A day in New York

[Electra 7]

Hi we decided to go to NY and back and spend the day in NY have just found out Cunard docks in Brooklyn not Manhattan 

can anyone give me information on how to get from Brooklyn cruise terminal into NY city or is Red Hook area any good

will Cunard be doing any excursions for people who are doing back to back 

thanks in advance

[MarkBearSF]

Yes, Cunard will offer shuttle busses back and forth to Manhattan. They will drop you off near Macys. (I think $50 per person)

A MUCH more economical, and fun, solution is to take the ferry which is literally steps from the pier. It will drop you off at Wall St/Pier 11 (near 9/11 memorial/museum). I think it's $3.75 per person each way. 
https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/

Additionally, there are cabs, Uber, and the subway (although it's an uninteresting 20 minute walk to the nearest station and quite a lengthy ride to the stations near the Manhattan sights)

When in Manhattan, the subway is convenient, fast and the way to go.

 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by MarkBearSF

[Summergee]

Whenever we have done b2b there have been limited excursions offered by Cunard. We have been on a New York Highlights and a trip to Liberty Island and Ellis Island.

[majortom10]

Get NYC Ferry at $2-75 it is great value once at Pier 11 you can walk to the WTC area and the 911 Museum which we have done. You can get a taxi or even get another ferry and get off at other areas of Manhattan. On our first roundtrip TA we did the Cunard shuttle bus into Manhattan which drops you off at Macy's but is very expensive.

[PORT ROYAL]

4 hours ago, MarkBearSF said:

Yes, Cunard will offer shuttle busses back and forth to Manhattan. They will drop you off near Macys. (I think $50 per person)

A MUCH more economical, and fun, solution is to take the ferry which is literally steps from the pier. It will drop you off at Wall St/Pier 11 (near 9/11 memorial/museum). I think it's $3.75 per person each way. 
https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/

Additionally, there are cabs, Uber, and the subway (although it's an uninteresting 20 minute walk to the nearest station and quite a lengthy ride to the stations near the Manhattan sights)

When in Manhattan, the subway is convenient, fast and the way to go.

 

 

 

Drop off is also close to Century 21, for those seeking discount retail therapy.

For non USA citizens, take one’s passport for tax free purchases.

Edited February 18, 2022 by PORT ROYAL
Passport

[majortom10]

12 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Drop off is also close to Century 21, for those seeking discount retail therapy.

For non USA citizens, take one’s passport for tax free purchases.

Century21 went bankrupt during pandemic and closed down. They have plans top start again in 2021 but whether it will happen is anyone's guess and whereabouts the new store will be.

Edited February 19, 2022 by majortom10

[PORT ROYAL]

19 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Century21 went bankrupt during pandemic and closed down. They have plans top start again in 2021 but whether it will happen is anyone's guess and whereabouts the new store will be.

Thanks for the update.    
What about Woodbury?  The Girls used to spend days there.

[majortom10]

I think the whole company went bankrupt and all the stores closed down but not 100% certain .

[godfreyb]

As a recently departed New Yorker, I wouldn't regard the subways as 'safe' at the moment.  But everyone has their own assessment of risk.

[MJC]

4 hours ago, majortom10 said:

I think the whole company went bankrupt and all the stores closed down but not 100% certain .

Yes it went bankrupt but the family was able to buy the name back and they have plans to open again, but don't know where or when yet. The latest news is they will go global and the first store will be in S. Korea. They are looking to open in the States after the retail economy here improves. I do miss it though.

 

As for the subway... safety has always been time of day and location dependent, and awareness of what and who is around you is always good sense. I can't speak to the ride from Red Hook since I'm not familiar with that area, but I ride the subway a couple times a week from Queens and it seems pretty normal. After dark my neighborhood is so quiet the walk to my apartment is spooky so I take a taxi home, like last night after a Broadway show. And of course crazy sh**  can happen at any time, any where these days. Look around you instead of at your phone.

 

If I were a tourist now I would choose the ferry or the shuttle bus as described above, depending on if you want downtown or midtown. Hard to see both places in one day.

Edited February 19, 2022 by MJC

[majortom10]

4 minutes ago, MJC said:

Yes it went bankrupt but the family was able to buy the name back and they have plans to open again, but don't know where or when yet. The latest news is they will go global and the first store will be in S. Korea. They are looking to open in the States after the retail economy here improves. I do miss it though.

