New York - 6 days
Discussion
Chaps,
Mrs zcacogp and I are going to New York for 6 days in mid/late March. Just booked it. Flying in on a Sunday and out the following Friday, staying in the Waldorf Astoria (lots of history and seems very cheap for what it is.)
Neither of us have ever been to NY before, and are wondering what to do. We have some friends from Washington DC who are travelling up for the first couple of days, but they aren't NY-philes either so all suggestions are welcome.
I have a personal dislike of playing the tourist in any country, preferring to see the sort of 'real life' that a local would see, but I guess NY is a bit different. Things I do want to see include the Empire State Building and Ground Zero. Mrs zcacogp is not really into shopping, but would like to visit Macys. I know that our American friends want to go to the Audi showroom (apparently much more than just a car showroom) and the Dunhill shop. I also want to have a ride on their subway system (I like tube trains!) and to do at least one journey in a yellow NY cab. We all quite like our food, and are keen to find quirky and unusual places to eat. Big restaurants don't appeal, smaller places which are likely to be patronised solely by locals are much more our 'thing'.
Oh, and the American friend and I are also quite keen (but very amateur) photographers, so some good sights would be welcome as well!
Oh and budget. I know that all PH-ers are multi-millionaires but we are not. We don't want to slum it, but we don't want to be paying off the credit card for years to come ...
All suggestions welcome. (I expect there will be hundreds!)
Thanks.
Oli.
Mrs zcacogp and I are going to New York for 6 days in mid/late March. Just booked it. Flying in on a Sunday and out the following Friday, staying in the Waldorf Astoria (lots of history and seems very cheap for what it is.)
Neither of us have ever been to NY before, and are wondering what to do. We have some friends from Washington DC who are travelling up for the first couple of days, but they aren't NY-philes either so all suggestions are welcome.
I have a personal dislike of playing the tourist in any country, preferring to see the sort of 'real life' that a local would see, but I guess NY is a bit different. Things I do want to see include the Empire State Building and Ground Zero. Mrs zcacogp is not really into shopping, but would like to visit Macys. I know that our American friends want to go to the Audi showroom (apparently much more than just a car showroom) and the Dunhill shop. I also want to have a ride on their subway system (I like tube trains!) and to do at least one journey in a yellow NY cab. We all quite like our food, and are keen to find quirky and unusual places to eat. Big restaurants don't appeal, smaller places which are likely to be patronised solely by locals are much more our 'thing'.
Oh, and the American friend and I are also quite keen (but very amateur) photographers, so some good sights would be welcome as well!
Oh and budget. I know that all PH-ers are multi-millionaires but we are not. We don't want to slum it, but we don't want to be paying off the credit card for years to come ...
All suggestions welcome. (I expect there will be hundreds!)
Thanks.
Oli.
I live across the river in Hoboken so will try nd give a couple of ideas from a locals perspective.
For unusual photos try Highline park. http://www.thehighline.org/. If you finish at the southern part you are in the meat packing district which can be good for a beer but some places are expensive. There is a beer garden under the park but it is probably closed at this time of year. I like Pastis where you can get a 1664 Formidable, Budakan where some scenes from sex and the city were filmed and Ajna http://www.buddhabarnyc.com/draft1.html. The last 2 are worth a single expensive drink just to see. You can also go to Gansavoort hotel http://www.hotelgansevoort.com/. They have a roof top bar where they take the roof off on nice days. Even if the main bar area has it's roof on there are lots of out door seats and a couple of fire pits. Be aware that a drink will be $10 for a beer and will be in a plastic glass because of the pool.
http://www.seathainyc.com/ is a good Thai restaurant at a reasonable price. It is opposite the beer garden.
Also, there is a comedy club in the area which was a good night even though we were on the "testing Material" night. In fact it was better because the comedians and compare ended up just chatting with us afterwards.
This next place is a bit strange as it appears to be in an office building. Last time I went you couldn't tell there was a bar. http://www.230-fifth.com/rooftop-garden.php the roof top terrace is large and looks straight at the empire state building. Great views but a bit expensive again (having said that I took 20 people there and didn't have to sell an organ to pay). Stay for a couple and take photos.
If you go to Union Square there is a restaurant called Republic. (http://www.thinknoodles.com/) Reminds me of Wagamama's and is reasonably priced.
Get "opentable" and "menupages" apps on your Iphone. great for booking tables at most restaurants.
If you watch "Cake Boss" his shop is located in Hoboken which is an easy underground (PATH) ride away. Be warned that the lines are absolutely ridiculous and are worth coming over to NJ to see alone. There's a couple of good restaurants on the NJ side of the River as well. Mondays and Thursdays are half price at Teak http://www.teakonthehudson.com/. The food is normally very good and worth the full price. It is right outside the PATH station and from here you can go to the Hudson river. You will be looking at NYC from George Washington Bridge to the world trade center. You can see The Intrepid museum and concord. It is also the location of where "Sully" landed his plane as it floated passed Hoboken. It's a good idea to come over just for the views.
