anne

The following website is updated daily, listing the plays that were available at the TKTS booths for the day. http://newyork.citysearch.com/feature/34849/

howard

I don't necesarily agree with Caitlin's comments. First of all, everyone--both adults and children--will enjoy the new planetarium show at the American Museum of Natural History. That alone is worth a visit. Second, it would certainly depend on a child's interests (both the 12-year-old and the 16-year-old offspring).
Further, if they would be bored by that museum, then there's a good chance that Ellis Island wouldn't interest them either.
That would be sad, as it would mean you would all miss two of New York's best and most interesting places to visit--the museum and Ellis Island.

Caitlin

It ALL depends on the kids' interests, doesn't it? As an adult and as a younger kid, I have enjoyed the Museum of Natural History; teens and their parents have told me they have found it boring ("we did the dinosaur thing in the fifth grade, thank you very much"). You're right, Howard, the planetarium is great for everyone (I've not been to the new shows personally yet). When I was a teen, I loved art museums and history museums (like Ellis Island), and didn't find the Museum of Natural History worth my while.

This reminiscence brings up another suggestion which may or may not appeal to your kids, which is thw United Nations tour; I found it interesting at that age. The UN also has a great international gift shop (lots of handicrafts from around the world) and a post officewhere you can mail your ;postcards and have them postmarked from international territory (not the US mail).

KATHY

Hi all,

We are pretty open as far as a broadway or off broadway show is concerned. We are considering Beatuy & the Beast, The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Stomp, Aida, or Rent.

Which theater is Stomp playing at?

Also is there a Second City Theater there? When I was in Toronto i saw a Second City show and it was really great. If you don't have one in NYC and your ever in Toronto or Chicago I highly recommend Second City.

Caitlin, the UN tour sounds like something I definitely want to do. My list of must do's and must see's is growing every day.

Thanks,
Kathy

Caitlin

Re shows: you should be aware that tickets for Lion King are NEVER discounted. If you wante to see it, plan to pay full price and to purchase the tickets soon--even and especially for a June date. This show is consistemtly sold out well in advance.

Stomp is at the Orpheum Theater on 2d Ave. at 9th St. Not sure if you'd find it at TKTS. You have a good chance of finding one or more of the others, excepting LK.

No Second City here.

KATHY

Caitlin, thanks for all the Broadway information.

Does anyone know how I would go about getting tickets to talk shows such as Ricki, Letterman, Rosie, etc. How about tickets to Good Morning America? And I would especially love tickets to Saturday Night Live!!!!

Kathy

GOL

This past Sunday's NY Times Travel section is packed with NY City Hotel ads (usually there aren't that many) and deals.

Sorry, meant to post this on Saturday...

Caitlin

Kathy, do a search using a good search engine like google.com and you should turn up the official web sites for the TV shows; those should have info about getting tickets.

Mary

We spent 5 days in NYC last July and had a wonderful time. We stayed at the Gorham Hotel, which is on West 55th, between 6th & 7th Avenues. We found it on Quikbook.com. The website is easy to navigate--you put in your dates and it tells you all the hotels that are available through them and the prices. We got a suite which had two double beds, a pull out couch (though it was not very comfortable and after one night my 15 year old son decided it would be better to sleep in the same bed as his 12 year old brother). It also had a small kitchenette w/microwave, small refrigerator and dishes and utensils for 4. We found the location to be very convenient, we walked almost everywhere. We paid $209 a night, but beware of taxes, which added almost $31 a night. Quikbook.com seemed to have less expensive rates than some of the other reservation systems we had checked.
As for Broadway, we saw "The Music Man" which was great. My boys were not too excited about seeing it, but they ended up loving it and even like to listen to the soundtrack. We had hoped to get 1/2 price tickets to something on the Sunday that we were there, but nothing that we were interested in was available. I would also recommend as someone else did to buy tickets in advance if there is something you really want to see and then take your chances when you get there on seeing something else. We got to the Times Square Booth earlier than we thought it opened, but apparently it had opened earlier than the posted time and the line was quite long. Maybe Sunday was a bad day to try it. Playbill.com has a lot of information about what's on Broadway. Also, we took the subway a few times and had no problems, we even were on it during rush hour on a Friday afternoon and survived! We enjoyed NYC so much that my husband and I are going to try to plan a weekend there this spring and will probably stay at the Gorham again. I hope you enjoy NYC as much as we did.

