Need help planning first time in NYC

[rakuroda]

I just looked at the menu and it looks amazing. I will definitely have to include this restaurant to our trip to New York. Thanks for the info. Yes my Mom would like the lobster roll and the clam chowder too. Any suggestions where to buy them? I have read that Johns is the place to go for pizza. We will eat pizza but it is not our favorite. Maybe will try it for lunch one day.

Aloha lperry1016 :D

 

I just posted our current plan for our cruise with the food stops on our Roll Call thread. All of the ports have lots of lobster offerings. Whole boiled, rolls, stew, chowder, bisque, etc. Breakfasts include lobster omlete, lobster benedict, etc. In addition to crab, fish, clams, mussels. A lot of this seafood in New England is fresh, and that is why my recommendation to eat something other than seafood in NYC which has to have all of these brought in.

Sat 8am-6pm Portland Ocean Gateway, Pier 2

Harbor Fish Market 8:30am-5:30pm check out cooked whole lobster for later in day (maybe lunch)

Becky's Diner breakfast Lobster & Swiss omlet w/ homefries & toast

Old Port, Exchange Street, main commercial thoroughfare in the Old Port district (leisurely poke around)

Portland Lobster Company 11am lunch if not Harbor Fish Market

 

Sun 7am-6pm Bar Harbor tender dock TomsPortGuide.com BarHarborMaine-08-21-2013.pdf

Bar Harbor Shore Path leisure stroll high tide 11:43 +11ft

Lazy Lobster Deli 7am-3pm check out breakfast lobster benedict, lobster omelets and lobster crepes

Downeast Deli 8am–4pm box lunches home of the naked lobster roll (no mayo)

Testa's Restaurant 8am-9pm lobster omelette w/ home fries and toast $19.95. lobster benedict homefries or grits & toast

Testa's Restaurant 11am Early Bird ala carte lobster fresh boiled butter & rolls $15.95 - twin lobster (no sharing) salad, choice of side and fresh rolls $25.95

 

Mon 7am-3pm Saint John Marco Polo Terminal TomsPortGuide.com SaintJohn-NB-05-30-2014.pdf

Market Square, Brunswick Square, Saint John City Market walk to

North Market Seafood 7:30am-6pm @ Saint John City Market called & verified whole cooked lobster

Deluxe French Fries Brunswick Square 9am-6pm fastfood in food court

 

Tues 9:30am-7pm Halifax Pier 22 TomsPortGuide.com Halifax-06-15-2011.pdf

Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market pier 20 Maritime Lobster Shack, Goldwater Lobster Shack 10am-5pm

Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, 9:30am-5:30pm (1.0 km)

Taxi to Halifax Citadel walk to Halifax Public Gardens taxi back to ship

 

Thur 7am-5pm Boston Black Falcon Cruise Terminal TomsPortGuide.com Boston-04-21-2013.pdf

Old Town Trolley Tours HOHO

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum 10am-5pm

James Hook & Co. 10am-5pm fresh Lobster Roll $16, Rockport Lobster Bisque $8 waterfront shanty offering live lobsters plus prepared shellfish fare for takeout

Yankee Lobster Company 10am-9pm 850 meters from Black Falcon Cruise Terminal

 

As you may notice, we don't plan to take excursions during this cruise, just walk except for Boston. We'll taxi when our feet get tired. We like staying close to the ship so we can just go back on board to take a nap if needed. Anne hasn't given final approval so subject to revision.

 

Aloha :D

[lperry1016@yahoo.com]

Thank you so much for your suggestions, they are really helping me plan this trip. Do you know of a good Italian Restaurant that is close to the Broadway Theaters in New York?

[njhorseman]

Thank you so much for your suggestions, they are really helping me plan this trip. Do you know of a good Italian Restaurant that is close to the Broadway Theaters in New York?

 

Some will say it's a "tourist trap", but Becco http://becco-nyc.com/ is a celebrity chef-owned restaurant in the Theater District with reasonable (for Manhattan) prices and a pretty good reputation.

 

I haven't been there myself...I'm just going by what I've heard and read.

[Got2Cruise]

Some will say it's a "tourist trap", but Becco http://becco-nyc.com/ is a celebrity chef-owned restaurant in the Theater District with reasonable (for Manhattan) prices and a pretty good reputation.

