my turn: please review and rework my New York City 12/17-12/19 itinerary -- see where your suggestions have popped up!
 

Thanks to everyone that has contributed to my trip planning thus far. . . I would love your input on what I've come up with for my sister, mom, gram, and me. I know my Monday schedule is ambitious. . . but hopefully it is doable.

Can't wait to hear your comments and suggestions!

Sunday
Land at LaGuardia at 10:30 am (weather permitting!!)
Wait for Detroit crew to arrive, get bags, grab cab to Ameritania hotel
Arrive to hotel around 11:30 and hope room is ready or store bags
Walk from hotel to brunch at Eatery on 9th at 12:30 pm
3 pm Mary Poppins at New Amsterdam Theatre
6 pm Holiday Light Tour (pick up tickets at Grayline Tour booth; decide which store windows we want to go back and visit in person on Monday and Tuesday am/pm)

8pm Dinner at either Tia Pol (205 10th Ave between 22nd and 23rd in Chelsea; no reservations; open 6-10:30) or Jules Bistro (65 Saint Marks Place between 1st and 2nd in the East Village; 212-477-5560; cash only) or Frank (88 2nd Ave between 5th and 6th in East Village; no reservations, cash only)

Walk around either Chelsea or East Village. . . is this something we should do or should we just head back to our hotel and maybe look around Times Square? Thoughts?

Monday
7 am Rise and Shine
Grab coffee/tea/food at Dean and DeLuca near Rockefeller Center
Get tix for Top of the Rock (if the weather is good)
If there is a wait, go hang with Today Show crowd or check out Saks window
Visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Visit the MoMA (waiting to see if this is a group priority. I'd like to go!)
Head to Grand Central Station and then walk 8 blocks south down 5th Ave. to East 34th street to the Empire State Building (just from street level since we plan to do Top of the Rock) (should we go to Union Square Christmas Market from here??)

Head to Battery Park to see Statue of Liberty and then to WTC/Ground Zero (convince group to hit Century 21)

1/2 pm Lunch options: Balthazar in SoHo or Blue Ribbon Bakery in West Village

Shopping/Wandering in Greenwich Village/SoHo/West Village (I have a list of stores I'd like to see, including Humble Construction, Purl fabric shop, H&M, Laila Rowe)

Bookstore/Café/Bar in near Union Square for a break or an afternoon cocktail?

Union Square Christmas Market (or, if we went in early afternoon, things to see do as we head north back toward hotel -- maybe Chrysler Bldg, UN, Bryant Park)

5:30 -6:30 Head back to hotel for a breather

7:00 dinner (TBD. . . ViceVersa at 325 W 51st Street between 8th and 9th Ave at 212-399-9291 or one of the places we didn’t go to on Sunday night)
9:15 Birdland for Jim Caruso’s Cast Party

Tuesday
Breakfast/tea at Bouchon Bakery near Columbus Circle
Central Park walk starting at Dakota/Strawberry Fields (see Wollman Rink and other sites heading East)
Metropolitan Museum of Art (opens at 9:30 am)

Lunch (Upper East Side: Alice’s Tea Cup (west 71st); Sarabeth’s)

Back to hotel by 1:30 to pack
Leave for LaGuardia by 2:15
Flights leave around 4 pm

Just a tip re: Dean & Deluca, if you look inside and it's really packed, don't automatically give up, there is a staircase near the back left corner leading to additional seating upstairs.

Alice's Tea Cup is on the UWS, not sure if that was a typo. All your restaurant ideas look great!

It seems like you are cutting it close to get to LaGuardia at the end there. Maybe someone else will comment on that...

Monday morning seems really packed...How can you do both MoMA and Statue of Liberty before lunch?

Have a great trip!

You're right about your Monday schedule. It's not just ambitious, it's ridiculous! You'll be lucky if you accomplish half of that!

There is a discount combo ticket for TOTR and MOMA being offered, so if you plan to see both then get this offer (20% off??) available at either box office.

