NYC Trip Report , Part I
 

Let me try again and split it up.... <BR> <BR> <BR>DAY 1 <BR>Day 1 was more about getting acquainted with our surroundings. <BR> <BR>Checked in to Marriott Marquis in Times Square <BR> <BR>Walked around Times Square, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral <BR> <BR>Took Broadway from around 50th St. all the way down to 16th St., passing many neighborhoods along the way. <BR> <BR>In the evening, had dinner at a little Italian place (forgot the name, but it was just okay) close to Times Square. After dinner, went to check out the Virgin Megastore <BR>

DAY 2 <BR>Took the subway to Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side. Immediately got tickets to the planetarium show. It was AMAZING. I highly recommend it. It was one of the highlights of the trip. Then we walked around the rest of the museum. <BR> <BR>After the museum, we walked down Columbus Ave in the Upper West Side <BR> <BR>Then cut through Central Park until we ended up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There we saw the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian exhibits, as well as visited the rooftop sculpture garden. <BR> <BR>After the museum, we visited Barney’s and walked around the Upper East Side. <BR> <BR>That evening we went to see “The Producers”. The only reason we had tickets to this fabulous show was because of this discussion board. I heard the rumblings about thew show here long before they hype and the Tonys. We were so lucky to get them before they were impossible to get. Like I said, the show was great, and we even got Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick and Cady Huffman’s autograph. <BR> <BR>After the show, we went to the revolving rooftop lounge at the Marquis, The View. <BR>

DAY 3 <BR>This morning we switched hotels, to the Library Hotel, which was at 41st and Madison. Cannot say enough good things about this hotel. I liked it ONE BILLION times better than the Marquis. Anyway, we did this first thing that day, and they told us we couldn’t get our room yet, but they would be happy to hold our bags and invited us to have their complimentary breakfast. <BR> <BR>Next thing we did was take the subway all the way south to take the Staten Island Ferry (another tip I got from this site – thank you!) We did the trip and it was fantastic. The weather was beautiful, and the whole trip there and back took about an hour. <BR>Then we walked around the Financial District. Took the tour at the New York Stock Exchange, and went to the World Trade Center (skipped going to the top floor because the line was too long, and I had already done it on a previous trip). <BR> <BR>We then walked from there to the Tribeca area, and then to So Ho. <BR> <BR>Walked/shopped in SoHo for a few hours. By far, one of the most charming areas we had been to since we started our trip. Had a nice pastry and lemonade break at Balthazaar Bakery. Hmmm…. I had just seen it on Martha Stewart’s show the week before. <BR> <BR>Went back to hotel to freshen up, then took the subway back to SoHo to meet friends that live there for dinner at a Thai Restaurant in SoHo call Kin Khao. By far the best Thai I’ve ever had. Very good! After dinner, we went to a great bar on Mercer called Bar 89. Very hip, known for their Cosmopolitans. If you go, you HAVE to check out the bathrooms on the 2nd floor—incredible. After that bar, we went to one more bar, I think in the Little Italy area, but I’m not so sure where it was or what the name was. <BR>

DAY 4 <BR> <BR>Walked to the Museum of Modern Art from our hotel. <BR> <BR>After MoMA, walked around 5th Ave shops. Then to Bloomingdales, where we grabbed a quick lunch. <BR> <BR>Then went to try to have tea at the Palm Court in the Plaza. Way too expensive, so we left. Looked beautiful though! <BR> <BR>That evening we took the subway to the Gramercy area, where we met up with a different set of friends for dinner at Sushi Samba. I LOVED that area. So charming! Dinner was again…AWESOME! It was a fusion of Latin American and Asian cuisine at very reasonable prices. <BR> <BR>After dinner, we went to a local pub, called Pete’s Tavern. Had drinks outside. Very nice. <BR> <BR>DAY 5 <BR> <BR>Had heard a lot about having to experience the NY Dim Sum Brunch. We went to one of the most crowded restaurants in Chinatown, which we had heard great things about – The Golden Unicorn. All I can say is WOW! I have never done anything like that. It was kind of overwhelming at the beginning, but I am so glad that we did it. I would definitely recommend it. <BR> <BR>After brunch, walked around Gramercy area and did some shopping, then back to the hotel to rest. <BR> <BR>Then took a subway to the West Village and walked around. Had an early dinner at PO. Another great dinner! This little itlalian restaurant was where Mario Batali (aka Molto Mario) started his career. Although he now has two other very hip new restaurants that seem to be very hot, PO was great too. And the prices were unbelievably reasonable. <BR> <BR>After dinner, we walked more around the village, past Washington Square Park and NYU towards Astor Place Theatre, where we had tickets to see Blue Man Group. Although it was my 2nd time seeing it, I still thought it was great. <BR> <BR>After the show, took the subway back to the Library Hotel. <BR>