 

 

 

I haven't been there myself...I'm just going by what I've heard and read.

 

 

I've been to Becco and it is very nice. Also on the same block is Barbetta which is also very lovely. Both restaurants offer pretheater specials. I recommend going at this time and ordering from that menu. Both restaurants are Italian but serve different regions of Italian food. Go to take a look at both websites to see what appeals to you. Don't forget to make reservations.

[Doggielover68]

Save room for dessert! One of my favorite places to get dessert is at Junior's (famous for their cheesecake) located in Times Square near 45th and Broadway, right across the street from the Marriott Marquis. They have a full sized restaurant which I enjoyed, but they also have a little building on the side where you can just get dessert. Take it to go and enjoy it in your hotel room later on, or they have a few tables outside. :)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[George C]

Another vote for Becco's on 46th sand 9th, we went there 2 or 3 times on last few NYC trips, great for lunch or dinner, get the pasta special ( 3 types of pasta and they keep refilling plate) also full page wine list that all wines are 39 dollars a piece ( was 25 last year), if you go in the evening get a reservation.

[midwestchick]

Aloha lperry1016/Linda :D

 

Based on the information you have provided thus far, you & your 81yo mother limited walking, will fly into JFK on Tuesday, 8/23/2016, time unknown, check-in 3pm, Westin New York at Times Square, 8th Ave. & 43rd Street. Check-out 8/25/2016, 11am, RCI shuttle to Cape Liberty cruise port. From the information you've provided, for private tour for $1,200 for 4 hours, you'll just be paying for a driver to wait for you. The places you want to go have their own tour guides.

 

We've had quite a bit of experience traveling with family in their 80s & 90s, some with limited walking ability, so keeping in mind that NYC will probably be hot & humid during August, my suggestions are:

 

8/23 slow walk around Times Square, rest, dinner near theater/hotel, broadway show http://www.broadway.com/, walk/taxi back to hotel. Most of the Broadway show theaters will be close to your hotel. We use Google Maps to check the distance between locations, so use it to check the distance between the theater & hotel. From your hotel, it's probably only going to be a 2-3 block walk. If it is more than your mom wants to walk, then by all means take a taxi.

 

8/24 taxi (should be $15-$20, depending on traffic) to 9/11 Memorial Museum and/or 9/11 Tribute Center http://www.911memorial.org/visit http://www.911memorial.org/911-tribute-center, taxi to Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferry at Battery Park (about $10), taxi back to hotel (about $30-$35), rest, dinner near theater/hotel, broadway show, walk/taxi back to hotel. It is just a little over .6 mile from the 9/11 Memorial Museum to the Statue of Liberty ferry from Battery Park so we're recommending a taxi. Mom will be walking some more around the Statue of Liberty and/or Ellis Island. The ferry goes around in a loop with 3 stops, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Battery Park. From New Jersey it goes from Liberty Park, to the Statue of Liberty, then Ellis Island.

 

Where do you catch the ferry in New Jersey to see the SOL and Ellis Island?

How long does the ferry run? This is something we could do on arrival day.

[George C]

Another vote for Becco's on 46th sand 9th, we went there 2 or 3 times on last few NYC trips, great for lunch or dinner, get the pasta special ( 3 types of pasta and they keep refilling plate) also full page wine list that all wines are 39 dollars a piece ( was 25 last year), if you go in the evening get a reservation.

 

Typo wine list was 29 a bottle, meal with salad and 3 different pasta was a little less than 20 for lunch and a little more for dinner

[138east]

 

Where do you catch the ferry in New Jersey to see the SOL and Ellis Island?

How long does the ferry run? This is something we could do on arrival day.

 

midwestchick - could you concentrate your questions on the other thread you started? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2239103

 

The quick answer is that you arrive too late in the day to do the SOL on arrival day. That's why I suggested doing the 911 memorial, which is open in the evening hours.

 

I can provide you with more details about the SOL from NJ. I actually did the round trip ferry ride in Sep - drove to the NJ Ferry and took public transit back.

[rakuroda]

Thank you so much for your suggestions, they are really helping me plan this trip. Do you know of a good Italian Restaurant that is close to the Broadway Theaters in New York?

