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

WaxiesDargle

overpriced BA flight from Heathrow to New York return at £433 (x3)...check
overpriced Beacon Hotel in NY at £168 a night x 5 nights...check
stay at Travel Inn at Heathrow night before flight and park...£119...check
passports...check...
visa waiver...check
e-tickets...check

to do..
..on-line luggage check in, pick seat and print off boarding ticket (24 hours before flight)....check

and I don't fly til the 13 August

cost me well over what is quoted on this forum..do I care...well a bit...but hey me and my two girlies are gonna have a great time :beer:

ps..markymoo can you start this thread again and tell me what to do in NY

LoveNYC_2

Ok I can't sleep so I decided to kinda write a trip report from my few days in New York

Day one
Arrived afternoon and dropped baggage off at the Affinia Manhattan. Lovely hotel - got suite with a balcony with a great view of downtown. Staff were friendly, and hotel was clean.

Went out for a look about, headed to central park for bit and took some photos.
Then headed downtown to pier 17 and had a few drinks.

Day Two
Got up early and headed to Empire State Building, few friends hadn't been up it before. Great day - some photo ops. Then walked up fifth avenue and explored the stores. Could have sworn I walked past Susan Sarandon but I will never know lol. Then headed back down to Macy's. Spent the afternoon here. Took a quick trip to Times Square after, in which we decided to try get tickets for a show. Ticket booth line was too long to stand in the heat for so we headed to the Gershwin Theatre and was told theres high chances of getting tickets for Wicked if we stood in cancellation line. Did this and got two seats in orchestra - best musical ever. Then went back to hotel bar (Niles) and had few drinks, was a nice bar, friendly staff etc

Day 3
Lovely weather so ventured back downtown again, took in the atmosphere at battery park, there were a few street performers and stalls etc. Then headed to Statue of Liberty for the friends who hadn't been before. once back we headed to Ground Zero as one of our friends lost a good friend that day and so she wanted to visit and pay tribute to all firefighters etc. Then we headed over the Brooklyn Bridge and back again. Got dinner at a little place in the village - can't remember the name funny enough! Then back to hotel.

Day 4
Up early, had a stroll around times square and up to central park again, and up TOTR (forgot to mention this in first post). Great views of the city - means the Empire state building can be in your photographs. Also great views of central park, the elevator is pretty cool and the obersvation deck is far more spaced with seat etc than the empire state building. Didn't do much this day as we left in the afternoon ..

Overall it was a great trip with friends and can't wait to take the OH there for Vday in Feb, she is going to love it - as long as I can think of great little romantic ideas

I wanted to add photos here - but cos i'm a new user it won't let me. I'm not sure how to work it properly.

Meadows

This has probably been mentioned previously but Top of the Rock Observation Deck is a must do.
TOTR (for me) is far better than the Empire State Building; you get to see the Empire & Central Park. There are three viewing floors, two with glass screens and the top one it's just you & Manhattan, not like the Empire where it's crowded & you view through mesh.
The Top of the Rock Observation Decks only re-opened late 2005.
This is nowhere near as crowded as the Empire State Building, and the views are far more superior than from the Empire.
Initially opened in 1933, it consisted of the 69th and 70th floors. It was originally designed to resemble the upper decks of a 1930s grand ocean liner, gooseneck fixtures, and large air-conditioning vents intended to look like the stacks on a ship's deck.
Top of the Rock is a 3-tiered observation deck on the 67th, 69th, and 70th floors of Rockefeller Centre (the upper decks 260 m above the street level you get an unobstructed, 360 degree view of New York City). Enter on 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue.
Once up to the viewing decks, the first two levels have a low wall with large Glass screens which enable you to get great views and photographs, there are reasonable sized gaps between the screens to enable cameras to get clear shots.
The top viewing deck has no screens, just the wall and a fantastic view of Manhattan. Unfortunately you do not get an unobstructed view of the Chrysler Building, but you get a great view and an ideal photograph backdrop of the Empire State Building, and you also get an impressive view of Central Park, not to mention panoramic views of Manhattan and beyond.

Meadows

If you like to walk and have plenty of time why not do the Three-Bridge Walk. Williamsburg Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge, great views.

Take a subway downtown & get off near the Manhattan side of the Williamsburg Bridge. Locate the subway to Williamsburg, just around the corner on Delancy Street.
Get the subway to the first stop in Williamsburg, locate the pedestrian walkway, then start a really pleasant walk back across the bridge, and ended up right back at the subway station, on Delancy Street, keep walking until you do a left turn on to Bowery.
Continue along Bowery until you hit China Town and the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge, over the bridge, when you get to Brooklyn, come off a go back on yourself a little (crossing Pearl Street) then around the corner & you are looking at The Brooklyn Bridge.
Walk along the side of the roadway until you get to the pedestrian entrance, (you could do a slight detour either along Cadman Plaza or straight out along Clark street to the Brooklyn Esplanade).
Then it's a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan & City Hall.
If you want either take a subway back uptown, or walk back up to Midtown. The walk can take about three hours at a leisurely pace and it is about 13 miles if you walk all the way back up to midtown.
The first two bridges are not that good for unhindered photographs, but you do get some good views back on to Manhattan.
The Brooklyn Bridge is by far the best for views of Manhattan and Liberty Island

