newby30

We are forunate to get to spend one day in NYC on a Friday in June. We know it's a tight schedule but it's two adults and one 14 year old that love to walk. We have an interest in seeing all that we can in our limited time. We will be arriving NYC's Penn Station around 7:00 a.m and staying all day until 10 p.m. We would like to see: area where Twin Towers were located, TOTR, NBC Today Show taping, Statue of Libery via Staten Island Ferry, Times Square, Central Park, Empire State Bldg. Of course we plan to grab quick bites to eat along our way. With the use of subway, lots of walking, is it possible we can squeeze seeing these sights in the day? Any suggestions on where to start, what to see first, where to end the trip are appreciated. Obviously, the Today show would be a first stop of the a.m, but don't know how long we would hang around as we have much to see in little time! We know we won't have time to get in SOL, maybe TOTR, and Empire, but possibly in one? Thanks for any advice, subway help, suggestions!

NewbE

Well, I am not an expert on NYC, but I've been there several times, so I'll get this started and I'm positive others will jump in.

TOTR is in Rockefeller Center, where NBC Studios are, so go to the taping, then go up TOTR. There's a Dean and Deluca cafe right there, too, for a quick b'fast and fun people watching. Personally, I'd skip going up the ESB, b/c you'll get an awesome view OF it from TOTR.

You can easily then walk to Times Square from Rockefeller Center, swinging past Radio City and the theater where Letterman tapes on the way.

After that, I get foggy: you could subway to a stop near Central Park, eat lunch, then head downtown for the SI ferry to the Statue and a stop at Ground Zero; or the other way around?

Anyway, my feeling is you can do all these things in one long day, so have fun and report back!
(Btw, TOTR is open until midnight, so if you get pressed for time, you could always do that at the end of the day for a nightime view...)

mclaurie

Today Show (at Rockefeller Center) You should doublecheck to see if there's a concert that day (which they do on summer Fris.) which could make it a mob scene depending on how's performing.

TOTR is right there and you should do that next. Your decision is then whether to head north on Fifth Ave. to Central Park or south to Empire State or further downtown to ferries. Starting at the Today Show/Rockefeller is in the middle of everything you want to do.

I think you need to decide how much time you want to spend in the park and decide what specifically you want to see there otherwise you could wind up wandering aimlessly.

hopstop.com is a good website to help you figure out how to get around. Centralpark.org should have a good map of the park.

If you only have time for one observatory venue, TOTR is definitely the one to pick. Faster and more pleasant.

nytraveler

Do the Today show first and then do Top of the Rock - you can get times tickets in advance. Forget the Empire State Building - since he lines will take hours.

Then walkk over and check out times Square and head up to Central Park. (Not sure what you want to do there - go to the web site and pick out what you want to see/do or it will take the whole day.) You can walk there is you want to see the southern end - or grab a cab (not bad for 3).

Then head down to the WTC center site and after that down to South Ferry. Realize that the Staten Island ferry does not go to the Statue of Liberty. It's really a commuter ferry and merely passes the State - not very close - since it's in the harbor. If you want to see the Statue up close (not even go inside) you have to take the SOL/Ellis Island ferry at South ferry. You can get advance tickets for this if you can commit to a time - but realize that even then there are security lines that will probably be at least an hour long.

This may be doable based on 3 things:

How long you spend at each place - esp Central Park (if you spend an hour OK - if a lot of time, no)

Can you really grab quick bites on the go (hot dog in the park or sandwich in a coffee shop.

Also- check on the times available for the ferry for the SOL. Even though it doesn;t make sense geographically you may have to rush down there after Times Square, then do WTC and Central Park last (if you have time)

mikilu

I was there last september and october so i can try to help a little bit.... like you mentioned the today show is cool we actually got on t.v several times when we were there...remember to tivo the show before you go just in case you get some air time, depending on where you live there is atleast an hour delay for when it shows......didnt do TOTR but i can say the ESB was a waste of time and money, so after hitting the today show and TOTR you can easily walk or hop in a cab to take you to central park, or walk to it and go through times square, there is the hello deli which is on the way near where dave letterman films for deli food..... the carriage rides are cool but be careful they like to rip you off i wish we would have walked through it instead..... the WTC site, viewing the SOL if you dont take the ferry over and wall street, there is also a beautiful church on broadway and and wall street can not remember the name, merril lynch bull all of that will not take you much time.... so make sure you get some good pizza while you are there and take the time to relax a little too, carmines is great and also is pizza 33 its on 3rd and 33rd excellant pizza! Grand central station is pretty as well...we utilized cabs more because the subway was a pain the buttocks, but if you know how it operates and dont mind waiting then go for it, we opted for spending extra money to get us places faster. feel free to email me if you have any other questions...not sure how detailed you want me to get.... have fun in NYC!!

shirley82

You might hate this idea, but I think it's going to be the best way to see everything you want. The double decker tour busses will hit most of these spots.
I'd also recommend going to Top of the Rock and skipping the ESB. It's just a better use of time, and really, a view is a view.
But check the maps for the buses. They're hop on hop off, so if you want to stop and take your time you can do it, and you won't be underground all day. You can still jump on the train at some point for the experience if you feel you're missing out.

