NYC itinerary 5 days
Jul 7th, 2015, 05:25 AM
#21
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I think your itinerary sounds good, but I also believe that you are probably out of luck with the special tours of the Statue of Liberty. They are most likely sold out already. Even morning ferry tickets may be hard to get this close to your travel dates. There's another thread here about a guided tour that includes a trip to the Statue. If you can't get a good time in the morning, I'd look into that. Normally, I would say it's an unneeded expense, but when you have limited time, paying is sometimes the best way to get what you want.
Buy your Broadway tickets now if you care about the play you see. Even if you don't, I'd avoid the TKTS line if you can. There are a lot of discounts available to plays that you can buy tickets for in advance. Or pay full price. But buy those tickets this week. Weekends almost always sell out for popular plays.
Similarly, most restaurants allow reservations about 30 days out, but some allow them farther. You always need a reservation in NYC at a nice restaurant for dinner, especially on weekends if the restaurant accepts them, and for popular restaurants if you don't make them 30 days in advance you'll be eating at 5 or 11, if at all. I make reservations everywhere I go from Thursday through Saturday, even little neighborhood restaurants, though sometimes only on the afternoon I want to eat there.
If steak is what you want, then almost every restaurant in NYC will offer it in some way or another. Contrary to nytraveler's advice, there are some very nice, elegant steakhouses and nicer restaurants that serve a good steak. BLT Steak, Charlie Palmer Steakhouse, and Porter House at the Time-Warner Center are pretty elegant, and most upscale restaurants have a steak on the menu. But what nytraveler says about costs is very important to keep in mind. A good steak in NYC costs about $40, and it comes with nothing. Nada. No salad, no sides, nothing. Those typically cost $10 to $15 each extra. There are plenty of mid-range restaurants that are much cheaper. All French bistros, for example, will have a steak frites on the menu and will usually come with sides, but good meat is expensive, and you should not expect to pay less than $30 for a good steak.
Please don't eat in Little Italy unless you want to go to Parm. It's expensive and hard to get a table, but good. Most other restaurants are less than mediocre. There is excellent Italian food in NYC, just not in Little Italy. For the red sauce experience, go to Tony's di Napoli (and make reservations at least a week in advance).
SoHo makes sense in combination with the Highline, especially if you want to do some expensive designer shopping. If not, then walk north rather than south, and end your trip at Chelsea Market, and then move on to a different neighborhood.
Buy your Broadway tickets now if you care about the play you see. Even if you don't, I'd avoid the TKTS line if you can. There are a lot of discounts available to plays that you can buy tickets for in advance. Or pay full price. But buy those tickets this week. Weekends almost always sell out for popular plays.
Similarly, most restaurants allow reservations about 30 days out, but some allow them farther. You always need a reservation in NYC at a nice restaurant for dinner, especially on weekends if the restaurant accepts them, and for popular restaurants if you don't make them 30 days in advance you'll be eating at 5 or 11, if at all. I make reservations everywhere I go from Thursday through Saturday, even little neighborhood restaurants, though sometimes only on the afternoon I want to eat there.
If steak is what you want, then almost every restaurant in NYC will offer it in some way or another. Contrary to nytraveler's advice, there are some very nice, elegant steakhouses and nicer restaurants that serve a good steak. BLT Steak, Charlie Palmer Steakhouse, and Porter House at the Time-Warner Center are pretty elegant, and most upscale restaurants have a steak on the menu. But what nytraveler says about costs is very important to keep in mind. A good steak in NYC costs about $40, and it comes with nothing. Nada. No salad, no sides, nothing. Those typically cost $10 to $15 each extra. There are plenty of mid-range restaurants that are much cheaper. All French bistros, for example, will have a steak frites on the menu and will usually come with sides, but good meat is expensive, and you should not expect to pay less than $30 for a good steak.
Please don't eat in Little Italy unless you want to go to Parm. It's expensive and hard to get a table, but good. Most other restaurants are less than mediocre. There is excellent Italian food in NYC, just not in Little Italy. For the red sauce experience, go to Tony's di Napoli (and make reservations at least a week in advance).
SoHo makes sense in combination with the Highline, especially if you want to do some expensive designer shopping. If not, then walk north rather than south, and end your trip at Chelsea Market, and then move on to a different neighborhood.
Jul 7th, 2015, 03:05 PM
#22
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>>There's another thread here about a guided tour that includes a trip to the Statue. If you can't get a good time in the morning, I'd look into that. Normally, I would say it's an unneeded expense, but when you have limited time, paying is sometimes the best way to get what you want.
Jul 8th, 2015, 05:07 AM
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Thanks, Lee Ann. I had read that and couldn't remember who the author was. I always forget about the guided tours, mostly because I don't like them, but they can be a godsend when you're visiting a particularly busy spot. I did something similar at the Vatican Museum. As expensive as all get-out, but worth it in the end because my first experience in the Sistine Chapel was quite ruined by the crowds.