 

As for the subway... safety has always been time of day and location dependent, and awareness of what and who is around you is always good sense. I can't speak to the ride from Red Hook since I'm not familiar with that area, but I ride the subway a couple times a week from Queens and it seems pretty normal. After dark my neighborhood is so quiet the walk to my apartment is spooky so I take a taxi home, like last night after a Broadway show. And of course crazy sh**  can happen at any time, any where these days. Look around you instead of at your phone.

 

If I were a tourist now I would choose the ferry or the shuttle bus as described above, depending on if you want downtown or midtown. Hard to see both places in one day.

Having been to Manhattan a few times we are hoping in July to get Red Hook ferry to Wall St which we have done before and then walk down to catch the ferry and go across to Staten Island for the outlet centre.

 

[tv24]

First of all, I totally agree that the ferry from Red Hook is the best way to get to Manhattan, quick and fun.  Just make sure you know the schedule, which is somewhat limited, and try to buy your tickets on line before you proceed off the QM2.

 

But once you get to Manhattan, I think you should feel safe riding the subways.  We spent the month of October in Brooklyn and I rode the subway just about everyday to visit various parts of Brooklyn, Manhattan and beyond.  My only safety issue was with Covid as 20% of the subway passengers were un-masked and the train was sometimes crowded.  The trains are noisy, the stations are not pretty, but I did feel safe from crime.

[Lanky Lad]

The Cunard tour of New York including the top of the rock is great for a first timer. Otherwise I agree the ferry is ideal and the dock at the end of Wall Street, is handy for the 911 museaum, Battery Park and of course the Cunard Building 🙂 

[frankp01]

10 hours ago, majortom10 said:

think the whole company went bankrupt and all the stores closed down

Yes, unfortunately. I did read that some of the family were exploring restarting the business, but I haven't read any updates on that in quite a while.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, Lanky Lad said:

The Cunard tour of New York including the top of the rock is great for a first timer. Otherwise I agree the ferry is ideal and the dock at the end of Wall Street, is handy for the 911 museaum, Battery Park and of course the Cunard Building 🙂 

Good advice -- if you've never been there before, let Cunard give you a taste. 

 

If you know what you want to see/do, you can do it on your own -- realizing that to get any real taste of any particular site will take some time, so do not plan to do more than two or three things (and then only if they are small and close to each other)--- the guy who wants to check out the Metropolitan Museum, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, China Town and  the World Trade Center is doomed to frustration.

[hypercafe]

On 2/19/2022 at 12:09 PM, majortom10 said:

Having been to Manhattan a few times we are hoping in July to get Red Hook ferry to Wall St which we have done before and then walk down to catch the ferry and go across to Staten Island for the outlet centre.

 

The outlet center has filed for bankruptcy so check if it's open if that's your only reason coming over.

[RICHARD@SEA]

After living in NYC over 40 years - this is a self  tour I've suggested to many & almost everyone enjoyed it immensely.

 

Take the ferry from Red Hook to Wall street - ask for directions to the #1 Subway line. take the #1 train uptown to 59th St / Columbus Circle.  Walk east across Central Park South to 5th Avenue.(Plaza Hotel).  Walk south on 5th Avenue to 50th Street / Rockefeller Center.  At 50th St get on 5th Ave bus to Washington Square Park/ Greenwich Village.

Walk 3 blocks to 7th Ave to the #1 subway southbound @ Christopher Street & 7th ave.  Take this train to Wall Street & hop back on the ferry to Red Hook.

 

You'll get to see many high lites of NYC & its neighborhoods - some walking & time to stop for a bite to eat. You'll be back on board in plenty of time.....plus you can always hop in a taxi if you want.

[Electra 7]

2 hours ago, RICHARD@SEA said:

After living in NYC over 40 years - this is a self  tour I've suggested to many & almost everyone enjoyed it immensely.

 

Take the ferry from Red Hook to Wall street - ask for directions to the #1 Subway line. take the #1 train uptown to 59th St / Columbus Circle.  Walk east across Central Park South to 5th Avenue.(Plaza Hotel).  Walk south on 5th Avenue to 50th Street / Rockefeller Center.  At 50th St get on 5th Ave bus to Washington Square Park/ Greenwich Village.

