yk's Trip Report: July 4th Weekend in NYC
Jul 8th, 2008 | 11:17 AM
#1
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yk's Trip Report: July 4th Weekend in NYC
DH & I spent a 3-day weekend in Manhattan. Our visit was prompted by 3 main factors:
1) My brother was visiting NYC that weekend
2) We were able to get a great deal for the bus between Boston/NYC
3) We have friends in Manhattan who we could stay with (and their apt has great view of fireworks)
Transportation
There are 5 bus companies that operate the route between Boston/NYC, so the bus fares are ridiculously cheap due to the fierce competition. We took Megabus, which fares start at $1 eacy way. We got our tickets 1 month ago, and scored $6 & $8 tickets. So the total for BOTH of us roundtrip came out to $28!
While in NYC, we only took public transportation. We spent about $26 between the 2 of us.
July 4th
DH & I took the 8:30am Megabus from Boston to NYC. The bus was fine, and the driver was professional. The bus is a wi-fi zone, and nonstop. Drop-off in NYC is Penn Station. The trip took just under 4 hours.
We were staying w/friends who live near the Queens Tunnel on the East side. We first stopped for lunch in Korean town on the way. We ate at Won Jo on W 32nd Street. DH ordered an octopus hot stone bimbimbap, I had "Soon Tofu Chige" which is a spicy broth with tofu and clams, served w/rice on the side. We also got 7 complimentary ban chans (these are small plates of appetizers). The ban chans have more variety in NYC than what we normally get in Boston. Among the 7 plates include kimchee, lotus root, tripe, soft shell crab, spinach etc.
The prices for our dishes are actually cheaper than the Korean restaurants we usually eat in Boston. Lunch was around $30.
Won Jo
23 West 32nd Street
New York, NY 10001
http://www.wonjo32.com/
After we arrived at our friends' place, DH & I decided to go uptown to visit Rockefeller University. Unfortunately, we arrived at the front gate only to find that the campus is closed to visitors on weekends and holidays. We walked around the area for a bit and then headed back to our friends' place.
We had Chinese take-out for dinner and then watched the fireworks from the apartment. Since their apt is pretty much on First Ave, we have a great view of the fireworks without having to go outside to be in the crowds (and in rain that night)!
July 5th
I had this brilliant idea that I wanted to visit Govenors Island and to see the Eliasson Waterfalls.
http://www.nycwaterfalls.com/
We stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a quick breakfast, then took the subway and got off at Wall Street. We walked along Wall Street eastward until we arrived at Pier 11. From Pier 11, we could see 2 of the 4 waterfalls - the one under Brooklyn Bridge and the one over at Brooklyn Piers. We then walked south until we arrived at the Govenors Island ferry terminal. The terminal is a beautiful Beaux-Arts building dating back to 1908.
We took the 11am ferry. The ride takes just 10 minutes or so. As our ferry approached, we could see the Govenors Island Waterfall very clearly.
Governors Island is now part of the National Park Service.
http://www.nps.gov/gois/
They offer free guided walking tours but unfortunately we didn't have the time. We walked around for about 45 minutes before taking the ferry back towards Manhattan.
We met up with a friend and my brother for lunch at JoJo, one of many Jean-Georges' restaurants. For lunch, they offer a 3-dish prix-fixe for $24.07. Basically it's 2 plates of appetizers plus dessert. There are plenty of choices to choose from. Between the 4 of us, we tried the mushroom ravioli, tuna tartare, asparagus salad, and steamed prawns. Everything tasted nice but the portions are really not that big. We had enough but I think anyone with a hearty appetite will leave the restaurant hungry.
JoJo
160 East 64th Street
New York, NY 10021
http://www.jean-georges.com/
My brother, DH & I walked from JoJo to Metropolitan Museum of Art. We were able to get in for free as we have reciprocal membership.
The Met is pretty much mobbed on that Saturday afternoon, especially the Turner show which just opened on July 1st. The show is enormous, with over 150 oil paintings (plus many watercolors). Many of the paintings came from Tate in London. I didn't like the early paintings but the later ones are truly great in terms of him depicting sunlight and moonlight.