Aloha Linda :D

 

As you can see by the responses about Becco, Barbetta, etc., there are many, many, good Italian restaurants in NYC. The hard part is determining what style of Italian cooking do you like. Probably in Chatanooga, there are maybe a half dozen good Italian restaurants, but what style do they cook. Barbetta is northern Italian style, Becco is probably a mixture.

 

From where you are staying, & the theaters you're probably looking at, you're looking for a restaurant in the section of Broadway which runs through the Theater District is known as the Great White Way, 42nd to 53rd encompassing Times Square.

 

I used TripAdvisor & went to "New York City, New York" & "restaurants" & "Times Square/Theater" & Italian and was shown 31 Italian restaurants in the area. You can take a look at the list & see what appeals to you. Personally, I would go to John's Pizzeria, Times Square. The name can be deceiving since they have a full menu of appetizers, salads, pastas & non-pasta meals, & deserts http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/Times-Square-Menu/Miscellaneous in addition to pizzas. The other thing is that John's has been recommended several times in various threads.

 

Just so you know about my tastes for Italian food. We visited Italy back in 2006 & stayed in Rome, Pisa, & Venice. We also visited Florence. We tried the local Italian foods & none of it was particularly tasty to me. Now remember this was in Italy & we were there as somebody's guests & were taken around to different places to eat. So remember, what is tasty to one person is not necessarily tasty to another.

 

I actually got used to eating Italian cooking from my Italian uncle from Boston.

 

Aloha :D

[Got2Cruise]

I thought of another place that is very popular with tourists. Carmine's I think it is in W 44. Always crowded they don't take reservations. If you thinking something like chicken parmesan with spaghetti this is a good place for it.

[Desert Cruizers]

138east, Carol you have been wonderful in my earlier questions for our visit to NYC and have another question for you. We fly into Newark on October 16 th 2015 and will be going into NYC the morning of the 17 th. Our primary stops will be the Statue of Liberty then the 9/11 Museum & Memorial. I was advised yesterday after contacting the SOL, that we do this first thing in the morning then return to lower Manhattan for the remaining sights. My question leaving on the Newark Path is which stop do we use to get us the closest to getting the ferry to the SOL. Thanks.

 

In looking over the schedule, if we took the 6:55 AM into the WTC, we arrive at 7:20 AM then need to get down to Battery Park.

 

Gay

 

Newark - World Trade Center:

Operates all times.

Hoboken - World Trade Center:

Operates Monday - Friday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Hoboken - 33 Street:

Operates Monday - Friday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Journal Square - 33 Street:

Operates Monday - Friday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Journal Square - 33 Street (via Hoboken):

Operates Monday - Friday, 11 p.m. - 6 a.m. and

ALL DAY Saturdays, Sundays and select holidays.

Edited July 27, 2015 by Desert Cruizers

[138east]

138east, Carol you have been wonderful in my earlier questions for our visit to NYC and have another question for you. We fly into Newark on October 16 th 2015 and will be going into NYC the morning of the 17 th. Our primary stops will be the Statue of Liberty then the 9/11 Museum & Memorial. I was advised yesterday after contacting the SOL, that we do this first thing in the morning then return to lower Manhattan for the remaining sights. My question leaving on the Newark Path is which stop do we use to get us the closest to getting the ferry to the SOL. Thanks.

 

In looking over the schedule, if we took the 6:55 AM into the WTC, we arrive at 7:20 AM then need to get down to Battery Park.

 

Gay

 

Newark - World Trade Center:

Operates all times.

Hoboken - World Trade Center:

Operates Monday - Friday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Hoboken - 33 Street:

Operates Monday - Friday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Journal Square - 33 Street:

Operates Monday - Friday, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Journal Square - 33 Street (via Hoboken):

Operates Monday - Friday, 11 p.m. - 6 a.m. and

ALL DAY Saturdays, Sundays and select holidays.

 

That is good advice. I've forgotten where you're staying. How are you getting to Newark PATH? You are just going to go from Newark to World Trade Center.

 

When does the first ferry to the SOL leave? Your timing seems a bit early.

 

Leave some extra time for PATH so you have the luxury of letting a train or two go by if they are too crowded. Stand on the platform where the previous train's doors are to maximize your chances of getting seats. Don't get crazy about the precise PATH schedule times. During rush hour they just keep running trains. If a NJ Transit train arrives, a lot of folks will jam onto PATH. The next PATH train will usually be less crowded.

