thinking about nyc. first time. need advice.
 

ive never been to new york city, or the east coast at all for that matter. i have a roundtrip airline ticket that i must use before the end of march 2011, and ill be able to take vacation anytime from october 1, 2010 until the end of march.

i would love to experience new york city and my schedule is wide open between the aforementioned interim (oct-mar)

im thinking of a 4 night stay. Im youre average middle class traveler.

things i would like to see/do are:

*statue of liberty

*brooklyn (i want to taste whatever pizza new yorkers proclaim to be the best, for some reason, ive heard brooklyn is the place for awesome italian food). i want to try the absolute pizza new york has to offer. the one new yorkers rave about. price is no concern, ill pay any price to experience that. the kind where the chef tosses the dough up into the air, you get the idea. "the iconic famous new york pizza"-but the best of the best.....by the way, if the best pizza place isnt in brooklyn..then give me an address/phone for whatever place in nyc is the best. ;)

*times square

*manhattan

*central park

*little italy

*chinatown

Im honestly clueless as to what all there is to see and do in nyc, hence me soliciting advice.

I will not have a car, and as im told, wont need one due to nyc's excellent transportation system.

if i were to stay for 4 days, and 4 nights...what would be the best itinerary for me to see and do the things listed above, and what other things should i see and do that are adjacent to those areas?.

I also like to shop for clothes, knick-knacks, souvenirs, etc.

what is one of the best chinese restaurants in chinatown to eat at?

are there any current security restrictions on the statue of liberty? can a visitor get access to liberty island, or actually go inside the statue...or are those days long gone due to 9/11?

i also want to go when the weather isnt too cold. if i need more than the casual sweater or light jacket, then its too cold for me. id like to go when the temperature averages no less than about 50F at the lowest.

thanks for any and all advice.

I will touch only two topics now:

The reputation for the "best" pizza in Brooklyn, and in all of NYC, is DiFara in Midwood; note their opening days:



http://www.difara.com/



The best Chinese food in NYC can be found in Flushing, Queens, not in Chinatown. It is easy to get there on the subway.

This long thread might have some info on Chinese food for you; see my post of July 3:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...estaurants.cfm

We live near D.C. and take the train to NY 3 times a year. We love the Hotel Beacon on the upper west side because there is a great little diner next door and a great grocery across the street for those times when you just want something quick. Also we always walk or taxi because it is a great walking city. No matter what the weather when you visit do not miss:
Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum of Natural History
Metropolitan opera or a Broadway show depending on your likes
people watching on 5th Ave at Central park is fun too

If you want to go when the temperature remains above 50, you're pretty much restricted--at best--to October, possibly the first half of November and possibly late March. And, this only refers to the daytime temperatures.

First - you will have trouble with the weather during your timeframe. If you go the very beginning of October you might get by with a light jacket and a sweater. the rest of the time - between mid/late Oct and March you will need either a midweight jacket or warm winter clothes (heavy jacket, hat, scarf, gloves and waterproofed shoes or boots). It starts getting cold (more than chilly) by end Oct through March. You may get a random warm day or so - but it will b too cold for a sweater of a light jacket - esp at night.

As for what to se/do you need to get a couple of guide books and read to decide.

Manhattan is the tourist center of the city and to see everything there would take a couple of weeks. Brooklyn is huge with several million residents, is mainly residential and I don't reco going there unless you have more than 4 days in the City.

As for best pizza I have no idea. there are many good places, as there are Chinese. Typically neither is expensive. So just look at the recos and pick one that sound like what you want.

You can get to Liberty Island and climb the Statue but you need advance tickets, which sell out weeks in advance, and the process is a long one. Look for Statue of Liberty info on other threads for the details.

You haven;t said what your hotel budget is and Oct is heading into high season and high hotel rates. I would pick you dates now and find a hotel now - as in today - tot try for the best prices. If you give a price range people can make suggestions.

I would suggest a good guide book to narrow down your choices.

I would not go to Midwood, Brooklyn just for a slice of pizza. There is nothing else to see there and it would consume many hours, especially for a first time visitor. At least Grimaldi's is close to Manhattan and there are other things to do and see in the area.

I think NY is at its best in the fall. Those cool, crisp nights in October and November were always a signal for me of some of the best times to go out in New York. Normal day time temps should be in the low 60's, with nighttime temps in the low to mid-50's.

In terms of pizza, remember it's a city of 8 million with a population of 20 million in the NY/Metropolitan area. That's my way of saying I wouldn't expect to find a place "that every New Yorker raves about." People have their favorites. As Adu said, traveling to Midwood for a slice of pizza probably doesn't make much sense.

As Adu also suggested, a guidebook is probably a good start. Fodors has excellant guidebooks on NYC.

A couple of specific points. You do not need a car. In fact, in NYC they are an impediment. Manhattan is not that big. The subway is the fastest and cheapest way to get around. A small pocket subway map will come in handy.

