel it.

Where do you buy your weed, 'do you like ghosts'?

Other poster makes a good point about expenses in NYC. Whatever you think the absolute MAXIMUM is that anything could POSSIBLY cost, double it. You cannot walk around the block in NYC without dropping $80 to $100 bucks. Plan accordingly. Obviously you will want to do Xmas shopping. If you live outside NY state and IF you shop at stores that do not have branches in your state, you can have stuff mailed home and avoid the NYC sales tax which is stiff. As stated, grab a hot dog for lunch, splurge on cocktails and dinners. Dining is a key part of the experience, no doubt. Buy half-price theatre tickets. Take the godawful subway and busses or better, walk, except in the rain. Enjoy Central Park walks and runs. However don't skimp on your hotel or it will spoil things a bit. You gotta plug into the glamour to enjoy the full experience. That is New York.

Dear Ganja Brain,<BR>I will make you a bet. You provide me with your real email, I will provide you with mine. You go to Ellis Island under the conditions that I have suggested and if you feel nothing as I have described it, I will send you a check for $50. It is impossible not to feel what I felt. Sort of like looking up at the Lincoln Monument for the first time. You feel Abe's spirit, his soul. Sort of like visiting the Vietnam Wall. You feel the sense of loss. Sort of like visiting Gettysburg, you feel what happened there. Have you ever visited Dachau, you would know what I mean. Ellis Island is one of those places.

Larry, as former NYC resident so pointedly illuminates it is indeed an expensive thing to fully enjoy NYC, but then isn't vacationing and enjoyment about the experience? Scrimp when you can and splurge on the ambiance.<BR> A little side note, as a Long Island resident, the overload of Manhattan can be overwhelming. Even when visiting Paris, a drive in the countryside puts the city into a different light. Having said this, financially possible, try either a car rental or Hampton Jitney ride(bus) out to either the Montauk or Orient. Indulge in the wine tasting, views of the vast beaches and pastoral landscapes that make New York state so diversified. Even a trip on the LIRR(aproximately $15.00 each) to a small B&B for an overnighter will break up an overload of cosmopolitan atmosphere. At Montauk I'd reccommend the Manor, a historical building with beautiful ocean views and in Greenport there is the new Shady Lady Inn. You'll be surprised what a difference 60 miles makes.<BR> Enjoy your trip....

everyone has been great thank you all so much for your help. i talked to my wife and we are going to stay with the pennsylvannia because all we really need is a place to sleep at night without a whole lot of service and the rate we got is really good (90 a night) and when i looked around everything else was going to be more and we want to save money to splurge on other things. former ny resident your advice is great i think that we are going to take advantage of some your suggestions. i also like the idea of getting out of the city for day we were already thinking of doing this before because we have some friends that live in stamford ct and thought it might be nice to see them and maybe stay in a bed and breakfast out there. with all of these wonderful suggestions i am sure my wife and i will have a wonderful time in a wonderful city. Bye

Larry, that Pennsylvannia Hotel is going to ruin your trip! Even if you use the room just to sleep, you still need a clean room with a comfortable bed! Especially after walking around NYC all day long! You're going to get crap at Penn H and crap at any cost is expensive! We stayed a couple of nights in August at the Ameritania Hotel which is on 54th (or thereabouts) and between 7th and 8th Ave. It is smack in the middle of everything -in Time Square. Cannot get closer than that. It was'nt the best hotel, room was tiny but it had a sort of happening lobby, gave us a clean room, decent enough bed and included continental breakfast. 105.00 per night plus tax. We walked everywhere from there - no need to even take the train. I think it is perfectly fine to scrimp on certain things in NYC because it is expensive but I would'nt scrimp on the hotel if I am spending 10 days there. You need to be comfortable at night.

I am in agreement with everyone else that says "GET OUT OF THE PENNSYLVANIA HOTEL!!!!" We went a year ago and checked into that disgusting, filthy, drug-infested..okay, i can give it more adjectives, but I won't...place. The first room we checked into had not been checked out of yet. Clothes everywhere.<BR>The second room we got sent to had less clothes but more beer bottles than I've ever seen. The third room had the bed unmade and stuff (use your imagination) in the toilet. <BR> Since the third time is supposed to be the charm, and it obviously wasn't, we checked out. I won't even talk about the "lady" manager who we demanded this experience not be charged to our credit card...i'm sure she'd go to any room for a price... <BR> YUCK!!!

