Just Back From New York City
Nov 29th, 2001, 02:16 PM
#1
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Just Back From New York City
Left from Ft Lauderdale the morning after Thanksgiving. We flew JetBlue. Great flight. Great planes. Ahead of schedule. Leather seats. Leg room. Private little tv's on all seats. No food. Only slight snack. Bring your own. They are very friendly and really enjoy what they're doing. Also, 54. per person each way helps fill planes.
Arrived JFK early afternoon. Stayed at NY Hilton 53rd and 6th (Ave Americas). Excelent location. Walked to Rokefeller Center, down 5th Ave to 42nd Street. Went into Public Library and on to Times Square. Walked back up to hotel. Decided to have Deli at The Stage. Excellent Corn Beef. Both The Stage and the competition charge a 3.00 sharing charge. Just go with it. If the portions are too big (they were), pay it and share. Good start.
Got up and out. Slight drizzle as we left. Quite warm. Went down to Soho, Little Italy and Chinatown. Walked through all. Found ourselves quite near Ground Zero and decided to go.
To continue...
Arrived JFK early afternoon. Stayed at NY Hilton 53rd and 6th (Ave Americas). Excelent location. Walked to Rokefeller Center, down 5th Ave to 42nd Street. Went into Public Library and on to Times Square. Walked back up to hotel. Decided to have Deli at The Stage. Excellent Corn Beef. Both The Stage and the competition charge a 3.00 sharing charge. Just go with it. If the portions are too big (they were), pay it and share. Good start.
Got up and out. Slight drizzle as we left. Quite warm. Went down to Soho, Little Italy and Chinatown. Walked through all. Found ourselves quite near Ground Zero and decided to go.
To continue...
Nov 29th, 2001, 02:21 PM
#2
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I'm not sure why the people go. I guess there is some curiosity and others just want to see the enormity of it. What you see on tv does not show it. Others just want to pay respects. There is a reason for each.
I spoke with a police officer. She told me she was not there that (9/11) day. We were about 2 blocks from the buildings. She said that this area was covered with papers and suit. Nothing whole was there. Only pieces.
We didn't need something to make us remember. Now we have more.
We passed a few Fire Stations that show pictures and names of those missing from their station. Up on the Upper East side we passed a store that had a note in the window listing the names of those missing from the local Station.
A very heavy time.
To continue...
I spoke with a police officer. She told me she was not there that (9/11) day. We were about 2 blocks from the buildings. She said that this area was covered with papers and suit. Nothing whole was there. Only pieces.
We didn't need something to make us remember. Now we have more.
We passed a few Fire Stations that show pictures and names of those missing from their station. Up on the Upper East side we passed a store that had a note in the window listing the names of those missing from the local Station.
A very heavy time.
To continue...
Nov 29th, 2001, 02:26 PM
#3
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From there we went up to Central Park.
What a Park! We ended up going there 3 times.
Friday night had tickets to Phantom of the Opera. Enjoyed it very much and decided to try Sardi's after. Was worth it. Food was good and atmosphere was in keeping with the area.
We walked and walked. I read somewhere that without stopping you should count on a minute for each street. The avenues are farther apart and are about 3 minutes. Without realizing it the blocks go by very quickly. From our hotel (Hilton) we walked to the theatre in 10 minutes (44th and 8th).
Continued....
What a Park! We ended up going there 3 times.
Friday night had tickets to Phantom of the Opera. Enjoyed it very much and decided to try Sardi's after. Was worth it. Food was good and atmosphere was in keeping with the area.
We walked and walked. I read somewhere that without stopping you should count on a minute for each street. The avenues are farther apart and are about 3 minutes. Without realizing it the blocks go by very quickly. From our hotel (Hilton) we walked to the theatre in 10 minutes (44th and 8th).
Continued....
Nov 29th, 2001, 02:36 PM
#4
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Sunday. Another warm day. Great!!
Walked back up through the park. Newborns being pushed by mothers taking excersize class with instructor. Jog then stretch, etc.
Got to the Met (museum). Not real museum goer but in the right places spend a few hours. Worth it.
