edeevee

Thank you for all your help so far. Since my last post http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...o-new-york.cfm Mom's bff got a pacemaker (She's feeling much better) and my bff got a new job (So it's doubtful she'll be able to make the trip.)

That means we're three instead of four. We've talked it over and decided to take the Amtrak. I'll have to drive a few hours to pick up Mom and her friend but, once we get back to my house, the train is only a few miles away. We chose this because of price - less than $500 round trip! Plus the train will allow Mom and friend to get up and move around a little in transit.

We'll arrive on a Friday evening, 8/12, at 6:35 PM. I am considering booking a hotel close to Penn Station, either the Affinia Manhattan - right across the street, or LaQuinta Manhattan - just a couple of blocks away plus free breakfast. If we do this, we'll get off the train, check into the hotel, freshen up, grab a slice of pizza (recommendations?), then do the Empire State Building that night - hopefully timing it to be there as the lights come on in the city.

The next day (Saturday) we'll take a taxi to Times Square to catch the King of New York Tour bus for the six hour tour. After that, we take a rest at the hotel then head to 21 Club for the pre fixe dinner, maybe window shop if the ladies aren't too tired.

Sunday morning we'll take the subway (Mom wants to try it once) to the Staten Island Ferry. A snack or light meal (somewhere) before a 3PM Broadway show. Dinner (again somewhere?) after the show then a drink at Bemelman's Bar at the Carlyle (a tribute to hometown boy Bobby Short).

Monday morning CBS Early show and studio tour. Wander Times Square a little, souvenir shopping then board the train home at 3PM-ish.

Does this work at all? What are the flaws -- I know they're in there. Is there anything else I might be able to work into the schedule that is inexpensive and won't exhaust my mom and her friend?

Bowsprit

Would you consider going to Top of the Rock instead of ESB for better views? The ESB experience can be tedious and the views are not nearly what they are at TOTR.

Subway=Stairs, just be aware. The elevators are scarce and not at all pleasant. Get your metro-card, use it for all 3 of you, and enjoy the buses if you can get seats for the ladies.

Tiffany and Co. has a really nice selection of sterling silver jewelry that may not break the bank but will give the ladies something to take away with them as a token of the trip. I know most cities have a Macy's in their midst, but Macy's in the city is still one of a kind, in my book. They might enjoy browsing around the main floor.

Try to get down to the West Village if you can. I don't think a trip to NYC is complete without a little visit to Greenwich Village. You can get some of the best pizza in the city there and it'll be a memorable and very affordable lunch!

The only other suggestion I have is to not pack too much in a day (I'd rather have a root canal than sit on a tour bus in NYC for 6 hours, but to each his own. ) and allow for time to browse the shops, galleries, and just go with whatever catches your fancy.

Make sure everyone has their insurance cards! Good for you for arranging this. The Affinia's offer good value, btw.

edeevee

Bowsprit,
I haven't been to the city for a dozen years. I'm doing a lot of planning by memory so your help is important.

If the only subway experience we do is Penn Station to South Ferry will we be alright stairs-wise?

I've read the favorable reviews for TOTR but I've never been there. I have been to ESB twice and loved it both times. It's close to where we're staying and I thought it would make a nice, easy first night activity and intro to the city. Besides that, oh, how can I explain this?

This is a different kind of trip for my mom. She'll turn 71 in August -which isn't old- but Mom's had some tremendous health problems in the past 15 years and I think she senses that she doesn't have a whole lot of time left. This trip is not so much about seeing *new* things as it is visiting the New York that she has pictured in her mind - from years of books and movies. Does that make sense?

As far as the tour bus goes, I'm not so much a fan either but Mom LOVES them. I think she has drug me onto one in every city I've visited with her. And the King of New York one seems better than most. From what I understand it is a smallish bus/large van that includes several spots where you get off the bus.

I'd love to work in a visit to the village. Where do you think it would best fit?

Good call on the insurance cards.

Thanks!

nytraveler

The ESB is a major flaw. The lines can be hours long - between buying tickets, waiting for the first elevator and then waiting for the second elevator. Not great standing a round for all that time.

