my first trip to......nyc-dc-boston-chicago.....
 

hello everybody
pls help me to do my best
i´ll stay in nyc from june 2 to 12 - four points soho
jun 12 to 14 in portland maine holiday inn by the bay
jun 14 to 17 in boston holiday inn express downtown
jun 18 to 20 in baltimore mount vernon hotel
jun 20 to 24 in dc four point dc downtown
and jun 24 to 30 in chicago 2day holiday inn mart plaza and then four point magnificient mile
i depart from buenos aires, argentina,
only visit miami, this is my first real trip, on my own, i´m a women in her late forty´s with a lot of stamina!!!
my best friend introduce me FODOR´S and gave me nyc 2009 guide as a gift, and... i love it!!!!!!!
so i decide to joint the forum to receive some advise for the best things to do
i can wait to be there
thank u all for yr time

Sounds like a great trip. Have you already arranged how you'll travel from place to place? If yes, it really would be better to ask specific questions you have or at least give us an idea of what interests you. You've picked a good hotel (imo) in NYC. I can give you some good websites:
hopstop.com for directions
menupages.com for restaurant research
broadwaybox.com for theater discounts (left column)
http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm for subway map with links for metrocard information.

If you want to go to the Statue of Liberty, order a ticket in advance online at statuecruises.com and reserve a monument pass so you can go inside.

tks for yr comments mclaurie
and yes, i´m going from jfk to boston by american no charge because i´m using my points
boston-portland by downeastern
boston-dc by acela
dc chicago by american

you are right, so first things first
nyc i want to do it like a local,i was reading fodor nyc 2009 and it was very usefull, but i think i need some advise how to spend my time.
must do list
statue of Liberty
ground zero
MoMa
AMNHistory
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Rockefeller Center
Central Park
Time Square
Brooklyn
Bronx Zoo
47 street
soho-tribeca-chinatown
i´d like to go almost by my self, i like walking, i´d like to get in touch with regular life of the place i visit.
i fond of good food, specially seafood, italian(pizza&pasta) and chinese.
i´m looking forward to visit museums, libraries, perhaps some broadway performance, the most important thing is feel the pulse.
so tks , be my guest to help me with NYC, i´ll do a new post for each one of my trips, i´ve already read another for boston and dc in this forum today
by the way my name is irene
see u

Hi, Irene. The first thing I'd say is don't overdo the "like a local" thing. After all, you're not one. But I think you've allowed plenty of time to do a combination of both and have picked a hotel in a area that's pretty local. I also think a smattering of tours, esp. walking tours, will give you more info than you might get on your own and will be a way to interact with some people you might enjoy.

The best place to start is to map out the things on your must do list so you can see what's near what. maps.google.com is one good place but I'm sure there are other options. One feature they have that's really useful is the "search nearby" function so you can find anything from restaurants to theaters, hair salons, nail salons, dry cleaners etc. near any location and they're often linked with reviews.

The Statue of Liberty can either be seen from a distance on a boat of some kind or you can actually visit it and Ellis Island where the immigration museum is located. If you decide to visit rather than just pass by, you should book tickets in advance online at statuecruises.com and order a monument pass so you can go inside. Taking the first ferry of the day reduces waiting time. There's heavy security so visiting both these takes 4-5 hrs. The ferry leaves from the south end of Manhattan near Battery Park (which is lovely to explore).

Make sure to see the World Financial Building (at
Battery Park) which often has live performances. It houses the American Express tribute to the employees they lost on 9/11. The Irish Hunger Memorial is also down there. This area is south of where you're staying (near Wall st.) Many people ride the free Staten Island ferry (also from the south end but in a different spot) for a view of the SOL. There are also some good cruises from various locations that will all pass closer to the Statue. nywaterway.com has several options, circleline.com is the most popular (but not nec. the best), nywatertaxi.com does a few different options and then there are smaller boats with sunset sails, meals etc. shearwatersailing.com or sail-nyc.com might be fun.

The World Trade Center site is basically a construction site now. There are walking tours of the area done from the Tribute Center http://www.tributewtc.org/index.php or just visit St. Paul's Chapel on your own.

MOMA is in midtown near Rockefeller Center, the diamond district on 47th st. and St. Patrick's cathedral. Since you're into museums, you might want to look at either the citypass.com or the NY Explorer pass which lets you pick your own venues. There's also a combo MOMA/Top of the Rock ticket http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/speci...ers_combo.aspx
MOMA is free on Fri. evenings when it's open late (starting at 4 I think) but it's also most crowded then. (Met Museum is open late fri. & Sat. nights and is a fun time to go there)

Brooklyn is very large, bigger than Manhattan so you could actually spend several days there and still not see it all. There's a co. that does a Brooklyn Pizza tour that I've heard is good. They also do a neighborhood tour w/o the pizza. http://www.asliceofbrooklyn.com/

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge (from Brooklyn to Manhattan) is considered by many to be a must for great views of the skyline.

Central Park is larger than most realize and could also take days and days to cover it all. There are free walking tours I think every day for different areas. http://www.centralparknyc.org/site/P...vents_thisweek You can also rent a bike and ride around. Don't miss the Conservatory Gardens at the north end-entrance on Fifth ave. & 104 st. The Museum of the City of NY is right nearby the entrance and another stop you might like. In fact, Fifth Ave. from 70th st. (the Frick, a museum not to miss) to 105th st. houses most of the museums in the city. Here's a link for an annual museum event you can attend on June 6th.
http://www.museummilefestival.org/

Thing is - yes I guess if you visit this town there are certain obligatory stops - as you mention (Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square) But you do not get the "pulse" of thecity with these visits - you get the pulse of other tourists. Try things like - a walk through of Zabar's on the Upper West Side, walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, besides the major museums such as MoMa or the Met - think about the Frick (a gem) or the Whitney - combined with a stroll along Madison Ave. Get over to the East Village - interesting boutiques, theater, lots of restaurants catering to the locals. Try Dim sum in chinatown for lunch - e.g. Ping's. In SoHo - read up about the cast iron buildings and stroll through that neighborhood.

Sounds like an exciting trip. In any major city, when you first arrive, look around for the free weekly entertainments guides or local weekly newspapers. You can find calendar of events for specific things that are happening like less known theater, book readings, art openings, special exhibits, etc. that would not be in your guidebooks.

You need to realize that you can;t "see" Brooklyn. It's not a neighborhood, but a borough (county) of NYC with more than 2.5 million people. Most of Brooklyn is almost purely residential and it's enormous. there are several very interesting places to visit - but you need to focus on a couple and plan your public transit to get from one to the other.

Definitely go to the web sites of each of the museums of pick out in advance which parts you want to see. Several are so large that it would take more than a day to see each one. Also go to the web site of the Central Park Conservancy to see which parts of the park you want to tour.

mclaurie,jroth,suze,nytraveler tks u all!!
there is a lot of info to process, and things i began to understand, let me some time and i let u know

fodor´s forum is the best!!

irene

One of my favorite things to do is to sit on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and have a dirty water dog, a Snapple, and people watch.

The Financial District is one of my favorite areas on the weekends because of its lack of crowds.

Take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry at dusk for fabulous views of downtown Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge.