Need Some Help Re: New York in 3 Days!!
 

I have already posted before..but now am doing the final touches and need some help planning.

So firstly..we don't arrive til 6:30 pm to LGA on Thursday night. We will take taxi to the Michelangelo Hotel. Probably will just go out for dinner that night...Any recco's for restaurants in that area?????

Friday we were thinking about the Hop on Hop off Bus..Not sure what routing to take.

Was thinking about the Downtown loop which seems to cover most of the sights except Central Park...Can we see the Statue of Liberty from this loop??? Would possibly like to have dinner at Saravana's that evening.

Anyways...then Saturday we are taking a foods of New York Tour..Central Village/SoHo Food and Culture Tour..It is from 12:00 til 3:00, which will take up alot of the day..How do we get from our hotel to the beginning of the tour??

Not sure what to do after the tour...

Then on Sunday, hoping to do Central park...then we are meeting a friend for Dim Sum at Jing Fong...I think this is near Canal Street for shopping??

Okay, i am just a little panicked that we won't have enough time to see everything.

What we want to see most is

WTC site
Statue of Liberty
Empire State Bldg.
Central Park
5th Avenue
At least one Mall (Macy's perhaps)
Times Square, Rockefeller Centre
Canal Street

And i love shopping, so need time for that.

Also want to fit in Grays Papaya for a hot dog!!!!!

So any help will be appreciated to help organize our 3 days.

Whoops, i see that loop does cover Central Park!!!

Instead of the hop on/off tour, why not have a look at nypartyshuttle.com or kingofnyc.com These are half or full day tours that cover everything you want to see with better guides and no lost time waiting for buses. If you want the hop on/off tour, yes, the downtown loop should cover your list but you'll have to get off and take the Staten Island ferry (or do some other boat tour) to get a decent view of the Statue of Liberty.

You mention Saravana which is vegan vegetarian. Are you? That will make a big difference in restaurant recos. And for that first night, budget? Kind of food?

You say you're a big shopper but you don't know what to do after the Foods of NY tour? C'mon. ;)

Btw, we don't have many malls here. There is one that imo is totally missable near Macy's (called the Manhattan Mall). If you want a mall, go to the Time Warner building at Columbus Circle. While you're there, consider having a drink or tea(if you're dressed decently) in the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental on the 35th floor.

Hopstop.com is a great website for getting directions. Put in your hotel as the start and 18 Elizabeth St. as your destination (for Jing Fong) and you'll get detailed subway directions (or bus or walking) and you can also get an estimate for cab fare.

There are 3 locations of Gray's Papaya, one in the village. So it could very well be part of your food tour (I don't know).

<<Saturday we are taking a foods of New York Tour..Central Village/SoHo Food and Culture Tour....How do we get from our hotel to the beginning of the tour??>>

We need to know where it begins so we can advise you on how to get there. There are a number of subway lines . . .

Stop panicking. Part of visiting NYC is just letting it happen around you.

I know, i shouldn't panic!!! Anyways..the foods of NY tour starts at
Caffe Del Mare - 89 MacDougal St. (between Bleecker St. and Houston St.)

We prefer the hop on hop off tour as we can get out and see the things we want and aren't pressed for time. we did this in Dubai and London and really enjoyed it.

I am not a vegetarian, but love Vegetarian Indian food.

Also, i didn't mean shopping mall, rather department store...

I am sure everything will work out once we get there!!

<i>Relax</i>. You can not and will not &quot;see it all.&quot; Enjoy exploring New York and, yes, you <i>can</i> return.

The Michelangelo is at West 51st St and 6th Avenue. (All NYers call it 6th Avenue, even though it's labeled Avenue of the Americas.)

To meet for your tour, take the 6th Ave subway at 50th St (Rockefeller Center stop). From there you can take ANY train (B, D, F, V) downtown to the West 4th St stop. Follow signs out of the station to West 4th St (front end of train) and you'll be only 2-3 blocks away from your meeting point.

This is an incredibly easy ride, confusing only when you get off the train since there are entrances to the West 4th station at both ends of the platform. If you end up exiting the station from the other end, you'll just be a few blocks further north--further away--from your destination.

You may have long lines at some of the hop on and off. We did the party shuttle and it was great. Highly reccommend.

On that first night, you might like Molyvos, which is a short walk away from the Michelangelo... it's Greek, casual but not too casual (no gyros).
http://www.molyvos.com

ellenem, thanks for the directions, now hopefully we can follow them correctly!! I will print them off.

Will consider the party shuttle as well.

And the Greek restaurant looks really good, will check it out. Thanks.

TracyB: When are you going? We have reservations at The Michelangelo next Thursday - Sunday and would love to hear what you thought about it. Their restaurant just re-opened and I'm hearing really good things about it. Open for dinner only, I think.

lovetolaugh...we won't be in New York til the end of May...so you can tell me all about the Michelangelo when u get back!!

It sure sounds and looks nice though..hope u have a great trip!!