NYC Trip Report ..Had a Great Time!

Old Jul 11th, 2001, 05:50 AM
  #1  
###
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NYC Trip Report ..Had a Great Time!

Just got back from a long weekend in NYC.

Stayed at the Marriot World Trade Center because my husband had some business meetings on Friday. I had thought this would be too far downtown as we usually stay in midtown, however this turned out to be a great location. The subway station in 2 World Trade Center was very convenient and the half price TKTS booth was right there as well. We didn't go this trip but you would also be well located to go out to the Statue of Liberty from here. Hotel was like a typical Marriot. The staff was not particularly great but I didn't spend any time talking to them anyway. The rate was terrific at $139 a night, but actually worked out to be $165 a night with all the taxes (still a great rate in NYC!)

Purchased a Metrocard for the subway. This is definitely the way to go.

Walked all over Soho, Tribeca, Greenwich Village on Friday. Had a great lunch at Aquagrill in Soho. A really great place if you love fresh shellfish.

A DON'T MISS... On Saturday we took the subway to The Cloisters at Fort Tyron Park. This was spectacular. The park was gorgeous and the museum was outstanding. It is way up on 190th street so it is off the beaten path.
We took the an express A train out of the World Train Center and it was about a 30 minute trip. Then it is a bit of a walk from the station to the museum,but again I can't stress enough how great it was. The whole excursion including taking a subway back to midtown for some shopping took about 1/2 day. Well worth your time if you can fit it in.

Had dinner at Windows on the World because my husbands business associates wanted to. YUK!! It was incredibly over priced and the food was downright awful! Don't waste you time or money. See the view from the observation deck or the Empire State Building. Eat absolutly anywhere else.

Lastly, got tickets to Kiss Me Kate at the half price kiosk in the World Trade Center. They were great tickets at a great price. The lines however were horrendous and I got there at 9:00am when the place doesn't open until 11:00. If you can afford to lose up to half a day waiting on tickets go there. If not I would suggest just getting tickets at the regular price. If my husband hadn't had meetings all that morning and I didn't have to kill the morning I would have hated to have wasted so much precious vacation time standing in line.

Overall it was a super trip. We have been to NYC on several other occasions so we had the opportunity to do some things we haven't done before.

Happy to answer any questions!





We purchased a Metrocard for the
 
Old Jul 11th, 2001, 05:57 AM
  #2  
Owen O'Neill
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Glad you had a good time - thanks for the great report! It appears that the WTC TKTS booth is no longer the "secret" that it once was. Many reliable posters in this forum have suggested that lines there are much shorter but apparently this is no longer the case (or certainly wasn't on your visit). Another suggestion that many have made (and is still valid) is to go to the Broadway TKTS late in the day - typically after 5:30-6 PM when they often have extra tix that were released late in the day. I've had very good luck getting tix this way and have never waited more than 5 - 10 minutes in line.
 
Old Jul 11th, 2001, 06:09 AM
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jhm
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Seconding Owen's post. It's a little more of a risk, but I have been to tkts Times Square just before it closes in the evening and have had NO line (as crazy as that sounds) and good seats for shows.
 
Old Jul 11th, 2001, 09:17 AM
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Caitlin
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Really glad you enjoyed the Cloisters so much. Many visitors are totally unaware of it or don't want to spend the time because it seems so far away. But it's a gem--which is why so many of us locals frequently recommend it on this forum.
 
Old Jul 11th, 2001, 09:27 AM
  #5  
dumbblonde
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My daughter and I are staying at the Marriott WTC soon. Glad to hear it is not too inconvenient. Coming in from New Jersey, any idea on what is the best and cheapest way to get to the hotel? Also will be shopping SoHo area, what stores do we not want to miss. How about Century 21 close to the hotel? Did you get to shop there?
 
Old Jul 11th, 2001, 11:50 AM
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thereuare
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Are you driving from NJ INTO NY, or leaving the car in NJ and looking for mass transit into NYC? Also, what time of day are you heading in, as it will make a big difference with a recommended route.
 
Old Jul 11th, 2001, 12:21 PM
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tommy
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If youre driving - take the Holland Tunnel, then West Side Highway (Joe Dimagio Highway) downtown. If you are taking public transport, take the PATH train from Hoboken or Jersey City to the World Trade Center stop.

Century 21 is a few blocks away.

I personally try to avoid Soho - crowded with poseurs and now filled with shops you can find at your local mall.
 
Old Jul 11th, 2001, 01:03 PM
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Ann
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To the original poster.

I'm planning a trip to NYC with my mom, and she's always wanted to eat at Windows on the World. Could you please provide a little more information about why you didn't like it? How was the service? Was nothing good? What did you eat? I would appreciate any information you can share. Thanks.
 
Old Jul 11th, 2001, 02:20 PM
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Caitlin
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Ann, an alternative would be to eat at Wild Blue, the smaller restaurant at the WTC. You don't get the big room of Windows on the World, but you do get the view, and the food gets pretty decent reviews.
 
Old Jul 11th, 2001, 02:50 PM
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###
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As I said the food was just plain bad. We were a dinner party of six. One person had the salmon and said it had no flavor. She kept putting lemon juice on it throughout the meal. My husband had the duck and said that it was average. I had an asparagus salad (consisting of about 6 spears of aparagus for $18) and a pasta entree. The pasta was mushy and the sauce consisted of some chopped tomatoes and a couple of pine nuts. ($24). Overall it was just very expensive and way below average food. Also there wasn't anything on the menu I couldn't get somewhere else. Baked salmon, steak, lobster. Nothing very interesting or unique. There are so many great places to eat in NYC why eat here. I am perfectly willing to pay top dollar for really great food.The service was o.k. but nothing to brag about and when I wanted just to order an appetizer for my dinner (I had had a huge corned beef sandwich for lunch) the waiter told me I wasn't allowed to do that and I quote "how were they supposed to stay in business if they let people only order appetizers and desserts." I might ask your Mom why she wants to eat there. If its for the food .. forget it, they are lots of great suggestions on this board. If it's for the view,then I think you can do that other places. If it's just to say you have been there then I guess go ahead and go.
 
Old Jul 11th, 2001, 03:45 PM
  #11  
Ann
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To ###. Thank you for responding back. I appreciate your comments and plan on asking my mother how important it is to her. Based on that, I'll make a decision.

To Caitlin. Thanks for the suggestion. It's worth considering.
 

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