Meadows

If that's too much of a walk, why not try just the Manhattan & Brooklyn, or even hop on a subway to Brooklyn & then walk across the bridge, quite a short.
Another walk you can do, is to get the cable car to Roosevelt Island, walk up the island across the Roosevelt Bridge into Queens and then back across the Queensboro Bridge (foot of Queensboro bridge starts near ‘Silver Cup Studios, as seen in the final fight scene of Highlander) again these bridges are not so good for photographs but it’s a nice little walk & does not take too long and you can spend some time walking out to the lighthouse on Roosevelt if you want.
Try walking down some or all of the Hudson River, along the Marina (Hitch movie), around Battery Park and round to Pier 17 by the Brooklyn Bridge.


How about a subway to Coney Island and walk the boardwalk to the other end of Brighton Beach.
There really are lots of places you can walk to see the many sights and get away from the crowds, and when you are in Manhattan you never feel unsafe.

uzubairu

WaxiesDargle wrote: »

overpriced BA flight from Heathrow to New York return at £433 (x3)...check
overpriced Beacon Hotel in NY at £168 a night x 5 nights...check
stay at Travel Inn at Heathrow night before flight and park...£119...check
passports...check...
visa waiver...check
e-tickets...check

to do..
..on-line luggage check in, pick seat and print off boarding ticket (24 hours before flight)....check

and I don't fly til the 13 August

cost me well over what is quoted on this forum..do I care...well a bit...but hey me and my two girlies are gonna have a great time :beer:

ps..markymoo can you start this thread again and tell me what to do in NY

Once you get back you will want to start planning your next trip to NY, so you'll probably have more time to look for cheaper deals.

Have a great time.

gregg1

LoveNYC wrote: »

Hi all!!!

I have been reading this thread all last night and all this morning.
Hoping to become a regular contributer here, everyone seems very nice and friendly , and funny too! And I love it!

Just returned from NYC there and had an amazing time. I have been quite a few times. I'm now planning a romantic valentines trip for the OH - it would also be our first anniversary of being engaged.

Looking at finding a lovely romantic restaurant for Valentines day itself. Checked out The View restaurant, and apart from the view itself, the reviews aren't too impressive.

I'm not sure what to do - whether it be a nice restaurant with a view, somewhere fancy (famous or whatever) or possibly a dinner cruise! I'm undecided, so you lot seem like the type that would know! Any ideas?! I've checked out a few threads and forums on eating out in NYC, but it would be nice to get a personal response, a chance to get to know people on here.

Thanks for reading (if you did that is )

Take a look at The River Cafe website. We went there and have to say it is a very romantic setting. It is situated at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. After we had eaten in the beautiful restaurant we sat on the outside terrace overlooking the river looking over at Manhattan as it got dark and the lights started to come on. It was stunning. Not cheap though but you are paying for the setting as well as the food. Funnily enough we had originally booked to go to the View restaurant but changed to the River Cafe and were glad we did. We also ate at the Boathouse Restaurant in Central Park and that was fantastic as well. We went there at lunchtime although we did eat in the main restaurant dining room and had a brilliant table at the front of the terrace overlooking the boating lake. It would probably be even better at night. It was restaurant week so the lunch there only cost $25 each for 3 courses which was amazing value for the quality of food we had.

LoveNYC_2

gregg1 wrote: »

Take a look at The River Cafe website. We went there and have to say it is a very romantic setting. It is situated at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. After we had eaten in the beautiful restaurant we sat on the outside terrace overlooking the river looking over at Manhattan as it got dark and the lights started to come on. It was stunning. Not cheap though but you are paying for the setting as well as the food. Funnily enough we had originally booked to go to the View restaurant but changed to the River Cafe and were glad we did. We also ate at the Boathouse Restaurant in Central Park and that was fantastic as well. We went there at lunchtime although we did eat in the main restaurant dining room and had a brilliant table at the front of the terrace overlooking the boating lake. It would probably be even better at night. It was restaurant week so the lunch there only cost $25 each for 3 courses which was amazing value for the quality of food we had.

I was looking at The River Cafe, and it looked lovely. Your advice about it is also great so it looks like one to put at top of the list.

I'm very intrigued by 203 Fifth, the rooftop garden, but I don't know how that would work in feb during the cold months.

becky_rtw

I also dont think its a resturant despite doing food...if you get what I mean - tables are lowish and its set-up for drinking more than anything

LoveNYC_2

becky_rtw wrote: »

I also dont think its a resturant despite doing food...if you get what I mean - tables are lowish and its set-up for drinking more than anything

Well that suits me after dinner of course!