purplesage

I'm hoping I can get some feed back from you experts out there. My husband and I will be staying in NYC May 27th thru May 31rst.
We will arrive very late Thurs. May 27, flying in from La Gardia and staying at the Michelangelo (thanks to the great reviews here)
Fri May 28
9am helicoptor tour (Liberty Helicoptors)
On hudson River - we will see Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Ellis Island, Yankee Stadium, Empire State bldg, and more.
This is a 15 min. tour.
Central PArk
Soup Nazi (does anyone know if he is open at this date?)
5:30 dinner at Le Bernardin
8pm show Hairspray
walking thru Times square

Sat. May 29th
11:15 tenement tour
noon Gatz Deli
Empire State Bldg. (with pre-ordered tickets)
5:30 Trecolori
8pm Mama Mia

Sun May 30
Ground zero, Wall Street, Brooklyn,
lunch at Grimaldi's, walk back across the brooklyn bridge
Greenwich Village, Soho, Little Italy
Grand Central Station
ideas for dinner??
We realize it will be stretching it to eat both lunch and an early dinner but we plan on eating right at noon and sharing so as not to be too full for dinner. We really want to eat at the soup kitchen and Gatz deli even if its sharing a meal.
Any comments?
Thanks so much.

emd

hi purplesage. I am also staying at the Michelangelo (1st time) on Memorial Day weekend. I can't comment on your itinerary. I am just getting mine hammered down, and there are such great NY posters on here who will help. But did you know that there is a big street festival on that Sunday May 30 on 7th St, from 47th to 59th St.? 350 exhibitors, crafts, food- a shopping carnival is how it is billed. 7th Street will be shut down for 12 blocks. See www.nycvisit.com. I figure since Micelangelo is on 51st btwn 6th and 7th, we will not have it right outside our door like some of the hotels on 7th Ave. but it might take a bit of time to get around 7th Ave on foot and will mess up the traffic in the area that day. We are also planning some shopping and walking in the village and other areas you ahve for Sunday, but I think we will also take a look at this festival it is called Times Square festival) since it is right there.

purplesage

Hey EMD,
Thanks for the info on the street fair.
Sounds great. It will be fun to check out since its so close. I am so excited about our hotel and our trip. Maybe we can buy you a drink at the Michelangelo since we'll both be there at the same time. We can meet and tell each other how our days adventures went over a drink. I've been to NYC once a long time ago but this will be my husbands first trip. What must do's do you foresee?

nohomers

Please note that Sunday is probably the worst time to visit Wall Street and the financial district. The area will be deserted, with most stores and restaurants closed. On the other hand, Sunday is the best day to visit Central Park, the roads in the park are closed to traffic and you get to see how New Yorkers use the park as their backyard. So maybe you should see Wall Street Friday morning and Central Park on Sunday.

