My very first trip to NYC itinerary
 

My dh and I are finally going to NYC!! We are beyond excited!! We live in a small town in the Mojave desert, but I grew up in LA...so, I miss city life and I know I will love NY already!!

Set up: dh and myself (both early 50's)
Time frame: Late October...8 days (10 days including travel days)
Reason for trip: to meet/visit NY relatives and be tourists!

Our trip will not be a typical "couple on the loose in NYC" trip...I have cousins that I have just begun to meet and a few others who I have not met. We are all excited to meet/see each other! So, they are emailing me lots of offers and the main cousin who I first met, is telling me to take everyone up of their offers and spend time with them as that is most important and I do agree. However, they are offering great things....

Friday: arrive into JFK in early evening, main cousin takes us to his home on Long Island...
Saturday: They take us on a drive to the coast and then also see Sagamore (home of Teddy Roosevelt). In the evening we drive to Queens to meet all the other cousins at an Italian Rest. they all like and have gone to for years. (this is funny since all our parents came from Ireland!).
Leave that evening with another cousin and his wife to visit with them in Connecticut.

Sunday: Connecticut

Monday: come into NYC with cousin and check into hotel. Take cruise around Manhattan or boat to Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island.
Katz Deli for late lunch, WTC Site and St. Pauls.
Dinner: My husband loves seafood-any rec's?
Tuesday: Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, 5th ave.
Lunch: ???
Dinner: with cousin who lives in Greenwich Village...they are chosing restaurant.
Wednesday: Another cousin will pick us up and take us to the Hudson Valley to see West Point, etc...he grew up in this area and knows it well...Fall colors, etc.
Dinner: Not sure yet where we'll be
Thursday: Private Tour of the MET with above cousin who has a friend who works there and has offerend to give us this tour. I am not an art person at all but they say I should see the MET!
Thursday: dinner with Greenwich Village cousin at Joe Allen's, Theater: see The Producers (cousins got tickets).
Friday: Long Island cousin picks us up at hotel and take us to Rock. Center, Central Park and to visit 2 other cousin who are nuns (sisters who are "sisters")and work in a home for the elderly...take them to lunch.
In the evening: The Rainbow room for a drink Dinner: Donovan's Irish Pub for dinner-go back to Long Island to stay last 2 nights
Saturday: Tour Brooklyn where most of the cousins grew up.
Dinner: The River Cafe (should be nice "last dinner in NY")
Sunday: come back to CA....missing NY and all my great Irish cousins.

For the hotel nights we are staying at the Comfort Inn-Midtown on 46th street. I just don't see how folks can stand to spend $400 for a night...so, we are spending $233/night....I hope I don't regret it. There does not seem to be any happy medium in NY...there does not seem to be much in the $250-300 range...which is still a lot per NIGHT to this CA girl....the latest review on Trip Advisor is terrible but the Comfort Inn has had some good reviews....we'll see...don't know if I should give in and spend $400/night...it would only be 4 nights...just seems waistful....

Anyway, we don't have a lot of leeway on our trip with seeing all my cousins but they have been so wonderful and generous of their time, etc. so I don't want to say no to any of them...this trip is just part touristy and part family. Some of my own family experiences have not been so great so this means a lot to me. We'll just see as much of the downtown, etc. as we can on Monday and Tue.

I don't know how much we can accomplish on Monday if we take the boat over to the Statue of Liberty (would not get off there) and see Ellis Island, but those are things we do really want to do.

Thanks for reading and any help.
Shadow

That trip sounds absolutely wonderful. A behind-the-scenes tour of the MET should be quite a treat. Visit their web site in advance, it's an astonishing place.

I've stayed at the Comfort Inn Midtown a couple of times, though not recently. I chose it when it advertised itself as the only all-nonsmoking hotel in NYC, though I think there now are others. I remember that the staff were nice and the breakfast was dreadful. The room was good-sized, especially for the price. Ask for a room on the 6th floor or above, to ensure that you aren't looking out at the airshaft of the church next door. The location is very handy -- just a block from Times Square on a block with lots of interesting restaurants, but far enough from the hubub. When I was there, there was a decent breakfast place on 46th between the hotel and Times Square.

Take the Tripadvisor reviews with a grain of salt. That recent terrible review is by a newly-registered member and is inconsistent with the others. One of the reviews from the summer indicates that they are renovating starting with the lower floors, so perhaps below the 6th floor isn't such a bad choice after all.

This sounds like the trip of a lifetime. You will get to see more of NYC than most visitors do in 5 trips. I love Sagamore. You should think about also visiting Old Westbury Gardens that day. I think it's pretty close.
http://www.oldwestburygardens.org/directions.html

For a seafood dinner, the Sea Grill in Rockefeller Center is good but pricey. Mary's Fish Camp in the village might be fun. For lunch on Tues. go to the Boat House in Central Park.

