Trip report on family visit to New York City
Jul 8th, 2003, 07:45 PM
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Trip report on family visit to New York City
I recently returned from a family trip to New York --- a few highlights follow.
I had spent quite some time debating where to stay and had planned to stay in Times Square to be near all the theaters. A couple of you here had suggested I look elsewhere. At the last minute, I changed to the Gorham Hotel. And now that I've experienced the Times Square crowds in person, I'm glad I didn't stay there. The Gorham was close enough to walk to the theater but in a quieter area that was more pleasant to be in. For us at least! There are no doubt many families who would thrive on the constant commotion of Times Square, we're just not one of them. We got a room with two queen beds and a small living room for $165 on Quikbook, which I thought was a good price for the area and the amount of space we got. The hotel breakfast buffet for $12 was convenient and quite good with bagels, homemade waffles, hard boiled eggs, fruit, cereal, etc. My husband was happy with the hotel exercise facilities too. Just for variety, two mornings we splurged on a spectacular breakfast at Norma's in the nearby Parker Meridien.
We took the three hour Circle Line cruise around Manhattan, which was much more fun than I expected. The guide, while corny, was quite entertaining and informative. The cruise did not seem too long at all either and I was almost sorry when we were back.
The natural history museum was wonderful. We had no trouble walking into the Tom Hanks space show with no advance reservations. In fact, there were plenty of empty seats. The show was fine, although not as spectacular as I expected. But two caveats on the museum -- first, the line to buy admissions tickets just to get into the museum was a half hour long! This was on a Monday. I might have expected such crowds on a weekend, but not on a weekday, especially when it was sunny outside. Second, the gemstone/meteorite exhibition, which I had been looking forward to, was closed. But everything else was great about the museum.
Our walk through Greenwich Village was a minor disappointment. Things looked tired. Maybe we just didn't go to the right places. Central Park, on the other hand, was delightful.
The Broadway shows we saw were all good, each in its own way. To my surprise, my favorite turned out to be Thoroughly Modern Millie. It was a very fun and enjoyable show. I was also surprised by my least favorite show, which turned out to be Hairspray. I had very high expectations for this popular show but I found the music mostly uninteresting (and too loud). Not helping matters, the theater was cramped and uncomfortable (albeit charming). It was still worth seeing, just not as great as I hoped.
Anyway, I'll end there for now. I always enjoy reading other people's trip reports so thought I'd post a brief one myself. Thanks to all of you who provided advice. You all helped make it a great trip, which it was.
I had spent quite some time debating where to stay and had planned to stay in Times Square to be near all the theaters. A couple of you here had suggested I look elsewhere. At the last minute, I changed to the Gorham Hotel. And now that I've experienced the Times Square crowds in person, I'm glad I didn't stay there. The Gorham was close enough to walk to the theater but in a quieter area that was more pleasant to be in. For us at least! There are no doubt many families who would thrive on the constant commotion of Times Square, we're just not one of them. We got a room with two queen beds and a small living room for $165 on Quikbook, which I thought was a good price for the area and the amount of space we got. The hotel breakfast buffet for $12 was convenient and quite good with bagels, homemade waffles, hard boiled eggs, fruit, cereal, etc. My husband was happy with the hotel exercise facilities too. Just for variety, two mornings we splurged on a spectacular breakfast at Norma's in the nearby Parker Meridien.
We took the three hour Circle Line cruise around Manhattan, which was much more fun than I expected. The guide, while corny, was quite entertaining and informative. The cruise did not seem too long at all either and I was almost sorry when we were back.
The natural history museum was wonderful. We had no trouble walking into the Tom Hanks space show with no advance reservations. In fact, there were plenty of empty seats. The show was fine, although not as spectacular as I expected. But two caveats on the museum -- first, the line to buy admissions tickets just to get into the museum was a half hour long! This was on a Monday. I might have expected such crowds on a weekend, but not on a weekday, especially when it was sunny outside. Second, the gemstone/meteorite exhibition, which I had been looking forward to, was closed. But everything else was great about the museum.
Our walk through Greenwich Village was a minor disappointment. Things looked tired. Maybe we just didn't go to the right places. Central Park, on the other hand, was delightful.
The Broadway shows we saw were all good, each in its own way. To my surprise, my favorite turned out to be Thoroughly Modern Millie. It was a very fun and enjoyable show. I was also surprised by my least favorite show, which turned out to be Hairspray. I had very high expectations for this popular show but I found the music mostly uninteresting (and too loud). Not helping matters, the theater was cramped and uncomfortable (albeit charming). It was still worth seeing, just not as great as I hoped.
Anyway, I'll end there for now. I always enjoy reading other people's trip reports so thought I'd post a brief one myself. Thanks to all of you who provided advice. You all helped make it a great trip, which it was.
Jul 9th, 2003, 04:23 AM
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Miranda,
It sounds like you had a good time. Thanks for sharing..
In what area was the hotel where you ended up staying?
I will be visiting with my niece and don't want to be right in the thick of things, but do want to be near small deli's and inexpensive places to grab a bite to eat.
Any advice?
It sounds like you had a good time. Thanks for sharing..
In what area was the hotel where you ended up staying?
I will be visiting with my niece and don't want to be right in the thick of things, but do want to be near small deli's and inexpensive places to grab a bite to eat.
Any advice?
Jul 9th, 2003, 04:53 AM
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Miranda - thanks for the report. We'll be in NYC in 3 weeks, staying at the Gorham. Sounds like you liked it...Do you recommend it? Main reason we are staying there are for the queen beds (as well as smaller hotel in a "quiet" area). We also plan to splurge one morning at Normas. (And, have tix for Hairspray)
My DH plans to go to the Natural History Museum. Is there a way to get tickets in advance without having to stand in line?
