Everything & Anything New York City

VintageToon

Hey Guys. Long time since i've been on here. I had my 10 days holiday in New York in June. Some people may have saw my quick post just after it.

Thanks alot for the advice etc and mainly to MRKM for all his tips & help. I'm now planning on my 2nd trip to NYC this summer. We completely stuck into manhattan (Statten Island & Brooklyn a little)
So will be doing some stuff outside of manhattan this time.

I missed a few things in my last visit such as Broadway show & a Yankees game.

Also i don't know if everyone else was like this but did everyone else find it hard to stay out the bars over there? I loved the atmosphere and as i am partial to a drink stayed in them ages. mostly till 4am leaving very little sleep. During our 10 day stop we got up mostly around 10ish.

Things we did while there. (If there's anything you feel i didn't do please let me know)

Empire State Building - Got up real early for this to avoid the crowds (Also had to keep pushing it back due to fog & mist).

The High Line - I can't recommend this enough, Basically an old railway line running through new york been turned into a great park. Loved the walk through it.

Rockafeller Centre - Never went to the top for the view but hung around outside it.

Maddison Square Gardens - Very over-rated. If your not going to see a game/band there. Don't bother.

Liberty Island/Ellis Island - Left this a bit late in the day so we didn't spend much time at the statue of liberty but it was brilliant. A nice day. I'd recommend taking a picnic over and sitting on the grass underneath it. Ellis Island was interesting but there's alot to see. We scanned over the stuff pretty quickly.

Museum of Natural Science - The Guggenheim was closed on thursdays which we wanted to see (Its closed on Thursdays for those planning on going) so we went here instead. It is absolutely massive. You don't really need to pay extra for the added attractions. Some are pretty crap. There is loads to see mind. We ran out of time/got tired.

Little Italy - Recomended at night. grab a meal it doesn't disapoint. Went to the Soprano's bar (was filmed there) brilliant street shame its only one street now. Never got to Chinatown for a meal so that's on the list for trip two.

Brooklyn Bridge - Grabbed a canole at little italy then walked across Brooklyn bridge spending a bit of time there.

Statten Island - Its free. Go for the views on the boat. Not much to do in Statten Island itself but we found a quiet bar and had a few beers. Flirted with the American Lass behind the bar - I really should remember names of places etc - Next time i'm going to take a small pocket notebook to jot down places i go to.

Greenwich Village - I'd say it's the place to go for drinks on a night-time. Brilliant place. Main street is Bleaker Street so if you want to check it out ask a taxi driver to take you there but ask him to go to the place where all the bars are. All the barstaff and people are really friendly to. My tip though for bars is when you first get to NYC pop into a bar during the day. They'll be quiet and whoever is behind the bar is always willing to chat to you - they'll tell you things to do in NYC that you don't hear about much. Also tip them and they'll give you a free round every so often.

World Trade Center/Ground Zero - Was pointless for me. the boards were all up around it. pretty much just a building site. There was a small dedication shop type thing next to it.

Trinity Church - There is loads of churches around NYC. None as good as this though. Wonderful place/building.

Flat Iron Building - Just viewed this from outside, Grabbed a bit to eat and chilled outside it for a bit.

Central Park - Walked alot of this. Just chilled watching the world go by - Watched some minor baseball games going on. I even joined in a bit of football(Soccer) and showed the yanks how to play. Strawberry Fields was cordened off by the police though :mad: so we missed out on that. Loads to do here.

Shopping - As a bunch of guys we were not bothered about bloomingdales etc. But we took advantage of Maccy's etc and spent quite a bit.

Times Square - Found it really busy and annoying but still great. Had some food at the Hard Rock Cafe.

That's about it of the sighseeing stuff. I loved New York as a whole and could have just sat in various coffee shops/bars just watching the world go by. There is so many different bars, coffee shops, deli's etc etc around. I loved it. I never used the Subway (My mate was paranoid and wouldn't) but with having 10 days there we just walked most places or grabbed a taxi and it only came to a couple of dollars between the 3 of us.

Our hotel was The Jane up on the West side in the meatpacking area near Greenwich village. It was small cabins but i got upgraded to a captains cabin for free because they'd double booked so i got a shower to myself etc. I'd go there again. There was a nightclub/bar underneath but it was dark and very wierd so we normally only had a drink there before we went out on the night or before we went to bed. One night the prices changed though and we got stung for $55 for 3 bottles of bud. haha.

