Lines at box office
 

I have a few discount codes for some shows we think we may see during our first week of July trip to NYC. Since I'm not certain about purchase, I thought I'd wait until arrival to purchase the tickets. Will there be a long line at the box office of the show? Are tickets likely to be avaiable w/ these codes? I don't want to waste too much time...Any suggestions?

I've never found any lines at the box offices in NY. Take your discount codes along. Go to the box office the day before or the afternoon of a performance you want to attend. You can also still book on-line once you get to NY from your laptop or a hotel computer, so take along the info to get online as well. I've done that as late as the morning of a performance I wanted to attend. It is a much better way of getting discount tickets than standing on line at the TKS booth.

The only time there are any lines at a box office, it's for a hit show that's selling out at that theater. Obviously, if you have discount ticket offers, the shows are not big hits that are selling out at that time!
I agree with the advice to take the discount offers and go to the appropriate box offices when you arrive in the city. It'll save you the service charges paid for telephone and online bookings. And, those charges can really add up!

That first week of July will be popular. You should go through the motion of buying the tix you're interested in online and see if there are avails. That could change b/w now and then, but worth checking now. If you keep asking for "the next set of tickets" at a performance, you should get an idea of how many discount tix there are.

How many are in your group and how many shows are you planning to see. I ask that because if it's only one or two shows and only one of two or you, then I would get the tickets in advance.
However, if you; want to see a bunch of shows and/or there are more than one or two of you, I'd wait until you get here, because those service charges can really add up. Of course, if you have your hearts set on a particular show or shows and would be disappointed if you couldn't get the tickets when you got here, then I'd get them in advance.
If you list which shows top your list, I might be able to give you advice as to you chances if you wait until you got here.
Finally, throwing something else into the mix, ticket available will depend on which performances you are talking about. Obviously, Saturday night is the most popular performance, while Tuesday night is the easiest to get tickets for!

Yes, if you show up in the afternoon, you'll get your tix quite quickly, plus save yourself the nasty service fees. Also, shoot for Tues or Wed evening if you can, although I just got great seats for a Thurs show. Drowsy Chaperone is great!

Read the fine print carefully.

Most if not all discount codes are NOT valid for Saturday night shows.

Also, check that there are no blackout dates. First week of July includes July 4th so some dates may be blacked out.

Why not purchase tickets at www.broadwaybox.com and make your decision about seats at leisure in your home rather than make snap decisions when given the bum's rush by box office staff?

I've never been given the bum's rush by theater box office personnel. In fact, I usually find them to be most pleasant and helpful no matter how much or how little I'm spending on tickets.
The whole point that I made in a previous post is that the advantage to waiting until you get to the city is one of saving a bit of money!
That's the whole thing. If you don't care about saving that $7 per ticket service charge, then by all means get your tickets in advance!

I'm glad to know that box office employees have become such easy-going and pleasant folk and that one can take as much time making decisions at the box office as they can while in the privacy of their homes.

Thanks for the tip about how to save money and get to meet pleasant people in NYC.

Also remember that there are 2 TKTS locations, Times Square and downtown at the South St. Seaport. Most NYers use the Seaport location very short lines there and it opens at 10am, so you can get your tickets and then head up to Chinatown for Dim Sum.

Have a GREAT time while you are here.

The sarcasm is hardly becoming to you, happytrailstoyou.
I was merely pointing out that from my experience, encounters with box office personnal over many, many years has always been pleasant....or to put it another way, has never been unpleasant. And, I felt that your comment about getting the bum's rush" might be interpreted as being the norm. I've not found it to be so.
Further, even if a patron encounters a bit of unpleasantness at a box office, he/she just mught be willing to put up with it considering the fact that he/she may be saving quite a bit of money versus ordering the tickets on line or over the phone.

We apparently have very different temperaments.

When I'm at a box office I feel under pressure to make a decision fairly quickly, whereas when I book on line I can take days to decide if I want.

Also, I prefer to have my tickets in hand for the shows I want to see rather than to hope that I will be able to
get the seats at TKS or at theater box offices.

I have in my possession discount tickets for two shows I will see when I visit NYC at the end of June, and I am waiting for discounts tickets for "Grey Gardens" to become available during the time I'm in the city.

I would rather buy tickets at www.broadwaybox.com, and I mean no offense to those who would rather stand in line at TKS or elsewhere.

I'm not disagreeing with you about having tickets in advance. I'm fortunate in the fact that I live in a NYC suburb and can take a discount offer right to the box office when I'm in the city and thus save the service charges. (And, at $7 per ticket, the service charges can add up quickly if you are coming to the city for a vacation and planning to see several shows....and that may just the situation for the OP, and to whom my comments were intended.)
I can';t remember the last time, if ever, that I was rushed the box office. In fact, it's more often been the case that I've been impatient waiting in line because I felt the person or persons in front of me were taking too much time!
Anyway, I heartily endorse Grey Gardens. Christine Ebersole's performance is something that no active theatergoing should miss. I'd be very surprised there'll be another discount offer. However, if not, and you are going to a midweek performance, there should be tickets available at TKTS.

Thanks. If the discounts tickets to "Grey Gardens" don't materialize, I'll hope for the best at TKS for the Wednesday matinee.

Anytime. While Grey Gardens is a big hit with the critics and, I believe, it has earned back its investment and making a profit, it's not a blockbuster and isn't a big draw with tourists.
Another in that same category is the revival of Company, for which it is also easy to get discount tickets through the usual websites or at TKTS. Like Christine Ebersole in Grey Gardens, Raul Esparza's performance in Company is not to be missed.
Both will probably win well deserved Tonys on Sunday night.

I saw the original production of Company (unforgettable) and the 1995 production (very good) starring Boyd Gaines, who has been nominated for a 2007 Tony for his performance in Journey's End.

Therefore, I thought I'd skip Company on this quick trip. Is that a mistake?

Is there any drama important to see on or off-Broadway?

happytrailstoyou, that's a tough call. I didn't see the original company, but did see the revival with Boyd Gaines. Yes, it was very good and he was very good. But, my wife and I agree that Raul Esparza is the definitive Bobby! The production was conceived and directed by the John Doyle, the same one did the brilliant revival of Sweeney Todd last season. While not as dazzling as that one, this production of Company is certainly a winner!
As for a drama, catch A Year of Magical Thinking, the one-woman show starring Vanessa Redgrave. To watch her perform is indeed a thrilling experience.

HowardR, Thanks for your reflections. HTTY