KATHY

Caitlin, thanks for the info. I'll have to gry google.com. I've never used that search engine, I'm a fan of yahoo.

Mary, Your post was really interesting. We were leaning towards staying at Radio City Apartments, but I'll have to investigate Goorham. Also we're not really picky about a broadway/off broadway show. We just want to see something the kids will enjoy as much as we did. As far as enjoying NYC is concerned, I'm sure I'll enjoy it. I've never been on a vacation that I didn't enjoy. I don't have to clean, I don't have to cook, what's not to enjoy.

Kathy

Owen O'Neill

If your reference point or benchmark is Novotel, Doubletree, Marriot etc., you may not be entirely satisfied with Radio City Apartments. Decor is a bit old fashioned - reminiscent of a chain motel from the 60's or 70's. Carpet in the main kitchen/LR area was of the short napped rugged industrial variety. Definitely not a plush place but everything was clean, in good working order, the bed was comfy, my daughter slept wall on the LR futon couch and it was remarkably quiet. I would stay there again based on the value but be aware that this is a well maintained but older and not updated type of property. I get the impression that the Gorham may be a bit nicer and I also hear good things about the Beacon but I find the location of Radio City Apartments to be most convenient. I spend little time in the room when vacationing, preferring to spend that extra money saved on restaurants and shows. Your intinerary doesn't seem overly ambitious considering that you haver an entire week. I would suggest that you search and read past threads re/Statue of Liberty. Many feel that time is best spent on seeing Ellis Island and just getting an outside view of the statue rather than spending the hours in line to walk up inside. Be sure to do some walking around in the Village (specifically the eastern end of Bleecker Street) with the kids - they'll love all the funky little shops and the general atmosphere. My daughter was enthralled by Chinatown when I first took her there at age 15 (she's now 19 and still loves to visit there). It's also great for a walking tour - lots of shops with wild looking unnamed items in jars and bins - fun to look. Walking the Canal Street and Chinatown areas will provide an interesting contrast to the other sites you've already listed. I'd also strongly encourage you to take the Circle Line harbor cruise. It's the short one (about 45 minutes) and takes you past all the most scenic parts of the skyline and out to the Statue of Liberty and back. I took a friend on the full island cruise this past summer (3 full hours) and although we enjoyed it, only the 45 minutes that are included in harbor cruise were of the greatest interest.

elizabeth

why not try the new hudson hotel? it's new, inexpensive, and close to everywhere (not to mention chic!). the subway is safe and usually faster than sitting in a cab in traffic. people in new york are friendly and usually eager to help.

coney island is a must. the rollercoaster is a blast! make sure you eat lunch at nathan's but not before you ride the coaster!

pick up 'time out ny' when you get here, they have extensive listings of everything going on. you can pick up half price theater tickets once you are here at the 'tickets both' (one in times square, one at the world trade center). there is less of a wait at the world trade center (for half price theater tickets), so you should coordinate your visit there with your trip to the theater (you can only buy tickets for the day of the show).

have a great trip!

KATHY

Owen, Thank you your tips were great. Like you I don't really mind the older decor at Radio City because I don't spend much time in the room enyways. My main concern is cleanliness and that I don't have to worry about bugs crawling on me while I'm sleeping. It doesen't sound like this is a problem there.

Also a convenient location is really important to me. I have a horrible sense of direction, and don't want to spend most of the week lost.

I will also check out Beacon.

When I get to the Statue of Liberty I'll check out how long the line is. If it is too long I'll skip going up. I don't have a high tolerance for long lines.

