Hello,
I am staying at the Roosevelt Hotel next weekend (Sat morning - Sunday afternoon). Is it a long walk from the Roosevelt to the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Would it be best to walk up 5th Ave., take the subway or a cab? I also want to visit the Whitney. Also, can you recommend some good (but not fancy and snobby) restaurants around the Roosevelt? I was looking at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal, but I don't think they are open on the weekend?
What would the walk be like from the Roosevelt to the Empire State Building in the early evening (say, 7:00 or 8:00 pm). My husband would be with me. Would it be nicer to walk down Lexington or Park Ave.?
Last question- I am flying out of LaGuardia at 5:30 pm on Sunday. What time should I plan on leaving the Roosevelt (45th and Madison Ave.) to get to the airport in plenty of time (say by 3:00 or 3:30) Thanks, I have posted here before and you New Yorkers are always so helpful. I have never been to NYC before and I am very excited about going.

The walk up to the Met will be 40+ blocks. Yor feet will be hurting even before you walk up the steps of the museum. Your best bet is to take a bus straight up Madison Ave. to 81st St. (M1, M2, M3, M4.......do NOT get on the M32 unless you want to go to Bloomingdale's on E. 59th St.) Buses are $1.50 each in coins. NO $$ BILLS. Get a Metrocard. The bus also stops directly in front of the Whitney at Madison and 75th St. It is a very easy walk from the Whitney to the Met. Walk on Madison, see all the galleries and stores in the 70s and 80s. A wonderful neighborhood.

There are quite a few restaurants in Grand Central Station that are open over the weekend.

Walking to the Empire State Blgd at night is ok. Donot walk on Lex. or Park. A bit too dark and isolated. Walk on Madison to 42nd St. and then over to Fifth Ave.(NYC Main Library Branch) Walk down Fifth to 34th Street.

I would leave your hotel at around 2:15 - 2:30 for the airport. You never know what the traffic will be like, what streets are closed for events and what accidents have taken place. Get to the airport early and then sit and relax with a cup of coffee and a meal as most flights offer nothing to eat.

Jak,

The above poster is right on, and I think you will like the Roosevelt. There are a couple of places to eat right at the hotel and several in the immediate area at the Met Life Building and Grand Central Station. There are also alot of fast food and delis on 42nd St. as well.

For a really nice meal one evening I would suggest my favorite in the area on 3rd Ave called Docks. VERY fresh seafood and not terribly expensive. Docks is at 40th and 3rd Ave. If you feel like exploring a bit, there are lots of restaurants on 3rd Ave.

If you walked all the way to the Met it would take alot of time from the short time you are here, so hop on the bus on Madison Ave as mentioned earlier and that way you will get to see a bit more of the city. There are also alot of restaurants and cafes in the area of the Met for lunch or you can eat at the restaurant at the Met. The Met is open later in the evening on Sat night and often there are concerts there.

You might enjoy a trip on the Staten Island ferry in the evening and stop in Little Italy for dinner or deserts on your way back to the hotel.

If you want to be at the airport by 3:30 which is probably going to be wise, since the lines at LGA tend to be long over the weekend, you need to leave the hotel by 2:45 at the latest. From the Roosevelt the easiest way to get to LaGuardia is through the midtown tunnel or the 59th St. bridge.

Enjoy your time in the city.

Hotel to Met - just under 2 miles. Walk straight up 5th Ave.
Hotel to Empire State - a bit more than 1/2 mile. Walk down 5th Ave.
Definately walk to the Empire State.
If you feel 2 miles is too much to walk take a bus on Madison.
Taxi to LGA will take around 30 minutes, maybe a bit longer. 2:45, as suggested in another note, should be about right.

I agree with travelbuff about Docks - it's fantastic. I was just there for brunch last weekend and it wasn't crowded at all. It's kind of fancy, and definitely not snobby.

Thanks so much for the great information. I will take the bus up to the museums. I don't want to waste all that time walking. Thanks for the suggestion about the restaurants in Grand Central. I was wondering about that very thing. I also appreciate the tip on the seafood restaurant! We might try that Saturday night or maybe the Met Saturday night and the Whitney Saturday afternoon. Edward Hopper is one of my faves. I will be sure to leave the Roosevelt by 2:30 for the airport. Are there any decent eats in LaGuardia? We will have a long flight home. I will let you know how we do!!

Jak

LGA is a pretty big airport these days and depending on what airline you are flying, the terminals are spread out. All the terminals however have fast food and a couple of sitdown places or you can get snacks and take them to the gate. If you are flying on American for example, as you walk into the terminal there are several fast food and a newstand/gift shop to your immediate left.

Another museum not mentioned is the Guggenheim (spelling?) a short walk up 5th Ave from the Met at 90th St.

Again hope you have a great time.

Here's another recommendation for the buses. There are miles and miles of exhibits at the Met! The one-day fun pass is only $4 (available at any subway station) for unlimited rides on the buses and subways. Also, you can go to the Empire State Building website, purchase your tickets online and print them yourself to avoid the ticket line. Tickets are not "timed" and are valid for one year.

I understand that the online ticket for the Empire State Building avoids the ticket line, but not the lines for the elevators, which can be much longer. We went at 9pm in Oct this year and there were no lines at all, and the city lit up for the night was spectacular (if chilly!). We rented the audio tour which was good, but we didn't go to the Skyline show.

We stayed at the Roosevelt in Oct-very clean (room could have used a little updating), great location, good sized room with a king bed and fairly large bathroom. Not all rooms have a tub only shower so if you want both-ask. Lobby was lovely and the staff was helpful. It's almost across the street from Grand central terminal so transportation via subway to any location is easy. Grand central is beautiful and has many small bakeries for grabbing a quick breakfast. Hot-n-Crusty has good black and white cookies. We also like the Cosi sandwich shop (right across from the Roosevelt on 45th) for a quick lunch-hot flat bread (excellent) with toppings like brie. We get a citypass which include ESB tickets. Got there at 8:30 on a Monday AM and stood in a short line for security but bypassed the longer line to purchase tickets, so we got on the first elevator. After we were done the viewing area was extremely crowded and the line to get in was about 2 blocks out the door. Most subways leave from GCT or you can catch the S (42nd street shuttle) to Times square where most of the other trains stop. Short walk to times square, rockefeller, ESB, UN, Library. Take an Express (can't remember the number, maybe 4 or 5) to get to SofL. IF the have time consider the Circline cruise-took the twilight two hour cruise and enjoyed the scenery very much. It was very relaxing after running all over the city for three days. It was included in the Citypass along with the Whitney and other attractions. Have fun and wear comfortable shoes!

If you don't think you'll be using the subway, but still want the Metrocard Visitor pass, you can purchase them from the small Transportation Museum in Grand Central Terminal. It's just to the west of the main area (forget what that room is called). Easier than dealing with vending machine down below. Do try the subways. While aged, they really are safe & reliable, and will get you at least near where you wish to go quickly. The Metrocard allows free transfer between bus & subway, but I'd go for the unlimited travel FunPass ($4), as after 2 trips in a day you've move than broken even.

You will be fine walking around anywhere in midtown at night..some streets may be deserted but they are perfectly safe. I really think for a 5:30 flight getting to the airport at 3:45 or 4:00 would be plenty of time. Not much to do at LGA..no sense in waiting around for no reason. I have flown a lot the past year on many airlines and have yet to wait more then 20 minutes from the time i get outof the cab till i am at the gate.