First trip to New York

[lazydaz]

Two days to enjoy New York before my cruise next spring. Where should I stay and what should I see, can hardly wait!

[lazydaz]

I should add that I almost saw New York before but I was on the Dawn during Hurricane Sandy and we had to skip New York. Going to give it another try.

[pieshops]

Best place is mid town but that is also the most expensive.

 

If you are ok with the subway then you can stay a but cheaper in lower Manhattan.

 

Subway is pretty easy there are apps that you can input where you want to go and it will route you.

 

I would try for hotwire for a room, or if uncomfortable with that book a room and then keep checking hotwire and you can always cancel a few days before.

 

There is a Hampton Inn at 51st and Eight midtown north that we have stayed in before on our frequent NYC Trips ( we are from NJ) they just opened and are very nice. It is kind of out of mid town but not too far you can't walk and you get free breakfast.

[AmberCascades]

I would suggest getting a guidebook about New York. You can borrow one from the library. There's even one that has free and cheap things to do in NYC.

 

There's a lot you can do in two days, but everyone's "must see" list will be different. Do you want to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge? Go to museums and art galleries? Check out Central Park? The Statue of Liberty? The list is endless. A guide book will give you all your options and you can pick what interests you most.

 

Personally, I loved the walk across the bridge, seeing the skyline and the Statue of Liberty from the water, and going to Top of the Rock. And visiting the 9/11 memorial.

[BuffetPantsPls]

Two days to enjoy New York before my cruise next spring. Where should I stay and what should I see, can hardly wait!

 

what are you looking for?

 

Food?

-Michelin star quality

-Ethnic

-Or more of the fun touristy stuff

 

It's 80-90 degrees here in NY too. so do you want to

-Walk around

-AC hop

-Do some fashion shopping

-do some trinket shopping

-do one of those bus tours that takes you everywhere

-Goto museums/ galleries

 

here's a sample itin for midtown as suggested by above poster:

If you're into high fashion, the 50s-60s near rockefeller center is a great spot to visit. They also have ACs blasting at all the stores so you can escape the heat.

 

The window display at lord and taylor is always fun to walk by, the rockefeller plaza is typically the photo grabber. You can grab a glass of wine at morrell's wine bar while watching the hustle and bustle.

 

Walk north and visit FAO Schwartz (fun toy store), then swing on down to the apple store next door.

 

Venture across teh street and check out the food court at the venerable Plaza hotel. Go north across the street and venture through central park and walk towards the west. Come out the west side and visit lincoln center. Stay around the area and grab one of the local restaurants like Bar Boulud or PJ Clarkes.

 

Make your way down to times square (i like it better at night when the weather is cooler and the lights really shine)

 

that's a really good walking day.

 

 

If you want the museum trip

you'd want to start out at the Met.

Go north and visit the guggenheim

cross the park towards the west and visit the natural history museum.

 

One can really spend the whole day at the Met if you're into appreciation of the arts.

 

 

The downtown loop would be

statue of liberty

wall street

world trade center site

up to china town

through little italy

up to the east and west villages

[Debbie1029]

I am a fan of the Yotel at the corner of 42nd and 10th. Walkable to port if you have a wheelie bag or a short taxi ride. Reasonably priced for the city, contemporary design, rooms are small but functional, coffee and muffins included in the AM.

Think about tickets to s Broadway show. The Times Square TKTS booth is good for last minute tickets.

Have fun!

 

 

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[Tiggertastic]

I am a fan of the Yotel at the corner of 42nd and 10th. Walkable to port if you have a wheelie bag or a short taxi ride. Reasonably priced for the city, contemporary design, rooms are small but functional, coffee and muffins included in the AM.

Think about tickets to s Broadway show. The Times Square TKTS booth is good for last minute tickets.

Have fun!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

ooh thanks for the tip on Yotel, just checked it out and it looks great fun

[Va. Plumber]

Unless you are absolutely enamored with the idea of staying in Manhattan consider the following. Check the hotel booking sites for Jersey City, NJ.

There are several hotels in the financial district that are a one or two block walk to the PATH station (subway). You can take the subway to lower Manhattan ( World Trade Center), walk one block and get a subway to Times Square. You can also go from N.J. to Greenwich Village.

