itinary in new york

homealone_2

i am going with hubby to new york next month for 4 nights three days and would love to know from all of you that have visited new york before, with this duration of a visit what would your itinary be? ps better mention will be in wheelchair for most of time there (may manage short walk)

Steve_xx

Here's a link for you:

http://mta.info/mta/ada/index.html

This gives information about how to get around on the New York subway and transport when you're a wheelchair user.

Manhattan is fairly compact and you should be able to see the things you want to if you can manage the subways. You can get a Metrocard which entitles you to use trains and buses for 7 days. I they are 24 dollars, or you can get daily ones. You may be able to get a reduced fare one if you are disabled. The underground stations all stock huge free maps of the transport network, so you will need to get one of them.

me98sjc

Hi homealone,

Hubby and I have been fortunate enough to visit NYC twice (August 2001 and September 2002, both 5 days 4 nights); the first trip was amazing, while there is plenty to do in New York there's definitely a ranked list!

I'm not sure about the facilities for wheelchair users, so I apologise in advance for my ignorance.

You really should go to the Statue of Liberty. You need to metro it to the southern tip of the island (Battery Park?) and then there's a ferry which costs a handful of dollars and takes you to Liberty Island and also Ellis Island (the immigration museum). While you would not be able to go up inside Lady Liberty herself, you will have spectacular shots of the statue from the ground and also the Manhattan skyline. Ellis Island is also worth a wander around if you are interested in New York's recent history.

The Empire State building is also not to be missed. I have gone up both in the daytime and in the early evening - as romantic as you might think your camera won't pick out the beauty of the cityscape in the dark so I would recommend visit in the day. Also go as early as possible to avoid long queues, I think we got there at 8.30am and went straight up. You could invest in a Citypass if you were thinking of going to a few attractions, see this website http://www.citypass.com/city/ny.html. We used the Citypass on our second trip and it's worth it if you visit 2 or more out of the 5 attractions.

The first time we went we were fortunate enough to see the incredible Twin Towers, and to go up to the 110th floor. We went to Ground Zero the second time, worth a visit to pay your respects. In addition Century 21 is in the area, it's a big discount shop (think TK Maxx but better) if you or your other half feel the urge to shop! It's also near Wall Street down there.

We did the Guggenheim museum - building was structurally amazing (for my sins I'm a mechanical engineer) but if you're not into art then perhaps just go to Central Park instead because it's just glorious. Seeing New Yorkers at play on a Saturday was fun. The park is relatively flat and also there are many paths and roads for cyclists, roller bladers etc. Other museums I could suggest are the Natural History, MoMA.

We did the Intrepid Sea, Air, Space museum (it's on the US aircraft carrier Intrepid) because I'm a bit sad and like planes, you may not get the best out of it due to accessibility issues. This was also a 2nd trip visit so was lower down the list - I think it's closed at the moment for refurbishment.

However while we were there we hopped on a Circle Line boat (I think that was what it was called) which sailed around the southern tip of the island and back again, past Liberty Island and right round to Brooklyn Bridge. It was nice and relaxing and a way to see parts of the island you may not see wandering around.

I would suggest you go to a show on Broadway (it sounds brilliant to say that!!). To get the best prices go to a TKTS booth either on the south-east side of the island (it's lovely round by the docks there, although some of the streets coming inland are cobbled) or in Times Square itself. You may need to queue but for a 50% reduction it's very worth it. We saw Phantom and it was amazing.

We also went to the United Nations building, quite an ugly building on the east side but could be worth a look around if art mixed with world issues is up your street. It's fairly close to the docks where you can get fresh lobster. Again a 2nd trip attraction for us.

Also don't forget they have cinema releases earlier there, so if something floats your boat there are plenty of cinemas.

You could even try to get free tickets to a show being recorded in NYC - there are websites for these, try Googling 'free tv tickets audience new york" or this website gives you an idea http://www.studioaudiences.com/.

You can find good price eateries in the city, just make sure you look at the menu first (we got stung on a trip to Little Italy, meal for 6 costing about £200!! Onlt had one course and a drink!). If your board basis isn't B&B don't use their restaurant, instead go to a donut counter on the street corner or a diner for a fab massive brekkie for a few dollars. And definitely use a metro card / pass for travel. You will likely have a shop near / in your hotel where you can buy them from.

What wouldn't I advise... Staten Island, big bore (other than the lightning storm on the way back to the main island on the free ferry!).