Love the idea about taking the Hampton jitney, which you can also get off in Southhampton or East Hampton, both of which are my personal favorites and will be more lively than Montauk now. Rent bicycles to tour the island, Sag Harbor is a 30 min. ride from EH or SH and has antique shops and the American Hotel which is great for dinner. Maybe you could even stay there as a base. The biking is easy, the roads are smooth and just some low rises is most areas and traffic will be light then. Shouldn't be too cold. The Jitney is more efficient than the LIRR which involves changes of trains. Leave your big suitcase at the NY hotel and just take an overnight bag. Weekends are more lively. NY Hilton on Ave of Americas is huge, very well located, you can probably get a rate in low 100s. You want a good concierge and a line of taxis out front. Plus you can earn Hilton points!

Just checked several sites for better hotel rates-choices. The Radisson Lexington, which is right at the subway, has an average rate at that time of $202 per night. The Regent Wall Street is $180, though this is far from the action. The Helmsley Windsor is around $200. I think there will be more last minute offers in the mid-100s. Also call the hotels directly and negotiate a better rate since you are staying more nights. The Pennsylvania is in an unappealing location, never been but would avoid. The Franklin, classy, Upper East Side, is at $179. Anything in NYC under $150 is highly suspect! Plus you will stay one or two nights in the Hamptons and one night in Connecticut so it's only 5 nights, not 8. I saw a package on Luxury Link for dinner for two at "21" including wines, tour of wine cellar, etc., for $301. That may be a worthwhile splurge and with the four wines probably worth it. Keep an eye on the Hilton website, they are having a sale this month at the Waldorf and they may offer something for November at any of their properties if they don't fill up between now and then.

former nyc resident, obviously you were living in a higher tax bracket than the rest of us, peninsula rooftop bar charges $11 a cocktail. larry, you DON'T need to spend a lot to have a great time. plenty of cheap hotels like the aforementioned ameritania and places like the edison hotel, herald square hotel, red roof inn on 32nd street, comfort inn (midtown and on central park west), will provide you with a nicer experience than the penn. without spending a lot of money. check out chinatown, eat some great food for under 5 bucks a dish. go to coney island and eat a nathan's hot dog on the boardwalk. get pizza at lombardi's, walk thru little italy, drink a nice chianti at bar veloce in nolita. grab dinner at next door nobu in tribeca. eat lunch near the promenade in brooklyn heights, then walk back to the city across the brooklyn bridge. check out museum of modern art at its temporary home in queens. if you spend one night in the east end of long island, be sure to stop by one of the vineyards in the north fork. there's lots to do in this great city. best site to check out is citysearch.com, the reviews are usually dead-on. have a wonderful trip!

again thanks to everyone for helping out we are going to go ahead and cancel our reservations with pennslyvannia and try to find better accomodations with some of the hotels listed above also the new yorker was listed at a good price range and we might try there unless it is a dump like the other hotel. i think that instead of going to connecticut we are going to go to more the hamptons area the idea of renting bikes and riding around sounds like a lot of fun to do for the last couple of days of the trip but i haven't made reservations yet. lots of other good ideas, going to coney island might be fun to see since i have heard alot about it. thanks again everyone. Bye

Why don't you try priceline for the hotel? Might be a good idea?

Larry,<BR>Try www.millhouseinn.com for a great East Hampton B&B. They have last minute autumn specials. The place has a perfect location right in EH town. Very charming and romantic. Back to the city. One tourist trap to watch out for is anything to do with Russian restaurants out toward Coney Island!!!

Larry, <BR>The only thing crazier than making the reservation at the Penn in the first place would be to cancel the res before you have another place to stay, having been warned that it's a very busy weekend in the city. <BR><BR>I agree that Priceline might be your best bet at this point. Go to www.biddingfortravel.com, read their FAQ and their lists ofhotels that other people have won on PL.<BR><BR>Larry, follow this link to see Dave Barry's trip report about stauing at the "Hotel Shpennsylvania."<BR><BR>http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald...ry/3375167.htm

Why don't you try priceline for the hotel? Might be a good idea?

we stated at the Penn Hotel in April and it was just fine.we had a large room with king sized bed and it was clean...new furniture....and the staff was pleasant. Its not the Ritz but its fine and very convenient. Most of the nay sayers on here are relying on here say.