 

You will probably save some money on the room and the parking.

[ImADaneFan]

We will be in NYC for 2 days before our BA cruise on September. I just found out about the New York Pass. http://Www.newyorkpass.com. It offers free entry to 80 different attractions and you can add the hop on hop off bus to the pass if you want. They are 15% off until June 30th. Depending on how many attractions you visit it could save you quite a bit.

 

 

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[pieshops]

Unless you are absolutely enamored with the idea of staying in Manhattan consider the following. Check the hotel booking sites for Jersey City, NJ.

There are several hotels in the financial district that are a one or two block walk to the PATH station (subway). You can take the subway to lower Manhattan ( World Trade Center), walk one block and get a subway to Times Square. You can also go from N.J. to Greenwich Village.

 

You will probably save some money on the room and the parking.

 

Thats fine for a week long trip but 2 days, they will waste way too much time going back and forth every day.

[Va. Plumber]

Sorry, it was just my suggestion based on personal experience.

 

As to wasting too much time, if I remember correctly, it took less than 30 minutes from Jersey to Manhattan.

[pieshops]

Sorry, it was just my suggestion based on personal experience.

 

As to wasting too much time, if I remember correctly, it took less than 30 minutes from Jersey to Manhattan.

 

I understand did not mean to sound harsh if i did i apologize .

 

I have lived here all my life and have been to NYC well over 100 times and while you are correct it is relatively easy you have to deal with a lot of people, probably traveling during rush hour and maybe returning to your room late at night after a show or something so it can be rather inconvenient and will really only save you maybe $100 per night.

[mugtech]

Go to a game at Yankee Stadium and root root root for the away team.

[cssc123]

Go to a game at Yankee Stadium and root root root for the away team.

 

 

As a Bos Red Sox fan, I second this recommendation!

[Dblack87]

I live in the city. What to do in NY and recommendations on where to stay really depend on what you want to see. If it is your first trip to NY and you only have two days, I would very much recommend staying somewhere on the west side of Manhattan.

 

If you want the consummate tourist experience, stay in Midtown in the 40's or 50's between Broadway and 9th Ave. If you want to get more of a local feel stay downtown, Union Square area, below 23rd St. between broadway and 8th avenue or into the West Village. Soho is also a nice area, but it will also be more of a tourist experience if you stick to the main drag on Broadway.

 

I definitely suggest to become familiar with the subway system. If you are unsure of where to go, ask someone who looks like they know what they are doing and people are usually pretty friendly about pointing you in the right direction. Also if you have a smartphone, download the google maps app and you can select public transport as a direction option and it will give you accurate directions on the subway. I've lived here for four years and I still use this app to help go places I don't normally go.

 

If you are really into the tourist sites, like Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Central Park...the highlights...then I would recommend a hop on hop off bus. I've done it before and it is actually very informative. I recommend doing a full lap on both circuits, get an overview of the city, then pick your top 3-5 spots to jump off the bus and spend a little time at. 2 days is a short trip for NYC, but it is doable. If I were to pick the top tourist spots to go to, I would say Time Square is a must if you can squeeze in a Broadway show...even better, but DON'T eat near there (unless you walk to 9th Avenue in the 40's).

The Village is a really cool area to wander around and get a real NY feel, I suggest a visit to Washington Sq. Park, and then up to Union Square area for some food...try Grey Dog for sandwiches at lunch time, or if you're in the area for dinner, go to the West Village location of The Meatball Shop. It is an amazing little restaurant that is pretty affordable by NY standards, make sure to save room for one of their homemade ice cream sandwiches!

 

I would skip the 5th ave shopping and head down to SOHO instead. You can find all of the high end shops of 5th avenue as well as some of the more affordable shops, but they aren't as spread out, so if you want to do some shopping, you don't have to walk quite as much in SOHO, and trust me this is a good tip, because you will be tired after walking around the city all day.

 

Central Park is great! Definitely take a walk to the Mall, and the boat basin, so many movies have been filmed in these areas, that it makes it a very cool place to see! There are also some great picnic spots in the park, if you grab some sandwiches or salads and take a stroll, you can sit on one of the giant rocks and have a great lunch. If you enter the park by the Plaza Hotel you can get to the Mall pretty easily, and then you can also stop by FAO Schwartz which is pretty great if you need to get souvenirs for kids and take pics of the Plaza.

