NYC here I come
- Thread starter R77F1
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Any interests or hobbies? Food preferences? Will you be in Manhattan or Queens?
Will be in Manhattan and plan to stop by China town, Liberty, Central Park,.....that's all I could think of for now.
China Town = great Dim Sum spot called Oriental Garden (14 Elizabeth St) also, many many places to shop till you drop!
Liberty = definitely the "tourist" thing to do...not so familiar so you're on your own :smile:
Central Park = visit the many NYC museums...the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Museum of Natural History, or the Guggenheim. While in Central Park and if the weather permits, hit Serendipity 3 (E. 60th St bet 2nd & 3rd Ave) for a FROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE...you won't regret this!!!
Katz Deli is a must
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
If your looking for counterfiet designer bags dont worry they will find you just troll mott st or canal by Lafayette
We have a Three Chinatowns here and since you will be at LGA you can check out some of the stuff close by like Flushing Chinatown and the Old Worlds Fair site. Shea Stadiium is just a stones throw away too
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
If your looking for counterfiet designer bags dont worry they will find you just troll mott st or canal by Lafayette
We have a Three Chinatowns here and since you will be at LGA you can check out some of the stuff close by like Flushing Chinatown and the Old Worlds Fair site. Shea Stadiium is just a stones throw away too
Thanks a whole lot repin and everyone else, this is the kind of suggestion I'm looking for when I created this thread. This is my family first time in NY so we are excited:biggrin:
PLEASE KEEP THE SUGGESTIONS COMING:smile: We will be there 5 days!
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If you go to the Statue of Liberty, the real treat is to climb up to the crown (not just up to the pedestal) and view the harbor. However, that requires advanced tickets and that type of security crap. So, if you want to do that, order tickets now.
I hadn't done that since I was in grade school. When friends came to visit from CO a number of years ago, we took them there. I felt like a kid again.
Also try the Empire State building for a great view. Tickets required, but not a big deal during the week, if I rememebr correctly.
I hadn't done that since I was in grade school. When friends came to visit from CO a number of years ago, we took them there. I felt like a kid again.
Also try the Empire State building for a great view. Tickets required, but not a big deal during the week, if I rememebr correctly.
I remember going up into the torch ....... that's how old I am Frank. :biggrin:
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Since this is your first time, I'm sure you'll be doing all the tourist stuff. Where exactly are you staying (midtown e/w, downtown, etc)? If you want to go to Chinatown, listen to the suggestions made above. Personally, I hate Chinatown because I hate dimsum, it's overcrowded, smelly, etc.. but you should probably check it out while you're here. A few other suggestions:
1. The cheapest way to get a great view of lower Manhattan is take the Staten Island ferry. To get a view around the city, you could also book a cruise with Spirit Cruises. It leaves from Chelsea Piers and sails around Manhattan to the East River. Meal served is buffet style.
2. For meals, it's all up to you. Personally, I don't like any of the pizza that is in Manhattan (and at $4 per slice, it's not really worth it). There are some good places in Brooklyn. Check out Shake Shack for cheap burgers. Parker Meridian (its inside the hotel) for burgers. Momofuku for noodles. Rosa Mexicano for Mexican. Peter Lugers or BLT Steak for steak. Sara Beths for brunch (Central Park location rarely has a wait). Kati Roll for a quick bite. You can look all of these places up on Yelp and decide if it's for you.
3. A lot of people like street food. If you decide to give it a shot, the halal cart at 53rd and 6th (after 7 or 8pm) for chicken, lamb, or combo platters. I used to love this place when I drank more frequently.. now, I get a little bit sick after eating it. Everyone else seems to love this place though. Go to the one on the southwest corner -- the one on the southeast corner will appear to be the same, but is definitely different.
4. If you're going to go to more than 2 places per day, get a weekly Metrocard. Try to take the subway everywhere. It's really convenient and much cheaper than taking a cab. Then again, since you're with your family, a cab might be more convenient for you.
