Hi all, I feel kinda silly posting here about advice for an NYC weekend. This is my 5th visit Second time to go with my mom - we went last Labor Day and had such a good time, we decided to go again to do the stuff we didn't have time to do! Main thing Mom wanted to see / do was the High Line and more in-depth 9/11 tour (museum wasn't open last time).

Itinerary (tentative):
We are going in early Oct. Arrive late Thurs afternoon so will play Thurs PM by ear unless anyone has a dining suggestion in a reasonable cab / walking distance (staying w/ Points at Westin Times Sq)?

Fri: 11 AM 9/11 Memorial Museum Tour; and then 8 PM tickets to Book of Mormon.
How much time to allot for museum? I believe we are doing the guided tour (mom booked this).
So need something to flesh out the time between the tour and dinner /show. Dinner suggestions (pref in Theater District)?

Sat AM: High Line walking tour; 5 PM tickets to the NYC Gangster walking tour so figure we will find a place to eat in Little Italy afterwards (Angelo's if we can swing a res; any other ideas)?. Lunch suggestions for after or along the High Line? Anything else we should do before the 5 PM walking tour?

It's hard to balance the line between overplanning and underplanning! With those "bookends" on our day, I'd like some suggestions for activities during the day... knowing we can blow them off if we find something more appealing en route! I keep trying to find that ONE thing that will just make the trip that much more special. Last time - the Tenement Museum was that one, unexpected, delightful find that stands about among the shows and other experiences.

Thanks!!

On Friday after the 9/11 tour you can walk to the tip of Manhattan and take the Staten island Ferry if you haven't done so. Also there's a ferry to Governor's Island, although I'm not sure if the ferry there will still be working in October.

What about Ellis Island? Have you been?

(I just wanted to be sure your mom knew what Book of Mormon was like...there seems to be a definite divide on those who liked it and those who were offended by it. )

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...k-about-it.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...b-sideways.cfm

http://www.majorfood.com/restaurants.php

Try one of these in Little Italy.

kenav - have not done Ellis Island! How can I have forgotten about that! I guess I gloss right over that suggestion since we have done the Staten Island Ferry.

DebitNM - I KNOW. Mom knows it's racy, and she's the one that picked it. She is the one that got me into Orange is the New Black, but I will say, it is highly probable that I will be hiding under my seat.

IMDonehere - have you been to any of these? Recommend any?

Thanks so much! Keep em coming!

Just wanted to be sure you knew!

Parm is inexpensive and cramped and wonderful.

Torrisi is expensive and exceptional.

I am one those NY'ers who otherwise never eats in Little Italy. I looked at the menu for Angelo's and it is expensive.

In the East Village are regional restaurants that are not red sauce places.

Cacio e Pepe-Romano cooking. The signature dish cacio y pepe has strong flavors and is addictive
http://www.cacioepepe.com/

Gnocco-Once again the name is the signature dish gnocco is a fun and wonderful dish
http://gnocco.com/menu/

Supper-Stupid name but it is northern Italian-cash only
http://supperrestaurant.com/

Thanks so much. I have never eaten in Little Italy, and I get that it's not necessarily the local favorite, but seemed fun to do after the Mafia Tour. Maybe instead will just grab a cannoli before the tour and head to Gnocco afterwards. Sounds wonderful!

There are two places in East Village that are both over 80 years old and have Italian pastries. Veniero's is the much better of the two and superior to Ferrara's in Little Italy, the other DeRobertis which has good cannolis and has the original tin ceiling and tiling on the walls and floor.

Ellis Island is not fully open right now (well, you can see a few exhibits in the lobby but not the full museum). I see no evidence that it's going to be open by October, so I'm not sure I'd add this time-consuming detour onto your itinerary. You have to book the Statue of Liberty ferry weeks in advance to get a good time and avoid endless lines.

Governor's Island closes the last weekend in September, so it's not an option either.

If your mom likes Orange is the New Black, you nothing to worry about with Book of Mormon

IMDonehere - think we went to Ferrara's last time and were underwhelmed. Will make note of Veniero's and DeRobertis. Always time to sample a cannoli!

I just looked up the 9-11 tour and the guided tour is an hour. I know other friends have been (self-guided) and took 4 hours. I have a short attention span so let's split the difference at 2 hours. Here's how the itinerary is shaping up:

Thurs PM (night of arrival - I get in at 3, mom not till 5:10 at LGA. Hope to make our 7 PM res for Carmine's on UWS!!! No other time that worked for us and I've always wanted to try it. Guess mom can meet me there if she has to?!

