NYC itinerary check: 3.5 great days
Apr 13th, 2007, 04:44 PM
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NYC itinerary check: 3.5 great days
Hello and thanks for all the help with finding a place - I think we'll be staying at the Shelburne Murray Hill. I'll be in NYC with my 24 y-o DD and we have just 3.5 days, unfortunately. We'll arrive on Friday evening May 4th, leave Tuesday late afternoon. We like walking, wandering neighborhoods, yummy meals and museums.
Here's what I'm thinking:
Saturday:
Cloisters in the morning
Lunch near the Met
tour the Met, cocktails on the roof (they have that, right?)
Then walk Park Avenue
Dinner.....
Possibly go to a show - ideas?
Sunday:
Brooklyn (I'm interested in brownstones & urban development - where should I go?)
Pizza at Grimaldi's
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
Orchard Street
Soho
Dinner at Po's
Monday:
MOMA
Central Park to Upper West Side
Dinner....
Tuesday:
Chelsea or ?
Lunch at Gotham B&G
get bags and back to JFK
For Friday, Saturday and Monday nights. I'm interested in a good play and would welcome ideas. I prefer drama/comedy to musicals although I'm tempted by Pirate Queen or A Chorus Line (nostalgia.) I'd also love to go to a really fun comedy club. Any recommendations?
Thanks all!
Here's what I'm thinking:
Saturday:
Cloisters in the morning
Lunch near the Met
tour the Met, cocktails on the roof (they have that, right?)
Then walk Park Avenue
Dinner.....
Possibly go to a show - ideas?
Sunday:
Brooklyn (I'm interested in brownstones & urban development - where should I go?)
Pizza at Grimaldi's
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
Orchard Street
Soho
Dinner at Po's
Monday:
MOMA
Central Park to Upper West Side
Dinner....
Tuesday:
Chelsea or ?
Lunch at Gotham B&G
get bags and back to JFK
For Friday, Saturday and Monday nights. I'm interested in a good play and would welcome ideas. I prefer drama/comedy to musicals although I'm tempted by Pirate Queen or A Chorus Line (nostalgia.) I'd also love to go to a really fun comedy club. Any recommendations?
Thanks all!
Apr 14th, 2007, 04:10 AM
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Glad to hear about the Shelburne. I think you'll like it.
First, on theater, Pirate Queen has gotten very cool reviews. If you like Les Miz, you might like it, but for me, there are so many good things playing, it wouldn't be high up on the list. For drama, Journey's End, Frost/Nixon, Deuce (Angela Lansbury), Talk Radio, Year of Magical Thinking. Read up about them on playbill.com or theatermania.com You should be able to get discount tickets to all of them whether in advance with codes from broadwaybox.com (or print the codes and get them when you arrive avoiding fees) or at the TKTS booth(s). Info on those at tdf.org/tkts including what's been available lately.
I also wanted to see Chorus Line for nostalgic reasons and while I'm glad I did, it's not a great production. Spring Awakening is the new hot young people's show (a la Rent) but I've heard mixed things about it. If you haven't seen Avenue Q, it's fun and saucy (with puppets). Everyone enjoys Drowsy Chaperone.
On the rest, yes, the roof of the Met should be open by then (although the way things are going with weather....who knows). On dinners, if you're going to shows, you really need to eat near the theaters if you're eating before the show. If you don't go to a show on Sat. night, the Park Avenue Cafe would be on your way heading south (though I wonder why walk on Park Ave. when there's great window shopping on Madison?) They have a pay your age dinner that would work nicely for your daughter.
http://parkavenuecafe.com/home.asp
I'm far from a Brooklyn expert, but Brooklyn Heights is a very pretty area and right over the Bridge. It's got the famous Brooklyn Promenade with great views of the Manhattan Skyline. There are brownstones there (the streets are named for fruit-Pineapple, Cranberry etc.) I think Park Slope has more brownstones though.
