Some other tips I thought of:

- Day/Week Pass Metrocards can only be used by one person (once used, they go inert for 15 minutes). Declining Balance cards can be used multiple times by different persons on the same trip. Also, you get a BONUS with each purchase over $10 (a $10 card gets you $12 in rides, etc.). It may be more economical to buy a really big value card rather than passes, especially if you will walk from place to place rather than a lot of long-haul trips.

- Free sightseeing buses include:

The M15 runs from the Staten Island Ferry and goes up 1st Avenue past the UN.

The M5 starts in Greenwich Village, goes past Herald Sq/Macy's and near Times Sq, and runs up the Upper West Side and Riverside Park all the way past Grant's Tomb.

The M4 runs almost the length of Manhattan and terminates at the doorstep of the Cloisters- you also get SAME DAY Free admission to the Cloisters if you already paid at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The B51 runs from City Hall Park in Manhattan and goes across the Manhattan Bridge to Downtown Brooklyn.

The M104 runs from 72nd and Broadway and goes downtown RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE of Times Sq.

The M8 runs from East Village to West Village along 8th or 9th Street, dependent on direction.

All of these attraction-packed tours are a friendly $2 per person. Quick bus guide- the first letter is the Borough of Service (M/Manhattan, B/Brooklyn, Q/Queens, Bx/Bronx, S/Staten Isl, X/Interborough Express).

- You may be tempted to buy snacks while in Midtown while in a Deli/Bodega. Don't! This is the home of the $2 Coke and $1.25 Hershey Bar. Go to the SUPERMARKET instead. There is a big Associated Supermarket on 57th Street near Carnegie Hall. It will cost more than you are used to at home, but it is a full Supermarket.

- Don't make Dinner a big meal, this is the most expensive time to eat. Go European. Eat a light breakfast, a huge lunch, and a light dinner. You will be able to afford lunch at restaurants that break the bank at dinner. If you did what I told you and saw all your majors in the morning you will be ready for a rest then anyway.

- Church services are free. It's going to be less crowded at places like St. Patrick's because gawking tourists are intimidated to visit during Mass. If you are Catholic, go to the Mass. If you are not Catholic, go anyway. You get to see the building IN USE.

- If you are Mormon DO NOT MISS the NYC Temple across from Lincoln Center. Free, of course. Sorry, LDS members only. (drat)

- There are some really quirky National Parks in NYC. Yes, National Parks.

Federal Hall (Wall St.), where George Washington was inaugurated, is FREE. Closing in December for renovation.

Castle Clinton, a fort from the War of 1812 (Battery Park) is FREE.

Teddy Roosevelt's Birthplace (28 East 20th St) is only $3.

Grant's Tomb (122nd and Riverside Dr) is FREE.

Hamilton Grange, Alexander Hamilton's house (287 Convent Ave) is FREE.

Remember, NYC is America's OLDEST big city. Yes, older than Boston (by 6 years) or Philadelphia (by 58 years). There are tons of great historic sites here. NYC is only 22 years younger than Santa Fe, the oldest State Capital.

Don't forget to go to all the big department stores. At that time of year, all of them have their window displays for the holidays. They can be quite something.

Check out theatremania.com for discounted tickets (broadway, off-broadway, off off broadway).

If you are interested in a particular restuaruant and want to see what their menu is like go to menupages.com. You can also check out restuarants all over the city. Remember that NYC is more than Manhattan.

Don't forget all of the things in lower Manhattan, such as Ellis Island and the Statute of Liberty.

By the way enjoy the basketball game (Rock Chock Jawhawks??).

Geez, QC, do you do this for a living?!? If not, you should! Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions, and especially the various websites. The more I can check out and arrange from home, the better. And bless ya, emmas, we will certainly be "Rock Chalk"ing our Jayhawks (the ground under KU is supposedly lined w/ chalk deposits) at Madison Square Garden. Getting lost in this great thread, I nearly forgot that's why we are going!

don't miss Ellis Island museum. rent the head phones which allow you to move thru at your own pace and explain what you are looking at. probably around
$8/pp by now...maybe a bit more....but worth it. you can take the same ferry that gets you to the statue of liberty...choose to get our and wander around the island and get photos of the statue, and then get back on the next ferry going to ellis island and take a leisurely or quick look at what the immigrants saw as they came across from europe into our country. VERY WELL DONE...even your kids will be interested. and i say that from experience with my own. if i were to cut down anywhere on this visit, i'd eliminate all but one of the headphones and explain to the rest of the family.

I've lived in NYC for 15 years and am a fan of doing things "on the cheap." Get Rob Grader's book "The Cheap Bastard's Guide to New York City, 2nd : A Native New Yorker's Secrets of Living the Good Life--For Free!" It includes all of these suggestions and much more.

In response to the suggestion of taking taxis, unless it's terribly cold or you're very late, DON'T. Your kids will love using the subway or the views from the public busses. A $7 "fun pass" gets a rider a full day of public transport.

You can use your "fun pass" to take the A/C train to the first stop in Brooklyn (High Street) and walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge (after pizza at Grimaldi's). The views are unparallelled and the price can't be beat!

It is hard to add much to QC's excellent, comprehensive suggestions. Regarding food, though--young kids need to re-fuel often, so remember that NY bagels are very filling, and definitely do the hot dogs/papaya; also, my kids and I had a contest going for years as to which shop had the best pizza slices. We tried hundreds, couldn't choose a winner, though my vote would be for the shop at the corner of 33rd and 3rd. One of the great pleasures of Manhattan, IMHO,is the wealth of delicious, really cheap, exotic restaurants. Time is money, too, and don't waste a moment preparing when there are thousands of great dining experiences (takeout can be fun, too).