Instead get advance timed tickets for Top of the Rock - no waiting - and you can be sure you will be there around sunset - to see the city in daylight as well as after dark. Frankly I think the views are better - since you can see the ESB - as well as have a much better view of central park and uptown.

As forthe subway - very few have access without stairs - and even those that have elevators have ones that don;t work. Plus - there is never more than one (out of perhaps 4 or 8 or even more entrances) - so you can spend a while looking for one. Plus - there often are no seats - and they won't want to stand. For 3 people, 2 elderly and not in great shape I would stick with cabs.

Elkaz

THis link will show you which stations are supposed to be handicap accessible

http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

and this link will give you information as to which escalators/elevators are not working

http://advisory.mtanyct.info/EEoutage/

In terms of there possibly not being any seats--I have a big mouth. In your situation I would look at someone who is sitting and younger and ask politely if they would mind giving your mom a seat, since she is older and not in the best of health! ( I am telling my age when I say I remember younger people automatically and on their own getting up to offer seats!)

I agree that Top of the Rock is usually easier to get to but I can appreciate your wanting to do the Empire State building.

Someone mentioned that 3 of you can use one metro card--that is 100% true, just realize that is only for the pay per ride card. ( the weekly unlimited can not be shared and wouldnt make sense to buy at one per person anyway!)

doug_stallings

Staying near Penn Station isn't necessarily wrong, but you can probably do better. I like almost any area of town better than that if I have a choice. If you aren't planning to do a lot of walking, however, it might be a good central location. I'd just caution you to avoid hotels on the East Side, where it's a bit harder to get around if you don't plan to ride the subway. You might consider staying near Grand Central. I like that area a little better since it's not as congested as Penn Station. Or you could stay near Times Square since many of the activities you are interested in are there. The lion's share of Manhattan hotels are in that area. The Westin often has good prices

nytraveler

As for the subway - I have been riding it for 40 years - since I was a child - and someone getting up to give a seat to a senior - or a pregnant woman - is VERY rare. And asking is not guarantee of anything but a wise ass response.

There are most likely to be seats in the middle of the day - and if you move quickly you can grab a seat when someone gets up - then give to your mom and her friend.

Bowsprit

I know I said don't pack too much in a day, but I'm going to insert a Village visit on Sunday at lunchtime providing you're just zipping over to S.I. on the ferry and then zipping back to Manhattan on the ferry. You can take a cab from the ferry and get yourselves to John's Pizza in the W.Village. From there you can take a cab to your Sunday matinee. How would that work?

Bowsprit

John's is on Bleecker St. We get the plain cheese. Bring cash only!

http://johnsbrickovenpizza.com/

Bowsprit

nytraveler is so right about the subway and buses not being appropriate for everyone. Cabs are fine; just work it into the budget.

MareW

Let me preface this by saying that I've been staying in NYC about half the time for the past 4 1/2 months. My mother just turned 74 and can't walk long distances. NYC would be easy for her to get to from where she lives, so everything I do, I try to think "Would Mom be able to do this?" if my husband and I brought her.

They do work on the subway lines on the weekend, and you can unexpectedly have to reroute. I wouldn't try to travel that way with my mother, even once. A bus might work, as others have advised, and certainly cabs if you can get one when you need one. Someone may have suggested this on your older thread, but I would invest in a couple of those canes that can turn into a stool when needed for your Mom and her friend. And in August, I would be very worried about the heat. We've been in NYC in late May and early June on some unexpectedly hot weekends. I can only imagine what August might be like.

Maybe if you showed your Mom some of the previous postings here about the Top of the Rock, and photos if they're available online, she would get more excited. It would be so much easier in the heat. We time it to go at dusk, and it's wonderful.

jpie

I am not a New Yorker-but we brought my mother-in-law to NYC from Paris a few years back and she unexpectedly passed away at 72 a few years later. Like your mom, she had always wanted to see the NYC "in her mind's eye" from years of watching movies and being a Woody Allen fan. One of the things she loved was a carriage ride in Central Park-so that might be another thing to consider.