Many theaters are dark on Mondays, but the ones that have performances are discussed on this post
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=1
If you don't go to a show on Monday, Telepan is a very good restaurant on the UWS getting raves (hard to book). Then consider going to the Monday Night Cast Party which starts around 9:30.
http://www.castpartynyc.com/
If you do wind up going to shows on the 3 nights, some decent restaurants in the theater district include Tintol (Spanish tapas), DB Bistro Moderne (French), Marseille (French), Orso (Italian), Firebird (Russian), Breeze (Asian), Thalia (new American).
Can't help on comedy clubs, but here's a list
http://gonyc.about.com/od/comedyclub...medy_Clubs.htm
Wishing you all the best and good luck to your daughter.
First, on theater, Pirate Queen has gotten very cool reviews. If you like Les Miz, you might like it, but for me, there are so many good things playing, it wouldn't be high up on the list. For drama, Journey's End, Frost/Nixon, Deuce (Angela Lansbury), Talk Radio, Year of Magical Thinking. Read up about them on playbill.com or theatermania.com You should be able to get discount tickets to all of them whether in advance with codes from broadwaybox.com (or print the codes and get them when you arrive avoiding fees) or at the TKTS booth(s). Info on those at tdf.org/tkts including what's been available lately.
I also wanted to see Chorus Line for nostalgic reasons and while I'm glad I did, it's not a great production. Spring Awakening is the new hot young people's show (a la Rent) but I've heard mixed things about it. If you haven't seen Avenue Q, it's fun and saucy (with puppets). Everyone enjoys Drowsy Chaperone.
On the rest, yes, the roof of the Met should be open by then (although the way things are going with weather....who knows). On dinners, if you're going to shows, you really need to eat near the theaters if you're eating before the show. If you don't go to a show on Sat. night, the Park Avenue Cafe would be on your way heading south (though I wonder why walk on Park Ave. when there's great window shopping on Madison?) They have a pay your age dinner that would work nicely for your daughter.
http://parkavenuecafe.com/home.aspI'm far from a Brooklyn expert, but Brooklyn Heights is a very pretty area and right over the Bridge. It's got the famous Brooklyn Promenade with great views of the Manhattan Skyline. There are brownstones there (the streets are named for fruit-Pineapple, Cranberry etc.) I think Park Slope has more brownstones though.
Many theaters are dark on Mondays, but the ones that have performances are discussed on this post
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=1
If you don't go to a show on Monday, Telepan is a very good restaurant on the UWS getting raves (hard to book). Then consider going to the Monday Night Cast Party which starts around 9:30.
http://www.castpartynyc.com/
If you do wind up going to shows on the 3 nights, some decent restaurants in the theater district include Tintol (Spanish tapas), DB Bistro Moderne (French), Marseille (French), Orso (Italian), Firebird (Russian), Breeze (Asian), Thalia (new American).
Can't help on comedy clubs, but here's a list
http://gonyc.about.com/od/comedyclub...medy_Clubs.htm
Wishing you all the best and good luck to your daughter.
Apr 14th, 2007, 05:44 AM
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A few suggestions:
Starting out at the Cloisters is a good idea. To get from there to the Met, take the A train to 86 St. and walk across the park. Depending on timing, you might want to catch lunch on the West Side before crossing the park.
Park Avenue is boring. Madison Avenue is where you want to walk.
Skip the Grimaldi's Pizza/Brooklyn Bridge walk. It's a surefire way to run into half the tourists in the city and it's way overrated. Go directly from Brooklyn to Orchard St., which is best earlier in the day. If you want pizza, there's plenty in the Lower East Side to Greenwich Village area.
Starting out at the Cloisters is a good idea. To get from there to the Met, take the A train to 86 St. and walk across the park. Depending on timing, you might want to catch lunch on the West Side before crossing the park.
Park Avenue is boring. Madison Avenue is where you want to walk.
Skip the Grimaldi's Pizza/Brooklyn Bridge walk. It's a surefire way to run into half the tourists in the city and it's way overrated. Go directly from Brooklyn to Orchard St., which is best earlier in the day. If you want pizza, there's plenty in the Lower East Side to Greenwich Village area.
