Quick trip to NYC with 16 YO DD - a few questions
Dec 2nd, 2011, 10:09 PM
#21
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If you want to see the Cloisters, take the A train on 8th Ave and 42nd St up to 191st St and walk through Ft. Tryon Park or wait right as you come up the stairs from the subway for the bus, to drop you off at the door. From 42nd St it will take you about 45 minutes to get uptown and when you go through 145th St station, wave, lol. I'm just a couple of blocks from there.
It sounds like you are going to have a great time, but avoid the HOHO bus right now and don't do the city pass, you won't get anywhere near the value.
Traffic in the city is as bad as I have ever seen it. A report on bus traffic is that they are moving slower than a lawn mower, and one bus line is being clocked at 3.5 miles an hour, so the HOHO you will mostly see alot of traffic and not much else,,,,,,walk,,,,and subway the only way to get around this time of year.
The holiday markets are nicer than in past years, and I love the one at Bryant Park, close to your hotel at 42nd and 6th. You also might enjoy skating there.
Can't think of what else to add, so I'll just say have a great time while you are here.
It sounds like you are going to have a great time, but avoid the HOHO bus right now and don't do the city pass, you won't get anywhere near the value.
Traffic in the city is as bad as I have ever seen it. A report on bus traffic is that they are moving slower than a lawn mower, and one bus line is being clocked at 3.5 miles an hour, so the HOHO you will mostly see alot of traffic and not much else,,,,,,walk,,,,and subway the only way to get around this time of year.
The holiday markets are nicer than in past years, and I love the one at Bryant Park, close to your hotel at 42nd and 6th. You also might enjoy skating there.
Can't think of what else to add, so I'll just say have a great time while you are here.
Dec 3rd, 2011, 05:23 AM
#22
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Cannot agree more about the HoHo bus. IMHO this is a bad idea at the best of time since it insulates you from the city - putting you on top of a giant moving box just looking at the outside of buildings - not actually seeing inside anything. (The bus runs through my neighborhood and I always wonder what enjoyment the tourists get out of watching me and my neighbors run errands - to the bank, the drug store or the market - how boring!)
At this time of year walking is liable to be at least as fast - and about 10 times more interesting.
At this time of year walking is liable to be at least as fast - and about 10 times more interesting.
Dec 3rd, 2011, 05:47 AM
#23
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People who live in NYC walk or take subway at this time of year. Fastest!! Take Staten Island ferry for Statue of Liberty unless you are going to spend hours at Ellis Island.
Glad you are going to Met museum, my favorite place. Good to take one hour overview tour, plus cafeteria good place to eat lunch.
Hoboken far too far. Impossible.
Sevens or Carmel...212-777-7777 or 212-666-6666. Good idea with this impossible traffic.
Just remember...everything will take longer than you could possibly imagine.
IMHO statues of lions at Library...Not highest on my list.
Rockefeller Center high on list for NYC feel. Ice skating and tree, wow. St. Patricks across the street. Have you been in other cathedrals? Scale of building on inside amazing.
I like Becco for dinner before show. Pasta special fun and good.
What fun you will have!!
Glad you are going to Met museum, my favorite place. Good to take one hour overview tour, plus cafeteria good place to eat lunch.
Hoboken far too far. Impossible.
Sevens or Carmel...212-777-7777 or 212-666-6666. Good idea with this impossible traffic.
Just remember...everything will take longer than you could possibly imagine.
IMHO statues of lions at Library...Not highest on my list.
Rockefeller Center high on list for NYC feel. Ice skating and tree, wow. St. Patricks across the street. Have you been in other cathedrals? Scale of building on inside amazing.
I like Becco for dinner before show. Pasta special fun and good.
What fun you will have!!
Dec 3rd, 2011, 06:25 AM
#24
"People who live in NYC walk or take subway at this time of year. Fastest!!"
Exactly. That's my point.
