Visiting New York
 

My fiance and I are planning a one week trip to New York in June. We are from Vancouver, Canada. We have a few questions:

1) Are there any interesting tours or places to see that is unique to New York and/or something cannot find from Vancouver, Canada? We are getting the New York Pass granting us entry to a lot of attractions. Other places we plan to go visit are:
- Federal Reserve Bank (with tour)
- United Nations
- Grand Central Station
- New York Public Library
- St. Patrick's Cathedral
- The Highline
- Hudson Yard + Vessel
- Central Park
Are there any other places (within and outside Manhattan) that you would suggest that we check out?

2) We have seen a lot of Vegas Cirque shows and we absolutely love them. Are the Broadway shows the same quality as the Vegas Cirque shows?

3) We want to see some $10 million+ condo open houses in Manhattan. Is there any special ediquette or procedure for seeing an open house? Can we show up to the open house at the designated time without our own real estate agent?

4) We will be spending most of our time (if not all) in Manhattan but would like to see what the other boroughs are like. Are there subway line(s)/stop(s) that we should check out that would allow us to get a feel for what the other New York boroughs are like?

5) Are there any social housing / projects / ghettos in New York that is safe to visit during the day? I am looking to walk/drive by it just to see what it is like. Note that I have no interest in going inside the condos/houses. I merely want to see what the area is like.

1) I haven't been to Vancouver so I can't compare, but I can say that that's a pretty solid list but you've got a lot going on if it's just one week. Be sure to book the Fed tour in advance. Since you'll be here in June, consider adding a trip to Governors Island. You get a decent view of the Statue of Liberty without the crowds and I love roaming around on the island. I haven't been to Ellis Island since I was a kid but that might be of interest too. Lots of great museums here too but maybe that's not your thing? The Highline gets insanely crowded these days so go early. There are lots of interesting galleries in that area and you could walk by Penn South. I'm not sure if it's the kind of project you have in mind but you can see for yourself.

I think the best way to get the flavor of the city is to walk. Walk around the Lower East Side, the Village, the Upper West Side, Times Square, etc. Just roam.

2) Re Cirque, the closest I've seen is probably Siegfried and Roy in Vegas and that was a long time ago. The theaters here generally don't have waitstaff coming around with drinks and the shows aren't that flashy. They tend to be more traditional musicals and plays. But this is a generalization and the quality/glitziness of the shows depends on what you want to see. If you give us some guidelines, we can help you find a show you'll enjoy, If you're not sure you want to gamble on the full price of a ticket, hit one of the Tkts booths or Broadwaybox.com and see what discounted tickets are available.

3) Generally you can just appear at an open house but I haven't been to any in that price range.

4) Yes, lots of subway lines to the other boroughs. All boroughs are large and varied. Tell us what you're looking for and we will help you out.

5) There are lots of housing projects sprinkled all over the city. Just walk around and you'll see some. They vary greatly depending on where you are but, if you just want a rough idea, start with Penn South since you're going to be there anyway.

If you like art, the Frick and the Guggenheim rank as tops in my very humble opinion. Of course, the Met and Moma.

Broadway shows exceed in quality everywhere with the possible exception of London. Others can confirm or deny.

I'm going to guess that you won't be able to just walk into a $10 million property showing. In some cases, brokers even want proof that one can afford the place before an appointment is considered! Check online first and then contact the broker. Unannounced visitors are generally not welcomed.

Broadway Shows are not the type of shows you would see in Las Vegas (most of them anyway). They range from out and out spectacular musicals to serious dramas or comedies. You should research them and see which appeal to you. Definitely plan on seeing at least one.

High end condos do not generally have open houses. As mentioned above these properties are shown to prequalified buyers.

To see what other boroughs are like you could take the subway to Coney island and see the Russian influence. Or even to City Island for a seaside village.

Housing projects or ghettos as you call them sre not places to see people "on display"....IMHO

Other ideas for you: ... free ferry back and forth to Staten Island (passes statue of liberty)...Met....Top of the Rock...

I would highly recommend visiting the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and walking around that neighborhood. Note access to the museum's historic apartment building is by guided tour only and the tours often sell out, so it is good to try to reserve in advance.
https://www.tenement.org/plan-a-visit/
It is easy to continue your walk through Chinatown and Little Italy .