I would allow at least haf a day per acticity, you'll soon find your holiday eaten up, even if you rushed round! For example:

Day 1: am Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island
Day 1: pm Ground Zero, bit of shopping, TKTS booth for Broadway Show
Day 2: am Empire State Building
Day 2: pm Wander/taxi around midtown, shopping, Times Square (you will be able to see things like the Chrysler Building with its amazing spire, Flatiron Building, Grand Central Station, NYC Public Library), cinema in evening?
Day 3: am Guggenheim Museum, or other museum
Day 3: pm Central Park for a relaxing afternoon, evening Broadway show
Day 4: am United Nations building tour / lunch at the nearby docks overlooking the river OR Circle Line tour departing from the west side of the island
Day 4: pm Another wander around to capture the attractions you haven't yet seen! There is so much!

4 days is a great period of time for your holiday, you will have an AMAZING time, but will be tired on the way back!! Many of the places you might like to visit are to take pics from the outside, so you could spend a lot of time going to these places, snapping, and moving on. Of course you can do lots of other things besides, I've heard of Sex & The City tours (i.e. lots of bars! :beer: ) or lots of others. We never ventured further north than 80th street or to Queens, or Long Island, or New Jersey so sorry I can't advise on those. However a good piece of advice is to get a great guide book, the DK series are the best I have ever used.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-York-Eyewitness-Travel-Guides/dp/1405310898/sr=1-3/qid=1169646445/ref=sr_1_3/202-0770657-0644614?ie=UTF8&s=books

Sorry for rambling, I have a habit of doing it... I hope this has been useful and that you have a wonderful time across the pond in NYC.

Best wishes,
Sarah

PS Taxi drivers are more than a little insane, but you have to do one! Make sure it's a proper yellow cab for safety.

Greta

I've been to NYC several times, and navigated NYC with my mum using a wheelchair. One thing, the pavements (or sidewalks) aren't that easy. The wheels keep getting caught, especially around Times Square. Just an advance warning, and its tiring covering several blocks navigating with a wheelchair (since the pavement is awful). Plan this into your trip, especially for something like Central Park: its huge.

Accessibility to attractions is generally good, because of the ADA. Subways, there is a gap between trains and the platform, which can be hellish. Otherwise, wheelchair can go into the boot (trunk!) of cabs.

Ellis Island / Statute of Liberty: arrive early, by early I mean before 9am. Take advantage of the jet lag, you will be up before Americans anyhow. Otherwise, nothing that hasn't been said already. You might want to explore one of the neighbourhoods, in downtown Manhattan. It really depends on your own interests.

homealone_2

me98sjc wrote:

Hi homealone,

Hubby and I have been fortunate enough to visit NYC twice (August 2001 and September 2002, both 5 days 4 nights); the first trip was amazing, while there is plenty to do in New York there's definitely a ranked list!

I'm not sure about the facilities for wheelchair users, so I apologise in advance for my ignorance.

You really should go to the Statue of Liberty. You need to metro it to the southern tip of the island (Battery Park?) and then there's a ferry which costs a handful of dollars and takes you to Liberty Island and also Ellis Island (the immigration museum). While you would not be able to go up inside Lady Liberty herself, you will have spectacular shots of the statue from the ground and also the Manhattan skyline. Ellis Island is also worth a wander around if you are interested in New York's recent history.

The Empire State building is also not to be missed. I have gone up both in the daytime and in the early evening - as romantic as you might think your camera won't pick out the beauty of the cityscape in the dark so I would recommend visit in the day. Also go as early as possible to avoid long queues, I think we got there at 8.30am and went straight up. You could invest in a Citypass if you were thinking of going to a few attractions, see this website http://www.citypass.com/city/ny.html. We used the Citypass on our second trip and it's worth it if you visit 2 or more out of the 5 attractions.

The first time we went we were fortunate enough to see the incredible Twin Towers, and to go up to the 110th floor. We went to Ground Zero the second time, worth a visit to pay your respects. In addition Century 21 is in the area, it's a big discount shop (think TK Maxx but better) if you or your other half feel the urge to shop! It's also near Wall Street down there.

We did the Guggenheim museum - building was structurally amazing (for my sins I'm a mechanical engineer) but if you're not into art then perhaps just go to Central Park instead because it's just glorious. Seeing New Yorkers at play on a Saturday was fun. The park is relatively flat and also there are many paths and roads for cyclists, roller bladers etc. Other museums I could suggest are the Natural History, MoMA.