If you are trying to get to a specific place in a hurry, take the subway.
If you don't know the city and want to SEE the city, the HOHO is a great way to navigate the city, sit and relax without worrying about details and enjoy the view.
Locals "know" the city and they've seen the city every single day. Tourists don't. Both loops will take you from the top end (Harlem) to the bottom end. If traffic is going at a snails' pace in Midtown, it makes sense to walk instead of ride - but that's true of a taxi as well.
No one denies that the subway is the fastest way to get around. It's the perfect solution if speed is your goal. But if your goal is to SEE the city (rather than riding underneath it), the HOHO gets you around with a view.
Exactly. That's my point.
If you are trying to get to a specific place in a hurry, take the subway.
If you don't know the city and want to SEE the city, the HOHO is a great way to navigate the city, sit and relax without worrying about details and enjoy the view.
Locals "know" the city and they've seen the city every single day. Tourists don't. Both loops will take you from the top end (Harlem) to the bottom end. If traffic is going at a snails' pace in Midtown, it makes sense to walk instead of ride - but that's true of a taxi as well.
No one denies that the subway is the fastest way to get around. It's the perfect solution if speed is your goal. But if your goal is to SEE the city (rather than riding underneath it), the HOHO gets you around with a view.
Dec 3rd, 2011, 06:36 AM
#25
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Well, it's not "impossible" to get to Hoboken.
You can take PATH from as far north as 33rd and Sixth to the Hoboken NJTransit terminal, from which Carlo's Bakery is just a few blocks, at 95 Washington Street. Travel time is 14 minutes maximum on weekdays and 17 minutes on weekends.
The question is, why would you want to take the time to do this? The bakery is merely a storefront.
http://www.carlosbakery.com/bakery-front2.jpg
There. Now you've seen it.
You can take PATH from as far north as 33rd and Sixth to the Hoboken NJTransit terminal, from which Carlo's Bakery is just a few blocks, at 95 Washington Street. Travel time is 14 minutes maximum on weekdays and 17 minutes on weekends.
The question is, why would you want to take the time to do this? The bakery is merely a storefront.
http://www.carlosbakery.com/bakery-front2.jpg
There. Now you've seen it.
Dec 3rd, 2011, 06:51 AM
#26
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"Travel time is 14 minutes maximum on weekdays and 17 minutes on weekends."
That is the actual ride on the PATH train, not including getting from wherever you might be to a PATH station (not many choices), paying your fare, waiting for the next train to Hoboken, and so forth. With so little time, and with so many other sights on their wish list, this is the item that can be deleted.
That is the actual ride on the PATH train, not including getting from wherever you might be to a PATH station (not many choices), paying your fare, waiting for the next train to Hoboken, and so forth. With so little time, and with so many other sights on their wish list, this is the item that can be deleted.
Dec 3rd, 2011, 10:22 AM
#27
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While tone on PATH may be 17 minutes- total travel time (unless you are staying IN the PATH station) is 30 to 40 minutes.
IMHO why come to NYC to look at a bakery? Every city has bakeries - NYC has things you will find nowhere else in the world.
IMHO why come to NYC to look at a bakery? Every city has bakeries - NYC has things you will find nowhere else in the world.
Dec 4th, 2011, 12:49 PM
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>> IMHO someone who can afford $100 or more for a ticket to a Broadway show should be able to stump up the full price...but unless finances re a big issue I would be ambarassed not to pay the regular price.>The question is, why would you want to take the time to do this? The bakery is merely a storefront.>If you want to see the Cloisters, take the A train ...>I don't know what your DD likes, but my daughter loved Broadway shows, going out to eat, sidewalk cafes, walking around the Village, SoHo, Central Park, Serendipty. The one thing she (and I) thought was a total waste of time? Getting off the ferry to go to the Statue of Liberty.
