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Input Needed: My First Trip to New York City

  • thePITman
    My girlfriend and I are going on a 5-day vacation at the end of April, part of which includes New York City. I would appreciate input on the following:

    1) Where should I say in NYC? What area(s) in/around New York have the cheapest hotels and/or the best access to the city?
    2) What are the main attractions, in order, that we must see? i.e. Ground Zero, Central Park, etc.
    3) What is the easiest way to commute to/from/in New York City once at our hotel? Metro? Cab? My own car? Cost of Metro/Cab?
    4) What would you do differently if you went back to NYC?
    5) What parts of NYC should we absolutely avoid?
    6) If I drive my car into the city, where is a good place to park to leave my car during our day on the town?

    Here is our tentative itinerary:
    Wed, 4/27 - Leave early for Washington, DC. Spend the day & night in DC.
    Thu, 4/28 - Leave DC around noon-ish for New York City, arrive at NYC, get hotel, etc.
    Fri-Sun, 4/29-5/1 - Explore NYC and leave for home sometime around noon-ish Sunday. (We both work Monday)

    Thank you for any comments & suggestions.
  • OneBuckeye
    Sounds like a lot of driving. Hope you are done with P90x by then. Or you better be taking a laptop and some bands with you.
  • thePITman
    OneBuckeye;652384 wrote:Sounds like a lot of driving. Hope you are done with P90x by then. Or you better be taking a laptop and some bands with you.

    Day 90 is scheduled to be April 21, so I'm in the clear. :)
  • Automatik
    There is so much to do/see that you MUST have an itinerary if you want to have a worthwhile time. If not it will be a major clusterfuck.

    As for how to get around....who will be traveling with you? Ages? Able to navigate and get around?

    The subway can be overwhelming especially if you have issues getting around. My parents are both 53 and they had a hell of a time. They can get around fine, they are just slow. You just have to be assertive and know where you are going or it can be frustrating. If you are not going up and down Manhattan, which I doubt you are....I'd go with cabs.

    I'm at work now, I'll post more this evening.
  • thePITman
    I agree, Automatik. The need for an itinerary is one of the main reasons I started this thread. It's imperative that we are organized before we get to NYC, or else we're screwed. Any help would be appreciated.

    You asked some good questions which I guess I didn't clarify in my initial post. There will only be two of us. I am 24, and my girlfriend is 25, and we are both very active and in good physical shape for walking, etc., as well as having navigational experience in cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, and DC in the past (I was in Chicago for a week by myself for business and was able to freely explore the city as well as surrounding areas via the Metro)... but I have a feeling nothing can prepare anybody for NYC. Haha!
  • pinstriper
    The one biggest piece of advice I can give you is to buy the $7 all day subway pass. You'll want to start walking around everywhere, but by noon or so you're going to realize that it's alot easier to jump on the subway to get from central park down to Battery Park then to just "suck it up and walk". Oh, and PLAN ahead as to a few things that are "must see" for you. If you don't, you'll get to the end of the day after being overhelmed and had missed whtever it is you really cared about.
  • Commander of Awesome
    Stay away from all the touristy shit. Best advice I can give anyone for visiting a major city. You'll eat better food for less $ and really experience the city.
  • BigAppleBuckeye
    Without rehashing what I have said in similar posts previously, the best parts of New York (like COA mentioned) are the ones not frequented by tourists. That being said, I am sure you will want to check out some of the major NYC sights.

    You two are both young, so I highly recommend hanging out in the West/East Village or Lower East Side. They have the best bars, restaurants and overall scene in the city.

    My least favorite part of New York is most definitely Times Square. Its mostly tourists with overpriced crap and terrible chain restaurants. Its is the polar opposite of what being a New Yorker is all about, but I guess as a tourist you should at least check it out.

    Shoot me a PM with your likes (restaurants, styles of bar/club, museums, music, etc) and your budget, and I can send you some ideas.
  • thePITman
    You have a PM, BigAppleBuckeye. I'll share on here what I shared with you:

    1) Neither of us are big drinkers (I have never drank, and she drinks rarely), so there will be little to no preference of the best bars, etc. We aren't really clubbers, either, so the "night life" isn't as important to us. Yes, we're boring people!
    2) She really likes patriotic stuff, so Ground Zero is one thing I'll make sure we hit. Any others along those lines? Visiting NYC attractions and "experiencing New York" is our goal for this trip. Neither of us has ever been there.
    3) We are not the type to go to really expensive restaurants or fine dining wine places like Ohio's Fleming's or Ken Stewart's ($100+ for a couple). Normal restaurants like Applebees, Hard Rock Cafe, Olive Garden, The Outback, and the like would be fine with us; but I'm sure some NYC-specific hole-in-the-wall restaurant recommendations would be great, too.
    4) Our budget has not yet been determined, but obviously the cheaper the better. For example, when we went to Columbus last year, our hotels were around $60 per night; so we don't have to have the nicest hotels. We understand NYC prices won't be near that low, though. Haha!

    Any other questions you need to help me better, let me know. Thanks! We appreciate the help and input.
  • I Wear Pants
    http://www.istopover.com/

    This site lets you see rooms and things that you can rent which are probably nicer and larger than what you'd get in a hotel room and cheaper. Some of them look really cool.
  • like_that
    Be sure to take a shit on the floor of Auto's apartment while in NYC.
  • Commander of Awesome
    like_that;652592 wrote:Be sure to take a shit on the floor of Auto's apartment while in NYC.