Also the favorite thing I ate IN NYC was the bagel at Ess-a-bagel. I had always wondered what the big deal was about a NY bagel and now I know!! I want to go back just for that-and I live in Los Angeles-so not an easy trip.

http://www.ess-a-bagel.com/

MFNYC

John's is great, but not a "by the slice" kind of place. It's a sit down restaurant where you buy whole pies (2 different sizes available). If you want just a slice, then Joe's on Carmine St (down the block from John's) http://www.joespizzanyc.com/.

Bowsprit

Joe's is also excellent. John's is not a formal place at all, but yes, there are tables and booths, first come/first served kind of place. 3 people could Easily wipe out a John's large pizza; the crust is very thin. And delicious. Very.

mclaurie

This sounds fine. I agree that the area around Penn station is not the most gorgeous but for a short visit, it's fine. The Affinia Manhattan is MUCH nicer than the La Quinta (and somewhat cheerier). Frankly, I think you should decide on dates and then do some looking around at hotel prices and pick whatever is the best option for a good price as long as it's in a good location for what you want to do. I could argue that rather than staying near Penn station you'd be better staying near 21 or Times Square where the tour starts and stops. You're going to be taking some taxis and it doesn't much matter which/when.

I agree Top of the Rock is nicer and in some ways a better view, but if ESB is what they want to see, so be it.

My only concern is the weather and hotel prices. If you can do this later in August, it might be a bit cooler and it might be cheaper. The UK school holidays start end of July and go through end of August. If you wait until say the week before Labor Day, the city is quieter, less crowded and I think hotel prices are a bit less. What about a show?

As for pizza, John's pizzeria off Times Square is one of the famous pizza places and happens to be in a converted church. Going there would give them an opportunity to see Times Square lit up at night. TS is much more impressive at night.

Hope you can make this happen.

edeevee

Oh, so much to think about. For starters, I should probably concentrate on dates and hotel.

Dates -- I've checked rates for most weekends in the summer and the one we've tentatively settled on is one of the cheapest, plus Mom's bday falls at the end of the trip. We are flexible though. 4th of July weekend offers more attractive hotel rates but this is partially offset by higher Amtrak ticket costs.

Hotel -- I picked the Penn Station area mostly for ease on our arrival and departure dates. I like the idea of walking across the street to check into/out of our hotel and I thought the stroll to the Empire State Building on the first night wouldn't be too exhausting but would still give Mom and her friend a real "city" thing to do. However, if the wait to get into ESB on a Friday evening is long and the Top of the Rock experience is really *that* much better, maybe I should rethink.

Here are the rates for the two hotels in Penn St area I was looking at:

Affinia Manhattan $228
La Quinta Manhattan $208

The rate for the Hampton Inn Times Sq North that was recommended to me before because of location, 2 queen beds and free breakfast is $228. It looks like it is only about 1/3 mile away from TOTR. I think that's a walkable distance for the ladies. As an added bonus, it puts us closer to some of the other things Mom wanted to do.

No one mentioned Club Quarters across from Rockefeller Center but they have a queen room w sofa bed and kitchenette for $235 and it seems well located for our activities too.

WWYD?

ekscrunchy

Club Quarters is a better location than the hotels near Penn Station.

Kitchenette is a great feature in midtown NYC,so you do not have to waste lotos of money on mediocre breakfast in a coffee shop.

Bowsprit

This is an interesting question. Usually, because of the great public transportation in NYC, the location of the hotel doesn't often matter because you can get anywhere else in the city fairly quickly by subway. Since you won't be using the subway much I guess I'd choose a place close to restaurants, delis, theatre and that means mid-town to most.

You can put your hotel choices into google maps and then click on the 'what's nearby' option (it's called something like that) to see what restaurants, museums, etc. are close to your hotels. That might help you decide too.

Pat_in_Mich

We stayed at that Hampton Inn a few years ago and liked the location a lot. The rooms there are quite spacious.

starrs

I would strongly recommend the Hampton Inn discussed during your first thread over the hotels near Penn Station - especially if you've decided that subways are out for this trip. You would be able to walk a lot of things you are planning to do and could get a cab to do the other things.

I strongly recommend Top of the Rock over the ESB. You will not have to wait in long lines since you buy tickets for a particular time frame. To convincer your mom that it's better, tell her she can see the ESB from the TOTR view.