After Turner, we went to visit the newly-reopened Greek & Roman Galleries. We really enjoyed the setting, with the open courtyard and the abundant skylight.
Sadly, the Met Roof (with a Jeff Koons exhibition) was closed for the day. We left the Met at around 4pm. On our way to the subway station, we walked past Neue Galerie. Wouldn't it perfect to go in for some afternoon coffee and cake right now at Cafe Sabarsky? Expecting a long line, we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves the only ones in line. We were seated after a 5-min wait.
I have been to Cafe Sabarsky before, but not my brother nor DH. They both love the place (so do I). The decor and ambience is so reminiscent of a Viennese cafe. We ordered a couple of coffees, my brother a Sachertorte, and I had a Topfentorte (Viennese quark cheesecake).
http://www.cafesabarsky.com/
By the time we left (after 5pm), there was a line waiting for the Cafe. While we were staying with my friends, my brother got the Time Square Westin via Priceline. So we headed to his room for a rest. He was given a high-floor corner room, and upon our arrival, we found a complimentary fruit and cheese plate plus 2 Italian bottled waters. The view from his room was unbelievable.
Even though we just had coffee and cake, we couldn't resist muching on the cheese plate (cheddar, blue, and goat cheese).
One of our relatives met up with us at the hotel, and we headed to East Village for dinner at La Zarza. It boasts a Spanish-Argentinian menu though I'm not sure what constitutes Argentinian. We decided to order tapas only and no entrees. Between the 4 of us, we ordered 8 dishes and thought that was adequate. Most of them were pretty good. My only complaint was that instead of serving 2-3 dishes at a time, all 8 plates came at the same time. It was difficult to eat all of them without some getting cold; plus our table simply wasn't large enough to hold all 8 dishes! Dinner came out to about $30pp (8 dishes + 2 beers).
La Zarza
166 First Avenue
New York, NY 10009
http://www.lazarzanyc.com/
After dinner, we crossed the street and had coffee/dessert at Veniero's. We managed to grab one of the sidewalk tables. We ordered cheesecake, eclair, cannoli. What a great way to end a day!
Veniero's
342 East 11th Street
New York, N.Y. 10003
http://www.venierospastry.com
July 6th
Still full from all the food we ate the day before, DH & I skipped breakfast. We went to Westin and hung out with my brother for a short while (and drank the free Starbucks coffee in his room). Afterwards, we went uptown and visited a friend on the UWS. We had brunch at Dock's which offers a decent Sunday Brunch for $15.95. It includes one dish plus juice (or mimosa or champagne or bloody mary) plus coffee/tea.
Dock's
2427 Broadway @ 89th St
New York, NY 10024
http://www.docksoysterbar.com/
After brunch, we went back to this friend's apartment for some dessert, before DH & I headed back to Penn Station to catch our 3:30pm Megabus back to Boston. Despite hitting some traffic, we made good time and was back in 4 hours.
Overall, we didn't really do that much in NYC, but it's always nice to see friends and family. It was a rather budget weekend and we were pleased that it's quite easy to eat well in NYC for not that much $!
1) My brother was visiting NYC that weekend
2) We were able to get a great deal for the bus between Boston/NYC
3) We have friends in Manhattan who we could stay with (and their apt has great view of fireworks)
Transportation
There are 5 bus companies that operate the route between Boston/NYC, so the bus fares are ridiculously cheap due to the fierce competition. We took Megabus, which fares start at $1 eacy way. We got our tickets 1 month ago, and scored $6 & $8 tickets. So the total for BOTH of us roundtrip came out to $28!
While in NYC, we only took public transportation. We spent about $26 between the 2 of us.
July 4th
DH & I took the 8:30am Megabus from Boston to NYC. The bus was fine, and the driver was professional. The bus is a wi-fi zone, and nonstop. Drop-off in NYC is Penn Station. The trip took just under 4 hours.