Apr 14th, 2007, 09:35 AM
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Thanks mclaurie and Eric - this was just the input I'd hoped you would have.
We'll stick with Madison Ave on our walk through the upper east side. And we'll go to Orchard Street before we go to Brooklyn. Sunday afternoon will work just fine for looking at brownstones and I suspect zagats will list good pizza places in neighborhoods in Brooklyn Yum.
If you have any tips or ideas for what to do on Tuesday that would be terrific. I was thinking that would be a good day to check out galleries.
Normally DD and I shop a lot but I think shopping will be a little frustrating for her on this trip as she won't be able to buy anything - she can't take these things to Kenya and fashions will surely change in the next 27 months.
We'll stick with Madison Ave on our walk through the upper east side. And we'll go to Orchard Street before we go to Brooklyn. Sunday afternoon will work just fine for looking at brownstones and I suspect zagats will list good pizza places in neighborhoods in Brooklyn
Yum.If you have any tips or ideas for what to do on Tuesday that would be terrific. I was thinking that would be a good day to check out galleries.
Normally DD and I shop a lot but I think shopping will be a little frustrating for her on this trip as she won't be able to buy anything - she can't take these things to Kenya and fashions will surely change in the next 27 months.
Apr 14th, 2007, 01:44 PM
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There is actually a pizza tour in Brooklyn.
http://bknypizza.com/
I wouldn't be so quick to ditch the Brooklyn Bridge Grimaldi's adventure either but you might want to consider going to Park Slope where there are evidently beautiful brownstones and some great pizza.
I think going into some galleries on Tues. morning sounds like a good idea, OR, if weather is good, how about some sort of boat ride--always a different view of the city from the water. NYwatertaxi.com or the Circle Line or some other. I think there may be some sort of boat that goes from Chelsea Piers which would be a good location for Gotham b & g.
http://bknypizza.com/
I wouldn't be so quick to ditch the Brooklyn Bridge Grimaldi's adventure either but you might want to consider going to Park Slope where there are evidently beautiful brownstones and some great pizza.
I think going into some galleries on Tues. morning sounds like a good idea, OR, if weather is good, how about some sort of boat ride--always a different view of the city from the water. NYwatertaxi.com or the Circle Line or some other. I think there may be some sort of boat that goes from Chelsea Piers which would be a good location for Gotham b & g.
Apr 14th, 2007, 02:01 PM
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rosetravels = Please report back on how you liked the Shelburne Murry Hill - its on my short list of places to stay.
I agree with mclaurie - have done the Brooklyn Bridge walk and thought it well worth the time.
Let us know how it all works out.
Sandy
I agree with mclaurie - have done the Brooklyn Bridge walk and thought it well worth the time.
Let us know how it all works out.
Sandy
Apr 14th, 2007, 04:21 PM
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when we walked the Brooklyn Bridge, there looked to be plenty of locals (as far as one can tell). Just be sure to walk into Manhattan from Brooklyn for the better views. It's a great experience, as is walking along the promenade on the Brooklyn side. If you like wandering neighborhoods, Brooklyn is great!
Apr 14th, 2007, 04:54 PM
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Sounds like a really cool itinerary! You'll also be getting some good brownstone action on the Upper West Side, which is full of 'em. Just a random UWS snack suggestion: Buttercup Bake Shop on W. 72nd. Great cupcakes.
As for shows, I really loved the Chorus Line revival. For plays, my favorite recent ones have been Journey's End and Talk Radio. (I didn't like the Year of Magical Thinking as much as most folks, but Vanessa Redgrave is wonderful.)
If you're interested in comedy clubs, www.nytix.com has stuff about NY comedy clubs and discounts for some of them (they also have Broadway discounts): http://www.nytix.com/ComedyClubs/index.html.
As for shows, I really loved the Chorus Line revival. For plays, my favorite recent ones have been Journey's End and Talk Radio. (I didn't like the Year of Magical Thinking as much as most folks, but Vanessa Redgrave is wonderful.)