I second the Tenement Museum. It was kind of a time filler on my plan but I found it to be very interesting. The 911 Memorial museum is also interesting. I took the early morning tour that has a limited number of participants. You must make a reservation for this tour.

We will be spending most of our time (if not all) in Manhattan but would like to see what the other boroughs are like. Are there subway line(s)/stop(s) that we should check out that would allow us to get a feel for what the other New York boroughs are like?

Take the Lexington Ave. no.4 to the Mosholu Parkway station. All of its Bronx trajectory is elevated. The housing along the line was infamously emptied and boarded up in the early 1980's but has been rehabilitated. From the Mosholu Parkway station walk west (facing north, take a left on the green belt upon exiting the station) on Sedgewick Ave. and Van Cortlandt Park Avenue West to Broadway and 238 St. to take the no. 1 back to Manhattan. The walk takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Or walk on Broadway and under the elevated to 231 St. to see a local commercial area. As for social housing, the area between Van Cortlandt Park West and the park itself contains the Amalgamated Co-op housing, built from the late 1920's to the late 50's. Probably not the social housing you had in mind.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mo...!4d-73.8864111

https://flic.kr/p/8wJTq8
https://flic.kr/p/7vRkoG

The first thing I would say is that you should check whether you will actually get good value from your New York pass if you are intending to do all the things you list in your OP as well, most of which are free. I spent 4 days [5 nights] in NYC last September [my first visit] and I suppose that I saw about one half of what I had planned. You could easily spend half a day in Central Park and barely see half of it, and the High line is also half a day's worth. Plus NYC a big place and getting from one site to another takes time so it's a good idea to try to group sites together so you don't waste too much time crossing the city to get from one place to another.

To give you an idea of what I managed to do in 4 days, as best I can remember it was a bit like this:
Day 1 - Gracie mansion [the home of the Mayor of NYC, must be booked in advance], the Neue Gallerie [wonderful Viennese cafe] and Central Park
Day 2 - The Met, lunch in central park, the Frick and Come from Away on Broadway
Day 3 - A tour of the Chelsea area followed by a walk around the Piers and the High Line
Day 4 - The New York Historical Society, Battery Park and Washington Square.

Looking at it, I only saw about ¼ of what I'd thought I could.

Something I was very glad I did and which I'm sure was worth the money was to buy a week's travel pass at the first subway station i got to - this covered me for buses too [good for getting from west to east and vv] and meant that I didn't need to worry about buying tickets. And I could have tried to get a cheap ticket for a show on Broadway but i decided that as I'd really only got time to see one show, I'd choose it myself and get the best seat I could. As you will be there for longer you might decide differently.

I think the iconic places of New York City have got to include the Met, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Central Park, the Ground Zero memorial, St Patrick's. Either Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building.

Honestly you don't need a pass. Buy tickets for either skyscraper or Ground Zero directly. And the pass kinda locks you in. These might have been useful in the days before the Internet but to me they are about as current as an Entertainment Book.

Seeing a Broadway show was wonderful. As others said, they are not at like Las Vegas. But all three of my teenagers thought the show we saw was awesome and a trip highlight. Afterward, we went around to the back to get our program signed afterward as the cast left.

For me personally, a day trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island was very moving. The way to avoid crowds is to go early. We booked tickets on one of the earliest departures. We were actually in time for a prior boat, and they encouraged us to take it. We also got off at the Statue of Liberty, but did not spend as long there, maybe 45 minutes.


I get the feeling you'd like to see how a range of New Yorkers actually live. This is pretty cool that you want to do that--but not always easy as a traveler. I suggest that you spend some time on TripAdvisor looking for some walking tours of different neighborhoods. I have done this in San Francisco and you do learn a lot. I don't think roaming on your own would be as productive as a walking tour.

I hope you post back here after your trip about how it went.



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If you decide to go to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, book a Pedestal tour ticket. It is the same price as the general ticket but you are allowed to go through a shorted line at security and to board the boat. The tour is a self guided tour and is pretty interesting. Great views because you a bit higher up.

In Brooklyn, check out Coney Island, and the Russian ghetto hood where the Russian mobsters walk around with bears as pets and drink vodka outdoors... all day.

Yeah ... not a thing.

But Coney Island may still be worth a look in June, as might Brighton Beach (the Russian neighborhood nearby). Note that if you want to eat at the Brighton Beach restaurants, you have to dress up. Absolutely no shorts or sneakers allowed.