So sorry for bleaking on but i just wanted let you know how my visit went and you can let me know if there's stuff i didnt do that i should etc. For 10 days it seems like i didn't do aload but i partied a bit hard on some nights. But it was well worth it.

missesnomore

Hi
we are looking to go to NY next year-originally was going to be the end of July beginning of August but now is looking more likely to be the begining of june. There are 4 of us going in 2 rooms. I would prefer to book sooner rather than later but while I am waiting to get my o/hs holiday dates confirmed with work I have been watching prices-I've looked on last minute, expedia and then compared them to ThomasCook online and they are really very similar- I will probably book with Tc if they stay this way as I dont need to pay the full amount straight away and I only have a 75% saved right now.
My question is, I have noticed in the last 2 weeks that prices have risen on all 3 sites-is this how they will stay or will they gradually ease down again-we had been looking specifically at The Jewel Hotel and about 3-4 weeks ago it was £817 each (6 nights from Manchester to JFK-I've been pricing to depart on either the 4th or 5th of June) and now it is more like the £860 mark. Have I missed out on the low £800s price altgether?

Thanks all

cabbage

Hi

going to NYC in May 2012. Does anyone know how to find out what shows are on broadway at this time. I tried a theatre booking site and clicked on Phantom of the Opera but could go further than Feb 2012. Not sure if this is because they don't book that far in advance or its finishing its long run.

many thanks

VintageToon

missesnomore wrote: »

. Have I missed out on the low £800s price altgether?

Thanks all

My experience last year was that it continued to rise. The hotel prices usually stay the same its just the flight costs that change.

VintageToon

cabbage wrote: »

Hi

going to NYC in May 2012. Does anyone know how to find out what shows are on broadway at this time. I tried a theatre booking site and clicked on Phantom of the Opera but could go further than Feb 2012. Not sure if this is because they don't book that far in advance or its finishing its long run.

many thanks

I 'think' it normally just shows 6 months in advance(ish)

Ladyshopper

Could anyone tell me about "restroom" availability please, as I've heard it isn't great? I have a frequency condition, so need to go on a very regular basis. Think I know where every single toilet is out and about locally to me!

Anyway, am assuming attractions have them, read there is restrooms in Statue of Liberty, but what about the ferry for example? How to bars/restaurants react to people wandering in to use them? Do department stores have them? How about subway stations?

greenface

Theres a maccy ds and starbucks on every corner.SIsland ferry has (i think)bars yes and cafes . We have not been turned away but pick your cafes and bars .the rest should be ok

guineapig

Ladyshopper wrote: »

Could anyone tell me about "restroom" availability please, as I've heard it isn't great? I have a frequency condition, so need to go on a very regular basis. Think I know where every single toilet is out and about locally to me!

Anyway, am assuming attractions have them, read there is restrooms in Statue of Liberty, but what about the ferry for example? How to bars/restaurants react to people wandering in to use them? Do department stores have them? How about subway stations?

Hi, I have the same problem! and when I went last year, when ever we saw a toilet, I used it! Never pass up the chance to go even if you don't feel an urgent need at that time.

Avoid too much tea/coffee/alcohol, they are all diuretic and will make you want to pee more!
www.NYrestrooms.com a website you can check out and hopefully feel more secure about where to go.

I have done a fair bit of research both personal ( when I was there) and on line. I found that the dept stores are nicer and of course you don't have to buy anything! eateries and cafes are less nice but useable.

What made me more paranoid was the fact that the "Rough Guide" said don't use Restrooms in public places ( I think they meant train stations and such like).

I found that by working out our itinery we were never too far away ( in time or geography) from a loo and if you want to see all the touristy sites then all the major stores have loo's even shops like Banana Republic and Apple store.

I was never brave enough to just go in and use the loo in coffee shop/eatery without being a customer, but Barnes and Noble Book stores have them as do some supermarkets so it's just a matter of working out your bladder capacity to your itinery.

I was very worried about needing to pee whilst in the long que in Immigration, but there are loo's in there at one end,( near where you come in to start the que) so I just had hubby watch the hand luggage/keep our place in the que whilst we took it in turns to go.

A lot of people have the same sort of worries but can't/won't admit to it, me I think being comfortable in your own skin is very important especially in another country.

So as long as you realise that you will hardly ever see the word "Toilet" they are always "Restrooms" you will be fine.:D


I am going again in less than 3 weeks and am much less worried about it than I was last year and we tend to go away from very touristy areas this time Upper East side ( last time Upper West side) but you can bet I already know where to "go" when I need to;)

Have a great trip when you go:)

Ladyshopper

Thanks both. Its very reassuring to hear that. The condition is a pain, and just been referred to a specialist in London as its getting worse, and specialist where I live has done all he can. Effects everything I do, and when I worry about if there are toilets somewhere, it just needs to make me go even more!

Blue1878

Hello

Could anyone recommend a reliable car service to get me from JFK into Manhattan please?

I'm off there in just over a week with my partner and we decided to treat ourselves rather than lump bags on the subway after a 7hr flight!

Thanks