5. You can rent bikes on the west side (near the Circle Line) and ride down alongside the West Side Highway. It's a nice view and there are designated bike lanes along some avenues now.
1. The cheapest way to get a great view of lower Manhattan is take the Staten Island ferry. To get a view around the city, you could also book a cruise with Spirit Cruises. It leaves from Chelsea Piers and sails around Manhattan to the East River. Meal served is buffet style.
2. For meals, it's all up to you. Personally, I don't like any of the pizza that is in Manhattan (and at $4 per slice, it's not really worth it). There are some good places in Brooklyn. Check out Shake Shack for cheap burgers. Parker Meridian (its inside the hotel) for burgers. Momofuku for noodles. Rosa Mexicano for Mexican. Peter Lugers or BLT Steak for steak. Sara Beths for brunch (Central Park location rarely has a wait). Kati Roll for a quick bite. You can look all of these places up on Yelp and decide if it's for you.
3. A lot of people like street food. If you decide to give it a shot, the halal cart at 53rd and 6th (after 7 or 8pm) for chicken, lamb, or combo platters. I used to love this place when I drank more frequently.. now, I get a little bit sick after eating it. Everyone else seems to love this place though. Go to the one on the southwest corner -- the one on the southeast corner will appear to be the same, but is definitely different.
4. If you're going to go to more than 2 places per day, get a weekly Metrocard. Try to take the subway everywhere. It's really convenient and much cheaper than taking a cab. Then again, since you're with your family, a cab might be more convenient for you.
5. You can rent bikes on the west side (near the Circle Line) and ride down alongside the West Side Highway. It's a nice view and there are designated bike lanes along some avenues now.
We booked with the flush area hotel(close to subway ride), close to the La Guardia AP and plan to get a rental due to 2 elderly that come along, with GPS to try to get to all places on this thread.
This trip will be me, my wife, her mom, and my parents(elderly)....I'm not sure if the rental, a cab, a train will be better choice for us. What you all think?
honestly traffic is the suck in the area you will be in.Getting into and out of Manahatten with a car is time consuming and expensive.Depending on how mobile your parents are the subway may be best,but if fragile then walking is not the best option.Of course being a tourist in any large city means lots of walking:frown:
The cheapest minivan rental I found is $652 for 5 days rate. I expect a lot of walking but we will take our time because of my parents. I will reconsider renting a minivan at this point and will discuss the way of going around places with my wife, maybe combine with taxi cab and subway ride. Please don't take this question the wrong way if you have relatives or friends driving a taxi cab. I have never been taking a cab before so how safe is it?
Thanks!:smile:
Thanks!:smile:
- Joined
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Don't rent a car. If you do, then parking will be an issue. If you're lucky to find street parking, you'll be paying about $4 an hour, but you're usually limited to an hour or two. Parking in a parking garage will be about $40 for 2-8 hours in midtown, and slightly cheaper elsewhere. Definitely not worth the cost or hassle.
Since you have 5 people in your group, a taxi won't do -- unless you take two taxis. Even the minivan taxis only seat 4 people (not including the taxi driver, of course). The taxis are safe, as long as you use the standard yellow NYC taxi cabs.
Just take the subway and buses. Pick up a copy of the subway map and you'll find that it's pretty easy to get around. If the elderly parents don't mind walking, you should be ok. Depending on how many trips you plan on taking, you could choose to go with the pay per ride or weekly/daily passes. As long as your hotel is close to a subway stop, you should be fine.
Just curious, but why did you book a hotel in Flushing?
Your parking fees will end up being more than your minivan rental if you drive into Manhattan every day. On top of the usual $40+ daily fees, generally there is a surcharge for oversize vehicles such as a minivan.
If you are staying in Flushing near the subway, hopefully it is near the Number 7 ("The Flushing Line"). That will take you directly into midtown with stops both at Grand Central Station and Time Square.