There's a restaurant/pub called Kennedy's on west 57 st. you might all like.

As to the hotel, there's a special on travelzoo right now for the Hilton Times Square for $199-229. It might cover a few of your nights but probably not all. You might have a look. Otherwise, the location of the CI midtown is terrific. Enjoy your family and your time in NYC.

Shadow, this sounds like a wonderful trip. And a private tour of the Met! Where else can you see famous paintings, an Egyptian temple and a knight in shining armor - and that's just a start. I bet you'll be an "art person" after that :-)

I'd love to read your trip report when you come back - I'm sure you'll have some great stories!

Dear Shadow,

You stated that you will be in NYC in late October. Since you are going to the Hudson Valley to see West Point, maybe you might want to cross the bridge to see Sleepy Hollow on the other side of the river.

We were there during Holloween last year, and there were lots of activities, like hundreds of jack-o-lanterns ablaze. Holloween is a big deal here since Washington Irving wrote "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (the Headless Horseman) there.

Also, you mentioned that you do not like art. But, last year we visited Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate. It is really magnificent they way it is sited high up overlooking the Hudson River. If you are interested, you should reserve a tour in advance.

Also, you might want to have dinner in the Hudson Valley. There are tons of really good restaurants because the Culinary Institute is there.

If you are an admirer of the Roosevelts, the FDR Presidential library is located in the mid Hudson River Valley. The tour of his estate is enlightening and amazing. You might even consider rearranging your schedule to take in this site. It is that worth it.

Also, I really like to go to Carnegie Deli when in NYC. I have been to other delis, including Katz's, and I still like Carnegie's pastrami the best.

For the Statue of Liberty, I always try to get there as early possible--7 am. This is because tour companies would then converge around 7:15 am, making the wait really long. But, I did this before 9/11, so things may have changed.

What parts of Brooklyn are you going to see? If your Irish cousins grew up there, I’m guessing it was in Bay Ridge and I can help you out there. There is also a great restaurant on Smith Street in Brooklyn that isn’t a long ride from Manhattan. I mention it because the have traditional sessions on Sun. and Wed. nights and it’s fun! www.ceolpub.com

Hi Shadow, sounds like a great trip!! I too love Sagamore; in fact I was just out there a few weeks ago with my niece and nephew (9 and 6) in tow and they loved it, too...

I just wanted to point out that if you are doing the Statue of Liberty, then WTC site and St. Pauls, that Katz Deli is rather out of the way if you put it in the middle as you wrote. Better to do the boat tour, WTC site and St. Pauls which are all basically near each other, then head uptown to Katz... (I would say 1 1/2 hours should be plenty for WTC and St. Pauls; don't know what others may think...)

Also, for lunch on Tuesday, I will mention one of my favorite suggestions: the dining concourse at Grand Central Terminal. There are kiosks and dining areas for a number of NYC restaurants, such as Two Boots (thin crust pizza), Zocalo ("nuevo" Mexican), Cafe Spice (Indian), the famous Little Pie Company and Junior's Cheesecake, and more. So you would get a taste of real NYC food without running all over town. Also, eating there would be faster than sitting in a restaurant.

Then again, if your husband loves seafood, check out the Oyster Bar also on the lower level at Grand Central, or Docks nearby on 3rd Ave and 41st Street... The Oyster Bar is a NY icon! They serve all sorts of seafood and other dishes in addition to oysters.

Have a great trip! :)

wow! sounds great! I would only suggest that if you want to go to Ellis Island, you do that on a day when you can get down there first thing and shouldn't have any wait. Don't know if you can rearrange this or not.

Hi

My wife and I went to NYC for the first time a couple of years back. I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/new_york_city_trip_report.htm . Maybe you can find some useful info there. Have a great trip d:

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Thanks everyone! I have made lots of notations and I am working on some of the suggestions.....we are both so excited!!
Now, to go clothes shopping!!
Shadow

As a huge art person, I am insanely jealous that you are getting a private tour of the MET. Enjoy!

I'm going to new york in october and while I've been to the new MOMA twice and have seen The Frick collection, I have yet to visit the MET.

That trip sounds wonderful.

When you go to Rock Center, try to get up to Top of the Rock. It just opened so your family probably hasn't even been up there yet, and it's supposed to have the best views of the city.

Also, on the day you're seeing Grand Central and 5th Ave, it might be worth it to take a walk over and have lunch at Serendipity 3(60th between 2nd and 3rd). The weather should be great for the stroll in late October, it's right by Bloomingdales (you have none of the department stores on your list!!), and the food is great. Try the frozen hot chocolate!

OH, and clearly you're going to be very busy, but you said late October, and if that includes Halloween, try and go to the parade!