Fri: 11 AM 9/11 Tour; then High Line? Is walking / eating / shopping along High Line enough of an activity? 8 PM Book of Mormon. Don't have dinner plans yet.

Sat: all day is open until 5-7 Mafia walking Tour. 7:45 res at Gnocco's (thanks to IMDonehere for tip). So during the day: Seinfeld Tour? Walking Food Tour?

OK thoughts on these:

-Seinfeld (Kramer tour)? Has mixed reviews - is 3 hours so a long time if we hate it. We love Seinfeld though so if it's good, we are the target audience!

-Walking Food Tour? I don't eat meat (and mom doesn't eat much of it) - anything else (pizza, desserts, pasta, etc) is all good!

-Museum of the American Gangster - this looks like a NO based on some reviews, but then again, other reviews are really good and I am intrigued by mafia history...

-Dinner before the show Friday? Theater District or nearby? If we do Carmine's Thurs and Gnocco Sat, may be nice to not hit Italian for Fri...

Thanks all!

Carmine's is a family style restaurant and is just OK. Great if you have kids.

Not many visitors come down to Gnocco. The East Village is the best food value/quality area in Manhattan but that is quickly disappearing due to the rising rents. Scores of different cuisines can be found down there.

For a self-guided food tour the following are all within walking distance on the Lower East Side (LES)

Russ & Daughters-smoked fish and other delicacies
Yonah Schimmel knishes
Economy Candy-genuine old-fashioned store with every type of candy available under the sun
Essex Market-a weird hybrid of Latino provision stands and hipster food
Pickle Guys-strangely enough pickles
Kossar's-bialy factory
Donut Plant-could be the best donuts in the city.
Il Laboratorio de Gelato-Gelati
Katz's but is basically meat.

Also downtown and interesting is the Tenement Museum (lower East side). In addition to tours within the museum, they also lead walking tours which I loved. Seeing the surrounding area with an expert who can talk about the pros/cons of development was fascinating; plus, they pointed all kinds of things I wouldn't have know. Great - esp if the weather is nice.

Carmine's is going to be a stretch for 7pm with a 5:10 arrival, so your mom may have to go there directly from the airport (it might actually be easier for her to do that if she doesn't have a lot of luggage). You can definitely do better if you want better Italian food. It's not a great place for two or people who don't eat much because of the huge portions. Just a consideration. Still, I like the food, and some of the specials a great.

But I think Becco has much better food, especially if you order off the a la carte menu (though if you don't eat meat, you might prefer the all-you-can eat pasta specials, which are often meatless).

OK - THIS is why I love this forum! Vickie - we did the Tenement Museum last time and LOVED it - it was really the standout of our trip. So I don't know why it didn't occur to me, until you pointed it out, that they do walking tours. That is the PERFECT idea! Is there a standout among them? The Foods tour jumps out - however it wouldn't work after the 9/11 museum (only have it at 1 PM). Think we could, however, swing it before the 5 PM Mafia tour the next day.

Doug - thanks so much for making me come to my senses. Carmine's makes NO sense for mom and me.. we aren't likely to eat huge portions and don't really enjoy stuffing ourselves to the gills... I knew in the back of my mind it was family style but kept hearing everyone say "you gotta go to Carmine's!" so ignored that important fact! LOL! Will check out Becco!

for walking tours of all kinds, look at the schedule for Big Onion, the tours are led by very knowledgeable guides.

I did a Tenement Museum walking tour with friends from out of town and wasn't very impressed.

Do skip Carmines. Family style means huge platters and the food is not particularly good.

Little Italy hardly exists anymore, except for a street or two. The remainder of the neighborhood is an extension of Chinatown.

Add Rubirosa to the very good Nolita/Little Italy list that IMDONE has offered above.

http://rubirosanyc.com/


Might be a good time to try DeRobertis, if it is still open:


http://ny.eater.com/archives/2014/05/derobertis_1.php

Eks, thanks for the article but Derobertis is still open. We were just there last week.

I am glad to hear that. You know how many of the old-line places are in danger due to the ridiculous real estate market. I am ashamed to confide that I have not been to DiRobertis in years. Once or twice a year when I buy those scrumptious Italian pastries, I tend to head to the Outer Boroughs....to south Brooklyn or the Bronx. But I did read that Royal Crown had some trouble with the law a year or so ago..I've not been back since then...