As I just said in a previous post, I was at the TOTR twice this week and there were zero lines, in fact I rode the elevator alone yesterday!

I would skip the Statue of Liberty if I were you, tho it sounds like you may just be planning to view it from afar which is what I would do (I like Brooklyn Heights Promenade and the walk across the bridge...)

Yesterday I sat in Dean and Deluca to watch the Today Show fanfare, I had no trouble getting a seat.

I saw all the holiday windows and thought Macy's was by the best by far!

Overall your schedule is jam packed.

Monday is not possible - you will have to choose either MoMA or Statue of Liberty.

Other days if there is any delay (for instance in plane landing on Sunday) your entire schedule will be off. I would be prepared with alternates if you end up
getting to the city an hour or two later than planned.

And on the day you leave - for a 4 pm flight at LGA I would leave the hotel no later than 1pm. Traffic is VERY busy this time of year and it can easily take more than an hour to the airport. With your timing you will likely be on the security line when your plane takes off.

I couldn't decide if I should even reply to this - I don't like to be negative. At first I thought your schedule was a joke. So - assuming you are serious - please rethink things. There is just no way you can do what you have planned. And you will be miserable if you try. Cut it about in half and you should be OK. It's just not at all realistic. And by the way, I am known by my family and friends as a bit of a travel tyrant - I regularly walk more than 10 miles a day when I visit any major city and in most people's opinions I do too much. So this advice is not coming from someone who likes to take it slow. Really, you cann't do what you are suggesting. Sorry.

Kellbell, Mary Poppins runs 2 hours and 50 minutes, assuming it starts on time (yes theater can begin a few minutes later). Will you have enough time to get the tickets and board your Holiday Light Tour?

Since you plan on going back to the hotel at 1:30 p.m. to pack, be sure you have already requested (and have been granted) a late check-out.

Remember, the City is PACKED this time of year. Saying it is difficult to make your way through the crowds in an understatement. Be ready to cut something out to avoid disappointment.

I do agree with the people who are telling you that your itinerary is too ambitious. If you were traveling alone and have a lot of endurance then I'd say it's possible. But for a group of four ladies (including a grandma!) I'd say this is waaaaaay too much to comfortably accomplish. people are going to get crabby real fast, LOL.

I knew that I was going to get blasted for Monday. . . Here's the issue -- my mom has never been to NYC before, so we are trying to get as much as possible packed into the day. I am fine with skipping the MoMA, but I felt obligated to put it in there for my gram.

Sunday revolves around seeing MP at 3 pm. We have tickets and I'm PRAYING to the weather gods and all other deities that we don't have any travel delays.

I think everyone who has posted thus far doesn't have any major issues with Sunday, so I'll leave that as-is. Although, we are prepared to ditch the holiday light tour. Maybe we throw that off the agenda and move something up in its place from Monday. For example, we just go have dinner and then wander over to Rockefeller Center to see the tree, see the Saks window and other windows in the vicinity on our own. Maybe in the cab on the way home from dinner we ask to go by the ESB so my mom can "check it off her list"?

Is Monday more doable if we do the following:
Dean and DeLuca
Top of the Rock
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Battery Park to view the Statue of Liberty from afar (we aren't planning to take the ferry -- just to gaze upon her and move on)
Ground Zero/WTC

Isn't that all doable from 8 am - 1 pm?

Lunch/shopping in Greenwich Village/SoHo/West Village. Head back to hotel, change for dinner and Cast Party.

Tuesday I'm really just thinking we would get up, grab coffee/tea, head over to Central Park to meander through a portion of it (weather permitting) and grab lunch.

I didn't realize Alice's Tea Cup is UWS and not UES. . . thanks for the clarification.

And thanks for the words of wisdom about leaving for LaGuardia by 1.

We really just want to make sure my mom sees the major sights while we are here. . . . everyone else has been and we intend to be back. Obviously our itinerary will change based on time, weather, crowds, and exhaustion.