If you're interested in comedy clubs, www.nytix.com has stuff about NY comedy clubs and discounts for some of them (they also have Broadway discounts): http://www.nytix.com/ComedyClubs/index.html.
Apr 21st, 2007, 01:47 PM
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The Cloisters is in my area of Manhattan and if you love the 1100's - 1500's you will find so much delite there. Go EARLY since it will take at least an hour to get there from where you are staying.
Probably the easiest way is to walk up to 42nd ST and catch the B or the D train at 6th Ave and change to the A train at 59th St. Get off at 190th and walk up through Ft. Tryon Park, and you will feel a world away from the city. The Cloisters will take several hours to see everything and walk in some of the gardens. Also the Treasury is a MUST SEE. Also find the Unicorn Tapestry the original is there and the gift shop is quite nice. Keep the button you get since you will only have to pay once at the Cloisters for entrance into the Met in the afternoon.
From the Cloisters, if you like Indian food, walk down Ft. Washington Ave to Kismat the BEST Indian restaurant in the city. at 187th and Ft. Tryon and then walk down to 181st to catch the A train.
For the Met Museum, take the A train to 125th St and change to the C (local), to 86th St and yes the walk through the park will be lovely. You should have a couple of hours there, and you might want to catch the Tiffany exhibit, it is wonderful.
Have a great time while you are here.
Probably the easiest way is to walk up to 42nd ST and catch the B or the D train at 6th Ave and change to the A train at 59th St. Get off at 190th and walk up through Ft. Tryon Park, and you will feel a world away from the city. The Cloisters will take several hours to see everything and walk in some of the gardens. Also the Treasury is a MUST SEE. Also find the Unicorn Tapestry the original is there and the gift shop is quite nice. Keep the button you get since you will only have to pay once at the Cloisters for entrance into the Met in the afternoon.
From the Cloisters, if you like Indian food, walk down Ft. Washington Ave to Kismat the BEST Indian restaurant in the city. at 187th and Ft. Tryon and then walk down to 181st to catch the A train.
For the Met Museum, take the A train to 125th St and change to the C (local), to 86th St and yes the walk through the park will be lovely. You should have a couple of hours there, and you might want to catch the Tiffany exhibit, it is wonderful.
Have a great time while you are here.
Apr 22nd, 2007, 08:05 AM
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I would suggest that you consider adding Ellis Island and/or the Lower East Side Tenement museum to your itinerary.
The Brooklyn Heights area of Brooklyn right across the bridge is very interesting and provides great views of Manhattan. So if you do walk across the bridge (and I am one who would), consider spending a little time there. The Fulton Ferry Landing area where Grimaldi's is located is a good historic spot complete with Walt Whitman quotes. Henry Ward Beecher preached at Pilgrim Church of the Pilgrims. Etc., etc.
http://www.southbrooklyn.net/b_heights.html
For walking around I would also consider Greenwich Village/chinatown and Little Italy.
The Brooklyn Heights area of Brooklyn right across the bridge is very interesting and provides great views of Manhattan. So if you do walk across the bridge (and I am one who would), consider spending a little time there. The Fulton Ferry Landing area where Grimaldi's is located is a good historic spot complete with Walt Whitman quotes. Henry Ward Beecher preached at Pilgrim Church of the Pilgrims. Etc., etc.
http://www.southbrooklyn.net/b_heights.html
For walking around I would also consider Greenwich Village/chinatown and Little Italy.
Apr 22nd, 2007, 01:21 PM
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Did the Grimaldi's?Bridge walk today. Pizza was superb -- light tomato sauce, fresh cheese, a wonderfully thin yet chewy crust, fresh basil. You do want to get there early -- the line can be long, and it doesn't move for a while after the first seating at 11:30.
The company crossing the bridge was 99% Noo Yawkers -- but that's not fair because there was an MS walkathon today.
Hope your weather is as nice as ours was!
The company crossing the bridge was 99% Noo Yawkers -- but that's not fair because there was an MS walkathon today.
Hope your weather is as nice as ours was!
