ciaony

Please forgive the tone of this post if it seems a bit hostile but I'm compelled to post after reading so many threads about NYC pertaining to midtown.

It seems that, overwhelmingly, when people visit NYC, they mean the area somewhere between 23rd St to somewhere in the 60s.

Downtown has so much going on.

Midtown has one tourist trap after another and is completely packed to the gills with car and truck traffic.

I understand what midtown does have to offer, believe me, but there's more to downtown than "Ground Zero".

It's just my opinion. Maybe I'm unfairly biased.

jlm_mi

You do sound a bit hostile, though I also feel you should be biased when offering opinions about travel.

That said, I don't think this is going to accomplish anything. Rather than ranting and pouting, why not respond to the threads where people are asking for ideas of what to do in NYC. In that way, you can get the word out of what attractions there are in downtown without sounding like a raving lunatic. (that was a joke, btw)

Frank

A first time tourist couldn't possibly stay out of midtown and honestly say they visited Manhattan. What does downtown have that can compare to Broadway theater, Empire State Building, Rock Center, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick's, MOMA, United Nations, Central Park, Carriage Rides, Saks, Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Macy's and Grand Central, top flight restaurants and hotels, strolling 5th Avenue, and I'm sure others can add dozens of additional attractions.

Keep in mind that Midtown is also much more convenient to uptown attractions like Lincoln Center, Met Museum, Museum of Natural History, the Upper East and West Sides.

Midtown will always be the epicenter of Manhattan, particularly for tourists. Having said that, downtown has it's share of attractions, but just not as many important ones.

sfamylou

I don't know what you're talking about. My own NY trip report, and many others I've read, have included all sorts of non-Midtown destinations, including but not limited to Brooklyn for gardens, restaurants and the Brooklyn Museum; Statue of Liberty and Battery Park area; Firefighter Museum near Soho; SoHo; Lower East Side; Little Italy and Chinatown; Dumbo. By the way, I saw tourist traps all over Manhattan. As a matter of fact, they exist all over the USA. Rattlesnake museums, anyone?

michelleNYC

I *wish* more tourists would visit downtown so there would be less congestion in my office building (Rockefeller Plaza)

MikeT

Also, most of the hotels that appeal to tourists are in Midtown.

suzanne

Ciaony, I agree with you about Midtown being unpleasant compared to other areas of the city. But with super-tall skyscrapers, the bright lights of Times Square, and the sheer crowdedness of it all, I could see why visitors would want to check it out - it's so completely different than where they come from!

I disagree with you saying that visitors overwhelmingly are only interested in Midtown. I see TONS of requests on this forum for information on Chinatown, Soho, and the Meatpacking District. And I've noticed in the past 5 years or so how PACKED with tourists those neighborhoods have become.

But yes, there still are lots of places where tourists rarely seem to venture, such as Tribeca and the far West Village, and even the East Village and Lower East Side - perhaps my four favorite neighborhoods in Manhattan!

Gothampc

I'm a NYer and I hate going into Midtown. However, everyone I know who visits wants to go there. Times Square is "the crossroads of the world" and I think everyone wants to experience the energy that is there.

But I somewhat disagree with you. I live in the Village and on the weekends it is a madhouse. The SUV crowd drives in and hits the Village thinking they are going to see the next Bob Dylan or Mamas & Papas. The SUVs driving through and honking their horns when they aren't moving makes the area horrible. The off-Broadway theater scene is not what it once was, the bars and clubs aren't really special, and the music scene has really moved away from the Village. So I guess it is in each person's perspective.

nytraveler

Midtown is primarily a business district - and has the character of a business district - although it also has a lot for tourists to see and do. As well as a huge number of hotels.

Various areas of downtown and uptown also have many things for tourists to see and do - and I don't notice any lack of tourists in any of those places either.

Are you suggesting that tourists never visit midtown? That's simply silly - since they would miss so much that is typical of NYC.

I really don;t understand your issue.

ciaony

You got "never visit midtown" from what I posted?

I just mean that below 14th Street is where the great family-run restaurants are.
The boutiques along Bleecker.
The bars where the French people hang out, or the Italians or others.
Bed and Breakfasts and chic hotels alike.
Overwhelmingly, people walking through my neighborhood are walking to or from home, not running on their way to work.
Here, just west of SoHo, we walk to the Village, tribeca, the Hudson River waterfront, Chinatown, Little Italy. We are a ten minute walk in any direction to an entirely different neighborhood with it's own heartbeat.

I don't know, I guess this isn't the place for this, but I really love my neighborhood, and I think its a shame if its charm is missed by people who leave thinking they've seen New York City.