Do you think a jaunt through Central Park on Tuesday am makes sense, or would folks choose something else as a priority to show my mom before we head back? I personally love Central Park and a trip to NYC just wouldn't feel the same without going there.

I know we are going to need the holidays to recouperate from this whirlwind visit!

Thanks for your input. . . . more thoughts and insights would be welcomed!

-Kellie

The other thing that can go is Battery Park. You are going from St. Pats to Battery Park, which is a bit of distance by either Subway or taxi. I'd skip it if you are commited to the other stuff.

Yes I think your revised schedule is more realistic. I see you no longer have Century 21 for Monday, that's a good thing. It's just a big store (think giant Marshalls or TJMaxx) and not worth the crowds. I would never go there with 3 other people, even if it weren't the week before Chirstmas. I can see why your mom wants to at least look at the Statue of Liberty so I would leave Battery Park in. I think you can probably do all you now have on your list by 1pm.

I also agree you should keep Central Park in. The things that take time are things like museums so if you leave those out you can cover a lot of ground. The other things are sit down lunches. How are you with grabbing a hot dog (or sandwich) and eating on the go? In this weather that's a lot harder to do than in nice weather when you can sit on a bench. And you will want a mid-day break. But I suggest you find someplace not crowded and don't worry about how good the food is. Think of it as just fuel to keep you going. If you want a good memorable meal it is going to take you a long time because really decent sit down places will have a wait. Gray's Papaya Hot dogs has the best hot dogs in NY but they don't have any place to sit. There's one in the Village, one on 72nd on the UWS and at least one more (google it for addresses). Much better than the guys on the carts on the corners.

Thanks, Isabel. Museums might not be in the cards for us this go round. . . however, if the weather is icky, we might forgo the Central Park walk and choose to visit a museum instead!

I agree on the lunches. . . my mom and gram are the types to eat one big meal a day and that's it. I could see us skipping lunch on Monday and even just going to Rice to Riches or something like that and waiting to eat dinner.

Points all well taken. And if Century 21 is just a large TJMaxx, we can definitely skip that. Not worth the time when there is so much more to do!

I'm sure when I post my trip report, it will read nothing like my proposed itinerary!

I am just curious as to why this post (and others) appear on the US forum and not when you select "New York"? Perhaps veteran Fodorites can enlighten me...

Kellbell- take a deep breath, now breathe out. Repeat three times. Relax. You have such limited time and such an ambitious itinerary you are putting undo stress on yourself.


Focus on strolling through different areas and enjoying as a whole as opposed to having to be at a particular attraction at a certain time. You really only have two days and you could have the time of your life just walking around without ever setting foot into a museum or any particular building.

You are coming to NYC at Christmas time. It really doesn't get any better than that. Keep in mind you have grandma. I think you might be overlooking that a bit.

I don't want to offer to much information because your head might explode but how about a carriage ride through Central Park. The temps here have been pretty good and this would be a great way to see the park with grandma. Plus it's just a great thing in general. Enjoy and relax. NYC and Christmas....... Wow!!!

I agree with SGNY. Your trip sound more like a death march than a vacation. The best memories don't come from people looking at the watches thinking "We can't stay here any longer because we have a schedule to keep" but instead from unexpected things you discover, long meals of chatting, just strolling around.

The idea is to be together, to be in the city, and to have fun. Don't worry about seeing everything, even if it is someone's first time. First timers love the experience of NYC and don't want to feel that they have to rush from place to place.

Like packing, once you've picked everything you think you need, it's time to toss out a third of it.

I suggest The Red Cat in Chelsea for dinner(and suggest reservations as well). They have a website. We really liked this place on our trip to NYC.

You might consider the 72nd Street traverse as a good way to walk across the park(5th to Central Park West). Stop by the beautiful Bethesda Fountain and gaze.

I recommend a hire car pre-booked for your trip back to the airport. Try Carmel.