It sounds like you are coming in this weekend which means you should have great weather. So you might want to start with a little cruise around the southern half of Manhattan:
http://www.circleline42.com/site/scheduling_pricing.aspx?Product=2
http://photography.robertondrovic.com/Landscapes/The-Big-Apple/6633570_hC9DK#423023308_3eBHM
The 2 hour cruise is good since going around the northern part of the city doesn't add much of a view other than Yankee Stadium and the George Washington Bridge so you can save the time and money by skipping the 3 hour full island tour.
Since you have your wife and parents with you, consider the sunday matinee performance of Mamma Mia on Broadway (this also gives you the chance to walk around Times Square.
http://www.mamma-mia.com/broadway/broadway.asp
Save the long lines for the Empire State Building and go to the Top of the Rock by buying a "timed ticket" in advance:
http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/
Then pick a clear night to go to the top of the Empire State Building (less of a line at night and spectacular views:
Take walk through Central Park including Belvedere Castle (where the weather station is located) and the Bow Bridge:
If you like art, check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art:
Met
MOMA
Also, explore the Bronx by seeing the Orchid Show at the Botanical Gardens:
http://www.nybg.org/
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And if there is any interest in seeing a famed cathedral or two, start with St. Patrick's in midtown but also consider St. John the Divine.
Finally, if you are going to eat in Chinatown and are bringing your parents you might want to pick a little nicer place than where the "locals" eat (and I am including myself in that from college days - - - anyone remember late nights at Wo Hop's?) and go for the peking duck at The Peking Duck House on Mott Street. Make sure you get an order of the steamed dumplings as well.
http://www.pekingduckhousenyc.com/
If you are staying in Flushing near the subway, hopefully it is near the Number 7 ("The Flushing Line"). That will take you directly into midtown with stops both at Grand Central Station and Time Square.
It sounds like you are coming in this weekend which means you should have great weather. So you might want to start with a little cruise around the southern half of Manhattan:
http://www.circleline42.com/site/scheduling_pricing.aspx?Product=2
http://photography.robertondrovic.com/Landscapes/The-Big-Apple/6633570_hC9DK#423023308_3eBHM
The 2 hour cruise is good since going around the northern part of the city doesn't add much of a view other than Yankee Stadium and the George Washington Bridge so you can save the time and money by skipping the 3 hour full island tour.
Since you have your wife and parents with you, consider the sunday matinee performance of Mamma Mia on Broadway (this also gives you the chance to walk around Times Square.
http://www.mamma-mia.com/broadway/broadway.asp
Save the long lines for the Empire State Building and go to the Top of the Rock by buying a "timed ticket" in advance:
http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/
Then pick a clear night to go to the top of the Empire State Building (less of a line at night and spectacular views:
Take walk through Central Park including Belvedere Castle (where the weather station is located) and the Bow Bridge:
If you like art, check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art:
Met
MOMA
Also, explore the Bronx by seeing the Orchid Show at the Botanical Gardens:
http://www.nybg.org/
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And if there is any interest in seeing a famed cathedral or two, start with St. Patrick's in midtown but also consider St. John the Divine.
Finally, if you are going to eat in Chinatown and are bringing your parents you might want to pick a little nicer place than where the "locals" eat (and I am including myself in that from college days - - - anyone remember late nights at Wo Hop's?) and go for the peking duck at The Peking Duck House on Mott Street. Make sure you get an order of the steamed dumplings as well.
http://www.pekingduckhousenyc.com/
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Hotwire indicates the hotel I booked is in Flushing area and the map indication doesn't look so bad. So, what exactly is Flushing mean? Is it a safe place/location to be?
Which hotel is it? Flushing is a fairly large neighborhood. If you don't want to announce it "publicly", you can send me a PM.
p.s. I was born and raised 15-20 minutes from flushing.
