Anything & Everything New York (PART 2) - [please search thread before posting]

pcg2001

Not sure if you know the tripadvisor forum, but if you search there you will get quite a few hits that may interest you:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k2698377-Which_gay_club_s_do_you_recommend-New_York_City_New_York.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k180473-Gay_nyc-New_York_City_New_York.html

And congrats on the marriage!

uzubairu

Arrived at the Hotel Beacon and it is absolutely lovely.

I didn't really know what to expect, apart from it being nicer than what we have stayed at before (when in New York).

Exceeded our expectations, and the staff have been really helpful.

Obviously it is just the first day, but things are looking good.
Location is great too!

M4RKM

uzubairu wrote: »

Arrived at the Hotel Beacon and it is absolutely lovely.

I didn't really know what to expect, apart from it being nicer than what we have stayed at before (when in New York).

Exceeded our expectations, and the staff have been really helpful.

Obviously it is just the first day, but things are looking good.
Location is great too!

yay.... someone not staying in times square says their location is great...

sjpkgp

Have just come back from my first New York (loved it), and thought I would share my tips. You never know someone may be searching for the same.

- we used Citysights New York open top buses on their 3 day pass - hop on and off, inlcuding tickets to top of the rock (or empire - we did the rock as sister had done empire and she votes the rock), ellis island, free admission to Museum of the City of New York or New York Historical Society and a free Circle Line 75 min Harbor Cruise (at 11, 1, or 4pm) - $86. The rock and ellis are worth $32, and although, there may be people who might say $17 a day is a lot for travel, we found them absolutely perfect as they are a lovely stress free way of travelling around where you actually get to see everything/get photos - you get far better photos as you are higher up and you are not having to fiddle with cameras whilst watch your bag etc... We got our bearings really quickly using them, then used the subway ($7 unlimited) to go directly to certain things when we were in a rush. The gray line buses are the same but they were slightly dearer for what we wanted to do - although I think their brooklyn loop is hop on/off, whereas Citysights is not. The guides are great (although they never shut up) and give you some decent info about places to visit - although take accuracy with a pinch of salt.

- top of the rock is brilliant as sun is going down, it was busyish but not crowded. We did not bother getting off at the statue of liberty to save time, but really enjoyed ellis island. We also enjoyed Brooklyn Botanical Gardens ($8) which has a lovely (and relatively cheap) outdoor cafe.

- despite my reservations, the subway was absolutely fine. Less crowded than the tube and so much more accessible being just below street level/stops are close together and plentiful. One thing to watch is some trains are express trains so don't stop at all the stations on the line.

- In a moneysavers vein, the best things to do for free are staten island ferry (we went as dusk was falling - beautiful) Walking across brooklyn bridge. Central Park, Grand Central Station (again, spectacular) and also South Street Seaport has an upper deck where there is a huge foodcourt offering every sort of food (albeit in a fast food sort of way) and an outside decking with about 70 sunloungers (about 5 were occupied, so we had it to ourselves).

- For shopping Broadway just north of the Flatiron building (also worth seeing) ne Union Square has a market, which has a mixture of tat, reasonable stalls but is cheap for NY souvenirs in a well laid out way (i.e. 3xpashmina scarfs, or 3xt-shirts, or 3xcaps - $10. These are sold all over, but at least here the prices are on and there is no overt selling/haggling.

We also enjoyed cocktails in the rink bar under rockerfeller, not particularly cheap at $11 a shot, but great location and booze is dear to drink out anyway (bottle of wine was around $34-40 in most)

Some words of warning/downsides:

the electronic shops (esp nr times square) are out to take your money. If you want decent advice and prices go to the J and R stores (you can google them but we used the one near the financial district) which was four times cheaper than times square, and will give you proper advice and are not out to sell (we eventually came away empty handed because what we wanted to buy would not do what we wanted. The level of technical expertise of the staff was great.

I also thought Times square was a waste of time, Leicester Square but worse.

Beware the airport run in a taxi (or a car) - nothing wrong with getting a taxi - fixed fare of $45, and with tips/tolls $60 BUT it took us an hour and a half of stopping and starting in the hot traffic, and as such the other travel options have to be considered as more pleasant, if not a lot cheaper too.

We stayed in the financial district and found it safe, convenient and there is a great open bar/restaurant area just of South William Street.

Hope this helps
Sal x

sjpkgp

Forgot to say that Century 21 (opposite world trade center site) is good for shopping (in TK Maxx style) - very busy but cheap for some things. Particularly lingerie, wallets, and ladies suits, beauty counter. Some of the stuff is not cheap cheap compared with the UK, but appears to better made and some unusual designs which you just could not get in the UK. I liked Century 21 as you were just left to get on with it without being hassled, although I did not see any changing rooms.
Sal x

thegolfingdog

just got my flights booked for me and the lady

29 sept - 6 oct, direct flights from glasgow, £273 each


now to find a decent hotel:eek:

M4RKM

where are all the cheap flights from Manchester?! there just ain't any... £340 direct or £315 with 1 stop.... *grr*

stefingos

Hi All,
The info on this thread is a really good primer for a trip to NYC - thanks for everyones contributions!

We've just got back from our first trip to NYC, have to say it is fantastic, much better than we expected!

We flew with Virgin from LHR-JFK, flights were fantastic, great services from the crew!

We stayed in the Hilton on Avenue of the Americas and 54th, it was a good location (close to Central Park, MOMA and 5th Av) and the hotel was comfortable, rooms were a good size, I would recommend it if you are purely looking for a good base - not sure it is ideal if you are looking for a hotel to spend a lot of time in.

Highlights have to be
- Top of the Rock, fantastic views across the city - well worth the visit, we went first thing and it was nice and quiet!
- Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at the London Hotel, well worth the money, the food and service were brilliant, we also got a tour of the kitchen afterwards which was a real eye opener!
- If you are looking for a good Indian try Darwat on 58th between 3rd and 2nd, good food, although not cheap.
- Walk across Brooklyn Bridge - it is great to see Manhattan from a different angle.
- Circle Line cruise round liberty island

Things not to do:
- Times Square, not our scene, too hectic!
- Century 21, didn't have anything to tempt me :¬(
- Don't go to NYC without plasters and comfy trainers!!!

As Sal says plan your return to JFK carefully - we came back to JFK on Monday afternoon and it took 2 hours to get to the airport by Cab, the queues were horrendous!

I can't wait to go back again!

-Stefingos

GRIGGSY

Only four more sleeps til I go to New York. Quite excited.....only downside is that I turn 30 when I'm there :eek:

just wanted to say thanks for all the help and advice from everyone on this thread.

quickstepqueen

Thanks sjpkgp and stefngos for your reports. I'm off to NYC next month so all the hints and tips on here and great. Am now starting to get a bit excited. *squeals*