For the first time in about 7 years I’m taking a few days off. Going to New York City for a housing conference with DW. I’ll be with my daughter some of the time but I figure, heck, I’ll have all of Monday. What can I do in New York?
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Aaron the Handyman
Vancouver, Canada
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Replies
The museum of natural history is a must, empirestate building at night, broadway show, times square,
Aaron,
Johnny has some great suggestions. I would also like to add this: http://www.amnh.org/rose/ Give them a call and see if you can get tickets for the space show. The big appple is a busy, busy place, so you need to organize your time carefully to maximize your stay. Have fun, and keep away from those dirty water hot dogs! "One measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions"
Eat! Follow your nose -- if a restaurant smells good from the street, try it out. There's great food to be had in NY. If you're near Grand Central Teriminal, walk through the main concourse. It's stunning. Walk as much as possible. NYC is best experienced from the sidewalk. Have fun.
Restaurant-wise:
Mesa Grill, (where Bobby Flay is the chef),
Smith and Wolinsky's (very old NY restaurant, all the waiters are about 80),
Tavern-On-The-Green was beautiful, but the food was not great.
Moma.
Skip Macy's, and shop in Soho or Greenwich Villiage.
Hope this helps!
Take a Circle Line (boat) tour around Manhattan-great way to see a multitude of sights in a relatively short time. Museum of Nat History is a must see, but you can easily kill 2 days there alone. Go for a coupla hours tho, it's worth visiting and it's right across the street from Central Park. Take the kids to FAO Shwartz on 6th ave.
If you want a real dose of NYC flavor, take a cab down to say 7th Ave and W4th St, and you'll be in the village. Walk south and around a bit-tons of small boutiques, galleries, restaurants. If you head south you'll hit Little Italy and Chinatown.
Mike
Aaron,
If you have a sense of history see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
If you appreciate beautiful buildings,visit St.Patrick's Cathedral. Shop next door at Trump Tower,then walk across the street to see the Today show.
Go to the site of the World Trade Center.If you could have seen it then, and now ,you might think that kicking the $hit out of Afghanistan and Iraq isn't nearly enough.
Barry
The subway is the key to Manhattan. Once you learn to use it, you can go anywhere. They used to have an unlimited use card for a week for tourists, or you can get a card with cash value deducted each time you use it, $1.50 per entry IIRC.
Get a subway map and study it before you go.
What I'd do is take an N or R train up to somewhere in the 70's or 80's and walk down thru Central park. I like walking, so I'd just keep going downhill all the way to the Battery, off to the West to see Lincoln Center, back east to Carnegie Hall and the Russian Tea Room, West again to Times Square, East through the diamond district to the Chrysler Building .... When you get tired, take the subway. Cabs are expensive, so I only use them to get to and from JFK. There's a subway connection to La Guardia, but I haven't used it.
When I was there there was a strange little restaurant called Shopshin's General Store at Bedford and Morton in the Village. It looks like a burned out grocery store, but the food is great and very unusual. They're only open now and then, usually mid days and early evenings.
Also, what about a hotel? I found a good deal at the Stanford, 43 W. 32nd., just a block and a half from the Empire State Building. That's the North edge of Koreatown.
But remember I'm an LA guy, so I really don't know all that much about New York. The last time I was there was August of '01. I do have a couple friends there if you need an emergency contact.
-- J.S.
Take the subway to CityHall andwalk half way across the Brooklyn Bridge (to the place where the historical descriptive plaques are) and back. Its one of the wonders of the world, absolutely gorgeous, amazing to anyone who likes building. You get a stunning view of Manhattan and a nice, easy, one mile walk, all for free. When you get back, head south and back towards the East River to South Street Seaport, with its old schooner (you'll have seen the pier from the bridge). The section around is a taste of very old New York. You'll be near the WTC site, and Trinity Church at Wall Street, and the Battery (great views of the Statute of Liberty, Ellis Island, Governor's Island, the Verrazano Bridge).
While IBEW Barry is entirely correct when he says "If you appreciate beautiful buildings,visit St.Patrick's Cathedral" he should have also have mentioned the Frick which is just a little bit uptown and on the park from St Patricks. The Frick or Frick Collection is that house that Henry Clay Frick built for himself back at the turn of the previous century. 1 East 70th Street (between Madison and Fifth Avenues) right across the street form Central Park, just up the street from the Central Park Zoo, and down the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nice neighborhood!
Well anyway Frick was Andrew Carnegie's buddy and strong man business negotiator (see Henry Clay Frick and
the History of the Frick Collection) and holy cow just what a house he built and boy did he decorate it! The house cost $5,000,000 in 1913!!! Virtually every painting in is one you've probably seen in an art history book somewhere and the architecture especially the woodcarving in the place is just unbelievable. It's one of my favorite places to go in NY. Two years ago we were doing the stairs in a townhouse just down from the Frick on 64th Street and on days where we finished early I take a walk up there for additional inspiration and appreciation of fine architecture and design.
The place is so kool it's just silly.
Well that said it's real real hard to go to NYC and mess up the trip. You could walk just about anywhere and do just about anything and find a great memorable experience.
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Ellis Island (1 of 3 Mericans has a relative who came thru here)
central park, esp the childrens zoo near Plaza Hotel
carriage ride in central park
ride on statten island ferry
Museums many
Any taxi ride
grand central terminal and penn station
NY city Library
empire state bdg
broadway show
rockefeller sp center
Always had a great time there. never been cheated or hasselled. Don't ride subways at nite past 7 PM.