I used priceline.com for a hotel room lasat weekend. VERY short notice, or I could have done better. I asked for midtown south(I think that's what they called it) and ended up at the Clarion 5th Ave for $121/night. Now, being a frequent traveler to NYC, I understand about 17% hotel taxes and extra $2 per room per night charges so WHATEVER price you get, know that it will get pumped up with the extra. (Our room ended up being $143) Still, it was a fantastic location (around the corner from the NYC Public Library, half a block from Lord&Taylor, and Bryant Park (behind the library) has become my favorite NYC park. But enough about ME, regarding hotel options -- try Marriott's website. They had an $89 rate at a Courtyard in the same area where we stayed (E40th and 3rd, Madison Ave, somewhere around there). Those rooms were gong when I started looking, but you could get lucky. They may also only be at that price on weekends, but see what pops up. Another site you may want to catch (playing off your name here...) is the new Planetarium....

Sorry about all those typos -- but I hope these tips help a bit. Sometimes I "talk" faster than my fingers move. (or was that vice versa?)

My brother and I spent a few days in the Hotel Pennsylvania and it was a pit but certainly livable. Actually we were there the week before Dave Barry's article. The only problem I had with Barry's piece was that it was too kind.<BR><BR>The beds were worn out, the walls stained, the bathroom fixtures ancient, and the bedspread was tattered.<BR><BR>On the other hand, the elevators worked fine and were always available, the ice machine worked, the door locked fine and the windows opened so I could puff a fatty without stinking up the hall.<BR><BR>For $90 per night you might do better but we just wanted to crash in mid-town and it fit the bill.<BR><BR>A last note, if you have a car be aware that the parking is probably 1/2 mile away and the hotel does not have a place for you to stash your bags before check-in. We parked our car and came back later to check in. We had to haul our bags down the street and it was a bitch.<BR><BR>Anywhere is NYC is usually a gas so stick with it. Many of the rooms are newly fixed up but not all as I just noted.<BR><BR>MM

I'm glad you decided to check out of the hotel - I think you will be much happier staying somewhere else.<BR>Let me just say to those of you that said you had an okay experience at the Pennsylvania Hotel....consider yourselves lucky.<BR>I would never talk badly about a hotel just because it's not like the Ritz. As a matter of fact, I've only stayed at a Ritz once and it was because an airline put us up there because of a problem with the schedule.<BR>All I ask of a hotel is that it is clean and safe. The Pennsylvania Hotel was neither. I, frankly, do not want to stay in a flophouse, which is exactly what that was.

Pennsylvania Hotel is fine for the $$$. Centrally located... access the rest of the city. Especially easy to get to form EWR & Penn Station (hence the name). <BR>Like fine art at the Met? Check out the Frick Collection down the street. It’s a magnificent art collection in its original location. Old man Frick really knew how to live...http://www.frick.org/<BR>

Larry<BR>Enjoy NYC<BR>Try ...www.avalonny.com or www.wolcott.com

Hi Larry, I am adding on a holiday to NY at the same time as you Nov 2-6, as part of a work trip to Boston. I am from Australia and have never been to NY before. I have not yet booked my accom. and can't believe we will be there at the same time as the marathon! damn! I have been reading everyones tips about where to stay & will try out some of their suggestions, like not staying at the Penn! Maybe I will run into you & your wife at the met. have a great holiday..

i didn't think people would still be posting to my question but i am glad to everyone that has because everyone has helped a lot and i think we got a lot of good advice. just an update for anyone, we cancelled our reservation at the pennsylvannia of course we had a another place lined up first. we have really gone out on a limb on this one, as far as upgrading but it turns out my wifes travel department had a good deal on a new york hotel this same time frame we were looking for so we got booked at the hudson hotel which is real close to lincoln center and from what i understand is a real nice hotel. they told us that the room was going to be small but we dont really care since we are not going to be in the room much anyway. thanks again to everyone who helped out with such great advice and everything we are really looking forward to our time in new york. Bye