Just a couple of ideas that will not break the bank. If you want bank breaking ideas I may be able to help with those as well.
For unusual photos try Highline park. http://www.thehighline.org/. If you finish at the southern part you are in the meat packing district which can be good for a beer but some places are expensive. There is a beer garden under the park but it is probably closed at this time of year. I like Pastis where you can get a 1664 Formidable, Budakan where some scenes from sex and the city were filmed and Ajna http://www.buddhabarnyc.com/draft1.html. The last 2 are worth a single expensive drink just to see. You can also go to Gansavoort hotel http://www.hotelgansevoort.com/. They have a roof top bar where they take the roof off on nice days. Even if the main bar area has it's roof on there are lots of out door seats and a couple of fire pits. Be aware that a drink will be $10 for a beer and will be in a plastic glass because of the pool.
http://www.seathainyc.com/ is a good Thai restaurant at a reasonable price. It is opposite the beer garden.
Also, there is a comedy club in the area which was a good night even though we were on the "testing Material" night. In fact it was better because the comedians and compare ended up just chatting with us afterwards.
This next place is a bit strange as it appears to be in an office building. Last time I went you couldn't tell there was a bar. http://www.230-fifth.com/rooftop-garden.php the roof top terrace is large and looks straight at the empire state building. Great views but a bit expensive again (having said that I took 20 people there and didn't have to sell an organ to pay). Stay for a couple and take photos.
If you go to Union Square there is a restaurant called Republic. (http://www.thinknoodles.com/) Reminds me of Wagamama's and is reasonably priced.
Get "opentable" and "menupages" apps on your Iphone. great for booking tables at most restaurants.
If you watch "Cake Boss" his shop is located in Hoboken which is an easy underground (PATH) ride away. Be warned that the lines are absolutely ridiculous and are worth coming over to NJ to see alone. There's a couple of good restaurants on the NJ side of the River as well. Mondays and Thursdays are half price at Teak http://www.teakonthehudson.com/. The food is normally very good and worth the full price. It is right outside the PATH station and from here you can go to the Hudson river. You will be looking at NYC from George Washington Bridge to the world trade center. You can see The Intrepid museum and concord. It is also the location of where "Sully" landed his plane as it floated passed Hoboken. It's a good idea to come over just for the views.
Just a couple of ideas that will not break the bank. If you want bank breaking ideas I may be able to help with those as well.
Edited by h0b0 on Friday 4th March 17:45
Two of my favorite restarants are in NYC. Check out China Grill in the CBS building and Gallagher's Steak House on West 52nd st.
http://www.gallaghersnysteakhouse.com/
http://www.gallaghersnysteakhouse.com/
I know what you mean about steering clear of touristy pursuits, but honestly NY is the place to do them.
Are you there for St Patricks day as thats pure entertainment.
Go downstairs in Grand central station.
Helicopter flights over the city.
We were approached in time square by a young guy inviting us to watch the David Letterman show, it wasn't a con and we had a great day lusting over Jennifer Aniston (well I was)!
Dunkin Donuts
Brilliant steak restaurants
It was so good were doing it again this year
Are you there for St Patricks day as thats pure entertainment.
Go downstairs in Grand central station.
Helicopter flights over the city.
We were approached in time square by a young guy inviting us to watch the David Letterman show, it wasn't a con and we had a great day lusting over Jennifer Aniston (well I was)!
Dunkin Donuts
Brilliant steak restaurants
It was so good were doing it again this year
We where there in January (flippin cold!) and visited the following....
Stanton Social Club - great restaurant in Lower East Side
Fanellis in Greenwich - great for lunch and a beer or 2
Rockefeller Centre - do this instead of empire state - much shorter queues, better for photos and you can see the Empire State, which you can't do if you're up it!
Grand Central Station for food - sounds mad, but try it!
There were more - I'll dig some details out for you.....
Stanton Social Club - great restaurant in Lower East Side
Fanellis in Greenwich - great for lunch and a beer or 2
Rockefeller Centre - do this instead of empire state - much shorter queues, better for photos and you can see the Empire State, which you can't do if you're up it!
Grand Central Station for food - sounds mad, but try it!
There were more - I'll dig some details out for you.....
Podie said:
Buy the DK eyewitness Rough Guide and make your own mind up.
Went with the girlfriend last year, here are a few suggestions:- Frick Collection
- Top of the Rock (at night)
- Even if you only have a minor interst in art you cannot miss out on the Museum of Modern Art, the Met and the Guggenheim
- Times Square at night (check out Toys R Us!)