Given what you want to see, I might suggest one day downtown visiting the Statue of Liberty, the Staten Island Ferry, walk the Brooklyn Bridge, food in Chinatown and shopping in Soho.

One day around midtown with Macy's, Times Square, the Intrepid, a Broadway show, Rock Center, St. Patrick's, 5th Avenue as possibilities.

You could easily spend a day wandering around Central Park with visits to the MET Museum, the Guggenheim, or the Museum of Natural History tossed in.

I'll second DiFara as the best pizza in New York. You can actually take the Q train right to it, but I still agree that it's an awfully long way to go just for pizza. Too far for a four-day visit. Also, the place can be kind of user-unfriendly to the first-timer, so if you do go, you'll get the most out of your visit if you get some tips from folks here or elsewhere before you go. In a four-day visit, I would recommend that you not try to fit in Brooklyn. I definitely would not go to Flushing just for Chinese food.

Here are some average highs and lows for October through midNovember. Mid to late October is a great time to visit NYC. Great walking weather.


October
1 68°F 52°F
2 68°F 52°F
3 68°F 52°F
4 67°F 51°F
5 67°F 51°F
6 67°F 50°F
7 66°F 50°F
8 66°F 50°F
9 65°F 49°F
10 65°F 49°F
11 65°F 49°F
12 64°F 48°F
13 64°F 48°F
14 64°F 47°F
15 63°F 47°F
16 63°F 47°F
17 62°F 46°F
18 62°F 46°F
19 62°F 46°F
20 61°F 45°F
21 61°F 45°F
22 61°F 45°F
23 60°F 44°F
24 60°F 44°F
25 60°F 44°F
26 59°F 44°F
27 59°F 43°F
28 58°F 43°F
29 58°F 43°F
30 58°F 42°F
31 57°F 42°F


November

1 57°F 42°F 50°F
2 57°F 42°F 49°F
3 41°F 49°F 73°F
4 56°F 41°F 49°F
5 56°F 41°F 48°F
6 56°F 40°F 48°F
7 55°F 40°F 48°F
8 55°F 40°F 47°F
9 54°F 40°F 47°F
10 54°F 39°F 47°F
11 54°F 39°F 46°F
12 53°F 39°F 46°F
13 53°F 38°F 46°F
14 53°F 38°F 46°F
15 52°F 38°F 45°F
16 52°F 37°F 45°F
17 52°F 37°F 45°F
18 51°F 37°F 44°F

Be aware of times I'd suggest you NOT think about going:

The two or three weeks including and after Thanksgiving - MAJOR pre-Christmas crush - for some reason 1st wk in Dec. is insane.

And actually, as pretty as it is to see Rock Ctr. etc. decked out for Xmas, I'm not sure it's worth dealing with the crowds anytime in Dec.

Yeah, you can face major weather yucks in Jan - mid March. You could luck out at the end of March, though, and get a glorious early-spring week.

If it were me, I'd go anytime between now and Nov. 20 - the sooner the better, but...

On the other hand, if I had a free ticket and decent coat and boots, I'd go ANYTIME!! Lucky you.

Osaka, remembering your trip to San Francisco last year, and the hotels and $$$ you were looking at. You cannot get prices even close to that for a decent hotel in Manhattan in October-November-December. Prices drop substantially in January and February, but that's when it's also really really cold (i'd suspect much too cold for you). So, while October to mid-November might be a great time to go, that's also when prices are super-high.

The Slice of Brooklyn Pizza tour is a blast! See Brooklyn and sample great pizza -
http://asliceofbrooklyn.com/

Based on you 50 degree requirement (assuming you mean not the high but the low temp) - you realy need early oct. Hotels will also probably be less expensie than closer to the hoidays.

Not sure what your budget is - but anything decent less than $200 a night at that time is a real bargain. You an look at travelzoo, kayak etc and check Priceline - but you are definitely in high season.

To fit your budget and your timeframe, you will need to go when the weather is colder. In January you can get great deals on hotels particularly through Priceline or Hotwire. I would imagine Feb would be the same. As far as March, I have been in NYC a few times then as that's when my daughters
had spring break. Honestly everytime I've been in NYC in March, I froze to death. It was rainy, the wind was whipping through the city although on one trip it did warm up nicely the day we were leaving (naturally!!). I was much colder in March than I was during December and January visits.

It all comes down to having the proper outerwear. I live in CA and have always lived in warm weather areas. But I purchased a nice long winter coat, have a scarf and gloves and actually enjoy the crisp cold air. You are also walking most of the time so that keeps you warm. Last year I was in NYC in August and then again in December. August was hot and miserable. I would pick December anyday against the heat and humidity of Aug and this is coming from someone who doesn't even like to wear a coat.

For an example of hotel prices I looked at the Salisbury which is in a good location and budget priced. The week between Christmas and New Years for AAA rates is around $248. For Jan and Feb the same room runs $155. The beginning of March it's $163 and the end of March $209. These are all room rates without tax. Once you decide when to go I would book a cancellable room and then try Priceline when it gets closer. You should be able to get a 4* for around $130 in Jan/Feb.

some posters inquired my lodging accomodations. i forgot to mention that a friend has recommended a good hotel in new jersey to me that has great transportation to and from manhattan.