After walked back down Madison and Lexington. Stopped in at Bloomingdales.
No show Sunday night so got tickets (both booked ahead on Telecharge) to Radio City Show. Entertaining show.
Pouring rain both ways so ate after in hotel.
Forgot to mention. Hilton is a reasonably nice hotel (paid 159. night). Room was very small. Lobby is nice. Location is great.
Monday. Sunny and warm. Walked more. Went down 5th Ave. to 34th Street. St Patrick's Cathedral, Sacs Fifth and all the way down to Macy's. Left wife there and continues to Madison Sq to see the Flatiron building. It looks like it.
Back to Macy's and over to TKTS in Times Sq. to get there 2:15. It opens 3:00. Discounted theatre tickets. Wanted either Mamma Mia or Producers. Waited in line 45 minutes. Neither was available. Oh well, next time. Left to walk more.
Had a great dinner on 55th between 5th and 6th. La Bonne Soupe. French. Many Europeans seemed to know about this restaurant. Excelent food. Reasonable price. Under 50. for 2 including tip.
Walked back up through the park. Newborns being pushed by mothers taking excersize class with instructor. Jog then stretch, etc.
Got to the Met (museum). Not real museum goer but in the right places spend a few hours. Worth it.
After walked back down Madison and Lexington. Stopped in at Bloomingdales.
No show Sunday night so got tickets (both booked ahead on Telecharge) to Radio City Show. Entertaining show.
Pouring rain both ways so ate after in hotel.
Forgot to mention. Hilton is a reasonably nice hotel (paid 159. night). Room was very small. Lobby is nice. Location is great.
Monday. Sunny and warm. Walked more. Went down 5th Ave. to 34th Street. St Patrick's Cathedral, Sacs Fifth and all the way down to Macy's. Left wife there and continues to Madison Sq to see the Flatiron building. It looks like it.
Back to Macy's and over to TKTS in Times Sq. to get there 2:15. It opens 3:00. Discounted theatre tickets. Wanted either Mamma Mia or Producers. Waited in line 45 minutes. Neither was available. Oh well, next time. Left to walk more.
Had a great dinner on 55th between 5th and 6th. La Bonne Soupe. French. Many Europeans seemed to know about this restaurant. Excelent food. Reasonable price. Under 50. for 2 including tip.
Nov 29th, 2001, 02:45 PM
#5
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Tuesday. Last day. Leaving this evening.
A bit more cloudy but still warm.
Walked over to Rockefeller Center around 9: to see NBC show. Matt Lauer was interview Jeff Gordon outside beside a racing car.
Walked back to hotel and checked out. Left luggage with Bell Captain.
Decided to go back down to Soho. From there over to Lower East side. Fell upon Katz's Deli. Had some of course. Mmmmm.
Back uptown. Decided against MoMA and chose Frick instead. 5th Ave and 70th. Frick built his house into a museum and it continues. You don't just see works of art but how they fit and shaped the house and its renovations. Very interesting few hours.
Walked down Madison again and over to hotel. Got back around 4:15. Left for airport at 5-5:30 for a 9:00 flight.
Security caused things to be a bit slower but not bad. When we got to JetBlue the line must have been 600 yards long (really). There were about 15 ticket agents. We didn't believe it possible to get through in under 20 minutes. It did.
Good flight back. Arrived about 11:30PM.
Great trip!!
We gave to New York and it gave back.
A bit more cloudy but still warm.
Walked over to Rockefeller Center around 9: to see NBC show. Matt Lauer was interview Jeff Gordon outside beside a racing car.
Walked back to hotel and checked out. Left luggage with Bell Captain.
Decided to go back down to Soho. From there over to Lower East side. Fell upon Katz's Deli. Had some of course. Mmmmm.
Back uptown. Decided against MoMA and chose Frick instead. 5th Ave and 70th. Frick built his house into a museum and it continues. You don't just see works of art but how they fit and shaped the house and its renovations. Very interesting few hours.
Walked down Madison again and over to hotel. Got back around 4:15. Left for airport at 5-5:30 for a 9:00 flight.