Dec 4th, 2011, 12:55 PM
#31
If you are scratching SoL, you are getting back a lot of time. Not only the trip itself but the wait in line. We had a timed ticket but we had a wait.
I think you'd enjoy the view from the Staten Island ferry. If you have some extra time - or you are both tired, consider fitting it in. You'd get some time to rest and get a view of the SoL too
I think you'd enjoy the view from the Staten Island ferry. If you have some extra time - or you are both tired, consider fitting it in. You'd get some time to rest and get a view of the SoL too
Dec 4th, 2011, 02:55 PM
#32
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I"m only going to chime in on three issues.
1. You mentioned a 3:15 arrival time. If then, I probably would not take a car service but would take a taxi.
2. I was in Rock Center last night, and I was a bit taken aback by the crowds. It was so much worse than I have ever seen. We literally could not move, and it took us 10 minutes to walk from 5th Avenue to the tree. It was for me actually a little scary and uncomfortable, and I"m used to crowds.
3. If you want to experience the city, then walk. The bus does give you a different view, but I also spend 30 minutes on the bus today just to get from 3rd Avenue to Macy's, a trip that can be 10 minutes on a good day. These are not good days. The best strategy to see as much as you can in such a short trip is to take public transit (i.e., the subway) wherever you need to be and then to walk around the immediate area a bit, even if you stray off the path and into a more residential area. You'll spend 30 minutes soaking in the scenery rather than 45 minutes trying to get there in traffic. Will you actually see less than you might if you sat on a HOHO bus for 4 hours? Well, probably. But you will have a better experience and won't be spending $35 a day for transportation you can get for a quarter of the price. That's my opinion, and I"m sticking to it. Until Christmas, the traffic in Manhattan is so horrendous that it takes at least twice as long to get anywhere on the streets during the day and really up to about midnight.
4. No one should feel bad about paying less than the suggested price at one of our museums. The prices are not set for a reason, so that you don't have to be a rich person to appreciate some of the best treasures in the world. If you have to pay $1, then do that, smile, and take your button and go enjoy yourself. You'll have plenty of other times to pay through the nose for your NYC experiences.
***If you need to buy anything in advance or make any reservations (like for dinner or lunch at Five Napkin Burger or anything like that), do it NOW. I've been locked out of favorite neighborhood restaurants for the last couple of weeks because I didn't make reservations. This is especially true for the area around Times Square. And given the huge crowds around Rock Center, I'm not entirely sure you'll not have to wait a long time to get up to Top of the Rock until after Christmas. Normally, there's no wait, but as I said earlier, I was really taken aback by the fierce crowds this year.
1. You mentioned a 3:15 arrival time. If then, I probably would not take a car service but would take a taxi.
2. I was in Rock Center last night, and I was a bit taken aback by the crowds. It was so much worse than I have ever seen. We literally could not move, and it took us 10 minutes to walk from 5th Avenue to the tree. It was for me actually a little scary and uncomfortable, and I"m used to crowds.
3. If you want to experience the city, then walk. The bus does give you a different view, but I also spend 30 minutes on the bus today just to get from 3rd Avenue to Macy's, a trip that can be 10 minutes on a good day. These are not good days. The best strategy to see as much as you can in such a short trip is to take public transit (i.e., the subway) wherever you need to be and then to walk around the immediate area a bit, even if you stray off the path and into a more residential area. You'll spend 30 minutes soaking in the scenery rather than 45 minutes trying to get there in traffic. Will you actually see less than you might if you sat on a HOHO bus for 4 hours? Well, probably. But you will have a better experience and won't be spending $35 a day for transportation you can get for a quarter of the price. That's my opinion, and I"m sticking to it. Until Christmas, the traffic in Manhattan is so horrendous that it takes at least twice as long to get anywhere on the streets during the day and really up to about midnight.