emd

We get in on Friday at 4 from D.C. Also doing the Tenement Museum as you are- not sure if we will do that on Sat. or Sun. but are looking at the noon slot for Corfino tour so may run into you there if we go on Sat. I am taking my 11 yr old daughter alone on this trip. My Mom immigrated from Germany just before WWII, and I have taken my son to Ellis Island where she came in, but I think the tenement museum and a smaller scale, more intimate setting is better for her. While in the Lower East Side we will go to Katz, as you are (I think you mean Katz and not Gatz?), but also a few other shops (the candy stores recommended here, get gelato at Laboratorio del Gelato-- have you seen the area of the tenement museum's website tht has all those places and more listed?). Also plan to do walk through Chinatown and Little Italy. She is into Korea (several friends from there and she is teaching herself some Korean from CDs and dictionary) so I thought about lunch in Koreatown around Empire State Bldg (36 BBQ and Bar at 5 W. 36th btwn 5th and 6th has been recommended as hip and fun-- around corner from ESB, you grill your own BBQ at the table), although neither of us want to take time to do the ESB. Also Greenwich Village to walk and experience (daughter wants to shop and Betwixt there has been recommended for her age). And WTC, but she's got mixed feelings on that, it will be her call (I've been). Would like to walk the Brooklyn Bridge- this is not something I'd have thought of but it is so highly recommended on this forum and my daughter loves chocolate so would like to get to Jacques Torres which I think is associated w/the Bridge (my notes say "in Dumbo on Water St.", whatever that means). We have tickets to Wicked on Friday night and Hairspray on Sat. night. The time is filling up, but we have Monday til 5 p.m. I've been to NY so many times for pleasure and business (and she has been once w/us) but since reading all the posts and trip reports on here, I realize there is so much to do that I never thought of-- we will just need more trips there! I had hoped to eat at Cafe Un Deux Trois and Tratoria del Arte w/her, and maybe Landmarc in Tribeca (all recommended to me for this trip on here), but I have to be reasonable and get the itinerary down w/enough time to not rush and hence make it a task instead of a fun trip for us both. We may end up w/one good p.m. meal on Sunday night when we have no theater and just filling it in the other days due to theater times and other plans. I don't want to cut too much time off the day to get a nice sit down meal before theater, as I know she'd enjoy having more time to have fun in the city.
I'm in process today of figuring out our potential itinerary and posting it this week, so keep an eye open, then we can see if we can fit in a drink.
Would love to meet you and your husband in the hotel lounge for a drink if it works out; we'll both be busy so will just have to see, and work it out. I bet we will run into each other at that coffee bar and pastry that they serve at Micelangelo in the a.m.!
BTW- Where are you coming from?
Re your dinner on Sunday: I see you have French on Fri. night, Italian on Sat. night (assuming from the name)-- what are you thinking for Sun night? I have new American hip places I love (like Judson Grill) but it depends on what you like.
Long post, I know, but you caught me in the middle of planning the trip today.

purplesage

EMD,

Wow, you have a great itinerary. It sounds like you will have a wonderful time with your daughter. We both wish we could see Wicked also. Maybe it will come to Houston soon, which is where we're from. I forgot about the free breakfast in the morning. I will keep an eye out for you and your daughter. It would be fun to swap stories and ideas while drinking some coffee. The Judson Grill is a place I have wanted to eat, nice to know someone who can vouch for it.
I was hoping someone would know about The International Soup Kitchen (the soup nazi). It is so hard trying to fit in everything and still have a good time without exhausting yourself.
I did mean Kats deli by the way.
For the other poster - thanks for the tip about Wall Street. We plan on going to the park on Sunday too since it's so close.

nytraveler

I would definitely not have a big lunch and then a very early dinner. Why not have lunch at 1 pm and then dinner after the theater? You'll also be much more confortable in the theater if you haven;t just rushed through a big meal. We always eat after and find we enjoy both the show and the meal much more!

emd1

purplesage: If you check this post again, fyi I am also from Houston, owned a house in Bellaire for years til I moved to D.C. area. Still go back often to see family and friends. Maybe we can figure out a way to hook up for a drink or that morning coffee without giving out any personal info on here. If you respond back again, we can figure something out.
P.S. I really like Judson Grill alot. Hip and buzzing bar and very good food and great wine stewards (but the tab will be up there).

purplesage

Emd,

It's a small world, isn't it. I am really getting excited about my trip.
If you look around at breakfast time and see a couple around 50 years young checking out the other occupants while sipping coffee that will be us. I am short with long dark hair and my hubby is med height with brown hair. I'll tell him to wear his Astros ballcap(he usually only wears it at the AStros's games). It won't be long now.

emd

purplesage: If you check back here, it turns out we will be heading from the Michelangelo to the Tenement Museum at the same time you are on Saturday a.m. If you are leaving from the hotel, we could share a cab instead of doing subway, if you are interested.

mclaurie

Sounds like you'll all have a great time. Don't know if you're still looking for a Sun nite dinner purplesage. If yes you need to say what neighborhood (will you stay downtown or are you going back to the hotel?) What kind of food?

Wanted to mention to both of you there's a newish rest. called Schiller's (www.schillersny.com) on the lower east side that's supposed to be good & not expensive. I haven't tried it yet.

GoTravel

The only thing I want to add is keep this itinerary as a loose outline.