We were staying w/friends who live near the Queens Tunnel on the East side. We first stopped for lunch in Korean town on the way. We ate at Won Jo on W 32nd Street. DH ordered an octopus hot stone bimbimbap, I had "Soon Tofu Chige" which is a spicy broth with tofu and clams, served w/rice on the side. We also got 7 complimentary ban chans (these are small plates of appetizers). The ban chans have more variety in NYC than what we normally get in Boston. Among the 7 plates include kimchee, lotus root, tripe, soft shell crab, spinach etc.
The prices for our dishes are actually cheaper than the Korean restaurants we usually eat in Boston. Lunch was around $30.
Won Jo
23 West 32nd Street
New York, NY 10001
http://www.wonjo32.com/
After we arrived at our friends' place, DH & I decided to go uptown to visit Rockefeller University. Unfortunately, we arrived at the front gate only to find that the campus is closed to visitors on weekends and holidays. We walked around the area for a bit and then headed back to our friends' place.
We had Chinese take-out for dinner and then watched the fireworks from the apartment. Since their apt is pretty much on First Ave, we have a great view of the fireworks without having to go outside to be in the crowds (and in rain that night)!
July 5th
I had this brilliant idea that I wanted to visit Govenors Island and to see the Eliasson Waterfalls.
http://www.nycwaterfalls.com/
We stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a quick breakfast, then took the subway and got off at Wall Street. We walked along Wall Street eastward until we arrived at Pier 11. From Pier 11, we could see 2 of the 4 waterfalls - the one under Brooklyn Bridge and the one over at Brooklyn Piers. We then walked south until we arrived at the Govenors Island ferry terminal. The terminal is a beautiful Beaux-Arts building dating back to 1908.
We took the 11am ferry. The ride takes just 10 minutes or so. As our ferry approached, we could see the Govenors Island Waterfall very clearly.
Governors Island is now part of the National Park Service.
http://www.nps.gov/gois/
They offer free guided walking tours but unfortunately we didn't have the time. We walked around for about 45 minutes before taking the ferry back towards Manhattan.
We met up with a friend and my brother for lunch at JoJo, one of many Jean-Georges' restaurants. For lunch, they offer a 3-dish prix-fixe for $24.07. Basically it's 2 plates of appetizers plus dessert. There are plenty of choices to choose from. Between the 4 of us, we tried the mushroom ravioli, tuna tartare, asparagus salad, and steamed prawns. Everything tasted nice but the portions are really not that big. We had enough but I think anyone with a hearty appetite will leave the restaurant hungry.
JoJo
160 East 64th Street
New York, NY 10021
http://www.jean-georges.com/
My brother, DH & I walked from JoJo to Metropolitan Museum of Art. We were able to get in for free as we have reciprocal membership.
The Met is pretty much mobbed on that Saturday afternoon, especially the Turner show which just opened on July 1st. The show is enormous, with over 150 oil paintings (plus many watercolors). Many of the paintings came from Tate in London. I didn't like the early paintings but the later ones are truly great in terms of him depicting sunlight and moonlight.
After Turner, we went to visit the newly-reopened Greek & Roman Galleries. We really enjoyed the setting, with the open courtyard and the abundant skylight.
Sadly, the Met Roof (with a Jeff Koons exhibition) was closed for the day. We left the Met at around 4pm. On our way to the subway station, we walked past Neue Galerie. Wouldn't it perfect to go in for some afternoon coffee and cake right now at Cafe Sabarsky? Expecting a long line, we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves the only ones in line. We were seated after a 5-min wait.
I have been to Cafe Sabarsky before, but not my brother nor DH. They both love the place (so do I). The decor and ambience is so reminiscent of a Viennese cafe. We ordered a couple of coffees, my brother a Sachertorte, and I had a Topfentorte (Viennese quark cheesecake).
http://www.cafesabarsky.com/
By the time we left (after 5pm), there was a line waiting for the Cafe. While we were staying with my friends, my brother got the Time Square Westin via Priceline. So we headed to his room for a rest. He was given a high-floor corner room, and upon our arrival, we found a complimentary fruit and cheese plate plus 2 Italian bottled waters. The view from his room was unbelievable.
