New York
 

Hello there...my mom will be going to New York this fall..and would like to know a few things from those who know...Greenwich Village, does she need a day there? what is good there? Is the Garmet District worth it? Keep in mind the Canadian Dollar...she will be doing the big museums and such but thinks she should pass on Ms. Liberty??? Good idea? She will be there 5 days and wants to see and do as much as she can. Any suggestions would be geat..

I suggest that she read a good guidebook, or do a search here on Fodors for threads about New York, or even check out the info and 3-day itinerary that Fodors has put together, as a starting point (see "Destination Guides" on the Fodors home page).

The Statue of Liberty is closed to visitors for now, so it's a skip.

Whether GV or the Garment District are "worth it" or worth a day of her time is a question that really only she can answer. They would be for me, but not for most tourists especially those with only 5 days.

Perhaps you can offer your opinion as to what is good about GV or the Garmet District? Guidebooks aside, locals and tourists have a better sense of what is out there, my opinion anyway...

I visited the Statue of Liberty today with out-of-town guests, so I can assure you that it is most definitely OPEN and has been since December 2001. The Statue itself is closed, but the island is beautiful and one can stand at the base of Lady Liberty.

What are your mother's interests?

There's a lot to do in Greenwich Village, depending on her personal interests. Plenty of charming streets to wander, with lots of small shops and restaurants. A number of walking tours through the area follow various themes (literary, history, food).

What would she expect to see in the Garment District? For the most part, it's an area for wholesale clothing distributors, with a few stores open to the public, though not the big designers. While she will probably skip Liberty, she might enjoy the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island, accessible from the same ferry that goes to Liberty.

Any specific interests you can provide? Does she like to walk? shop?

Mom could take the Staten Island Ferry for free across the the Island and back, having an excellent view of the Statue and the City.
Half a day in the Village, the other half in Soho would be nice.
Garment Center is so not worth it in my opinion.

thank you for the hints..i will pass along. mom likes to shop but for interesting stuff, not much into clothes, and is a great walker for someone "almost 60". she will be on her own most of the days...but is game for almost anything, very much into seeing new and interesting things. she cannot wait to get there!!! per ellenem, i will certainly tell her GV is worth a day....and as per scarlett i will suggest your day...thanks again!! any other ideas, sites, are welcome...

Since your mother is a "walker" she could start a day in GV and then walk south through SOHO followed by Little Italy ahd Chinatown. This will show here four distinctive NY neighborhoods.

She'll probably get a kick out hte the Pearl River Mart.

http://www.pearlriver.com/v2/index.html