NYC questions
 

Hi,

My trip to NYC with my cousins (We're calling it "Betty, Ruth and Margaret's Girls Go to the City" in honor/memory of our mothers who were sisters) is approaching (the week after Thanksgiving).

We have our Jersey Boy tickets, but that's it, so far. I am pushing for seeing the Christmas Show at Radio City but, strangely, no one else seems interested. Everyone wants to do an open-air bus tour. I've never taken a bus tour and think this would be the time to do it since one cousin has mobility issues. Any suggestions as to how to be sure that is a good experience? Just pick a bus and buy a ticket?

Another cousin wants to find a "mom and pop-style diner" with good food. Since we will be staying at the Milford Plaza, I don't imagine there are any within walking distance. Any suggestions?

I expect that we will be using cabs a great deal. How many passengers are allowed in a sedan-type cab? There will be four of us -- will we have to ride in the mini-vans, or can we squeeze in a regular cab, with one of us sitting in front?

My daughter and I also had a trip planned to NYC last weekend which we had to cancel due to a family health emergency. We were quite disappointed and hope to reschedule soon. She will not be able to accompany us when we go on the "cousins trip."

Thanks for your help!

Four passengers are allowed in a NYC cab, just tell the cab driver to his "stuff: from the passenger seat in the front.

We have equivilents of "mom and pop dinners", the better ones are in the boroughs. They have a thousand items on the menus but almost everyone gets a burger or an omelet. Many have desserts in display cases that look like the main ingredient is steroids. I would try to eat ethnic food in NYC, since we have a wide and excellent range of choices.

Vicki, it will probably be pretty chilly for an open bus tour. I took my daughters on the New York City Party Shuttle and cannot tell you how great it was! You'll be with a small group of about 30 on a very nice roomy van which is great for people with mobility issues. (We had a couple on our trip.) You are able to get out at St Patrick's, Ground Zero, Wall St. etc. They also take you on the ferry and give you a lunch stop. I recommend bringing your own from a deli. Our tour guide was so enjoyable and answered a million of our questions. It's the absolute best way to get an overview of the city and then later you can do in depth things such as shopping, art museums, etc. I've been twice this year....just got back....love the city. You can reserve a ticket on the party shuttle. Try to do it your first or second day!

It's likely to be too cold for the top of a bus - and the big sightseeing buses can't go a lot of places anyway (Central Park, cute residential areas) - they're not allowed. And from the inside of the bus you really can;t see very much.

Cabs for 4 make a lot of sense for short distances. For longer ones take either the subway or the local bus. the latter go everywhere, stop every couple of blocks and appear every 5 minutes or so except late at night (after about 11 pm).

I agree that the Christmas show is a bust- but I know a lot of people like it. Instead we always try to do the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center.

There are a few diners in Manhattan - but lots of coffee shops (our local equivalent). And I don;t mean Starbucks - they have diner type menus and similar quality food. But - not sure why you would do this in NYC _ when there are so many better choices - at every price range. If you want to be thrifty pick some ethnic places - that generally give you a lot for your money - and are probably much more authentic that you have at home.

I would think the OP's cousin wants the "mom and pop" diner for the ambiance/experience - they're certainly a NY classic.

There are diners not too far from the Milford where you can get a bit of that classic NYC experience without trekking to the boroughs.

The Olympic Diner on the west side of 8th Ave between 48th and 49th Streets is a classic NYC Greek diner. As such, the food's not bad, just pretty basic in quality. But if it's character you're looking for, this is the place! :) Since it's not far from the Milford, you could pop in for one of your breakfasts, or a burger or blt in the late afternoon.

(I recall that there's another diner-type restaurant just north of the Milford - don't remember the name - but it's not great food/service, and pricey.)

IMO, Cosmos Diner on 6th Ave at 55th Street has better quality food - but the prices reflect the high-rent area it's in!

Hell's Kitchen is just to the west of your hotel and has lots of good food options, ethnic and otherwise. For diner-esque, try:
- Georgio's Country Grill
- Vynl Diner (a personal fave)

For great baked goods and coffee to go (seating area is tiny), you must try Amy's Bread, on the east side of 9th Ave betw. 46th and 47th Streets. The grilled sandwiches and cakes are also scrumptious!

Check out menus and user reviews at menupages.com, a great NYC resource. (Note that for some reason they don't have this location of Amy's Bread listed - but it's the same as the others that are, so you can see what they offer.)

hey ggreen!

We stayed at the Holiday Inn and discovered the Olympic Diner on our first day. We ate breakfast there every single day! Their breakfasts wraps are fantastic....I'm sure they make their own wraps, very thin and crispy. Plus, they are always yelling at each other....very funny! Friendly service, good prices.