We did the Intrepid Sea, Air, Space museum (it's on the US aircraft carrier Intrepid) because I'm a bit sad and like planes, you may not get the best out of it due to accessibility issues. This was also a 2nd trip visit so was lower down the list - I think it's closed at the moment for refurbishment.

However while we were there we hopped on a Circle Line boat (I think that was what it was called) which sailed around the southern tip of the island and back again, past Liberty Island and right round to Brooklyn Bridge. It was nice and relaxing and a way to see parts of the island you may not see wandering around.

I would suggest you go to a show on Broadway (it sounds brilliant to say that!!). To get the best prices go to a TKTS booth either on the south-east side of the island (it's lovely round by the docks there, although some of the streets coming inland are cobbled) or in Times Square itself. You may need to queue but for a 50% reduction it's very worth it. We saw Phantom and it was amazing.

We also went to the United Nations building, quite an ugly building on the east side but could be worth a look around if art mixed with world issues is up your street. It's fairly close to the docks where you can get fresh lobster. Again a 2nd trip attraction for us.

Also don't forget they have cinema releases earlier there, so if something floats your boat there are plenty of cinemas.

You could even try to get free tickets to a show being recorded in NYC - there are websites for these, try Googling 'free tv tickets audience new york" or this website gives you an idea http://www.studioaudiences.com/.

You can find good price eateries in the city, just make sure you look at the menu first (we got stung on a trip to Little Italy, meal for 6 costing about £200!! Onlt had one course and a drink!). If your board basis isn't B&B don't use their restaurant, instead go to a donut counter on the street corner or a diner for a fab massive brekkie for a few dollars. And definitely use a metro card / pass for travel. You will likely have a shop near / in your hotel where you can buy them from.

What wouldn't I advise... Staten Island, big bore (other than the lightning storm on the way back to the main island on the free ferry!).

I would allow at least haf a day per acticity, you'll soon find your holiday eaten up, even if you rushed round! For example:

Day 1: am Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island
Day 1: pm Ground Zero, bit of shopping, TKTS booth for Broadway Show
Day 2: am Empire State Building
Day 2: pm Wander/taxi around midtown, shopping, Times Square (you will be able to see things like the Chrysler Building with its amazing spire, Flatiron Building, Grand Central Station, NYC Public Library), cinema in evening?
Day 3: am Guggenheim Museum, or other museum
Day 3: pm Central Park for a relaxing afternoon, evening Broadway show
Day 4: am United Nations building tour / lunch at the nearby docks overlooking the river OR Circle Line tour departing from the west side of the island
Day 4: pm Another wander around to capture the attractions you haven't yet seen! There is so much!

4 days is a great period of time for your holiday, you will have an AMAZING time, but will be tired on the way back!! Many of the places you might like to visit are to take pics from the outside, so you could spend a lot of time going to these places, snapping, and moving on. Of course you can do lots of other things besides, I've heard of Sex & The City tours (i.e. lots of bars! :beer: ) or lots of others. We never ventured further north than 80th street or to Queens, or Long Island, or New Jersey so sorry I can't advise on those. However a good piece of advice is to get a great guide book, the DK series are the best I have ever used.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-York-Eyewitness-Travel-Guides/dp/1405310898/sr=1-3/qid=1169646445/ref=sr_1_3/202-0770657-0644614?ie=UTF8&s=books

Sorry for rambling, I have a habit of doing it... I hope this has been useful and that you have a wonderful time across the pond in NYC.

Best wishes,
Sarah

PS Taxi drivers are more than a little insane, but you have to do one! Make sure it's a proper yellow cab for safety.

thanks, unfortunately we have 4 nights but only 3 full days. was thinking of doing the new york party bus tour on day one, it seems to cover most sights, lasts 5 1/2 hours, astops at each place allowing for pics etc and even stops somewhere where they do the half price show tickets, this costs $60 each. thought it might work out cheaper than me tearing around in taxis and still leaves time on first day for trip to macys or bloomindales. it lets you off at times square so thought these shops may be in right area, or should i get taxi to century 21 then? perhaps show on last night as that my birthday. hubbie keen on going to woodbury common to the huge outlet there i guess if it has everything there then thats a day of shopping done, perhaps on day 2.that leaves day 3 for whatever i have missed or things he might want another look at. was able bodied last time i went and remember running around like headless chicken trying to fit it all in but i cant remember how far away things are, staying at milford plaza. been told to give empire state buliding a miss as queues so long and to do building next to it (cant remember name) as it only one floor lower so view the same. also have seen that the tour bus offers tickets through them which saving queuing but dont know how much these are. do you remember rough cost of all the places??? didnt manage central park last time as it at completely other end of where we were staying but one of those carriage rides might be nice. also last question if i did have to do quite alot by taxi are the places near enough to eachother so as no to cost a fortune