Bus system works well as do taxis
Edited 10/24/2003 8:18:29 PM ET by wain
Don't forget to bring your tools, Andy C. is like a stones throw away from the Big Apple, Iam sure he could use some help bucking some ply up on the roof, or humping some 5/8 x12' up the stairs, ya know. You gota help a brother out! He's just too nice of a Guy to ask.
If you need a new camera, there are several discount stores in N.Y. City. I was surprised by how small they were, however. There is also a fairly famous fine woodworking store in N.Y.City, but I have a mental block at the moment on the name...(Garrett Wade?)
Let's see, been a couple of years... Took in Grand Central Station just because I had heard so much about it. And the Rockettes, but I don't remember if they are still a functioning group. National Geographic Society, not quite as spectacular as Nation History Museum, but still good. Oh, and of course, The Museum of Sex (however, it wasn't open when I was last in NY...)
You might check out:
http://www.ny.com/museums/
http://www.shabazzone.com/
http://www.stonejunction.com/Images/Gallery/New_York_Buildings_/New_York_Buildings.htm
http://go-newyorkcity.com/index.asp?RegionID=45&CategoryID=1
and, not least:
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/ny.html
come visit me.....promise I won't put ya to work <wink wink>.
45 min. on the Long Island Railroad to Cold Spring Harbor from Penn station.
I can take you to the Vanderbuilt.....Teddy Roosevelts crib....a circa:1680 house.....and the oldest pub on LI right here in town for a few pints of black and tans.
If not then get tickets to see Blue Man Group down in the Village.....then a walk down St. Marks place right up the street....at the end of the street is a lunchonette called Gem Spa where the best vanilla egg creams in NYC are to be had.
Right up the street from there is McSorleys for beer.....2 mugs for the price of one.....its the last pub to have allowed woman in and they brew their own beers. I guarentee you'll have at least four mugs!!!
Dinner at Nobu (good luck trying to get reservations).
Central Park rocks but forget midtown and all that tourist crap.waste of time!
China town is also a great place to walk around and eat...its next to Little Itally so food won't be an issue AT ALL!
Be an apple (don't tell Adam that...lol)
andy
My life is my practice!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Edited 10/25/2003 9:36:13 AM ET by Andy Clifford(Andybuildz)
Check out the lobby of the Woolworth building, exquisite craftsmanship...and Hamburger Harry's...what a town... EliphIno!
saint john the divine amsterdam ave in the 100's take the blue line up town.( largest gothic cathedral in the world)
canal street on the south tip of manhattan.( any famous brand knock off youi'll find there)
soho - actually the missing link to modern american skyscrapers.
central park just a beautiful place in the fall
hayden planetarium a look threw the stars.
the air and space museum on the west side avenue( hells kitchen an old irish enclave) it an air craft carrier the intrepid
11th ave after 11pm nudge-nudge -wink -wink- @@
take a walk across brooklyn bridge
eldrige street synagogue 12 eldridge street completed 1887 first american synagogue to be built by eastern europeans jews 70 foot cielings a truly beautiful awe inspiring place it's around canal street
i got a bus load more if you want let me know..... sincerly the bear a proud and quite new yawker ; )
"expectations are premeditated resentments"
bear,
we missed seeing Richie at IMAC this Friday.....whoops, meant to call you!
Been so bizzy on this project here.
Me and Katrina went to see this concert last week
Inter-Media Art Center- Stanley Clarke & Jean Luc Ponty...way awesome....wanna go see WAR? I don't think Katrina is up for that so it'd just be me and you and some brews first.lol
Can't wait to see The Tower of Power again!!!!
Stay in touch.....theres more coming up at IMAC
your pal
andyMy life is my practice!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
"What can I do in New York?"
Aaron,
Just my two cents. The Intrepid Air Sea Space Musium (the WWII era aircraft carier docked on the West Side) is pretty kool.
Jon
I forgot about the Intrepid, I was there 3 years ago, they have 2 bombers inside, and a few crew that served in WWII on board to answer questions, it was great.Johnnyinbda
Aaron,
Make sure you get a Dog & a Soft Pretzel from the street vendors. Also where else can you find the best ChesseCake in the universe! Ray's Pizza is also a sure stop.
G8
Thanks...I almost forgot..on my world downtown tour of the East Village after the show "Blue Man Group" (remember the Tubes)? then Gem Spa and before McSorleys Pub..next to the old Fillmore East (ohhhh so many memories) was and I think still is "Ratners"! Best cheesecake on the planet.
Be fat
andyMy life is my practice!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
McSorley's is cool, how 'bout Jekyl&Hydes or The Caliente Cab Co. on 7th(used to be Tijuana Taxicab Co I think) on the west side.
Mike
Ahhhh, dirty water dogs.....mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
And I CANNOT pass up a chance for a street vendor pretzel....like no other. Like a St Genaros ssg+pepper sandwich. I just can't not have one. Or three.
Mike
For the best hot dogs anywhere, go to Papaya King. at 3rd. Ave. and 86th Street - I'm always right about this, then see the regular tourist stops.
Aaron,
Ok. one more. H & H Bagles on the corner of Broadway and 80th. Best bagles in the world. Right next to Zabars.
Jon