help from the New Yorkers please!

[tourer]

Hopefully for the attention of Name Game/Moondawgie and all the other informative locals whose posts I've read....My husband, daughter aged 12 and I have only two nights in Manhatten before our Explorer cruise next month. Although my husband may want to wind down, get up in his own time before we go sightseeing, we girls will want to rush out to shops close to the hotel whilst he gets ready! We plan to do the 48 hour hop on tour for the sightseeing all together, but it is important we can just nip out without him! So, I'm working on Times Square, the Sofitel because of excellent reviews. The kind of shopping my daughter likes is like Oxford Street in London, cheaper end fashion shops, sportswear, virgin megastore ,that kind of thing. Am I in the right area? Thanks, I really look forward to your replies. Sue

[smeyer418]

try macy's 34 th street go to the second floor courtesy desk and get a pass for 13% off everything. Hopefully you will be there on sale day. Also Felines Basement on 17th street and sixth avenue should be good as will Broadway between Canal and Houston Street....and Century 21 downtown by the World Trade center site Loehmans on 16th street and 7th avenue

[tourer]

Thanks for that. So should I be looking for a hotel away from Times Square because those addresses seem further down?

[smeyer418]

Thanks for that. So should I be looking for a hotel away from Times Square because those addresses seem further down?

 

Nothing is that far away in Manhattan by subway. You will have no problem getting there in 15 minutes or less. Times Square is well located for most things. I personally don't like the hop on hop off bus you waste too much time waiting for the bus. The Subway is MUCH MUCH faster. An unlimited pass for the subway is $7.00 per day(good for all NY City buses too except the long distance commuter ones)

[Name game]

try macy's 34 th street go to the second floor courtesy desk and get a pass for 13% off everything. Hopefully you will be there on sale day. Also Felines Basement on 17th street and sixth avenue should be good as will Broadway between Canal and Houston Street....and Century 21 downtown by the World Trade center site Loehmans on 16th street and 7th avenue

 

Anybody a cat person? Filene's Basement is also on 14th Street in the Union Square area along with a DSW shoe Warehouse and quite a few other stores in the area, mostly cheaper ones. There is also a Shoe Mania there - one of the great shoe stores of all times. The Filene's Basment on 6th Avenue (between 18th and 19th) also houses a TJ Max. There's another store around there that has discount clothes, shoes, home goods etc. - similar to Loehmans but the name escapes me (HELP!). I think it starts with a B. If you go to Macy's, there is a mall there as well. When you get off the hop on hop off bus by the World Trade Center site, definitely check out Centry 21. It can get quite crowded in there but it is definitely worth a look.

[tourer]

Sorry to push it, but I'm really hoping for walking out of the hotel door and finding lots of 'tacky' shops so just my daughter and I can nip out, like I said, whilst the 'old man' is getting his act together. There's no way we'll have the guts to jump on a subway without him. What sort of shops are right there in Times Square? The other hotel I looked at was New York Palace but that seems to be a classy area, perhaps with only posh shops around!

[Name game]

There are a lot of touristy stores around there and also a lot of electronic stores that I don't recommend going into. There is a Sephora, a Disney store, etc... I think there is also a Laila Rowe (sp?) store on 42nd that sells costume jewelry at very low prices. I don't shop in that area so I'm at a loss. I can tell you that you won't have any problem finding stores around there but probably not what you are looking for.

[smeyer418]

LOL I am still looking for a rouge wave as opposed to a rogue one....not being from Boston I don't know how to spell....

 

Anybody a cat person? Filene's Basement is also on 14th Street in the Union Square area along with a DSW shoe Warehouse and quite a few other stores in the area, mostly cheaper ones. There is also a Shoe Mania there - one of the great shoe stores of all times. The Filene's Basment on 6th Avenue (between 18th and 19th) also houses a TJ Max. There's another store around there that has discount clothes, shoes, home goods etc. - similar to Loehmans but the name escapes me (HELP!). I think it starts with a B. If you go to Macy's, there is a mall there as well. When you get off the hop on hop off bus by the World Trade Center site, definitely check out Centry 21. It can get quite crowded in there but it is definitely worth a look.

 

If you stay at the Hotel Pennsylvania you will be closer to 34th street and many of these stores... you will find the subway easy to navigate and safe....The shopping in the Times square area is not that good. You do have Saks Fifth Ave and Lord and taylor on 5th avenue off from times square but you will get to 34th street just as fast.

[shell03]

Hi Sue~

 

You will find so many things to do...no need to have a specific plan, you can just walk around and find things. In the Times Square area...my daughter loves Planet Hollywood, the Toys R Us Store (catch a ride on the ferris wheel), MTV store, Hershey's Chocolate, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, the theater district if you are interested in a show (Wicked, Lion King, etc), you can take a little walk to Rockefeller Plaza and the Top of the Rock for great views. You can also catch a double decker bus from Times Square that will take you to many areas of the city for sightseeing. You can't miss the big buses and the salespeople on the street, asking if you'd like to take the tour.

 

Near Macy's...the H & M store is very close - 7th Avenue at 34th Street (same as Macy's). Great inexpensive clothes she will probably love. Madonna was their "model" for a while and it's a very popular place. Much cheaper than Macy's. Check out their website. www.hm.com

 

While near Macy's and H & M, you can walk up the street and take the elevator to the top of the Empire State building. Many shops and cafes inside too.

 

Have a great trip!!

[shell03]

Sorry to push it, but I'm really hoping for walking out of the hotel door and finding lots of 'tacky' shops so just my daughter and I can nip out, like I said, whilst the 'old man' is getting his act together. There's no way we'll have the guts to jump on a subway without him. What sort of shops are right there in Times Square? The other hotel I looked at was New York Palace but that seems to be a classy area, perhaps with only posh shops around!

