How do you choose Broadway seats?

Old Jan 26th, 2009, 06:08 AM
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<< On the question of booking tables at popular restaurants...how far in advance would you suggest? >>

As far ahead as you can. Restaurants have different policies - some take reservations 30 days, 4 calendar weeks, 6 weeks, one calendar month, etc ahead. The only way to know their policy is to call them and mark your calendar.
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Old Jan 26th, 2009, 06:15 AM
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Thanks Centralparkgirl. We want to book Norma's for sure for Sunday brunch!

I printed up all these mouth watering menues. Jubilee, Deux Amis, Cafe De Bruxelles, The Tea Box at Takashimaya, Solera, Cafe 2 at MOMA, and Fresco. Unreal. Any opinions on these choices so far?

In my small town we don't even have a traffic light, yet alone great restaurants to choose from. I am humbled.
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Old Jan 26th, 2009, 06:16 AM
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opentable.com is a website from which you can book many but not all restaurants. Only the very most popular places need booking very far in advance. If you'd like a nice meal with great view, rivercafe.com or bateauxnewyork.com are both very nice. Not the best food in NYC but a good combo of good food and great views.
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Old Jan 26th, 2009, 06:23 AM
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Mclaurie, Thanks! I'll check into it. I checked and we paid a total of $76 for each way to and from NYC airport on Supershuttle. Should we just deal with it, or eat the $$ and get a cab? Our flight gets in at 4:40pm mid week and leaves on a Sunday afternoon. You'd think Sunday would be a breeze either way, shuttle or taxi.
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Old Jan 26th, 2009, 07:41 AM
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That makes me SOOOOO angry every time I hear about it. A taxi will cost $60 including $45 fare, toll and tip, so you're actually paying MORE for the honor of sharing a bus with other people and getting perhaps a grand tour while others are dropped off before you at their hotels, not to mention getting a tour of the airport to fill the bus up. This Super Shuttle scam has been going on for so long.....rant rant rant.

You can try to cancel. Whether to write off the expense is up to you. If you're not in a big rush to get to the hotel, use it going from the airport but I wouldn't use it for the return. They're infamous for not showing up at all and making people late or miss their flight OR asking you to leave hours before you need to for their convenience.
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Old Jan 26th, 2009, 07:46 AM
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I haven't eaten in those restaurants and some of them don't get the greatest ratings on Zagat's (fwiw). One option near your hotel is Pampano, an attractive modern Mexican with the accent on very fresh seafood - not inexpensive. www.modernmexican.com

But, consider not limiting yourself to dining near your hotel - then the options are limitless.
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Old Jan 26th, 2009, 08:26 AM
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One other suggestion. We like to have appetizers and a drink before a show. Hate eating a big meal and then sitting for 3 hours. After the show, we walk down restaurant row (46th between 8th & 9th) and pick one of the MANY restaurants along that strip. Never had a bad meal. Love Orso - you could probably even make an after-theatre reservation if you wanted to. We save our meal until then. NYC is still hopping and it's fun to be out! Also - my husband LOVED Wicked. Not just a teen girl's show! And it's different in case you've seen South Pacific a lot. Have fun!!
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Old Jan 26th, 2009, 09:01 AM
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Buy your South Pacific tickets as soon as you can (now, if they are selling tickets for May).

Everything else can wait. There are few restaurants where you have to make reservations 30 days in advance any more (business isn't that good ... and I've gotten good times at places that used to book up far in advance with just a week's notice lately).

Sorry to hear about SuperShuttle, but I'm too cheap to pay double so I'd just take it (if it's really really bad, you can do a regular taxi on the way tack to the airport). It's a surprisingly abysmal service in NYC, and I just don't know why. I've used SuperShuttle successfully in many other places, but here it's so horrible I can't even begin to say.
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Old Jan 26th, 2009, 11:05 AM
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Okay, my relative in NYC said she would go to get the tickets for me for South Pacific, so there's one problem solved. I'll try and figure out the supershuttle dilema. Thanks again!
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Old Jan 26th, 2009, 12:05 PM
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I saw South Pacific last May. It is wonderful. You will come away humming the songs. The set is amazing too. Have a look at their web site for tickets. As I recall they have a very good display of available seats that is easy to negotiate. My friend and I split up so that we could both have great seats. That's always an option if you can't found enough good seats togeher. I wouldn't want to be too far to either side, but you could absolutely be as close as the front row or as far back as the back wall and see just fine. I would try for a more center position as the sound is better that way. Not a big fan of the mezzanine, prefer the main floor.

If you decide on Wicked, my favorite location is the front of the Mezz as that is a huge show with lots to see and its hard to take it all in if you aren't positioned just right on the main floor.
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Old Jan 26th, 2009, 03:29 PM
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I agree with Doug. Get your South Pacific tickets soon. Having your friend stop at the box is a wise move, as it will save service charges. Just have them check first to make sure May tickets are available yet.
And remember what Doug and I have said: There are no bad sight lines at that theater!
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Old Jan 26th, 2009, 08:13 PM
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http://broadwaybox.com is really good
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Old May 13th, 2011, 05:54 PM
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Seeks ocean - So what's the 4-1-1 after all of your War Horse experience and the theatre seating? I too saw this amazing production in London, but never been to VB in NYC & want to get the best seats in the house this summer again for a War Horse repeat. My mum & I had a close seat to the stage in London, and this venue - like most Broadway venues -looks much larger than those across the pond. What do you think?
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Old May 13th, 2011, 07:51 PM
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There are some really lousy seats in the Vivian Beaumont. Some are way on the side, some are up to high, etc. Buy in the orchestra as close to center as possible.

HTTY
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Old May 14th, 2011, 04:17 AM
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To put things in the proper perspective, the Vivian Beaumont is one of the best venues when it comes to sight lines. Perhaps I've been luckier than happytrailstoyou, but I've never had bad seats in that theater no matter where I sat, and I've sat in just about every part of the Beaumont.
However, I certainly will agree with her comment, "Buy in the orchestra as close to center as possible." Hey, that advice is good for any theater!
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Old May 14th, 2011, 08:03 AM
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I've only been in the Vivian Beaumont twice. First time I was front row all the way on the side. It was okay but wish I were closer to the center.

SEcond time was for War Horse and I had front row in balcony, just off to the side. I like my seat a lot, though I'd imagine the effect of the horse puppets and tanks etc will be more impressive if I were down in the orchestra section.
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Old May 17th, 2011, 05:26 PM
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It's been almost a year since our trip, and out of five nights in NYC, three of them were at Broadway shows. We had only planned on two shows, but after the two, who wanted to waste a night eating, when we could see another show. The first show we saw was, Fela! Wow..... Then the next night we saw, Memphis. Double WOW! The third show was Billy Elliot. I really liked Billy Elliot, but it didn't have the wow factor that the other two had. As far as seats went, well, I recommend the balcony, in the middle section, as up front as possible, with the chosen seats starting at one of the row ends. It's really hard to get out if you have to, when you are smack dab in the middle of a row. It's far easier to walk across a friend then it is to walk across a stanger. It was really easy to buy last minute tickets on line from my hotel room. BTW, we ate at Basso 56 one of the nights and it was truly incredible. You have to make a rez well in advance. I can't wait to go back to NYC!
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