KatPen, when anyone goes to the US forum, all posts they make will appear in that general forum. There is no such thing as a separate forum for each state. If the person doing the original post, clicked New York when he posted, then if someone is searching strictly for New York and clicks on the search for New York, then yes that post should appear in that specific list as well as in the full list of US topics. But most people come here and simply browse through all the US topics.
Since kellbell's original post does not come up when you click New York, I suspect she did not click New York when she posted the topic.

Thanks Neo Patrick. I thought posts would appear in the New York search, just by having New York in the subject line. Now I understand it better.

But at least we all appreciate your keeping New York in your title as well. It's very frustrating to see a message on the general US forum that simply says "where should we eat?" -- like anywhere from San Diego to Portland, Maine, I guess!

Whoops, KatPen. . . I think you are right. I forgot to select New York as a topic.

Pam SF. . . I've considered The Red Cat. However, I didn't see anything on the menu that I thought my sister would thoroughly enjoy (she can be a bit of a picky eater still at 32!). It is on my list for my next visit.

Thanks for the tip on the car. I think Vivi also mentioned Carmel in her trip report. Do you happen to know how much that would cost and if all four of us would fit??? Do I need to make a reservation far in advance?

Thanks-
Kellie

SGNY. . . I actually did think about a carriage ride through Central Park. Again, maybe something to do after dinner on our first night there, weather permitting.

I'm totally cracking up at the death march reference. Usually my mother is the mad travel planner that leaves no one any time for bathroom breaks. I just want to reassure folks that I'm not attempting to be cruel or unrealistic. I travel with an itinerary as a general plan that I know will morph or dissolve. But you gotta have a plan starting out, I think, and know each traveler's priorities.

Mine is eating, LOL! I have too many restaurants I want to visit.

hi kellbell,

I agree that your gram might love a carriage ride thru Central Park. You'll be doing a lot of walking, so it might be nice to "sit" and sightsee.

Regarding the Statue of Liberty, you might consider going there early in the morning and getting the first ferry out. (8 am?) You can buy tickets ahead of time online to avoid lines, too. I think the view of New York while you're on the ferry is half the fun. Your mom would love that!

When we have gone, we have just enjoyed the view of the Statue from the ferry, and then went on to Ellis island and did the audio tour. It was amazing and a highlight of our trip. We then did lunch and shopping in Soho/Greenwich Village area. Balthazar is wonderfu, and we also love Mary's Fish Camp.

the other thing to consider is to do Top of the Rock at night, when other things might be closed (MOMA) or unvailable (ferry to Statue of Liberty). Maybe do this your first night instead of walking around Chelsea.

REgarding the museums, be sure to get to the Met 30 min before they open. the lines get really long. Also, if you pick and choose a few things you think your gram would really love to see at MOMA, you can be in and out in less than an hour, and still gotten a "taste".

Personally, i don't have a problem with packing it in and seeing as much as you can. you can relax when you get home, but you have a very short time in New York.

have a great trip!!!

dina

I'm no expert as I've only been to the Met a few times and yes the lines were very long -- but I've always known the lines to move very quickly. I'm sure I've never been in one more than about 15 minutes. So what's the advantage of standing in a line that doesn't move for a half hour before the museum opens so that you don't have to stand in a line that does move for 15 minutes once it is open?

Well because if you get there at 9:30 (if they open at 10), you can sit on the steps in line, sip a coffee, and watch the world go by. you're in at 10 and enjoying the musuem. If you're on a tight schedule (like kellbell seems to be), you can be on your way to your next destination earlier.

Personally, i've never stood in the lines, so it's good to hear they're only 15 minutes. They look a lot longer, so i was just trying to be helpful.

First of all, the Metropolitan Museum opens at 9:30. Second, if you get there by 10, you'll go right right. We always go there in the morning and have never had to wait in line to get in at 9:30-10!

I guess I figured taking the ferry to Ellis Island would take more time than we have, and my mom said she is content to see the Statue of Liberty from afar. I've only ever seen the Statue from Battery Park, myself. But I honestly can't remember how good my view was.