MikeT

I don't know. As a tourist, everytime I go to the Village and SOHO, it appears pretty overrun by tourists. These aren't exactly hidden gems, but regular tourist destinations.

abram

We've seen lots of the NY sights outside of midtown over the years, but now when we go to NY, it's for a theater weekend--four shows in two or three days.

So staying in the Times Square area is what makes snese for us--we can get to TKTS and the the various theaters in a 5 minute walk.

nytraveler

Exactly - I live on the upper west side and love it - would never want to live in midtown. And encourage tourists to explore the neighborhood as well as the sights - and visit some of the huge number of great inexpensive restaurants.

And there are lots of tourists at the major sights here too - thought not nearly as many as midtown.

But face it - the average tourist on a 2 day trip doesn;t have time to get beyond a few basics - and all you can do is keep encourageing people who stay longer - or are on return trips to explore other areas.

What I donl;t understand is your perception that tourists don;t go downtown. Whenever I go down there I'm tripping over them constantly.

antlori

Ciaony, I'm bringing my nephew to NYC at the end of the month and we are staying downtown the first night so we can explore the area. We had just planned to walk around downtown after we come back from walking the Brooklyn Bridge. I know it's more than Ground Zero, but what would you recommend as things we shouldn't miss?

ciaony

New York is the city it is because it’s got personality, and that personality is the sum of its parts.

See how people actually live in NYC and you'll "get" New York.

Off the top of my head (and even before coffee this morning):
Battery Park City- living on the waterfront and socializing on beautiful landscaping.
TriBeCa- The meticulously restored factory and warehouse buildings are now full of families and high end boutiques and eateries.
The Wall Street Area- What happens here during the course of business affects the lives of people all over the world.
South Street Fish Market/Seaport- Go in the morning and see the fish market before it's gone. It's a part of "working" New York you rarely get to see.
Chinatown- I've never been to China but I can't imagine Chinatown in NYC is far from the real thing.
Lower East Side/ East Village/Alphabet City- It's where people, like my grandmother, lived when they came here, nearly penniless, from all over the world, and then worked to get out. Today, people live in million-dollar apartments among the low-income dwellings. Some of our city’s most interesting artisans, musicians, and the like, make their home here.
SoHo-Now, essentially an outdoor mall of exquisite shops from around the world, 15 years ago this place was a ghost town. The buildings, made of steel and cast iron, were strictly commercial space, and the town was in a state of disrepair.
Greenwich Village (a.k.a.: The Village)/ Washington Square Park- This, to me, is the most casual neighborhood in NYC. People here are being themselves and not apologizing to anyone for it.
The West Village-This is one of the few downtown neighborhoods in NYC where people live in “houses”. Their wealthy owners have exquisitely restored the townhouses and brownstones at great expense. Tree-lined streets and boutiques pepper the area.
Meat packing district- A bit over-developed, this is a beautiful area that has been converted into a giant dining town. The chic Gansevoort Hotel overlooks some of the most crowded eateries and nightspots in NYC. Take the guest elevator up to see the view from the rooftop bar and lounge.

To me, this is New York.

justme22

the thing is, midtown gets the best national and world wide press, i go into the city on occassion (been in NJ most of my life) and really only started exploring downtown after many years of hitting the theatre district. don't fret so. i encourage all my friends to start at battery park and work their way uptown. what is the best nyc has to offer? battery park to central park!

nytraveler

Ciaony -

What you're desribing is a only small part of New York - althoug interesting and vibrant - the city is much more than that. You're ignoring by far the largest part of the city - in terms of size, activities, sights, # of people - working and living - most of the major museums and educational institutions etc.

I think you've become so focussed on your part of the city you're missing the rest - and tourists are never going to explore just downtown at the expense of everything else - including both the bulk of Manhattan and many places in the outer boroughs.

Talk up your part of the city - fine- but don;t ignore the rest.

kalunchi

I agree with nytraveler, as much as i love downtown NY, midtown is really the majority of NY when it comes to a tourist. If I was a tourist visiting NY, I would think that the Lower East Side, Tribeca, Battery Park, Alphabet City, all of that can be missed and replaced with midtown's Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, 5th Avenue, Times Square, Central Park, Empire State Building, and maybe Grand Central - what's so special about a train station?
I don't think you should be offended/upset that tourists are visiting midtown NY and not focusing on downtown NY. As a NYer, I take pride in every single neighborhood in NY.

ciaony

Resting my case, I respectfully disagree and hope to see you all below 14th Street for a cold drink someday.

Ciao a tutti!

GoTravel

antlori, visit this site:

www.downtownny.com

Has so many free maps, publications, etc. Downtown is a cultural hotbed with many museums, sites, and best of all FREE TRANSPORTATION.

Downtown is my favorite part of Manhattan (Financial district, below City Hall)