FYI, menupages.com has a category for diners and coffee shops. Then you can narrow down your choices by area/ neighborhood. It's very easy to use, and I'm using it for my NYC November trip dining plans. :-)

LLindaC, that's just what I'm talking about. It's so great just to sit back and watch the cast of characters, staff and diners alike! I'm glad you liked it.

My BF used to live around the corner and we'd go there regularly, but I hadn't been in a long time. This summer, I ended up in a situation after an evening out in the area where I really needed food - and a restroom. Olympic Diner to the rescue! I'm not usually a fan of sitting in a restaurant by myself, but between the nicely attentive waiter and the dining room drama, I had plenty to keep me occupied. Good sandwich, too! :D

Olympic Diner sounds great! Great reviews in menupages.com also. We're staying at 50th/ Lexington next month, though maybe we can handle a walk over there. :-)

Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop ($)
174 5th Ave, New York 10010
Btwn 22nd & 23rd St

I always draw a blank on the name, but if you come out of the Milford Plaza onto 8th Ave., and look across the street at the next corner south, there is a double fronted coffee shop facing 8th Avenue. It is often filled with police and firemen eating. We've only done breakfast there, but it is a true old fashioned and GOOD, cheap diner/coffee shop.
More upscale, I think Vynl Diner is really a great place, with exceptionally good food -- too upscale foodwise to be called a diner, really.

Eisenberg's was sold in the last year and is not as good as it once was.

Thanks so much for these suggestions! Vynl Diner sounds great, as well as the Olympic.

But, back to the bus tour....
is this something that should be done only in warmer weather, so you can sit on the top deck, or is there a better way to tour?

Off to Google the New York City Party Shuttle....

Vicki

http://www.newyorkpartyshuttle.com/





There you go Vicki.

I guess I don;t understand the "tour" process.

I got conned into a free 1/2 day "tour" of London the first time I was there - on a package - and got off after the second stop.

I see no point in siting on a bus while the guide, imitating FAs, says to your right look at Green Park, to your left look at the National Gallery. I want to walk through the Green Park and sit on a bench and enjoy the passersby - and the ducks and other warterfowl. I want to visit the National Gallery and look at the artwork - not the outside of the building - which could be one of at least 50 other buildings in London.

New York has so may fantastic options, to me you're time is much better spent spent actually seeing and doing things.

The one "tour" that makes sense is some sort of boat ride - either Circle Line or the (free) Staten Island ferry - since it gives a perspective on the whole island and all the skyscrapers that you can otherwise get only from the air - or (at least partly) from the Top of the Rock.

We are not "tour" people. However, when we were in Barcelona a few years ago, we did take one of those around-the-city open-top hop-on, hop-off bus tours and it was a great thing to do the first time in a city. It gave us a terrific overview of the city, and good ideas for the places we wanted to return to. I wouldn't do it as a way to "see" the sights (prefer to walk and sit and people-watch, too) but I would do it to give me a handle on a place I'd never been before.

nytraveler, if your time is extremely limited or if you've been to the city before, I might tend to agree with you. But to spend a few hours (or even a full day on a hop on-hop off type bus) to get an overview of a big city can be a great thing. Sure you may want to go back and see the inside of some (probably not all) of those things, but a simple tour to give you some historical and geographic background so you have a good feel for what you want to do is not such a bad thing.

nytraveler....the Party shuttle takes you to Central Park, where you see Lennon's place, etc, and get out. He explains to you about the park , etc. Then you get out at St Patrick's, Ground Zero, Wall St.etc They take you on the Staten Island Ferry. You do NOT sit on a van the whole time.
I think it is a GREAT way to be introduced to the city. These guides are excellent and tell you many anectodotes and answer a million questions. To try to see all those sights in one visit takes lots of subway rides and planning. I suggest doing the tour early, then going back to the Top of the Rock, museums, Central Park, etc. This tour gives you lots of info about the various parts of Manhattan and gives you the sense of direction you need.

trippinkpj, Olympic is nice - but it still is a basic diner and not something I'd trek across town for! :)

There are diners/coffee shops on the east side, too. It's been a while since I frequented the area, so not a lot of options are coming immediately to mind. One place you might want to check out though is Comfort Diner on 45th (I think) between 2nd and 3rd Aves. It's not a classic diner because there are modern twists on the food - but it was always consistently good when we used to go there! Gets really crowded for weekday lunch.

NeoP, is that Smiths that you're talking about, just adjacent to a subway entrance on the west side of 8th Ave at 44th Street? The smell of bacon, or of boiled cabbage (depending on time of day) always wafts down the subway stairs, to the degree that I never wanted to try the food. Guess I'll have to give it a go the next time!

Yes. Smith's it is. I always remember that is a simple name, so I keep thinking "Joe's" or "Bob's", but it is indeed Smith's. I love breakfast there. Never been there for lunch or dinner. I can imagine the smell of bacon and sausage wafting into the subway. I didn't realize I didn't say at the corner of 44th, but that is it.