- Walk down Wall Street and visit Ground Zero and the memorial museum there
- Grand Central Station (stunning interior), also check the food hall below
Did a very similar trip recently and stayed at the waldorf
See my photoblog amd thread here
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
If you like avoiding the tourist places the just wander round meatpacking, soho, chinatown, little italy ... So much to stumble upon and soak up
Have a great time
See my photoblog amd thread here
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
If you like avoiding the tourist places the just wander round meatpacking, soho, chinatown, little italy ... So much to stumble upon and soak up
Have a great time
Just got back from a 7 night stay ourselves. We definately got our monies worth out of the $29 weekly subway pass, really easy to use too. We did however find ourselves walking everywhere up the top end of town, between macys, times sq, totr, grand central, central park etc. If u don't mind walking a bit these are all surprisingly close together.
We watched the knicks at msg on the wednesday which we both enjoyed, full house & a brilliant atmosphere. Managed to get tickets from stubhub which are just downloadable so no hassle. You get a good view anywhere in there tbh.
I'd agree with doing totr instead of the empire state, pictures on a clear day are awsome. Can't help too much on the food side of things as the mrs is a bit of a burger freak & we ended up in hard rock a lot of the time! We did have a good night out in williamsburg though, 1st stop on the subway over brooklyn bridge, spikes bar being the first of many decent bars and not at all touristy.
Some decent beer in any of the heartland brewery places too, our favourite was the one by macys, try the sampler of beers!
We watched the knicks at msg on the wednesday which we both enjoyed, full house & a brilliant atmosphere. Managed to get tickets from stubhub which are just downloadable so no hassle. You get a good view anywhere in there tbh.
I'd agree with doing totr instead of the empire state, pictures on a clear day are awsome. Can't help too much on the food side of things as the mrs is a bit of a burger freak & we ended up in hard rock a lot of the time! We did have a good night out in williamsburg though, 1st stop on the subway over brooklyn bridge, spikes bar being the first of many decent bars and not at all touristy.
Some decent beer in any of the heartland brewery places too, our favourite was the one by macys, try the sampler of beers!
If you want a great burger, go to the hidden Burger Bar in the Parker Meridien hotel, up by MOMA and Carnegie Hall. Just to the right of reception, past a curtain, with a very small neon burger sign above the door. It's tiny, and when you get there you will wonder what the hell the fuss is about, but the burgers are excellent!
100% agree. Great burger!!!
Gandalf Beckwith said:
If you want a great burger, go to the hidden Burger Bar in the Parker Meridien hotel, up by MOMA and Carnegie Hall. Just to the right of reception, past a curtain, with a very small neon burger sign above the door. It's tiny, and when you get there you will wonder what the hell the fuss is about, but the burgers are excellent!
Guys,
Thanks very much, everyone, for the great suggestions. Having looked at a few websites and a guide book, it's not a case of finding things to do, more a case of deciding how much we can reasonably fit into the time we have available ...
I'll update this thread once we're back. Hopefully with some photos!
Thanks again,
Oli.
Thanks very much, everyone, for the great suggestions. Having looked at a few websites and a guide book, it's not a case of finding things to do, more a case of deciding how much we can reasonably fit into the time we have available ...
I'll update this thread once we're back. Hopefully with some photos!
Thanks again,
Oli.
benmc said:
100% agree. Great burger!!!
There's also a superb fresh burgers & shakes place, the Shake Shack, no more than a park hut, in Madison Square Park. It's at the junction of 5th/Broadway, that's bordered by 23rd, 26th and Madison ... the queues for this place last all day and all night, well into the night, but the food is EXCELLENT!Gandalf Beckwith said:
If you want a great burger, go to the hidden Burger Bar in the Parker Meridien hotel, up by MOMA and Carnegie Hall. Just to the right of reception, past a curtain, with a very small neon burger sign above the door. It's tiny, and when you get there you will wonder what the hell the fuss is about, but the burgers are excellent!
http://shakeshack.com/mobile/menu/madisonsquarepar...
Been there as well!! Also good American food.
Great pizza here
http://www.grimaldis.com/2/Index.htm
Ben
Great pizza here
http://www.grimaldis.com/2/Index.htm
Ben
5potTurbo said:
There's also a superb fresh burgers & shakes place, the Shake Shack, no more than a park hut, in Madison Square Park. It's at the junction of 5th/Broadway, that's bordered by 23rd, 26th and Madison ... the queues for this place last all day and all night, well into the night, but the food is EXCELLENT!
http://shakeshack.com/mobile/menu/madisonsquarepar...
http://shakeshack.com/mobile/menu/madisonsquarepar...
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