The 3 hour Circle Line Cruise... We plan to do a Circle Line Cruise to see the Statue of liberty, etc. We thought about doing the one in the evening. Did you do the day or night one?
Sorry for all the questions. It's interesting to read your report since it sounds so similar to what I have planned!
My DH plans to go to the Natural History Museum. Is there a way to get tickets in advance without having to stand in line?
The 3 hour Circle Line Cruise... We plan to do a Circle Line Cruise to see the Statue of liberty, etc. We thought about doing the one in the evening. Did you do the day or night one?
Sorry for all the questions. It's interesting to read your report since it sounds so similar to what I have planned!
Jul 9th, 2003, 06:14 AM
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http://www.amnh.org/
Austin,
here is the site for the Nat History Museum. We were just there a couple of weeks ago, walked right in, so I am thinking that one of the problems with crowds is when day camps and school class trips come in, that can really bog down the ticket lines.
They also have to check all bags and purses when you enter, so be prepared to open you bag right away-so many women were startled by having to do this and took way too long to open all the diaper bags, etc
You will have to call Scarlett when you hit town
Austin,
here is the site for the Nat History Museum. We were just there a couple of weeks ago, walked right in, so I am thinking that one of the problems with crowds is when day camps and school class trips come in, that can really bog down the ticket lines.
They also have to check all bags and purses when you enter, so be prepared to open you bag right away-so many women were startled by having to do this and took way too long to open all the diaper bags, etc
You will have to call Scarlett when you hit town
Jul 9th, 2003, 07:57 AM
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Glad to hear your trip went well Miranda. I, too, was somewhat underwhelmed with Hairspray. Based on your review, I'm thinking I should see "Millie".
A few questions. I recall you were debating going to Chez Josephine. Did you go? Any restaurants your fussy teenagers particularly liked (for other Fodorites)?
A few questions. I recall you were debating going to Chez Josephine. Did you go? Any restaurants your fussy teenagers particularly liked (for other Fodorites)?
Jul 9th, 2003, 08:26 AM
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Just to answer various questions and add a bit more:
Yes I would definitely stay at the Gorham again. It is not a luxury hotel but is perfectly nice. I liked having a separate small living room so if someone wanted to stay up late reading they could do so without disturbing the other three of us as we tried to sleep. The hotel was a half block away from a medium sized supermarket handy for groceries. And there was a Hertz car rental right next door --- very convenient for two day trips we made. The hotel also offered free internet access and had a computer in the lobby available for those travelling without laptops. The lobby computer would not be suitable for real work, but could presumably be used to quickly check email or a website.
A great Greek restaurant called Molyvos was right around the corner from the Gorham. It was surprisingly good. And had a basic chicken dish fine for those fussy teens! There were lots of other restaurants in all price ranges and shops within walking distance.
To my regret, we never made it to Chez Josephine. Next trip!
We did splurge on one very adult meal at Aquavit. A totally unsuitable restaurant for fussy teens, in fact it would be hard to find ANYTHING on this menu to feed a fussy eater. Rare and even raw fish was the order of the day. But a very memorable night for us. I let my husband pay the bill and told him not to tell me the total!
We did our Circle Line tour during the day. I'm sure night would be fun too, but very different. Going around the entire island was half the fun --- I'm so glad we chose the longer tour.
By the way, we also went to the United Nations at the request of one of our kids. To tell you the truth, it wasn't worth the trip for us. Unless you take the guided tour (which we didn't feel up to), you can hardly see anything due to security regulations. Don't bother unless you take the tour. And I don't know how good the tour is. You can get a brief look at the UN from the Circle Line boat anyway.
One way to bypass the AMNH museum ticket line (and others have been suggested here since I posted) is to buy that ticket that gives you admission to seven or eight of the big attractions of New York. I believe you can walk right in with that ticket. However, unless you plan to do three or four of the attractions covered, the price is prohibitive.
Yes I would definitely stay at the Gorham again. It is not a luxury hotel but is perfectly nice. I liked having a separate small living room so if someone wanted to stay up late reading they could do so without disturbing the other three of us as we tried to sleep. The hotel was a half block away from a medium sized supermarket handy for groceries. And there was a Hertz car rental right next door --- very convenient for two day trips we made. The hotel also offered free internet access and had a computer in the lobby available for those travelling without laptops. The lobby computer would not be suitable for real work, but could presumably be used to quickly check email or a website.
A great Greek restaurant called Molyvos was right around the corner from the Gorham. It was surprisingly good. And had a basic chicken dish fine for those fussy teens! There were lots of other restaurants in all price ranges and shops within walking distance.
To my regret, we never made it to Chez Josephine. Next trip!
We did splurge on one very adult meal at Aquavit. A totally unsuitable restaurant for fussy teens, in fact it would be hard to find ANYTHING on this menu to feed a fussy eater. Rare and even raw fish was the order of the day. But a very memorable night for us. I let my husband pay the bill and told him not to tell me the total!
We did our Circle Line tour during the day. I'm sure night would be fun too, but very different. Going around the entire island was half the fun --- I'm so glad we chose the longer tour.
By the way, we also went to the United Nations at the request of one of our kids. To tell you the truth, it wasn't worth the trip for us. Unless you take the guided tour (which we didn't feel up to), you can hardly see anything due to security regulations. Don't bother unless you take the tour. And I don't know how good the tour is. You can get a brief look at the UN from the Circle Line boat anyway.
One way to bypass the AMNH museum ticket line (and others have been suggested here since I posted) is to buy that ticket that gives you admission to seven or eight of the big attractions of New York. I believe you can walk right in with that ticket. However, unless you plan to do three or four of the attractions covered, the price is prohibitive.
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