DAY 6 <BR> <BR>Our last day! <BR> <BR>Took the subway to Upper East Side to the Guggenheim. Really enjoyed the Frank Ghery Architecture exhibit that’s going on there. <BR> <BR>After Museum, walked around the area some more, and then took the subway back to Grand Central, where our hotel was. Did some shopping and walking around Grand Central Station, and had lunch there. <BR> <BR>Next, we went to walk around the NY public Library, which was only a block or two from our hotel. We aw the caricature exhibit and checked out the beautiful main reading room. <BR> <BR>And that was it…took a cab to the airport and our great trip was over. <BR> <BR>A FEW NOTES <BR> <BR>Least favorite area on the island – Times Square. Only tourists walking around. Would never stay at a hotel there again. <BR> <BR>We mastered the subway and loved using it ALL the time. It was so convenient, especially when we stayed at the Library Hotel, which was a block over from Grand Central. It saved us tons of money on cab fares too! <BR> <BR>If I could go back again next month, I would want to go visit the Museum of Radio & Television, the Frick Collection and maybe the Cloisters. And then I’d like to rent bikes to get to know Central Park a lot better. I would also try to see 2 or 3 more broadway shows. <BR>

As a New Yorker, I compliment you doubly: <BR>First, for getting the most out of your visit to the city, and second, for doing a super job of writing it up!

Thank you, Howard. We had a great time. Since I had problems when I tried posting the first time, my initial paragraph got cut off which basically said I could not be any more grateful to the very helpful people on this board. The one question I kept getting asked by everyone was "how did you manage to get tickets to the Producers?!?!" And I have Fodors to thank for that too. <BR> <BR>An extra special thanks goes out to RQF, who went completely out of his way to give me the best directions on how to get everywhere we wanted. I felt like I could navigate my way around anywhere.

Hi, do you have a website for the Liberty Hotel? How was it booked and what is the price range? I'm taking two teens and they say they want to stay in Time Square but I am reluctant. Are the rooms large enough for a party of three, two beds? Thanks for your wonderful trip report. Both teens are very interested in museums (they spent five days in the Louvre) but we only have three days. Any suggestions for a compact visit of a chosen few?

APC- Very impressed with your trip ,being a native New Yorker I commend you on your thorough visit to the Big Apple..You really got to see a lot of our little island!! So glad you enjoyed it!! <BR>PS Mario is a friend of mine..happy you enjoyed PO!!