 

If I remember correctly, someone in your party has mobility issues? Are you taking a cab from World Trade to the SOL ferry?

[Desert Cruizers]

Hello Carol, ok the first Ferry out is at 9 AM. We are staying at the Hampton Suites near the Airport at 1128 Spring ST, Elizabeth, NJ. Our Hotel will shuttle us down to the Newark Penn Station. There will only be the 3 of us, so we are free to travel at our pace. The other couple changed plans and going right to Quebec. If I read the schedule correctly we are better to go to the WTC stop then public transportation to the South Ferry according to our E Tickets. Check in time is 8:30 AM

 

Other time schedules for Path to WTC are:

7:20 AR 7:42 or 7:40 AR 8:02

 

Gay

Edited July 27, 2015 by Desert Cruizers

[138east]

Hello Carol, ok the first Ferry out is at 9 AM. We are staying at the Hampton Suites near the Airport at 1128 Spring ST, Elizabeth, NJ. Our Hotel will shuttle us down to the Newark Penn Station. There will only be the 3 of us, so we are free to travel at our pace. The other couple changed plans and going right to Quebec. If I read the schedule correctly we are better to go to the WTC stop then public transportation to the South Ferry according to our E Tickets. Check in time is 8:30 AM

 

Other time schedules for Path to WTC are:

7:20 AR 7:42 or 7:40 AR 8:02

 

Gay

 

Sorry - you're doing this on a Sat morning, so trains are much less frequent. Try for the early one. It looks like the Cortlandt St R train is the closest and is scheduled to run southbound every 10 minutes on a Sat morning. If it is a nice day, it's a 15-20 minute walk (you can waste that much time trying to find the right subway, buy tickets, and get a train to go two short stops). Go down Rector St., cut through the Trinity Church graveyard, walk down Broadway past Wall St to Bowling Green and then across Battery Park to the SOL Ferry.

[Desert Cruizers]

Where do we pick that train up, is this after we arrive at the WTC?

 

Gay

[njhorseman]

Hello Carol, ok the first Ferry out is at 9 AM. We are staying at the Hampton Suites near the Airport at 1128 Spring ST, Elizabeth, NJ. Our Hotel will shuttle us down to the Newark Penn Station. There will only be the 3 of us, so we are free to travel at our pace. The other couple changed plans and going right to Quebec. If I read the schedule correctly we are better to go to the WTC stop then public transportation to the South Ferry according to our E Tickets. Check in time is 8:30 AM

 

Other time schedules for Path to WTC are:

7:20 AR 7:42 or 7:40 AR 8:02

 

Gay

 

I'm not saying they won't, but I'm surprised that your hotel will shuttle you to Newark Penn Station. Typically the EWR hotels only run shuttles to the P4 AirTrain station on the airport grounds, where you can then board the AirTrain and take it to the Newark Airport station of NJ Transit/Amtrak. PATH does not run to/from that station...its terminal is at Newark Penn Station.

 

As far as I can tell, the hotel's website only mentions shuttle service to EWR and to local restaurants, so you may want to double check the information on shuttling to Newark Penn Station, particularly in the early morning when they're likely to be busy shuttling to the airport.

Edited July 27, 2015 by njhorseman

[Desert Cruizers]

I will double check, if not we can get a cab. We are arriving from Calif on Friday, October 16th, then going into NYC on the 17th to see the SOL, 9/11 Museum & Memorial and whatever else we can squeeze in during our short stay. We fly to Quebec City at 1:30 on the 18th for our 14 day cruise. This will be my 2nd trip to NYC in ages, husband & daughter have never been. It might be easier for us to hail a cab to get down to the SOL Ferry from the WTC as we won't know our way around.:)

[138east]

I will double check, if not we can get a cab. We are arriving from Calif on Friday, October 16th, then going into NYC on the 17th to see the SOL, 9/11 Museum & Memorial and whatever else we can squeeze in during our short stay. We fly to Quebec City at 1:30 on the 18th for our 14 day cruise. This will be my 2nd trip to NYC in ages, husband & daughter have never been. It might be easier for us to hail a cab to get down to the SOL Ferry from the WTC as we won't know our way around.:)

 

With three people a cab from the hotel to Newark Penn Station or the World Trade Center to South Ferry is very reasonable. Train from the airport to Newark Penn Station woud be $8.25/pp or $24.75 for three people. NY subway would be $2.75/pp or $8.25 for three. The cab fares would be close to each of those totals and much less hassle.