Ok, I'll see if my group is willing to scratch the holiday light tour and trade it in for a carriage ride through Central Park (I think this will be fun!). And I'm also thinking that maybe we should just head south straight away on Monday am and work our way back north, which would allow us to do Top of the Rock Monday evening maybe before dinner.

My mom keeps saying that she really wants to see New York neighborhoods, and I think our itinerary does that, doesn't it? I mean, hanging out in Chelsea for dinner one night, SoHo/Greenwich Village/West Village on Monday afternoon, and the UWS to go to Alice's Tea Cup for breakfast Tuesday am. Do you think she'll get the neighborhood flavor of NYC, or is there some other area that I should hit to give her this feel???

(We watched Gangs of NY last night. . .makes me want to go to South Seaport. . . )

Wanted to ask. . . any guestimates as to how long it will take us to get from LaGuardia to our hotel on West 54th (between 8th and 9th, I believe) on a Sunday am?

Well - ordinarily I would say about 20/25 minutes. But at the holidays all the stores are open Sunday am and midtown is mobbed - so I would assume it could easily be an hour.

(Even though it;s longer I would go crosstown at 96th St and down the West Side Highway and approach from the west rather than down the FDR and try to fight crosstown traffic.)

Thanks NYtraveler. . . we were just going to take a cab once we land and get our bags. I'll give those directions to the cab driver.

I'm really bracing myself for a mob scene. I just checked the weather and it is supposed to be in the high 50s while we are there. . . so I'm sure that means even MORE crowds during our visit. Should be interesting!!!!

Just a suggestion. I have done NY at Christmas with family many times, including a grandma one weekend. Walking around is tiresome to the older folks and it can be pretty darn chilly! Did you ever consider the hop-on-hop- off double decker bus trips. The downtown loop includes all the sites you listed and even if you don't get off the bus many times you could pretty much see all the sites you have listed except the musuems. If you wait until around 3pm to start the loop you will see the city lit up in the dark. They drive by Rock center and since you are higher than the crowd you have a great view. The traffic makes the bus run slower at this time of year but if you need to get back sooner you can always skip some of the tour and catch a cab back uptown. If you have never done the bus trip you will be surpised at how much info you get from the guide and you will see so much of the city you just can't see on foot in 2 days. The tickets are good for 24 hrs so you can use it again the next day for a short while if you please. For people who have never been to the City its a great orientation to all the major sites. And at least your Mom and Grandman will go home able to say they saw the major sites.

I second the suggestion of the carriage ride in the park. My mother loved that, and so did the rest of us.

Not to throw too much at you, but there IS an Alice's Tea Cup on the UES as well as the UWS. Address:

156 E 64th St, New York 10021
Btwn Lexington & 3rd Ave

I think you wanted to go to the UWS anyway, but just in case...

Good luck fitting everything in. As long as you stay flexible, you will have a great time. I like to "overbook" my time and just drop things as time becomes short. That way, I always know what to do if there's a lull.

Have fun!

Travelsis. . . initially the hop on/hop off was part of our plan, but then everyone basically told me "bad idea!!" given the crowds and the traffic. So, we are going to see the city by foot via subway (if I can pull navigating the NY subway system off!).

My gram should be up for the physical nature of the trip, it is my mother with a healing broken toe that I worry about!!

I just checked the weather forecast and as of now it looks like high to lower 50s while we are there and no precip. Fingers crossed it stays that way!

My latest obsession/worry: my decision NOT to make dinner reservations for Monday night and just wing it. . . praying that little plan doesn't backfire and that we can easily get a table at one of the restaurants suggested here that doesn't take ressies.

Only six more days!

I would agree that the hop on/hop off buses are not a good idea during the holiday season.

They're best when the weather is pleasant enough for sitting on the open air upper deck, and when you're not in a hurry. THEN, this one of the very best ways to see the city, the neighborhoods, and enjoy the buildings (you can lean back in your seat and see all the way to the tops of them).

But, in the cold weather, they're an expensive way to get around.