Walk 3 blocks to 7th Ave to the #1 subway southbound @ Christopher Street & 7th ave.  Take this train to Wall Street & hop back on the ferry to Red Hook.

 

You'll get to see many high lites of NYC & its neighborhoods - some walking & time to stop for a bite to eat. You'll be back on board in plenty of time.....plus you can always hop in a taxi if you want.

Sounds fab if we walk back over Brooklyn bridge back to ship  and down to Steves for key lime pie just checking to see if you think that would be a safe enough area

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, Electra 7 said:

Sounds fab if we walk back over Brooklyn bridge back to ship  and down to Steves for key lime pie just checking to see if you think that would be a safe enough area

Should be safe enough in early afternoon - but depending on your energy after subwaying/walking in Manhattan, Steve’s might be a stretch - close to 5 miles from the Manhattan end of Brooklyn Bridge, then add a couple miles back to the cruise terminal. 

Edited February 28, 2022 by navybankerteacher

[Electra 7]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Should be safe enough in early afternoon - but depending on your energy after subwaying/walking in Manhattan, Steve’s might be a stretch - close to 5 miles from the Manhattan end of Brooklyn Bridge, then add a couple miles back to the cruise terminal. 

thanks did not realise it was as far as that 

[RICHARD@SEA]

On 2/28/2022 at 12:15 PM, Electra 7 said:

Sounds fab if we walk back over Brooklyn bridge back to ship  and down to Steves for key lime pie just checking to see if you think that would be a safe enough area

I live in Mahattan - so the boroughs/ Brooklyn & Staten Island are foreign ports to me - I agree to walk the Brooklyn Bridge is an excursion in itself...I am not familar w STEVE"S....why not ask onboard when you get back to the ship if the chef would make a Key Lime Pie for you!!!

 

I stayed down in the Wall St area last year due to covid - not much was open, hardly anyone in their office...not nice.  The World Trade Center Memorial is very moving but that is all there really is there - a shopping mall half empty.

[canoncruiser]

Hi all, the City is ‘back up and running’; there’s lots of new construction 😖and the traffic flows-'sort of'. Most folks are still masked on public transit-the subways are ‘OK’ .Just make sure you are on the right train going in the right direction🤔 As in any strange place keep your wits about you-avoid and do not stare at disturbed folks. If a  situation feels uncomfortable move away.

Our homeless problem is the result of 60+ years of the availability of hard drugs, of neglect of the drug addicted, the closure of state facilities, and the dispossession of the poor from neighborhoods that have been redeveloped and are now trendy.

Where QM2 docks used to be a ’no go area’- now not so much.

There is a lot to do and you must manage your time and commitments. Welcome, you will enjoy this wonderful town!

[fabnfortysomething]

we are on a back to back in August

we have visited New York before so our main look for is an easy tour for my husband who suffers walking difficulties

[njpln]

On 2/19/2022 at 8:59 AM, godfreyb said:

As a recently departed New Yorker, I wouldn't regard the subways as 'safe' at the moment.  But everyone has their own assessment of risk.

Between 1996 and 2015 we lived in New Jersey and frequented New York City. We took the subways quite often, because we thought they were faster than taking a cab or walking.  We never felt unsafe.

 

Since the changes in crime statistics over the past two years in New York City, everything I read tells me the subways are not so safe, even during midday. 
 

If I were a visitor and unfamiliar with subways in New York, I would probably take Uber nowadays. 

[TouchstoneFeste]

14 hours ago, fabnfortysomething said:

we are on a back to back in August

we have visited New York before so our main look for is an easy tour for my husband who suffers walking difficulties

 

New York is not friendly to people with walking difficulties, as you'll know from previous visits. I don't know if there would be time, but consider seeing a show? Or planting yourselves in one of the major (or smaller) museums? You could spend days in the Met or the Natural History Museum.

 

Thinking about fairly compact places in the southern part of Manhattan where you could spend some time without excessive walking ...

The Morgan Library

The Strand Book Store

 

I'm sure there are other places - that don't necessarily involve books - but we spend most of our visits in midtown and the upper east and west sides.

 

As you can probably guess, NYC in August is particularly unfriendly to walkers :)