[George C]

I will double check, if not we can get a cab. We are arriving from Calif on Friday, October 16th, then going into NYC on the 17th to see the SOL, 9/11 Museum & Memorial and whatever else we can squeeze in during our short stay. We fly to Quebec City at 1:30 on the 18th for our 14 day cruise. This will be my 2nd trip to NYC in ages, husband & daughter have never been. It might be easier for us to hail a cab to get down to the SOL Ferry from the WTC as we won't know our way around.:)

 

Going from SOL ferry from WTC is less than a mile, you can pass Trinity church and Frances tavern on the way both from Revolutionary war time. Chinatown and little Italy is a short taxi ride away from that area also.

[Desert Cruizers]

Carol the 4 of us traveled all over Sydney, Australia last year doing HOHO or Buses and did fine. Granted NYC isn't Sydney, but with the 3 of us, we can do things at our pace and time. Doing both the SOL, then the 9/11 Museum & Memorial will take pretty much the whole day with each running 3 hours, getting some lunch we will be at 5 PM before we know it and time to head back and relax before our flight to Quebec the next day. If we had the time it would be nice to do the HOHO tour, to travel around. That is $49 PP.

 

George, we will look into that option also. Distance always look further on a map.

 

Gay

Edited July 27, 2015 by Desert Cruizers

[138east]

Carol the 4 of us traveled all over Sydney, Australia last year doing HOHO or Buses and did fine. Granted NYC isn't Sydney, but with the 3 of us, we can do things at our pace and time. Doing both the SOL, then the 9/11 Museum & Memorial will take pretty much the whole day with each running 3 hours, getting some lunch we will be at 5 PM before we know it and time to head back and relax before our flight to Quebec the next day. If we had the time it would be nice to do the HOHO tour, to travel around. That is $49 PP.

 

George, we will look into that option also. Distance always look further on a map.

 

Gay

 

You'll do fine. The advantage of taking a cab to Newark Penn Station is that it saves you time and hassle for a similar amount of money. The advantage of taking a cab from the WTC to the SOL ferry is that you will get a feel for the size of downtown NY and will see more than you will in the subway.

 

I used to work across the street from the SOL ferry area and I often walked to World Trade. However, I usually took the subway to save time and make trains during rush hour.

[Desert Cruizers]

Thank you so much Carol, i have been so busy in past 4 months suddenly organizing the Cabin Crawl at the last minute and now just starting to make reservations for NYC and the SOL & 9/11 Museum & Memorial, so thought I better get back here and obtain more assistance for our trip. I do hope we see you in 12 weeks to personally thank you.:)

 

Gay

[Got2Cruise]

I will double check, if not we can get a cab. We are arriving from Calif on Friday, October 16th, then going into NYC on the 17th to see the SOL, 9/11 Museum & Memorial and whatever else we can squeeze in during our short stay. We fly to Quebec City at 1:30 on the 18th for our 14 day cruise. This will be my 2nd trip to NYC in ages, husband & daughter have never been. It might be easier for us to hail a cab to get down to the SOL Ferry from the WTC as we won't know our way around.:)

 

 

I know I'm going to completely confuse you but I'm going to throw it out there. Instead of going to SOL consider the Circle Line Tour. You go completely around Manhattan in a relaxing boat tour, see all the skyline and see the Statue of Liberty close up. Since you mentioned that your daughter and hubby never visited Manhattan this would give them a broader view.

 

The 9/11 Museum and Memorial is very intense. Besides paying homage to those lost there are many artifacts from that day.

[Desert Cruizers]

Thank you I went over doing a Harbor Tour but both really wanted to go see the SOL up close. We will not go all the way to the top but only the Pedestal Tour. The daughter & I could probably do it, but doubt DH could. If we had two full days I would have set up a Harbor Tour. I am sure being mid Oct it could be quite chilly especially out on the water. I have a cousin and her husband in Nassau Co in Massapequa PK and an Aunt lived in Massapequa before passing away. It has been a long time since I was there and longer still being in NYC so looking forward to the return trip.:)

 

Originally I had planned on two days but it got changed to one, so we will see what we can in the limited time before flying to Quebec for our Cruise, leaving the 20th.