NativeNewYorker

Ground Zero is "downtown," which is near where you pick up the Staten Island Ferry which goes past the Statue of Liberty. The "Today Show" is ok, but I wouldn't waste 3 hours standing and watching a TV when there's so much to see! Yes, you'll use the subway. A Friday will be "trafficky," so definitely public transportation. Taxis are also WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. Central Park would be nice for a picnic lunch. Geez, you gotta eat. Times Square, well, if I was a tourist, I guess I'd want to walk thru Times Square when it's dark and the neon lights are all lit up! Just DON'T go between 7:30 and 8, when everyone is heading over to their 8 pm curtain for their Broadway shows! Way way too crowded. I'd make Times Square the last stop, before heading back to Penn Station for your 10 pm train. (It's only 10 blocks from the train station.) I agree the hop on/off bus might be a good use of your time and money. NYC covers a lot of ground. Part of the experience is people watching and looking @ the buildings as you get from Point A to Point B. Have fun. We have a wonderful, friendly, exciting city!

Elainee

Twin Towers site might be disappointing. It is just a hole in the ground with constuction and fences. Hard to believe what had been there (and I had an office Tower 1 years before 9/11). NYC big and confusing. For one day the hop on-hop off good idea. NBC not worthwhile in my opinion. Get on the bus and see the sights.

tomassocroccante

Newby30, you have a decent amount of time for your goals.

I'm a 30-yr New Yorker and frequently have friends who need similar scheduling when in on a visit. Last year an old friend I hadn't seen in 40 years phoned from outside the Today show. I turned on the TV and literally 2 minutes later there she was behind Al Roker. We made lunch plans while she was on screen. This is life today: someone you reconnected with via the internet calls you on a cell phone so you can see her live on television.

Anyway, here are a couple of tips:

When you get off the train at Penn, follow signs to the 1,2,3 subways. Each of you purchase a one-day pass from the machine. ($7 cash or cards accepted) You can use this on subways and buses all day, unlimited transfers. While there you can ask at the attendant booth for a map, can't predict whether they'll have one at any particular place or time. You can get pdf versions of subway and bus maps at http://www.mta.info/mta/maps.htm

Then take the #1 (local, makes all stops) UPTOWN train. (we don't much say north or south, but UPTOWN and DOWNTOWN to describe what direction we're headed. Up is N, Down is S) Take it only two stops, to 50th Street. Come up to the street - you will be at Broadway) and head East. First you'll cross 7th Ave. Rockefeller Center is between 6th and 5th Ave.

After your Today Show, head up to Top of The Rock. When through, come down and go have a bite of breakfast or at least a coffee.

From there it is a short walk to Central Park South (59th St), so no need for transportation. UNLESS you think you might like to see al little on the way, and sit down to boot. IN that case, go to a sixth Av bus stop - I think 49-50th St is where the express #5 stops. You can take that or the #7 (traffic on 6th goes only uptown, you don't have to worry about that) and you'll go right by Columbus Circle(59th and Broadway) and Lincoln Center (66th and B'way). Jump off the bus at 72nd Street. Head East two blocks to Central Park (there are good and less pricey lunch ops on and just off 72nd st). At the corner of 72 and Central Park WEst you'll see the Dakota apartment building, a tourist photo op since John Lenon died there. More interesting is that when you enter Central Park across the street, you can go rightto Strawberry Fields, the area Yoko contirbuted to the park in John's memory. From there you can wander into the park. Download a map of Central Park if you want more than a city map can show you. You can choose what to enjoy there - it's easy to get turned around and a little lost - just look up andget your bearings, possibly from the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, the tallest andmost imposing structure along the park. And a good place to grab a train. You can also make your way through the park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Fifth Ave) or The Museum of Natural History (Central Park West).

Have some lunch somewhere in there.

Mid or late afternoon go to Ground Zero. From Columbus Circle you take the 2 or 3 train to Park Place station.

Then walk down to the SI Ferry. Make this as late as 6:00 or so, as you will get the beautiful late day light, and coming back to Manhattan the lights will begin to show on the Wall ST area buildings. I concur with the opinion that doing the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island boat is great, but takes a good deal of time, a lot of it just waiting to board. If it's a nice day, which we hope it will be, the crowds are even larger. The ferry is a very inexpensive compromise.

When you arrive back on dry land, take the #1 train from South Ferry Station (where the ferry is, naturally) straight uptown. As noted by Native NewYOrker above, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM or so the theater district is a mob scene. If it's around that time, relax for a fewminutes with a refueling stop.
Your destination on the uptown train could be either 59th St or 50th St, depending on time. At 59th, you could see Carnegie Hall, on 57th St and 7thg Ave. Then walk down Broadway, going past the Ed Sullivan Theater (53rd St, Letterman's show) and then many more Broadway theaters (and tourist stops). Assuming it's after 8:00 pm, take as much time as you feel comfortable with to get back to Penn Station. You can get on another subway train (1,2 or 3) at Times Square-42nd St to ride the 9 blocks if you're beat. I'd say if you're at Penn by 9:30 you'll have all the time you need to get your train.

And there's a big day.