Please help with itinerary!
 

We are four women planning a weekend in NYC in July and we're trying to cram too much in. Please help!

Friday: We're going to try and get an early flight from C'go. Cloisters, Central Park Garden Conservatory, or Brooklyn Botanical Garden? Maybe a drink on the rooftop at the met.

Sat: Walking tour of Greenwich Village from 11:00 - 2:00. MOMA or Central Park Conservatory after that? 8:00 - Avenue Q

Sun: We're going to try and get a late flight. Should we do The Cloisters, the Central Park Garden Conservatory, or Brooklyn Botanic Garden?

Is it possible to do all this? How would you suggest we organize it? Thanks for any help you can give us. We love NY, and we will be back -- so if you think we should save something for next time, what would that be?

Thanks so much,
Laurie
P.S. I posted this earlier, but it disappeared.

Let's see you have from middday Friday until Sunday probaby late afternoon.

I'd do the Central Park Conservatory Gardens on Friday, then meander down Fifth to the Met. Cross the street and visit the Museum of the City of NY if you have time. Start Sunday early at Brooklyn.

One drawback to that plan is that one admission fee gets you into the Met and the Cloisters on the same day, so the Cloisters is also a candidate for Friday afternoon, dpeending on what time you hit the streets -- the Conservatory Gardens is one of my favorite places in the world, but won't take a long time to see.

My only comment is that although one ticket does indeed get you into both the Met and the Cloisters -- don't forget admission payment is at your discretion. I honestly see nothing wrong if you pay the full contribution one day -- to do the other on a following day and NOT repay an admission. I really don't think you're "sticking it" to the museum by doing what you've paid for on two separate half days rather than on one full day.
Of course, it would be nice to give an extra contribution if you go to both, but I certainly wouldn't feel guilty if not.

I think no one can organize it without knowing what time you arrive in NYC and what your priorities are. I think you might have 1 activity too many if Sat at 11 is the only time for the walking tour and you're committed to it. If you look at a map, you'll see apart from the Central Park Conservatory Gardens and the Met Museum which are 20 blocks apart, everything else is pretty spread out. The Cloisters and the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens couldn't be any further away from each other ;)

The Cloisters closes at 5 or so. Assuming you arrive at a reasonable hour in the city, you could do that first. Take the A train to 190 st. Here's the subway map
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm

MOMA is open late on Fri night, but I think after travelling and the Cloisters it would be a waste of energy to push yourself to do that. I would just have a relaxing evening.

On Sat. you could go up to the Conservatory Gardens early in the morning. Bring some coffee and bagels and have a picnic on one of the benches. I suppose you could rush and try to make the walking tour in the village if you're early risers. If not and you're committed to the walking tour, then do that and either MOMA or the park would work. MOMA is in midtown, the park is all the way north. I think a lot will also depend on weather. You might be quite hot and tired from the walk. Not sure another several hours walk in the museum will be fun.

I think save the Brooklyn Botanic for Sunday.

We will be staying at the Edison Hotel. If we get out of there by 8:00, take a cab over to Central Park, would it be possible to spend some time at the Garden Conservatory and then cab it over to Greenwich Village in time to make the 11:00 walk? It's a food-tasting tour and we really don't want to miss out. We are two daughters and two moms who are in their 70s. They're pretty energetic, but still.....
If you had to chose between the Cloisters and the Botanic Garden, in July, which would you chose?
Laurie

You keep saying "Garden Conservatory." You do know that the conservatory buildings themselves are long-gone from Central Park and that the Conservatory Garden is "merely" 6 acres of lovingly tended gardens on the site where the Conservatories used to be?

http://www.centralparknyc.org/virtua...ervatorygarden

The Conservatory Gardens are all the way uptown at 104st Yes you could take a cab up there. The amount of time you spend is totally up to you. On a Sat. morning you will probably get a show of a lot of brides around the city having their wedding photos taken :)

I can't decide which is better. It somewhat depends on weather I guess and your interests, medieval art and architecture vs gardens.