The tree should be up at Rockefeller Center and is worth a visit. Topaz Thai is one of my favorites and just behind your hotel at 127 W. 56th Street. Grand Central should also have their holiday market set up as will Bryant Park. The Municipal Arts Society used to do free tours of Grand Central every Wednesday at noon.

Sorry, I didn't realize about the age restriction to the Letterman show. That definitely explains why I didn't see any kids there.

We took a free tour of GCT too - it was wonderful! Every Friday at 12:30pm Grand Central Partnership hosts a free tour. Meet on 42nd Street in front of the Phillip Morris/ Whitney Museum across the street from Grand Central. For more information, call 212-697-1245. Our host covered Grand Central and also took us over to the Chrysler Building and explained a lot about it. Can't recommend it highly enough!

QC, you rock! Wonderful ideas! We went to Ellis Island (Sept. 2004) and heartily suggest you go as early as possible. I think we were there at 9 and couldn't get a Statue of Libery time until 3! We also stood in line for security for about an hour. Has that changed??? Night views from Empire State Bldg. were awesome. Our wait was less than 1/2 hour at night. Did anyone suggest walking across the Brooklyn Bridge??

Sorry to butt in without any real advice but I just wanted to comment on the kid-friendliness of "Mama Mia" as I have freinds with mixed reactions on this topic.


While I personally think it would be fine for an 11yo provided you discuss what's going on, it does involve a character who isn't sure which of 3 men fathered her child--that's the plot. Decide if your kid is mature enough for that theme and whether you are ok talking about that with him.

Of course, all the other show suggestions are wonderful. Have a great time in NYC!

Hi there:
One more suggestion - the NYTimes had an article today about a new FREE ice-skating rink in the city - in Bryant Park, by the NY Public Library. It should open October 28th. Skate rentals will be available for $7.50, which is still a way better deal than the other outdoor skating rinks (and hopefully less crowded since it is new.) It sounds very cool & I definitely plan to check it out during my next visit in November!

Here is the article by the way: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/06/ny...ink.html?8hpib

I haven't read thru this thread yet. But you could take the staten ferry to get a skyline view of Manhattan and the statue of liberty too from the water. The ferry fair should be really cheap compared to a tour boat. When I went many years ago, it was only 50 cents.

Another idea: hop on the 7 train from Midtown (or transfer) and ride it to the end (Flushing). Great for an inexpensive dinner (follow your nose for terrific ethnic food of all sorts) or pastries, ice cream...On the way back, the views of the skyline are positively fabulous where the tracks are above ground. (And, you can hop off at Grand Central for the laser light show.)

Here's an idea for stretching your money in NYC:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34688479

Pis, I couldn't get your suggestion to take me to a specific thread. What's the title of the thread?

That thread was deleted by the editors.
It was a mildly amusing tale of the triumph of good over evil. One in which the protagonist had abandoned the common courtesies of the web and was attempting to advance a Ponzi scheme on any who was born yesterday. You missed "nothing" in my estimation. Carry on.

Actually, you're visiting at a pretty good time! You're in-between the two major holidays, so there will be a slight lull in the tourism activity. Still busy, but not as totally nutty as Christmas.

BroadwayBox.com should be a great resource for you if you want to go to a show. It will offer about the same prices as the TKTS booth without the lines. Many shows will have discounts for early December (but don't even think about Wicked or Spamalot!) Generally, these will be for weeknights.

I wouldn't recommend Chitty for your group; older teenagers may not enjoy it. Hairspray or the Producers could be a fun choice.

Depending on how cold it is, a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge could be a great, memorable experience for all. There is no better reward than pizza from Grimaldi's at the end! (Or to give you energy at the beginning)

As far as museums, there are so many "specialty" museums in NYC that you may find one that fits the interests of all, such as the Intrepid or TV/Film.

John's Pizza is excellent, especially if you want a Theatre District option.

There are always tons of free or low-cost events going on. I would suggest picking up a copy of Time Out NY when you get here and browsing through all of the current suggestions.

Definitely buy the $7 subway pass. It will cost your group $10 each time you use the subway otherwise :)

Enjoy! :)

"Definitely buy the $7 subway pass. It will cost your group $10 each time you use the subway otherwise."

Let's go to the videotape. There are 5 people in the group for a 3 day visit.

(5 people) x (3 days) x ($7) = $105 for daily passes. Everyone needs their own pass.

How much will they ride the subway? $105 is 52.5 rides at $2 per. Divide that by the 5 people and they will need to ride 10.5 times per day each to break even. They only start getting discounted rides at the 11th ride of the same day. That's a lot, even for a tourist.

$10 per group ride sounds like a lot. Is it?

Let's assume 5 rides per day.

1. Hotel to Attraction 1
2. Attraction 1 to Attraction 2
3. Attraction 2 to Attraction 3
(already getting to be a lot- these poor people will be exhausted by this point)
4. 1 misc. ride
5. Ride back to hotel.

And this assumes ZERO free Subway-to-bus transfers. Note- there are free transfers if you do so within 2 hours of your first ride.

That's $150 total. But think about it. They will not do 5 rides per day. Three is more like it.

(3 group rides) x ($10) x (3 days) = $90

But to get $90 worth of rides you do not need to put $90 on your card. You only need to put $72 on your card. Any purchase over $10 gets you a free 20% bonus.

($90 value) x (80%) = $72

Look - it's cheaper. By a lot.

Before anyone posts that my math is wrong, remember we are looking at the TOTAL COST of the option. Yes, the passes expire each day and so it appears that the $7 pass only needs 4 rides to be a deal. But...

All 5 people need to ride and use their own pass.

Cash cards DO NOT EXPIRE. They can be SHARED. Another reason why total cost of use is lower.