Even though we just had coffee and cake, we couldn't resist muching on the cheese plate (cheddar, blue, and goat cheese).
One of our relatives met up with us at the hotel, and we headed to East Village for dinner at La Zarza. It boasts a Spanish-Argentinian menu though I'm not sure what constitutes Argentinian. We decided to order tapas only and no entrees. Between the 4 of us, we ordered 8 dishes and thought that was adequate. Most of them were pretty good. My only complaint was that instead of serving 2-3 dishes at a time, all 8 plates came at the same time. It was difficult to eat all of them without some getting cold; plus our table simply wasn't large enough to hold all 8 dishes! Dinner came out to about $30pp (8 dishes + 2 beers).
La Zarza
166 First Avenue
New York, NY 10009
http://www.lazarzanyc.com/
After dinner, we crossed the street and had coffee/dessert at Veniero's. We managed to grab one of the sidewalk tables. We ordered cheesecake, eclair, cannoli. What a great way to end a day!
Veniero's
342 East 11th Street
New York, N.Y. 10003
http://www.venierospastry.com
July 6th
Still full from all the food we ate the day before, DH & I skipped breakfast. We went to Westin and hung out with my brother for a short while (and drank the free Starbucks coffee in his room). Afterwards, we went uptown and visited a friend on the UWS. We had brunch at Dock's which offers a decent Sunday Brunch for $15.95. It includes one dish plus juice (or mimosa or champagne or bloody mary) plus coffee/tea.
Dock's
2427 Broadway @ 89th St
New York, NY 10024
http://www.docksoysterbar.com/
After brunch, we went back to this friend's apartment for some dessert, before DH & I headed back to Penn Station to catch our 3:30pm Megabus back to Boston. Despite hitting some traffic, we made good time and was back in 4 hours.
Overall, we didn't really do that much in NYC, but it's always nice to see friends and family. It was a rather budget weekend and we were pleased that it's quite easy to eat well in NYC for not that much $!
Jul 8th, 2008 | 11:26 AM
#2
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 27,024
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For couple of photos of the fireworks and the waterfalls, you can see them here:
http://europetogo.yuku.com/topic/7095
Also, for completeness sake, the other 4 bus companies that operate between Boston/NYC are:
Peter Pan
Bolt Bus (tickets start at $10; wi-fi zone, all seats have electrical outlet)
Lucky Star (Chinese-operated, goes to NYC Chinatown; tix start at $1)
Fung Wah (need I say more???)
MegaBus also operates between Philadelphia/DC and NYC. So technically speaking, I can take MegaBus from Boston to DC for just $4 roundtrip!
http://europetogo.yuku.com/topic/7095
Also, for completeness sake, the other 4 bus companies that operate between Boston/NYC are:
Peter Pan
Bolt Bus (tickets start at $10; wi-fi zone, all seats have electrical outlet)
Lucky Star (Chinese-operated, goes to NYC Chinatown; tix start at $1)
Fung Wah (need I say more???)
MegaBus also operates between Philadelphia/DC and NYC. So technically speaking, I can take MegaBus from Boston to DC for just $4 roundtrip!
Jul 10th, 2008 | 10:23 AM
#6
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 27,024
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Hi easy-
The Waterfalls is a temporary art installation by the Danish artist Olafur Eliasson (between end of June thru mid-October this year). There are a total of 4 "waterfalls" installed, and we saw 3 out of the 4 on this trip.
Unless you went on your NYC trip recently, you wouldn't have seen a waterfall underneath Brooklyn Bridge.
The Waterfalls is a temporary art installation by the Danish artist Olafur Eliasson (between end of June thru mid-October this year). There are a total of 4 "waterfalls" installed, and we saw 3 out of the 4 on this trip.
Unless you went on your NYC trip recently, you wouldn't have seen a waterfall underneath Brooklyn Bridge.
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