Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - NYC 5/10-17 Itenerary Suggestions

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I you wanted to see the Cloisters and you are seeing a Yankee game, you could do the Cloisters and then take the C train down to 155th St. and walk across the bridge to Yankee Stadium. That's how we get to the stadium, we live just off 155th St. After the game you can take the ferry back downtown or take the subway. One note is don't try to stick too close to your schedule, everything will take longer than you expect, so don't hurry, just enjoy your time here and what you don't get to see this trip, well.....you'll just have to come back. I am now pretty confident the snow will be gone by the time you get here, we were'nt too sure of that the other day, but the forcasters are now saying that we are going to have a big rain storm this weekend and the snow will be gone. My invite for Dim Sum is still open, lol. Have a great time.

I think the AAA books offer suggestions of times to allow for museums and sites..?. I found this very helpful in planning our itinerary. One thing I really enjoyed was during the day we went to the trade towers :-( then one of our last nights very late we went to the Empire State building and were awed. It was so beautiful and fun to see the city we had explored for the last week. So maybe go to the Empire State Building twice? I also found the Citypass to be very helpful. We didn't have to buy tickets and saved us money. We also found that we went to places for just a few minutes where we wouldn't have paid to go at all. We were pleasantly surprised by Ellis Island Museum. It is fantastic! We spent much more time there than we expected. It was raining when we went to the Statue of Liberty which meant no lines but no view either. It is still thrilling to say I was in her crown though! We didn't do the city tour - I generally find they aren't that helpful especially for as long as you have to explore, however, people like them to get the feel of the place. I just think it is time I could be exploring up close. Have a great time!

May I be so bold as to suggest an itinerary for your first night based on what you have there? Day 1 - Saturday night (if weather is good, you will arrive on time and get in to your hotel about 2 to 2.5 hours later; if weather is bad you will be lucky to arrive 2-3 hours late; you will be coming into Manhattan with Saturday night traffic - it could be a mess) Hilton is at 6th ave and 53rd street : walk west to Broadway and walk downtown to Times Square, look around, read the ticker. Grab a "dirty water"(hot dog from street vendor) and a pretzel on the street - or consider Virgil's BBQ (44th street)if you can get in and don't have good BBQ where you are. If you have any stamina left, walk down Broadway to 34th street then to 5th ave and go to the Empire State Building. Then take a cab back to the Hotel (walk over to 6th Ave and it's a straight shot up) or if you are daring take the F train at Herald Square (6th ave) to 50th Street Rockefeller center. No stamina - just cab it both ways (4 people = 2 bucks a piece each way) - the alternative is to walk down 6th ave to Herald square then 34th street to Empire State Building, then walk back up Broadway to Times Square.Then Back over to hotel when you get tired. To do the other days is much more difficult. To give you a better itinerary for everyday, it would be important to know what your goals are. Do you want to see things - like statue of liberty, etc, or do you prefer to get a flavor for the city by seeing New Yorkers, native or otherwise, at their best? If you want to see things, then try to do the tourist spots in the am before crowds. If you want to get city flavor - then do things like central park on a weekend day, when all the yupper east and west siders are there skating, running, walking the dog. Go to Wall Street on a weekday when all the suits are out. Also, consider changing the days for the Museums - you could do Guggenheim in 2 hours and make the matinee on Wednesday. I don't think you can do the Met justice in 2 hours. And by the way - no shopping?!

Hi Glenda. You're getting great advice & your itinerary is looking good. There is no reason you couldn't switch days 3 & 6 but weather (on any day really) could become an issue. If it's raining, walking around downtown might not be much fun so I think you need to be somewhat flexible. Since it sounds like you're a serious planner, I would have a contingency plan for a rainy day.

Once again thanks for all the replies. I have learned a lot by reading these posts. I'm glad I received so much help in designing a tentative itinerary. I'm sure we will not be able to do everything on our list. It's just nice to have a guideline. We will certainly get the AAA book that notes times to allow for museums and sites. The others in my group will insure we do not stick to a rigid schedule thus making our trip a lot more fun. I do love to plan as you can tell by my posts but I will also enjoy seeing where the tide (or feet) take us without any specific destination. I'm still wondering about the CityPass. I certainly see the value of having tickets and not waiting in line. We only planned 2 of the 6 attractions from the CityPass so I don't know if the $38 is of value for us. Can we buy tickets for the Empire State Building and Guggenheim ahead of time without purchasing the CityPass?

Thought I would add my two cents...we took the subway over to Brooklyn and ate at Grimaldis Pizza - most excellent decision ever. You never know who will show up to eat there. Marisa Tomei, Italian businessmen...the food was primo and very reasonable. If you take the subway up to see the Yankee's game - be sure you know your way. We took a wrong train and it was the only time I was ever nervous in NYC. Also, try to get to the Empire State Building just before dusk and plan to stay through sunset. You will then only have to pay for one visit and the view is incredible before dusk, at sunset and at night - do it all at one time. We went on the six month anniversary of 911 and saw the lighting of the memorial from the observation deck and had the best seats in the city. The subway system is excellent and truly gives you a feel for being a local. Definitely get the 7 day pass - unlimited access and you WILL need it. As you walk through SoHo, look for the Roots store - they are a Canadian based store that made the clothing for the American athletes at the SLC Olympics - cool souvenirs. Lastly, find Belvedere Castle in Central Park - it is the perfect place for pictures to remind you of your fantastic vacation. Enjoy!

Thanks Jensfins for all the wonderful suggestions and advice. We all look forward to our trip.

This is an example of these boards at their best:)