4. No one should feel bad about paying less than the suggested price at one of our museums. The prices are not set for a reason, so that you don't have to be a rich person to appreciate some of the best treasures in the world. If you have to pay $1, then do that, smile, and take your button and go enjoy yourself. You'll have plenty of other times to pay through the nose for your NYC experiences.
***If you need to buy anything in advance or make any reservations (like for dinner or lunch at Five Napkin Burger or anything like that), do it NOW. I've been locked out of favorite neighborhood restaurants for the last couple of weeks because I didn't make reservations. This is especially true for the area around Times Square. And given the huge crowds around Rock Center, I'm not entirely sure you'll not have to wait a long time to get up to Top of the Rock until after Christmas. Normally, there's no wait, but as I said earlier, I was really taken aback by the fierce crowds this year.
Dec 4th, 2011, 03:40 PM
#33
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The clothes displays/museum at the Fashion Institute is amazing. A real NYC treasure that most do not know about. Glad you mentioned it, better if you can squeeze it in.
Doug is so right. The crowds are unbelieveable. We were also on Fifth Ave. on Saturday and we were frantically trying to get a cab to get out of there. When the cab driver heard we were going to the UWS he was delighted. So good to get out of the mob.
We were at UNIGLO. Really fun and they were so helpful you know it was not a longtime NYC store.
Doug is so right. The crowds are unbelieveable. We were also on Fifth Ave. on Saturday and we were frantically trying to get a cab to get out of there. When the cab driver heard we were going to the UWS he was delighted. So good to get out of the mob.
We were at UNIGLO. Really fun and they were so helpful you know it was not a longtime NYC store.
Dec 4th, 2011, 04:23 PM
#34
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Oh my goodness!!! 5 Napkin Burger looks fantastic!!! Are their prices different for lunch vs. dinner?
Are there some good restaurants close to the Eugene O'Neal theatre, and, if our show starts at 8, what time should we make dinner reservations? I'd like one nice dinner, and since we will already be dressed for the theatre, that would be the one.
Are there some good restaurants close to the Eugene O'Neal theatre, and, if our show starts at 8, what time should we make dinner reservations? I'd like one nice dinner, and since we will already be dressed for the theatre, that would be the one.
Dec 4th, 2011, 05:14 PM
#36
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Having the nice dinner the same night as the play is a really bad idea. You are forced to have dinner at 5 in the afternoon instead of a normal hour, are watching the clock to make the dash to the theater, are less likely to enjoy the meal and will be sitting in the theater digesting a big meal (I always like a nice walk are a special dinner - so you don;t feel "stuffed").
There is no need to get dressed up for the theater - business casual is plenty. And most restaurants don;t have dress codes either - although I wouldn't do jeans and sneakers at a nice place.
There is no need to get dressed up for the theater - business casual is plenty. And most restaurants don;t have dress codes either - although I wouldn't do jeans and sneakers at a nice place.
Dec 5th, 2011, 04:17 AM
#38
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Re Carlo's Bake Shoppe in Hoboken. It is very easy to get there via PATH train, but the lines to get into the shop can wrap around the block on the weekends. An hour or so wait on a weekend is not uncommon.
Dec 5th, 2011, 05:03 AM
#39
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<I was in Rock Center last night, and I was a bit taken aback by the crowds. It was so much worse than I have ever seen. We literally could not move, and it took us 10 minutes to walk from 5th Avenue to the tree. It was for me actually a little scary and uncomfortable, and I"m used to crowds.>
Yikes, I hate crowds ...
Yikes, I hate crowds ...
Dec 5th, 2011, 09:04 AM
#40
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Thanks to flygirl's trip report, I just purchased tickets to see Liz Taylor's jewel collection. I think DD will love that!!!
I ased on an italian restaurant thread, but I'll ask here, just in case - are there any restaurants known for their gnocchi? DD loves gnocchi! Thanks!
I ased on an italian restaurant thread, but I'll ask here, just in case - are there any restaurants known for their gnocchi? DD loves gnocchi! Thanks!