 

No problem finding the tacky shops in Times Square. There are many and they always have a "going out of business" sign, hanging in the window.

 

Also, beware of the street sellers that hawk designer bags...no matter what they say, these are NOT original.

[megr1125]

ABC's morning show..GOOD MORNING AMERICA has it's studios RIGHT in TImes Square across from Toys R Us...can't miss it...it airs from 7-9 AM...and they usually do something outside (weather or something) and you can see in the windows if they have a guest (usually musical guests are downstairs). Sometimes they let people in but I don't know how to go about that....it IS something to do while waiting for your other half!!

 

Sephora is lots of fun-all sorts of makeup & frangrance...and I agree, Century 21 is worth a visit.

[tourer]

Thank you everybody for your input. I am still drawn to the Sofitel and have sent them an email asking how many minutes walk to Macy's. The other hotel I fancy is the Renaissance but am put off by the fact they are apparantly doing alot of building work at the moment. Does anyone know better? (sorry, I didn't like the look of the Pennsylvania!) I like the sound of Planet Hollywood, the buzz and excitement of Times square but hope we can wander down to H & M and perhaps Express and stores like that quite easily? Will surely go to Century 21 as it seems everyone else does when they are on the bus tour! We do fancy the hop on hop off tour mainly for the narrative and going slowly with photo opportunities. We so look forward to bringing our daughter to your beautiful city and want to get everything just right!

[megr1125]

Not sure exactly where the Sofitel is but maybe 15-20 minutes walk to Macys depending on how fast you walk.

 

I would avoid the Hotel Penn as well.

 

Renovations at the Renaissance, according to Marriott's website, are due to be done Mid-November. I would guess that is accurate as they'd want to be done and all fresh, clean and fluffy in time for the holidays.

[madelinerose]

I'm not a New Yorker, but, here's a map of Macy's location:

 

And here's a map of Sofitel's location:

 

 

Seems to be about an 11 block walk. DH and I walk rather fast and this hike would take us maybe 15 minutes. Whenever we're in Manhattan, we're always surprised when we realize that in what seemed like a minute, we've walked 20 blocks.

 

Have fun, just remember, you're not going to be able to "do it all" in 2 days. ;)

[shell03]

Sofitel is in a great location for you. Right in the area of Times Square/Theater district. :)

 

About 11 blocks from Macy's. Perfect for what you are looking for and the hotel gets very good reviews. BTW, 11 blocks is nothing to walk in NYC.

 

edit: must have been typing when Madelinerose was posting

[megr1125]

Seems to be about an 11 block walk. DH and I walk rather fast and this hike would take us maybe 15 minutes. Whenever we're in Manhattan, we're always surprised when we realize that in what seemed like a minute, we've walked 20 blocks.

 

Have fun, just remember, you're not going to be able to "do it all" in 2 days. ;)

 

I have the same impression......what looks like a LOOOOOONG walk isn't....I guess since there is so much always going on, time just kind of flies...and it's only like that in NYC....the blocks fly by. Chicago and DC too, but not as fast as NY. I thought I was the only one who thought that!

[tourer]

Thanks again everybody. I feel relaxed now and raring to go!!! Sue

[shell03]

Whatever hotel you choose, keep in mind that the higher the floor, the quieter the room usually is.

 

NYC is truly the "city that never sleeps". ;)

[shell03]

NY Waterway has a great tour...Gray Line "In a NY Minute" package. Picks up on Broadway between 47th & 48th. Check it out on their website (other sites may book it but do it directly through them). It will give you a taste of all of the important areas of NYC.

[nybumpkin]

I've done the walk from Times Square to 34th Street often - it's a very easy, quick walk (not as easy if you have a lot of shopping bags, though;) ). The area between Times Square and Herald Square (Macy's) is the Garment District - lots of wholesalers, also a number of retailers. Have fun!

[Name game]

There is a store on the corner of 42nd and Third - have no idea of the name - it sells designer clothes at discounted prices. It is probably about a 10-15 minute walk from your hotel. There's also an Ann Taylor Loft on 42nd and Third. They have great prices on their sale items. The name of the store that I couldn't think of before is Daffy's but again, that's a good 25 blocks of where you are staying.

[smeyer418]

There is a store on the corner of 42nd and Third - have no idea of the name - it sells designer clothes at discounted prices. It is probably about a 10-15 minute walk from your hotel. There's also an Ann Taylor Loft on 42nd and Third. They have great prices on their sale items. The name of the store that I couldn't think of before is Daffy's but again, that's a good 25 blocks of where you are staying.

 

Probably because it doesn't start with a b(as you said in your original post).... I always think that Daffy's stuff looks old.

[shell03]

IMHO, as a parent of a 13 year old, Ann Taylor and Daffy's will have little to no appeal for a 12 year old.

 

Definitely stick with Macy's, H & M and Sephora as main places of shopping interest. :) Century 21 is a fun place to shop but you really have to "hit it right" - also IMHO.

[Name game]

Probably because it doesn't start with a b(as you said in your original post).... I always think that Daffy's stuff looks old.

 

IMHO, as a parent of a 13 year old, Ann Taylor and Daffy's will have little to no appeal for a 12 year old.

 

Definitely stick with Macy's, H & M and Sephora as main places of shopping interest. :) Century 21 is a fun place to shop but you really have to "hit it right" - also IMHO.

 

You are both right, a 12 year old probably wouldn't like those stores. The off price store and Ann Taylor Loft is actually on Lexington Avenue, not Third Avenue. It's a moot point but I wanted to correct myself.

[Name game]

Tourer - if you haven't done your New York visit yet, I just read in the paper today that H&M is opening up on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. That's a perfect store for a 12 year old! :D