kansasmom

Our family is headed to NYC in late July for a vacation. This will be the first time for all of us to see the city. It's myself, my husband, and our son and daughter, both 12 years old. We have reservations at the Blakely.

Now we're thinking about what sights to see and how to organize the days. We'll be there five nights. Here's a few questions:

1) Do tourists use the buses much or mainly just the subways and walking? Buses and subways both look pretty easy to use on the website, and I have discovered the joys of hopstop.com, thanks to this forum.

2) We plan to do Top of the Rock observatory. Should we plan to get tickets in advance online or is there usually much of a line?

3) Does anyone have an opinion about the NY Hall of Science in Queens, the Sony Wonder Tech Lab, or the New York Police Museum? These are things my son picked out of the guidebooks as looking interesting to him. My daughter doesn't much care as long as we go shopping a lot.

We also have tickets to Lion King, Billy Elliott, and a Yankees game. We plan to ride the Staten Island ferry and walk the Brooklyn Bridge. I also want to spend time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Central Park. Any other suggestions/ideas? Thanks.

Dohlice

The train and walking will be best and fastest, I think. I never ride the bus in the city. If you're going to be downtown I like the police museum. There is a really fantastic 9/11 exhibit there if you're interested in that. There are also a lot of great old cars outside and the buiding itself is interesting. And since it will be July you might think about riding "The Beast". It's a high speed boat ride leaving from the Seaport.

nytraveler

Buses are great for an alternate to a tour bus - but due to traffic they don;t move much fster than walking. And for most of the day you would have to stand rather then getting a seat. They can be good crosstown - esp north of midtown - but up and downtown is WAY slower than the subway.

With kids that age definitely do the Museum of Natural History - great dino exhibits, human evolution, gems and minerals and a selection of IMAX movies, as well as the planetarium.

For the Met definitely look at the web site in advance to pick out which departments you want to see - since about 4 is usually all you can manage in a day.

I would get advance ticket for TOTR around sunset - so you get to see the city in daylight as well as lit up at night.

The Intrepid Museum has been upgraded and is very impressive. And you might want to consider the Shark speed boat ride.

mp

The NY Hall of Science is a great interactive experience - but a bit out of the way of the usual tourist sites, as it is in Queens, on the grounds on the 1964 World's Fair. In summer it has a great outdoor science playground, which might skew a little young for your two, but is actually fun if they let themselves enjoy it. If you REALLY want to go, it's actually a pretty interesting train ride, from midtown on the 7 train to 111th St. stop in Queens. The 7 train goes above ground outside of manhattan, so you get some great skyline views and glimpses of different ethnic neighborhoods in Queens. It can take time, but might be worth a trip if your youngsters are really into science. Otherwise, the Museum of Natural History, with the planetarium, ethnographic dioramas, and dinosaurs is pretty fantastic, and easier to get to.
My son was always bored by the Sony Wonder Lab, but he's not into computers much - yours mike like it, and it is centrally located. You daughter might enjoy the surrounding hi-end shopping a block west on 5th Avenue.
We live here and we've never been to the Police Museum . . . but it might be worth a short stop if you find yourselves downtown with some time to kill . . .

yk

I would avoid buses in NYC, except the ones nytraveler mentioned: Cross-town buses in uptown to traverse Central Park. All the other buses you take you'll end up with lots of frustration. I have friends who live in E midtown on 1st ave. Sometimes I'm too lazy to walk so I take either the 34 or 42 cross-town... I swear I can walk 2x faster than the bus.

Going uptown/downtown - if you catch an Express bus, then it's okay. Otherwise the local bus makes a stop at every 2 blocks.

Austin

I just want to say that we stayed at the Gorham - which used to be the Blakely - and thought it was a great find. It's supposed to be even better since it was upgraded and became the Blakely.

ellenem

I"ve found that the uptown and downtown bus crawl more in the midtown area--34th to 59th Streets. In other areas they can move much more quickly. At night sometimes it's almost like taking a taxi since so few people are waiting (though there are fewer buses at night). The faster "express" bus that yk referred to is actually labeled "LIMITED" and makes fewer stops--every 8-10 blocks, at the streets where there are crosstown buses.

kansasmom

Thanks for the suggestions so far everyone, and the recommendation on the Blakely, Austin. (I do tend to second-guess myself on a hotel once I've made a reservation - especially easy to do in NYC with so many great options.)

One more question: What is appropriate Broadway theater attire for an evening performance in the summer?

Austin

You will see everything at the theatre, but personally, I'd wear nice capris and a top. Khaki's maybe for the guys, daughters can take the opportunity to wear something fun.

Rhea58

http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/...d-tours-in-nyc might be helpful to you.

We did the free Plaza Tour. Also, the Isabel Toledo exhibit
at FIT (7th & 27th) noon-8 weekdays.

Ackislander

What makes buses a lousy way for New Yorkers to get around makes them almost ideal for tourists, as NYTraveler points out. You see lots of the city, cheaply and safely. There is a bus that runs up Lexington Avenue, then across town and up through Harlem and eventually to the Cloisters. It takes forever, but you see a lot. See if your kids can spot the "Restaurant" where Seinfeld and his friends hang out. Hint: it is near Columbia.

You can take the subway back. Similarly, other buses go down Broadway from Midtown to the Battery (IIRC). It is an interesting ride. Again, take the subway back.