Hi John, <BR>Here's the link to the Library Hotel website: http://www.libraryhotel.com/. <BR> <BR>I booked it for $169/night using quikbook.com. You shoudl take a look on there to get some ideas. They have awesome discounts. <BR> <BR>The only thing is, I don't think that 3 people could fit in their standard room because they do not offer rooms with two double beds. They do have suites that have a little seating area with a couch that pulls out, but I still think it would be too small for three of you. Unless you got the 2 bedroom suite, but then the price gets to be outrageous. But the location was great. <BR> <BR>Other hotels, that piqued my interest in the area included the Dylan Hotel (across the street from the Library) and the W Court and W Tuscany (they are listed on quikbook.com too.) The W Union Sqaure looked awesome too, but I think it is pretty expensive. A friend of mine who lives there mentioned her favorite of all the NY hotels so far has been the SoHo Grand -- very hip, and SoHo is so cool. What I would do if I were you is get togehter a list of hotels and their rates, then call to ask about room details such as square footage and number of beds etc. For example, the Marquis on Times Square had rooms that were approx. 500 sq. feet but pretty boring and the Library had rooms that were almost half that size, but I liked the vibe a lot more. <BR> <BR>Your teens may enjoy Times Square because of MTV being there, but it doesn't mean that they can't walk there from any other midtown hotel. See what they think. How old are they? For whatever it counts, I was 24 when I went (25 now). <BR> <BR>Let me know if you have any other questions. Bye!

Couple of questions for you. <BR> <BR>Was the View (unreasonably) crowded after the theater? Did you have to wait to get in? <BR> <BR>Were you planning on switching hotels or did it come up because you were dissatisfied with the Marquis? <BR> <BR>Thanks!

Bravo. Great trip report. <BR> <BR>RFQ (RFQEL) has always been great, and should be nominated for a "Foddy" [please - don't start!!). Same with Howard. Does RFQ post on rec.travel.usa-canada any more? as RFQ? <BR> <BR>Anyway, the main reason I like your report is that I have lost the feeling of what it is/was like to be new to New York. I can use your report to 'guide' me when friends and family visit, so I don't take them to some obscure thing I want to do... <BR> <BR>Nice Job. Well done.

APC, Great summary! I really appreciate reading this since I'm planning to go to NY next month for about the same amount of time. I also wondered why you left the Marriott Marquis. We are staying at the Marquis, booked it on Priceline for $100 a night so we can't switch. I'm going to have to print out your trip summary so we can use it to help plan our trip.

Another kudos post for your trip report. Will save it for fall trip to NYC. You definitely covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time!

I agree with the others. Excellent trip report! Sounds like you did loads of stuff and had a great time. Grammercy Park is one of my favorite areas, too.

What is Grammercy Park? Does anyone know if Lion King tickets are ever available at TKTS?

To answer your questions about the Marquis, yes, we had actually already planned to switch. I was kind of wishy washy about picking a hotel. Some people may think its weird, but I planned this trip like 6 months out so I had plenty of time to track different hotel rates and reviews, etc. <BR> <BR>First, I booked the W New York for $199. Until I heard about the Marquis for $189 through the Playbill discount. I booked that and canceled W New York. Then, I saw the Library for $169 on quikbook. I had never heard anything about it personally, so what I decided to do was mix it up a little and stay at both to check them out. Also, the Marquis actually worked well with going to see the Producers, because it was only a block over. <BR> <BR>For those of you who are staying there for $100 a night..that is a great rate. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the Marquis. And like I said, the room was a nice size. I personally do not like the vibe as much as small, boutique hotels, but jeez for $100 a night, who's complaining? <BR> <BR>As for the View lounge after the show, it was not packed at all. No wait to get in. The view at "The View" was pretty cool. I would recommend it if you just want a drink. Only problem is if you'd like a light snack with that drink, forget it. They only have the buffet available for $18.95 each. I just wasn't in the mood to eat all that much at 11pm. They didn't have any appetizers or anything else to choose from. If you are really hungry, then that would be great. <BR> <BR>Gramercy Park is a young/residential area around Union Square Park. Some of the hottest restaurants right now are around there. Union Square Cafe, Mesa Grill, Sushi Sambe (Hmmm...) and more. I really liked it, which is why I think I would love the W Union Square, but it is a little expensive right now because it is so new.

Topping

Sorry, Judy, but it'll be a long, long time before The Lion King will be available at TKTS or any other discount venue!

Thanks Howard for the response. Does anyone know how the NY production of Lion King differs from the one in LA? I may be in NY in Oct. and LA in Dec. and wondered if I am going to try and spring for tix which production would better.