Security caused things to be a bit slower but not bad. When we got to JetBlue the line must have been 600 yards long (really). There were about 15 ticket agents. We didn't believe it possible to get through in under 20 minutes. It did.
Good flight back. Arrived about 11:30PM.
Great trip!!
We gave to New York and it gave back.
Nov 29th, 2001, 05:26 PM
#8
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Thanks you for a wonderful commentary on your 'Thanksgiving-y' New York trip. My husband and I figured for the amount of driving we did from family to family, we could make it to NYC and back, so are planning to take in Macy's parade next year, skip the family events even though neither of us have been to the City before. We love ethnic foods, museums and 'sucking the marrow' out of city life. Any suggestions as we begin planning for next year? The price of the Hilton per night is a bit salty for our midwestern incomes. I've heard mention it's worth the bit of travel to stay in JErsey?
Nov 29th, 2001, 06:27 PM
#9
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NAH, don't bother staying in NJ,by the time you pay to get to the part of the city you want to be in, the time it takes to travel there, you could just stay in a hotel in the city that fits your budget..Go to citysearch/ny and check on hotels, although the holidays are more $$--book in advance!
Nov 30th, 2001, 03:33 AM
#10
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Sue,
Hotel planning in NY is always a problem. The rates will vary greatly depending upon the time of year, day of week, current economic conditions, various circumstances and of course which broker happens to be the one you found.
We booked through Expedia. I'm sure others paid much more and much less for the same hotel at the same time. The Hilton has 2,000 rooms and many are brokered and then sold.
If you plan 3 nights and the difference is 50 per day, that adds 150. to the trip. Not that much for a great location (6th and 53rd St). 10-15 minute walk to the far end of the Broadway theatres, 1 block to subways that go up or down town, 5 minute walk to Central Park, etc.
Just my opinion.
Hotel planning in NY is always a problem. The rates will vary greatly depending upon the time of year, day of week, current economic conditions, various circumstances and of course which broker happens to be the one you found.
We booked through Expedia. I'm sure others paid much more and much less for the same hotel at the same time. The Hilton has 2,000 rooms and many are brokered and then sold.
If you plan 3 nights and the difference is 50 per day, that adds 150. to the trip. Not that much for a great location (6th and 53rd St). 10-15 minute walk to the far end of the Broadway theatres, 1 block to subways that go up or down town, 5 minute walk to Central Park, etc.
Just my opinion.
Nov 30th, 2001, 04:54 AM
#11
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Sue: In the last few years, NYC has added several "tourist class" hotels. The Hilton, mentioned in Myer's post, is NOT one of them. The rate Myer got at the Hilton is a great rate, that ordinarily would not be available at this time of the year, that he got because of the economic circumstances of the city.
You might try looking into one of these less expensive hotels. I would suggest habitatny.com (Habitat Hotel at 57th & Lex), the Pickwick Arms (51st between 1st & 2nd), On the Ave (Upper West Side -- 70's near Broadway), the Beacon (ditto), or one of the many Quality Inns or other inexpensive chains. Depending on your requirements, you should be able to get a hotel room for around $150 a night around T-giving (under normal economic circumstances). Some people have gotten great deals this year.
If you are insistent on staying outside Manhattan to save costs, I would suggest looking into the Marriott in downtown Brooklyn, or a hotel near La Guardia, rather than NJ due to better transportation options. JMHO.
You might try looking into one of these less expensive hotels. I would suggest habitatny.com (Habitat Hotel at 57th & Lex), the Pickwick Arms (51st between 1st & 2nd), On the Ave (Upper West Side -- 70's near Broadway), the Beacon (ditto), or one of the many Quality Inns or other inexpensive chains. Depending on your requirements, you should be able to get a hotel room for around $150 a night around T-giving (under normal economic circumstances). Some people have gotten great deals this year.
If you are insistent on staying outside Manhattan to save costs, I would suggest looking into the Marriott in downtown Brooklyn, or a hotel near La Guardia, rather than NJ due to better transportation options. JMHO.