 

If you want to get an amazing view of the city, do the Top of the Rock. That way you will get a great view of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.

 

If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer...I can recommend more food options too. For me NYC is really about the food, I think it's probably the best part about coming here to visit.

[Turtles06]

If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer...I can recommend more food options too. For me NYC is really about the food, I think it's probably the best part about coming here to visit.

 

Bagels, REAL New York City bagels. Not the same anywhere else. Just bread with a hole in it. :)

[Dblack87]

Yes!! Bagels! Check out Murray's or Ess-A-Bagel! They are all great!

[pieshops]

Bagels, REAL New York City bagels. Not the same anywhere else. Just bread with a hole in it. :)

 

Ya man Murrays bagels in the village, the best

[meatball_nyc]

The Meatball Shop is really a great little place with very good food.

Arturo's on West Houston has fantastic pizza and good jazz. Doesn't open until 4pm.

Eataly is also a great place for food. It's like an Italian Pork Store on super steroids. Highly recommend it. Right across the street is Madison Square Park. Go to Shake Shack and get the Shack Burger, fries and a milk shake!!

Central Park is my favorite. You can grab something to eat and people watch for hours. Never a dull moment. Bethesda Fountain is so pretty. All of the Park is amazing.

So much to do and see.

Have fun!

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Edited June 27, 2014 by meatball_nyc

[lazydaz]

Thank you everyone for your help. I am writing down all your great suggestions and look forward to a fun filled couple of days. I live in Western Canada and have always wanted to visit New York, so you can imagine my disappointment when we had to bypass New York and stay an extra day in Halifax because of Hurricane Sandy.

 

Lazydaz

[knitwitt44]

Check out the Big Apple Greeter. Goggle it their website. It is a non=profit organization that has volunteer that will take you for a 2 hour walk through various neighborhoods in NYC. You don't have to pay anything. Just make a request a few weeks in advance and they try to match your request to a volunteer. It is a great group. I met in my hotel and took the subway and walked over the Brooklyn Bridge with a native New York who was terrific.

[dadof4kids]

We are leaving on the Breakaway on Sept 7th. We are arriving in the city via Amtrak an Friday the 5th. We booked the downtown Marriot; a Hudson River and Statue view.

Near the subway and Battery Park. A short taxi ride to the terminal on Sunday.

 

Planning to see 911 Memorial, Central Park, Times Square and Little Italy. We know there is so much more but we want to enjoy our first New York experience.

 

HAVE A GOOD TRIP!

 

John :o

[Medtech2]

I understand did not mean to sound harsh if i did i apologize .

 

I have lived here all my life and have been to NYC well over 100 times and while you are correct it is relatively easy you have to deal with a lot of people, probably traveling during rush hour and maybe returning to your room late at night after a show or something so it can be rather inconvenient and will really only save you maybe $100 per night.

ONLY save you $100/night?

 

Well now, that would depend on one's means. To us that would be very worth it!

 

OP, we stayed in Queen's. Check out the first few pages of my review on Breakaway. Very reasonable, safe accommodations. Very convenient.

[smokie36]

The NYMA hotel and Hotel Stanford in Korea Town are nice and reasonable. They are between 6th and 5th avenues on w.32nd st. Empire state building right around the corner. Macy's in herald square is close by. Great steakhouse Keans chophouse is on 36th and 6th ave close by. Times square close by

[Meanee]

Unless you are absolutely enamored with the idea of staying in Manhattan consider the following. Check the hotel booking sites for Jersey City, NJ.

There are several hotels in the financial district that are a one or two block walk to the PATH station (subway). You can take the subway to lower Manhattan ( World Trade Center), walk one block and get a subway to Times Square. You can also go from N.J. to Greenwich Village.

 

You will probably save some money on the room and the parking.

 

It's a 20 minute PATH ride.

 

But anyway, Jersey City is a pretty shady place if you wander too far from Exchange Place. And last few weekends, PATH was closed for whatever reason on weekends, making getting to the city a pretty tough deal. You may have to take light rail to Hoboken and get on PATH there.