New York City Must Sees
 

Planning a mother-daughter trip to New york City the end of November for 6 ladies. What sites are must sees? Best way to see them? Recommendations of favorite broadway shows? Appreciate the help in advance.

Since New York has lots of everything, it would assist us if you were more specific on what you hope to experience while visiting the Big Apple. Shopping? Museums? Cultural diversity? Nightlife? General excitement? Restaurants? Ethnic neighborhoods? What I consider a must-see may well be a total bore to someone else. <BR> <BR>Before we can tell you where to find something, we need to know what you are looking for!

In terms of mother-daughter, it might be helpful to know the age ranges that we're dealing with. 6 year old daughters would entail totally different ideas than a grown woman.

Here are some of my 'must sees' that should allow for most age groups: <BR> <BR>- Central Park, This is my favorite part of NY. I love the gardens, the walks, the zoo and everything else. If you have little ones there are a number of playgrounds too. Go to http://www.centralpark.org/home.html to get tons of info on the park. <BR> <BR>- America Natural Museum of History. This is on the west side of Central Park is is truly an outstanding museum. Don't eat at the museum. There are better food offerings on Columbus Ave. behind the museum. <BR> <BR>- Street Fairs. I love street fairs. They are the pulse of NY. Check out http://www.nyc.gov/html/cau/html/nov.html to find out more about the major happenings in NYC. <BR> <BR>- Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is definitely a must see. The art collection is HUGE!!! <BR> <BR>- Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). I love this musuem and love looking at the artists who are selling their wares in front of the museum. The cafe here is great. And do some of your Christmas shopping at the gift shop! When you are through walk over to 5th Ave. and shop some more. <BR> <BR>- Top of the Empire State Building. I think that going to the Empire State Building on your first trip to NY is required by law! <BR> <BR>- Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. There is so much history here and the ferry ride gives you a nice view of the city. <BR> <BR>- If you want to see more art, check out the Guggenheim Museum. An amazing building with a good collection of art. <BR> <BR>- The department store windows. After Thanksgiving the major department stores do amazing window displays. You'll feel like a kid again! <BR> <BR>There are tons more to see but this will give you a good start. The rest is dependent on how adventurous you are and what your interests are. Things to consider include Canal Street (this is where you buy fake Rolex watches and Gucci purses), Little Italy, Chinatown, Soho (great galleries and shopping), just to name a few. As far as transportation, get a multiple day pass for the subway and use it during the day. Save your taxi money for night. The subway is the fastest, easiest way to travel in NY and I personally prefer it to cabs. My 4 year old is a vetern of the subway system. <BR> <BR>Have fun!!!

Sorry to not be more specific. The ladies range in age from 25-60. Looking to experince the best tourist things to do, but no specific focus. Wondering what things are and are not worth the hype they receive. Thanks again!

If you happen to be in the Theater District or walking uptown from Times Square, you should drop by the HELLO DELI. It's right around the corner from the Late Show with David Letterman studio. It's the perfect place to experience the real down-to-earth New York City. They serve really good and cheap sandwiches and if you're there around 5/6pm (when Dave is usually done filming the show), it is highly likely you will see celebrities or watch Dave do a skit with Rupert! It's a great time.

I also recommend the art museums mentioned earlier. Another museum worth a visit is the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, which is on the west side of Central Park. Perhaps you could do this in conjunction with a lunch at Tavern on the Green. There are so many excellent plays out, but you may have difficulty getting tickets at this short notice. Les Miserables or Phantom are both good, and because they've been around a while, should be easier to obtain. Lincoln Center is nearby as well, and is worth walking around. If you go down to Times Square early [like 6:15 -6:30 a.m.] and wait in line, you can go in to watch the taping of Good Morning America. There is a restaurant that overlooks Times Square, Foley's Fish House, with great views for people watching overlooking all of Times Square [which is located in the Renaissance Hotel] if you are in that area. South Street Seaport is a restored area that overlooks the Brooklyn Bridge, and there are some short cruises that leave from there. Near that is where you leave for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It would be about a ten minute walk, if that. A lot depends on where you are staying, and how long you will be in the city.

Since you just want to do "tourist stuff," allow me to give my recommendations: <BR>Metropolitan Museum of Art -- enough great art for TWO days of visiting. It's so fantastic you WON'T see it all in one day, so don't try. <BR>Staten Island Ferry -- best value for the money in the world. A great view of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline, and it's FREE. <BR>World Trade Towers (on a clear day) -- remember, the Empire State Building isn't even the SECOND tallest building on Manhattan, and its lines are MUCH longer than for these buildings. Also, you can get half price Broadway tickets at the TKTS booth here, without waiting an hour in line like you would at Times Square. <BR>Times Square -- just wander about. Very touristy, but people will think you're crazy if you admit you didn't go there. <BR>New York Stock Exchange -- blatant propaganda, but fascinating to see the world center of capitalism. <BR>Central Park -- just people watch as you walk around. <BR>Window shopping on Fifth Avenue -- and remember that you couldn't buy the stuff you see with your full year's salary. <BR> <BR>And I'll say again, do NOT bother walking to the top of the Statue of Liberty, unless you enjoy standing in line for three hours to get five minutes of a crowded, worthless view.

Try to see Kiss Me Kate and Cabaret. Both shows are not difficult to get into. I enjoyed them much more than the over-rated Disneyfied Lion King. The producers is excellent, but you would have to get tickets from scalpers

The Tenement Museum -- a great trip back in time.

I'm searching for info for my NYC trip and just had to top this for the sad irony of it. Look at the message posted by Paul Rabe on 9/9/01.

Must Sees:

The Met (go to the web site and pick 3/4 departments - or you'll be in there days)

Ellis Island Immigration Museum (with view of Statue of Liberty from the ferry (get tickets in advance) is absolutely brilliant

MoMA if you have any interest in modern art

Nat History Museumm if you have any interests (has great human evolution presentation and wonderful gems &amp; minerals)

A couple of broadway shows

Top of the Rock and Rockefeller Center

Shopping - depends on your budget and interests - but defniitely do a mix of department stores (mostly mid town) and boutiques - more downtown

Central Park is not at it's best in November. If you get a good day you can explore some and do the zoo - but if the weather is nasty I wouldn;t push it

The same for boat rides - except for the ferry to Ellis Island

Exploring typical neighborhoods is something I always reco - but again November can be dicey (many of the thousand outdoor cafes will be closed) and strolling and window shopping can be fun - or not. Try the Village, the upper west side and the lower east side