China town should be really fun for the kids and me. A few years back I was in Chinatown in Chicago during the Chinese New Year Parade. That was really fun. Last year I went to Chinatown in Toronto. The kids really liked all the shops, street vendors, and activity of the area. Is New York's Chinatown similar to Chicago's (small scale) or is it more like San Francisco's Chinatown?

We will definitely take the circle line harbor cruise. I live on Lake Michigan and we do a couple of the cruises every summer. They are really relaxing and the view is beautiful.

Kathy

Caitlin

More like SF's Chinatown, or Toronto's: large, lots of shops selling trinkets, etc., lots of street vendors.

Owen O'Neill

Cleanliness was not an issue at Radio City Apartments, nor did I spot a single bug of any kind. It's just a plain and basic place but genuinely a good value. I haven't been to Chicago's Chinatown but have been in both Toronto and SF. This is about the size of SF's but grittier and less prettified than either of the aforementioned (if that is even a word!). One note on location - there are no real grocery stores in midtown - just lots of so called "gourmet deli's" with overpriced "by the pound" take-out buffets and other convenience items. Street vendors are a good choice for fruit if you wish to stock up for the week as snacks to have on hand. If you do want to use the stove or microwave there are regular grocery stores (e.g. Food Emporium and the like) over around 9th Avenue and also 3rd Avenue (maybe 2nd?) about ten blocks up. I'm a big water drinker and find that NYC tap water is some of the best municiapl water you can get. I refill my small carry-around 20 oz bottle from water fountains on a regular basis if I'm walking around in the city. Some would call me cheap (I prefer the term cost conscious!) but I just hate shelling out 1 - $1.50 for a pint of bottled water! You'll also find street performers, some very good, that the kids might enjoy. Some perform regularly in the major subway stations (e.g. beneath Grand Central and at Times Square). Others are at outdoor locations. There are usually some in Times Square and I've heard some terrific a capella singing groups by the corner of 7th Avenue South and West 4th Street (very close to Grove Street and the Western edge of Bleecker. Those are also great neighborhoods to walk because there are many small, reasonably priced restaurants especially of the ethnic variety (e.g. Thai and Chinese). My favorites include Baby Bhudda for Chinese (on Washington Street just south of Jane Street - it's across from the the Old Bell Labs building where the first transistors were invented) and also a Thai place next to Generation Records (on Thompson Street just off Bleecker - they have tons of rare CD's i.e. bootlegs of unreleased audeince recordings and also a very good selection of music posters in the basement - the kids will love browsing in there). I can't recall the name of the place but it's very good. There are also two Porto Rico coffee merchants on Bleecker. If you want to get some ground coffee to make your own java in the room, they have a great selection and some of the lowest prices in NYC.

KATHY

Elizabeth, does the Hudson Hotel have a website or do you have a street address/phone number to them?

Earlier in this post or in my other post I mentioned that I wanted to go to Coney Island, and several fellow foderites advised against it. Is there anyone else that is in favor of going to Coney Island?

Owen, Thanks for all the information you provided. If we stay at Radio City I'll have to find the closest real grocery store and take a taxi back.

Kathy

howard

Kathy, I don't in any way mean to sound rude, but I think you're overplanning your trip! Taking a cab to buy groceries? Why not just stay in a neighborhood (i.e., Upper East Side, Upper West Side, etc.) that have grocery stores.

Owen O'Neill

A review/description is at http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile?id=11408733&fid=9 the hotel's own website is at http://www.hudsonhotel.com

AC

Hi Kathy:
When you've decided where you are staying, do a mapquest search for Food Emporium (an upscale A&P), Gristede's or D'agastino. Local larger grocery stores right in the neighborhood. no cab needed!
Please relax, you are making ME nervous! You'll be fine. Keep me posted!

KATHY

Yes Howard, I know, I do overplan vacations. I leave no detail unthought of, and no stone unturned. It drives my husband insane. Though no matter how much I plan I never see everything I want to see. I want to stay in Midtown because it is so convenient.

Owen, thanks for the website. I did a yahoo search and it didn't bring anything up.

Kathy