SueNYC

Lexington goes DOWNTOWN -- I think you mean the M4 which goes up MADISON (and down 5th Ave on the way back from the Cloisters)

SueNYC

Also, if you have an unlimited Metrocard, you can always get on a bus for shorter distances when you are tired of walking and get off when you SEE something interesting -- I love the subways to get places that you want to go to but you can actually SEE better out of the windows of public buses than you can see out of the downstairs of HOHO buses

mclaurie

1) I guess I'm one of the few proponents of buses, especially for visitors who are not on a tight time table and during the summer. While subway cars have a/c, the subway platforms don't and can be oppressively hot and smelly. I would use the subway for longer trips of 20-30+ blocks (like down to the Staten Island ferry) but for certain trips, like going to the Metropolitan Museum, they really make more sense because a Madison Ave. bus (if you're going uptown) or a crosstown 79th st. bus (if you're traveling east/west) can get you much closer to the museum than a subway can.

The NY Times did a story a few months back on using the regular MTA buses to do your own touring. (You may have to register for free at the Times website to view the article). http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/11/23...23weekend.html

One thing you should also keep in mind is that for your group of 4, a taxi might actually be cheaper than riding public transit for shorter trips since your kids are probably over 44" tall and would therefore have to pay full price. With a ride of $2/person, not taking into account discounts with certain metrocards, that's $8/trip. There are short distances that will cost less than that in a taxi.

I assume you've noticed hopstop will also estimate taxi ride costs and you'd add 15-20% for a tip. Taxis are now fitted to accept credit cards. Many people claim cab drivers resist taking them or claim they're not working. I haven't had that experience but only use credit card for longer trips. When I do, I try to tip in cash which also makes the computer screen transaction easier. If you do this, take your time using the machine. It can be confusing and you can wind up easily making a mistake and leaving too much.

Depending on how long you're staying, you might want to consider a 7 day unlimited metrocard for each of you, but that will be $100 for 4. The other idea is to buy one day fun passes for $7.50/each on the days you think you'll be doing a lot of traveling around. Details for the various metrocards are here http://www.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm


2) There's rarely much of a line or wait at TOTR so it's not necessary to buy in advance. That allows you to stay flexible and choose a day with clear weather. Buying online you have to pick a date and time. Here's a coupon you can print for a 20% discount http://www.newyorksmartsave.com/ There's a They also have some combo tickets like a combo with MOMA. There's also a sunrise/sunset pass that lets you go up twice. All these can be bought in person.

In terms of things you should buy in advance, if you're planning on going to the Empire State, that's something you'd want to buy in advance. A visit to the Statue of Liberty would also be wise to buy in advance but it sounds like you're just planning on a ride on the Staten Island Ferry to see it from a distance. I will say, on a hot day (if we ever get any summer weather!) a boat cruise is quite a nice thing to do. In addition to the usual Circle Line cruises (most people do the 2hr. half loop) the Beast, also done by Circle Line, is popular with kids and some of the smaller boats like sail-nyc.com , shearwatersailing.com and the tours given by nywaterway.com and nywatertaxi.com are also fun.

3) The Hall of Science in Queens is right across from the Mets Stadium, an idea if you wanted to try another baseball game. I'll also mention they have an exact replica of NYC called the panorama which is in the same complex. http://www.queensmuseum.org/panorama/about.htm

The Police Museum is downtown near the South Street Seaport. YOu could stop there before or after your trip on the Staten Island ferry or on your return from walking the Brooklyn bridge.

The Intrepid Air & Space Museum is something your son might enjoy.

People dress for the theater more for what they're doing before or after than for the show. Unfortunately, you'll see everything from jeans, shorts and t shirts to suits and nice dresses.

doug_stallings

I'm sorry, but I just don't accept the idea that tourist have to be slovenly in their dress for the theater. I'm not when I go to another city like London. Go back to your room and take a shower and change into something decent. No shorts, sneakers, tank-tops, crocs, or the like. Just in indescribably bad taste.

yk

You guys have a good point about buses - good for sightseeing if one is not in a hurry. I guess when I'm in town, I switch over to a NY'er mode and am always rushing from one place to another. Whereas when I'm in London, I can tolerate (for the most part) taking the buses even if it's crawling...

missypie

We went to NYC as a family for the first time two summers ago. I started a thread about that to wear to a Broadway show and got all kinds of responses. Truth is, you will see EVERYTHING! We opted to dress up a bit - slacks and shirt for the guys, fun dresses for the girls. You will definitely see tourists in their shorts and flip flops. But this is your time to see a Broadway show! Dress up!

What was funny is that later that summer we saw Mama Mia at the Bass Hall in Ft. Worth, Texas. We did the "dressy stylish jeans" look and were WAY underdressed. The folk in Ft. Worth dressed up a whole lot more than the folks seeing a Broadway show.

BTW, if it stays hot, sundresses are perfect for the ladies.

BigRuss

I agree with Doug -- when you attend the theater don't dress as if you've just come back from the beach or are in a family reunion weekend in rural Arkansas. We took smart casual clothes with us to London for the theater and do the same when we go to New York. There's a difference between what is acceptable and what is actually done -- tourists may attend the theater dressed like they've come from hanging out at a pool, but that doesn't mean it's ok.

The buses absolutely suck. Even in the evening when traffic is less bad they are S L O W. Take the subway as much as you can. The only time the buses make sense (as yk mentioned) is for crossing Central Park through the park itself (79th street, 86th street, 96th street cross-town routes) and that's only because no trains go crosstown under the park. That said, if you have a nice day, just walk through the park.

sf7307

Wear what makes YOU not uncomfortable, rather than what would make Doug and BigRuss not uncomfortable. The theatre-dress police won't be there. I personally do not "necessarily" dress either up or down for the theater -- meaning I wouldn't go in beach clothes, but I also wouldn't make a special trip to return to my hotel to change if that was inconvenient, in which case I might be wearing jeans and sneakers (as would most of the audience).

kansasmom

I think we will try for the "smart casual" look for the theater, as put so nicely by BigRuss. I agree that there is no need to attend the theater sloppily dressed. I just like to know what to plan for.

Any more opinions on the museums and activities I've mentioned in my original post?