New York the second time around
 

We visited NY last year and had such a great time we're going back at the end of this November. Last time we did the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, Metropolitan Museum, Tavern on the Green, 5th Ave., a Broadway show, a carriage ride through Central Park, and the Radio City Music Halls Christmas show (all the "touristy" things}. Any suggestions for this time around that we missed last time?

Maybe you'd like to take one of the walking tours that New Yorkers provide free of charge. How better to see the city! Our local (Toronto( newspaper talked about them but unfortunately i didn't keep any numbers.

In my original message I forgot to mention that you might like to visit the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side. You should make a reservation. It is a wonderful way to see how the waves of immigrants lived as they came to N.Y. to seek the promised land.

They can be contacted at: <BR>www.bigapplegreeter.org <BR> <BR>or telephone them on: <BR> <BR>(212)6698159 <BR> <BR> <BR>

You might consider the Transit Museum - I believe it may be in Grand Central but not certain of that. Something I've been meaning to do but haven't gotten to yet is the backstage tour of Radio City - might offer an interesting perspective after having seen a show there. Lincoln Center also offers such a tour. An afternoon walking through the Village and Chinatown is also fun. It's a great way to spend a few hours - no set agenda - just great people watching and plenty of cafes, pastry chops and coffee joints to stop at and indulge.

Some more <BR>Coney Island, Statue of Liberty, South Street Seaport, World Trade Center, Brooklyn Bridge, Chinatown, Greenwich Village, NY Public Library, Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, Rockfeller Center, Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), Lincoln Center, Central Park, Frick Collection, Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Nat. History, Guggenheim Museum, Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum. These are the "Top Sites" in the City Pack for NYC. <BR> <BR>I would add the Bronx Zoo. Should not be crowded in Nov. The NYC Library either makes you feel 20 IQ points higher or 20 IQ points lower (not your grandfather's library). Dinner at Windows on the World and/or the observation deck at WTC (touristy but still fun). Walk the diamond district, the garment district, see F.A.O. Schwarz. If you are in town the night before Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving, see the parade. Go to the NY Aquarium (next to Coney Island). <BR> <BR>

Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, walk around Brooklyn Heights (cranberry street, little cobblestone streets, montague street), Cobble Hill. Walk around Greenwich Village and Soho. There will be a great exhibit on the Vikings at the Museum of Natural History. Take a day trip or two-- The Hudson Valley/Mansions on the river and Fire Island can be nice way off season as well as during the summer-- I for one love the ocean in the winter.

The other posters all mentioned Brooklyn - what about B.A.M. (Brooklyn Academy of Music?) for one of the events there?

You don't seem to be very interested in museums, but just in case, there are several other outstanding museums in NY aside from the Metropolitan. The MOMA, Cloisters and Museum of the City of NY (great for history of the city, just above the Metropolitan on 5th) are ones in particular I would recommend (not to mention Frick and Cooper-Hewitt). I've read the Am Museum of Nat History has just redone their planetarium and that is supposed to be spectacular, I want to go to that myself (see www.amnh.org/rose).

I highly recommend the NBC Studio Tour and the United Nations Tour. Also, the New York Stock Exchange is worth doing. I hope you did not miss Greenwich Village last time, but if you did, make sure you visit it this trip.

Here are some more ideas: <BR> <BR>Stroll Washington Square Park and Greenwich Village <BR>Take the Staten Island Ferry (free!) <BR>Lower East Side Tenement Museum <BR>Ros Space Center (planetarium) at the Museum of Natural History <BR>Tour of the Cathedral od St. John the Divine and stroll around the Campus od Columbia University (free!) <BR>New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx <BR>Museum of Modern Art <BR>Whitney Museum <BR>Pierpont Morgan Library <BR>Forbes Collection (free!)

We are also planning a second trip, but for December. Where are you staying? I am totally frustrating in trying to find someplace for less than $250. Could you recommend? <BR> <BR>Thanks

I'm coming to NY for my first visit Thanksgiving. What is Greenwich Village?

We're staying at Le Parker Meridian (which is where we stayed last time). We're not paying so I'm not sure on the rate. When we stayed extra days last year I think it was $300 per night (corporate rate). It's a nice hotel but our favorite was the view from our room of Central Park - beautiful and unobstructed. Check around though, our friends just went to NYC 6 weeks ago and stayed in the Crown Plaza for around $250 booked on their own.

How do I get tickets for the NBC tours?