Nervous - NYC Nov. 1st - Help?
 

Oh boy. I need a little help here. Every year I like to meet up with my parents in the city (I take the train down from CT and they come up from MD) and take them to a Broadway show for their birthdays. We spend the night in Midtown and get to have some good one-on-one time, hang out, etc.
I snagged tix for an evening show on Saturday November 1st, and when I called our usual, lovely hotel I was floored by the price, and the fact that the person only had three rooms left and gently suggested that I pounce on one quick. I quickly found out why: the NYC marathon is on the 2nd.
Whoops.
So my questions are three-fold: 1) How bad does the city get during the marathon, or more specifically the day before? I've been to Boston for the marathon, and it wasn't too bad, but I was there to cheer, not be a tourist. I imagine the major sites are reasonably good to avoid. 2) Any recommendations for good ways to dodge the masses (yeah, right!). Dad is not a fan of crowds, but puts up w/ trips to the city as my Mom digs it. Don't want the poor guy to grimace all day. Museums and interesting sights are cool, though, and I think I could convince them to wander a neighborhood or two. And, finally dear people, 3) restaurant rec's near the theatres that are non-Italian (all those runners carbo-loading!), within $15-20 entree range, and I guess most importantly, take reservations? Thank you all ever so much!

Virgil's Barbecue on 44th St. is pretty good, with entrees around $15 or less. There's a Chevys (Mexican) on 42nd St. too.

The city gets busy, but runners aren't sprinting to museums & cultural events, so they should not get in your way!

The city is packed Marathon Weekend. People come from all over the world to run and combine the Marathon with a vacation to New York City.

I've been three times during the marathon and I still can't get over how busy the city becomes. The great thing is that the weather will be great and the buzz and excitement makes it that much more fun.

Make sure you go to Central Park South to cheer the racers on before they cross the finish line in Central Park.

I accidently visited NYC on a Marathon Weekend a few years ago. It was fun to watch the runners and be part of the excitment, but the city was PACKED. It was nearly impossible to get a taxi, and when we did, it took us nearly an hour to get from the Times Square area to SoHo. I couldn't wait to get home, and I generally don't mind crowds. Good luck.

I'd suggest finding a hotel on the Upper East or Upper West Sides -- residential areas, smaller crowds. I rarely even notice marathon weekend, to be honest, with the exception of attending a party east of my apt to watch the runners pass by.

Avoid Times Square like the plague, with the exception of your show.

Good Luck!

If you want to avoifd the marathon and all its crowds, stay downtown. Most marathoners stay midtown to uptown to be near Central Park. That;'s where the crowds will be. Use this weekend to concentrate on Wall St, the Financial Center, Brooklyn Bridge, Tribeca, Soho, Great parks along the river for strolling and hanging out. You'll have to make your trip uptown for your show--an easy subway ride if cabs are scarce. I understand the Marriott Financial Center has some good rates, though since its Marathon weekend. . . good luck.

We had originally planned to arrive on Nov 1, also, because my birthday is Nov 2, and I wanted to wake up in New York on that day. But the hotel prices were so high for that night, we changed our flight and will arrive on Nov 2, instead. I can't wait to go! I ended up booking us at the Gramercy Park hotel, through quikbook. Good luck!

Another vote for Virgil's...great food and atmosphere...very reasonable prives!

As a long time resident of Manhattan, I can tell you that I usually avoid the marathon and that it's pretty easy to do so. Simply avoid the marathon route, which in Manhattan means avoiding the East Side.

Which is why getting a hotel on the East Side would not be a great idea if you're trying to avoid all the hoopla.

As for Virgil's, it's an excellent restaurant if you like barbeque. I do, which is why I like it. But you might want a place with more variety. I could start to name restaurants, but there are tons of suggestions for the Times Square area already on this board.

Try to pick up a copy of the Sunday, New York Times and look at the back of the Travel section. Usually some NYC hotels have ads with good prices. I agree withe previous postings - just avoid the Upper East Side and Marathon route and you'll be fine! It's a good time of year. Bring comfortable shoes.

Go to Joe Allen's for dinner (46th between 8th & 9th). Good American food in a pubby atmosphere. They take reservations.

Why do people keep recommending Virgil's? I understand it's one of the few representatives of the barbecue genre in Manhattan, but if you care about your parents' health at all, you won't take them to eat giant hunks of fatty, smoky meat with a tiny cup of coleslaw. Anyway, it's not all that cheap (entree with ribs is $19, I think). If they have old-fashioned tastes, take them to one of the nice but creaky French places that have been there forever, such as Pierre au Tunnel. On W51st, between 8th and 9th, are Vice Versa and Maria Pia, lovely restaurants with reasonable pre-theater specials (these are not the carbo-loading type of Italian joint). On 46th near 8th is B. Smith's, with southern-accented American food, very comfortable seats, nice atmosphere, and some reasonably-priced choices. Or take them to 9th Ave, to Marseille (make sure to reserve, as it's very popular), for a cool and more youthful atmosphere, and delicious south-of-France food. So much easier to digest than that barbecue stuff, and probably more special for them.