Coming to NY

W

web_girl

Cathlete
Hi!

I'm visiting NY from the UK for a week end April/beg May with my DH. We'll be staying on Park Lane in Midtown, Manhattan.

Apart from the obvious sights that Lonely Planet and Rough Guides talk about such as Statue of Liberty, Central Park, etc, can anyone suggest any "no miss no way" things we should see or do?

We've booked a personal all day cycle tour so we'll get to see bits we probably wouldn't normally. We do tend to cycle our way around new places and this looked a great way to do it in such a location.

I'd love to hear ideas from any of you guys "in the know". :7
 
Hey Webgirl,

You might want to check--last I heard Statue of Liberty was closed. I don't recall hearing that it re-opened.

Good luck riding a bike in mid-town Manhatten. You are taking your life into your own hands! Motorists have no respect for cyclists here in the US--especially in NY.
 
I just checked the site for the Statue of Liberty and it is, indeed, closed. Apparently, they are doing some work on it.

Regarding the bike ride: There is a beautiful bike path (no cars) that goes up the Hudson from the bottom of Manhattan (Battery Park) up almost to the top! It's beautiful and well-kept, and I ride it every weekend during good weather.

I live in NYC and whenever out-of-towners come in, they all want to do the "touristy" things. We all have a great time, and it gives me a chance to see my city in a way I don't usually. The guidebooks are a wonderful resource. I would also recommend the Circle Line tour, which is a boat tour all around the island of Manhattan. They bring you pretty close to the Statue of Liberty, so you can get some good pictures. I've done it several time with friends and have enjoyed it every time!

There is also a Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side that was very interesting. It shows how the immigrants lived in deplorable conditions. You might also want to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. The views are magnificent! One caveat: There is a lane for peds and a lane for cyclists on the bridge. Don't veer over into the bike lane!

Enjoy your trip! It's a beautiful city!
 
Hi! I love visiting NYC!!! It is so much fun! The last time I went there, it was for the St. Genarro (sp?) festival last Sept. We walked around Little Italy and Chinatown (if you like purses, you will find a ton in Chinatown-and, word to the wise...don't buy any DVDs on the street-all they are is someone in a movie theater taping the movie). Then, we went to Greenwich Village and walked around for a while. Before we left, we had a great Italian meal, but I can't remember the name of the rest. Also, we went to a very old bar named (again, I am not quite sure of the sp) McSorley's. It was so neat...they only serve two kinds of beer, lite or dark. And, when you order one, you actually get two. There is a lot of history there. Women weren't allowed in until the 70s. If you go, make sure to check out the wishbones by the bar. Apparently some men who fought in one of the wars (not sure which one), left a wishbone which was suppposed to bring them good luck in the war. They are still there, and they haven't been touched (or dusted off) since! We tried to go to all the "non-touristy" places-not the Hard Rocks, Planet Hollywoods, etc. Oh, and I do recommend riding the subway-you never know what you might see I hope you have fun. My DH and I are going to go back in April or May.:7
-Jen
 
I was going to say the worst way to see the Statue of Liberty is by going to it, but I don't need to say that because it is closed. It is much better seen from afar like on the Circle Line that Gretzky suggested.

You might want to think about getting reservations to eat at one of the new restaurants in the Time Warner building at Columbus Circle. The restaurants, shops and Whole Foods market just opened in February. The restaurants are supposed to be some of the best in New York. My goal is to eventually eat at every one of them! :)

I also strongly agree with Gretzky about going over the Brooklyn Bridge either by biking, walking or running. The views are phenomenal! My husband also loves the bike path on the west side that Gretzky mentioned, but I find some of the areas near the George Washington Bridge to be rough and unsightly. My husband suggests that I tell you about the Transportation Alternatives website which has maps of all the bikeways in New York City: http://www.transalt.org/info/maps.html .
 
Deborah, Gretzky, Jen, Nancy and Nancy's husband:

You guys are all so great to come back to me with suggestions! I'm loving it! Thank you soooo much. I really appreciate all the tips and ideas. :7

Thought you might like to see details of the cycle tour I'll be going on with my hubbie - http://www.bikethebigapple.com/tourscustom.html

Thanks again and I hope to hear even more ideas - it's fab hearing first hand from you guys!

> Edited to ask if there are any shows that anyone would recommend...
 
Your tours look fabulous!! What fun you will have! I'm enjoying reading about them.

Another message from my husband is to go on the bike new york 5-borough tour on May 2. We did it last year, and we'll be doing it again this year. The link is www.bikenewyork.org .

As for theatre, it's really a matter of individual taste. I seem to only go to Broadway shows when my nieces are in town and see what the girls want to see. We all had a great time at Mama Mia and we're going to see Hairspray in April. Oh, wait, Mama Mia started in London, so you don't need to come to NY to see it! I recommend consulting the New York magazine website at www.newyorkmetro.com . I think they have reviews and favorites. I swear by their restaurant reviews, and I would totally trust their theatre reviews.

If I think of more tips, I'll post again...
-Nancy
 
Hi Nancy

My hubbie and I would looooove to do the 42 mile ride but we're concerned that we'll suffer on possibly ropey hire bikes.

The short route on the personalised trip will be fine but longer distance on possibly crankly old things (which we've had before when hiring bikes abroad) worries us a little. I'm so jealous that you guys will be doing it...x(

Thanks for the other bits of info - you guys are great! Big thank you to both you and your husband from me and mine.

Kindest regards
 
Okay, you can't leave without having a slice of NY pizza somewhere (now that's real pizza), a hot fresh bagel and some Italian pastries. IMHO, those foods taste better in NY than anywhere else.

And well, it's vacation, right?
 
Hey Webgirl --

I wouldn't say I'm "in the know" being that I live in Dallas, but I just got back from 4 days in NYC and I must say that you absolutely have to see a broadway show if possible. Hairspray was absolutely the best thing I've ever seen. I also saw the Lion King (very visual...although the actual "story" didn't interest me) and Little Shop of Horrors (my 2nd favorite of the 3).

We also went to the wax museum. Took the bus tour (downtown loop) that stops at many places around the city (Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty (although you can only look at it), little Italy, Chinatown, etc). Went to a taping of the Letterman show (it was okay...not terribly interesting).

Had a great time. NYC is a great place!

Shonie
 
WOW Shonie - you managed to fit a lot into 4 days! Good on ya!

I'll be sure to check out the shows and trips you mention. Thank you so much.

All the best - Claire :)
 
And not to tempt you too much, WebGirl, but Cathe's gym isn't that far from the city... If you really wanted to, you could easily make a day trip of it! }(
 
>And not to tempt you too much, WebGirl, but Cathe's gym isn't
>that far from the city... If you really wanted to, you could
>easily make a day trip of it! }(

Oooo - how far are we talking about would you say - I got the impression it was miles and miles?

> Claire
 
Well, you would need to rent a car. It's a couple of hours, but if you had the time you could combine it with a trip to Philadelphia! If I'm not mistaken, Cathe's gym isn't too far from Philly. (I've gone to Philly in a day from NYC). Maybe some others on the forum have better geographical knowledge than I do... If I get a chance I'll do the math on MapQuest and repost... It'd be a long day for sure, but it'd be worth it!
 
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