Dec 2nd, 2001, 01:00 PM
#13
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Hi Everyone,
Myer, Thanks so so much for the update. We head to NYC in mid Dec. We booked the NYHilton in October and got 85.00 per night. We were not sure about the hotel since the price was so so great around Christmas time. Just reading your post assures me it will be fine.
Sue, we got our price thru priceline.com and have read several success stories, can you go this year?
Myer, Thanks so so much for the update. We head to NYC in mid Dec. We booked the NYHilton in October and got 85.00 per night. We were not sure about the hotel since the price was so so great around Christmas time. Just reading your post assures me it will be fine.
Sue, we got our price thru priceline.com and have read several success stories, can you go this year?
Dec 2nd, 2001, 01:14 PM
#14
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av,
You got a great rate. If I look for negatives about the NY Hilton (13xx Ave of Americas and 53rd) the room was quite small.
We asked for and got a no smoking room. The rooms are clean, modern (bathroom, etc), no musty smell. Very modern lobby.
Had dinner at the restaurant (not the bar) off the lobby (there's another breakfast restaurant near the back of the hotel). The seafood platter (I don't remeber if it was an apetizer or meal) was excellent. The only reason we ate in the hotel one evening is that it was raining after the Radio City show. The only reason we went to that show instead of another Broadway was Sunday night and no Broadway shows. The show was still good.
Have fun.
You got a great rate. If I look for negatives about the NY Hilton (13xx Ave of Americas and 53rd) the room was quite small.
We asked for and got a no smoking room. The rooms are clean, modern (bathroom, etc), no musty smell. Very modern lobby.
Had dinner at the restaurant (not the bar) off the lobby (there's another breakfast restaurant near the back of the hotel). The seafood platter (I don't remeber if it was an apetizer or meal) was excellent. The only reason we ate in the hotel one evening is that it was raining after the Radio City show. The only reason we went to that show instead of another Broadway was Sunday night and no Broadway shows. The show was still good.
Have fun.
Dec 2nd, 2001, 03:22 PM
#16
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For MYER:"The subway system" as we know it, was originally seprate systems, the IRT (interborough rapid transit) and the IND (independent line) I suspect the separate numbering systems have something to do with that. If you look at the latest (as of this week)subway map, you'll note that we have indeed not yet run out of letters as there is now a "V", yet there are two "S" trains (the 42nd street shuttle, and another one) and two "Q" trains (due to rerouting of services because of planned maintenance on the Manhattan Bridge, there is a "Q" and a "Q-diamond" )
If you're really interested, I'm sure there will be more details at the MTA (transit authority ) web site
www.mta.info
If you're really interested, I'm sure there will be more details at the MTA (transit authority ) web site
www.mta.info
Dec 3rd, 2001, 12:39 AM
#17
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Hello,
I enjoyed reading about your time in NY. I went there for the first time and did many of the same things you did. We were there over Halloween. I stayed at the same hotel, only I got it for $90 a night through Priceline. Very nice hotel...but small room.
I enjoyed reading about your time in NY. I went there for the first time and did many of the same things you did. We were there over Halloween. I stayed at the same hotel, only I got it for $90 a night through Priceline. Very nice hotel...but small room.
Dec 3rd, 2001, 08:21 AM
#19
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For a long time NY prided itself on the incomprehensibility of its transit system & their maps, and of the underground signage.
Somebody published a great article once based on the proposition of trying to get out of the Times Square subway station by just following the signs--it could not be done.
It's gotten better but is still somewhat crazy. Try the Canal Street staion for a hit of the old NYC.
Somebody published a great article once based on the proposition of trying to get out of the Times Square subway station by just following the signs--it could not be done.
It's gotten better but is still somewhat crazy. Try the Canal Street staion for a hit of the old NYC.
Dec 3rd, 2001, 09:51 AM
#20
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Check out mahattangetaways.com. They provide apartments to rent for less than a week to months. We stayed at one of their properties over Thanksgiving and it was great because we didn't have to eat every single meal out (a family of 5 can get very expensive). Also, the tax is a lot lower than the hotels. It gave us a feeling of living in the city. The apt. was small but immaculate and beautiful. I'd recommend them highly.