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I think a limo would be best .... You wont have to worry about driving or parking which is a real pita. It will cost more but IMO worth it as you will be able to enjoy the sites and city without the hassel
I guess you are getting the gist that most of us are hinting that you should be staying in the city...that would solve what will be a logistics problem.The online discount hotel sites can get you some smoking deals on nyc hotels.Unless there is some burning need to be in Flushing...I would cancel that and stay in the city...
If he used hotwire I think it is "too late" because I believe they don't even tell you the hotel until you book with them and I think that it is non-refundable at that point.
ahaha Bob , so he has to make lemonade:redface:
Ah it has been years since I had some of that Frozen Hot Chocolate. Good stuff. Now back to your regular scheduled program. Have a great trip. Listen to RSO. He knows the city.
RSO, this is the hotel we are staying and I think we will be ok from what you have said. Hotel has shuttle bus to take us to the train station 7 and everything else is pretty close. We will try to combine train ride, cab, and maybe rental if my parents can not handle the rush of the above rides.
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/nyclg?&cm_mmc=mdpr-_-tripadvisor-_-photo-_-cp_nyclg
Thanks guys!
That is right by the airport so you are fine. The shuttle to the number 7 train is a great perk and will save you a lot of money as long as the parents can handle it. The Number 7 is one of the best lines in the city and gives you two great options for getting around. Technically, you are in East Elmhurst which is right across the bay from "Flushing" and you are 3 miles from the subway station but at least the hotel has a shuttle.
It looks like you need to take a bus back from the train since the hotel website shows that the shuttle only goes from the hotel to the train but not the trip back. If you are going to be riding the subways and buses each day, you should consider the 7 day unlimited use Metro Card for $27 each:
http://www.mta.info/metrocard/mcgtreng.htm#unlimited
If you get off at Grand Central Station (something you should check out anyway) you can transfer to a number of other trains to take you around the city. Grand Central is at 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue (technically it runs several blocks under ground but that is the main stop). You can transfer to the "Lexington Avenue Line" (#s 4,5,6) at Grand Central Station to take you downtown by Chinatown. The stop you would get off is "Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall". This leaves you approximately 4 blocks from the end of Chinatown (you would walk "behind" the courthouses and pass the park to Mott Street. Additionally, if the weather is really looking good you can walk a couple of blocks south and take a stroll onto the Brooklyn Bridge. There is a pedestrian/bicycle walkway all the way across the East River and you get great views of the city for free.
You can also continue on to the Times Square stop on the 7 train and that leaves you on the "west side" of Manhattan at 42nd street. That is also a transfer point to numerous other connecting subway lines. You would transfer to the "Number 1" line at Times Square to take you down to the last stop, "South Ferry", which would leave you right at the Staten Island Ferry terminal. There is a separate ferry to bring you over to the Statue of Liberty and you would need to walk up several blocks into Battery Park.
http://www.statuecruises.com/ferry-service/welcome.aspx
Also, it appears that the hotel shuttle will be taking you to the Main Street station for the subway. That is good for your parents since it is the first stop on that line and will give you the best opportunity to get seats for everyone for the ride into the city (our subways tend to get very crowded, very quickly).
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I have been to NYC a few times recently with my family.
The subway = inexpensive way to get around, BUT
For a tourist who has never used it, it is absolute rocket surgery. Good Luck, and study up on the maps.
I typically say F***-it and suggest getting a cab, but my frugal wife cons me into trying to figure them out.
MoogiBoogie suggested the Staten Island Ferry as a good way to see Manhattan and Liberty Island, he is correct, but he failed to mention is that it is FREE!
The subway = inexpensive way to get around, BUT
For a tourist who has never used it, it is absolute rocket surgery. Good Luck, and study up on the maps.
I typically say F***-it and suggest getting a cab, but my frugal wife cons me into trying to figure them out.
MoogiBoogie suggested the Staten Island Ferry as a good way to see Manhattan and Liberty Island, he is correct, but he failed to mention is that it is FREE!
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