Steve_xx

Oh yes, Macy's. You must go to Macy's Customer Services and take your passport with you and show them it. The staff will then issue you will a free card that will entitle you to 11% discount off of almost everything in the store, even sales items attract the discount.

Also, you will probably find that Travelex is the best option for cash exchange. You can buy your currency online and then elect to collect it at any airport at a date of your choice. Todays rate gives you $1.91 for £1. That's the best rate there's been for a long time, so I'd buy now if I was you.

me98sjc

Hi homealone,

Apologies for not reading your original post correctly. 3 days it is then!

Absolutely agree with the others, Macys is ace! Only wish I'd known about the 11% discount as posted by Steve_xx... Grr...

The bus tour sounds like it's perfect for you to get everything in. While we went into the Public Library, it's a library inside but the outside is quite spectacular with its lions guarding it - that's what you want a pic of, not oodles of books! And don't forget with the exchange rate it's about £30 each which is very good value for over 5 hours of sightseeing. And yes much, much cheaper than a cab!

I don't know what the other building next to the Empire State is called, as mentioned I went at 8.30am and it was fine, no queues. There are spectacular views from all sides due to the viewing platform. I can't advise on the other building - does someone else know?

Century 21 is just a shop which has things on discount as they're (probably) end of line. In and around Times Sq are Macys and other big shops, like GAP, which with the exchange rate taken into account offer bargains galore anyway. If you don't fancy Ground Zero then I wouldn't make a special trip to Century 21.

I Googled the Milford Plaza and it's pretty central, I recall the Empire State is on 34th St and it doesn't take long between streets (avenues, which run left-right, are quite a bit longer). Macys is about a block away. Madison Sq Garden (where they have big sporting things) is a few blocks further over - I didn't do the tour, perhaps another poster can advise if it's worth doing? Also that's quite near where a lot of the theatres are if you plan to go on your birthday. It's also on the same street as Grand Central Station (worth a poke-your-head-in or pics from the outside).

You could try using Google Maps to look at things on the map:
http://www.google.co.uk/maps?q=New+York,+NY&sa=X&oi=map&ct=image
I'm not sure if it will bring you to the exact right point of Manhattan but you can scroll in to find the attractions. Also a good guide book will have a map in too.

It's been a few years since I have gone, but you may find approximate prices for entry on websites or in guidebooks (the one I recommended earlier has good advice on prices). Yellow cabs are pricey, the tarrif is on the door/window so do consider the metro for a trip to Central Park. Save your cash to splash out on the carriage ride!

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but I think your suggested itinerary is great, ultimately it's for you and your hubby to enjoy.

Best wishes,
Sarah

recyclingbox

Go on the Staten Island Ferry to Staten Island! Then come back on the very next boat and see stunning views of downtown Manhattan. Best thing of all is - it is FREE!

We also got a helicopter flight with LIberty Helicopters. About fifty pounds pp for a 15 minute flight. Totally unforgettable.

recyclingbox

Oh yeah,
don't bother paying the extra for going right to the top of the empire state. There isn't a great deal of differnce in 20 floors when you are already hundred odd up!! The queues will be long so get their early, you could spend hours up there if you wish, nobody hurries you along!!

Steve_xx

The Trump Tower is a better alternative to going up the Empire State Tower ads there arre seldom any queues there. The Empire State can be a nightmare.

chipfire

Steve_xx wrote:

Oh yes, Macy's. You must go to Macy's Customer Services and take your passport with you and show them it. The staff will then issue you will a free card that will entitle you to 11% discount off of almost everything in the store, even sales items attract the discount.

Also, you will probably find that Travelex is the best option for cash exchange. You can buy your currency online and then elect to collect it at any airport at a date of your choice. Todays rate gives you $1.91 for £1. That's the best rate there's been for a long time, so I'd buy now if I was you.

D o you know if this discount is common in the States, which prsumably is related to sales tax, or is it just Macy's?