What is the hotel and what are the transporation options? There is lots of discussion on the board about staying outside Manhattan and those that live in the city can let you know if the transporation options are really that good. Often they aren't.

reading some of the posts, i guess venturing out for great pizza may be a bit extreme, as one poster stated that great food can be found all over nyc. so ill have to conduct some external research on that. as far as guided tours, are they recommended for first timers, or is it better for the first timer in nyc to take in the exhileration of the city on their own accord?

There's plenty of pizza to be had.
You mentioned Brooklyn.
Enjoy your trip.

Others have already mentioned that taking one tour is good and the rest of the time exploring the city on your own. I agree. Don't know if you'll have time to do Brooklyn. Again wondered where your hotel is because commuting time may make a difference on getting to everything you want to see.

There are many very good pizza places in Manhattan although they do not sell slices only whole pies, some hsvr small pies, among them:

Motorino (I think this is the best and so did the NY Times a few weeks ago)
Tontonno's
Lombardi's

And people say Co. is very good but we have not been there yet.

Good but not in the same category

Gruppo
Luzzo's (more expensive)
Pizza Freca (more expensive)

The location for the best NYC pizza is normally a contentious topic. The best I've ever experienced was at Di Fara, with Grimaldi's and John's close behind. Note well that as wonderful as the pizza is at Di Fara, the total experience is a royal pain in the behind (for starters, don't trust the hours they list at their website, which differ both from the hours posted on their door and when in actual practice they happen to open that day, which can be over an hour past the listed time). See a report on my experience at Di Fara as part of this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...xperiences.cfm

Other reasonable contenders for best NYC pizza are Lombardi's, Nick's, and Totonno's, though I liked these less when I tried them.

Note well that of all the spots listed above, only Di Fara will sell pizza by the slice.

I suggest this travel guide, it is the best on NYC imo:

Moon Metro NYC (http://www.moon.com/books/moon-metro...fourth-edition)

And this laminated map. Get the map now, it will be helpful to have when you are looking at where different hotels are, etc. for planning:

Streetwise Manhattan (http://www.streetwisemaps.com/city-m...attan-map.html)

Where in NJ is this "great hotel"? Just keep in mind that if you are depending on bus or ferry transportation, the dead of winter isn't the ideal time. Early October works fine. But NJ Transit just raised fares a lot, so it would help to know the location so we can say whether you can afford stay in Manhattan or (less convenient than Manhattan but much better than NJ) Queens or Brooklyn. Four days isn't a long stay in NYC, so I think it would be worthwhile to maximize your experience by staying in the most central place you can afford.

Obviously, the timing is very important here. I'd probably opt for March over November because of cost, and the weather will start improving by then, but will certainly not top 50 degrees on some days.

I also meant to add ... for this short a stay I do not recommend the Statue of Liberty unless you don't ever plan to visit NYC again. That particularly activity takes a minimum of 8 hours and will eat up virtually one entire day (and since the days will be short, I just don't think it's the best use of your time), whether or not you plan to go to the top of the statue or not (you can, but you really need to reserve it far in advance). You can pass BY the statue of liberty for a good view but not get close for free on the Staten Island ferry, which takes a total of one hour.

If budget is a major consideration then March will be much cheaper than Oct - but will still be chilly and can be really cold (the blizzard of 88 - more than 2 feet of snow was in late March). Jan and Feb are even cheaper but a whole lot colder.

agree- where is this hotel in Jersey. Some that are near transit for commuter hours are not very well served after that - and you could find yourself after a Broadway show or dinner having an hour wait for a bus to where you want to go. Besides which - you are staying in New Jersey - so why go to NYC?

I am not going to totally talk you out of New Jersey which is probably why you aren't getting back to us about the hotel. If you want to come in Oct/Nov/Dec and the hotels are very high priced, then it may be your only option. However those who live in NYC can let you know about the public transportation which as nytraveler mentioned can be tricky.

However if you decide to come in Jan or Feb and maybe part of March, you can get great deals through Priceline or Hotwire. Those deals may even turn out to be better financially when you take into consideration public transportation costs back and forth to New Jersey. Or you can look at rooms in Long Island City which is only a couple of subway stops from midtown. So let us know and we can offer advice.

for an incredibly enjoyable tour of Manhattan use Marvelous Manhatan tours, and see if you can get Steve, the owner,as your guide heres a link http://www.marvelousmanhattantours.com/ . He gives you a very good taste of Manhattan,with several stops.Even as a native Nyer, i loved it

I'll 2nd Doug's idea about nixing the Statue of Liberty visit. If you want to do that sort of thing, I found the visit to Ellis Island to be more interesting. Plus, you'll sail by the Statue, which to me is a great experience, or at least as great as actually setting foot on Liberty Island. Just MHO.