    +1
  • Automatik
    Great contributions Harry and Lloyd. lol....and I'm the troll right?

    I'm with BigApple about Times Square. I work in Hells Kitchen and I can't standddd this part of the city, but if you've never been to NYC, Times Square is a must. So just take a walk through on a weekend and experience the madness.

    One restaurant that I recommend to everyone coming here is Big Nicks diner in the Upper West Side. Its a "divey" place with a huge menu, its ridiculous. The prices are good and the food is amazing. I've been there at least 10 times and never disappointed.

    Also another thing that I plan on checking out eventually is the Top of Rock viewpoint at Rockefeller Center. I've heard mixed reviews....some say its great and others say its not worth it. You're with your girl, so I'm sure it would be cool to check out one evening.
    http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/
  • I Wear Pants
    How much are you trying to spend on a hotel? Obviously less is better but what are you expecting/wanting to spend?
  • BigAppleBuckeye
    thePITman, got your PM, figured I would reply here instead in case others wanted to add anything. Based on your interests and budget, here are my quick thoughts:

    *While Ground Zero doesn't provide much of a view, it is certainly worth visiting the area, as well as the Trinity Church nearby (where many of those who lost loved ones on Sept 11 posted Missing posters in hopes of finding them); while you are down there, check out Wall Street, although security is tight and you won't be able to see as much as you used to be able to

    *I don't have the link handy, but I really enjoyed the "Gangs of New York" tour, which takes you to what is left from the 5 points (if you saw the movie, you will enjoy this)

    *Check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art. No matter the cost, it is just suggested, you can pay $1 and see some of the most amazing art in the world. Even if you are not a museum person, I suggest going here.

    *Central Park is a must. You can go ice skating pretty cheaply, and in you walk down Central Park West you can hit Lincoln Center and the Time Warner Building, with lots of great shopping and things to do (although NOT cheap)

    *Cheap eats: Carl's Cheesesteaks (Place is a DIVE, but has the BEST cheesesteaks, on 34th and 3rd) ... Mannys (92nd and 2nd) -- if you are Buckeye fan, try and catch a basketball game here on TV, all the alumni hang out there ... Otto (not Mario Battali's best restaurant, but a solid choice if you don't want to blow a lot of money but want to hit a celebrity chef institution) ... PDT (short for "Please Don't Tell"), its a hot dog stand with an old fashioned phone booth inside. Press the button the phone, and a back door opens up with a lounge inside. I know you don't drink much but you might enjoy this.
  • CenterBHSFan
    Everytime I've been there (before my mom/her husband moved to Ohio) I've always made sure to eat at Joes on Ave. U in Brooklyn.
    My stepfather always orders the same thing - vestedda; he grew up in a Sicilian home though, so whaddaya expect? lol
  • BigAppleBuckeye
    CenterBHSFan;652680 wrote:Everytime I've been there (before my mom/her husband moved to Ohio) I've always made sure to eat at Joes on Ave. U in Brooklyn.
    My stepfather always orders the same thing - vestedda; he grew up in a Sicilian home though, so whaddaya expect? lol

    Thanks for the tip! I live in Brooklyn (not near Ave. U), I will have to check that out. I used to live in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, but after moving to Brooklyn Heights, I am never going back ... LOVE it here.

    Next time you are in Brooklyn, make sure you hit Peter Luger ... best steak, period. Just awesome.
  • CenterBHSFan
    BAB, check it out:

    Joe's of Avenue U - Brooklyn Restaurant - MenuPages Italian Restaurant Search
  • Leonardo
    I would go through Times Square and the Hershey factory.

    Remember that Gucci has two c's and Rolex has one L :)
  • BigAppleBuckeye

    This sounds awesome! Reminds me of an old school Brooklyn place that Websurfinbird and I frequent called Ferdinandos (cool fact, Leonardo DiCarprio filmed a small scene from "the Departed" here): http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/ferdinandos-focacceria-restaurant/
  • thePITman
    Thank you to everyone for the info. Keep it coming.

    I'll go back and re-read everything to see if this was addressed, but I want to stress the #1 thing we need - WHERE should we look into booking hotels? What suburb is the best place for location, subway access, price, etc.?
  • bigkahuna
    It's kind of funny. I'm taking my wife there in the beginning of April.

    We're only staying 2 nights (Arriving Friday Morning and leaving Sunday) I got her tickets to the Lion King at Minskoff.

    As far as hotels go, I've been running into the same problem of finding a decent price.

    I think we decided to stay around Wall Street/China Town on Friday and hit all of those things (Ground 0, Statue of Liberty...) and stay up around Times Square/Broadway on Saturday and see Central Park...) since the show is Saturday Night.

    Big Apple, is the Museum of Art down by the Financial District or further North around Times Square?

    I wish I would have thought about making a thread about this before you Pitman. Maybe I can help you out later since I'm going at the beginning of the month.
  • O-Trap
    Just promise me you'll find a corner pizza dive and get a slice.

    Little NYC pizza shops = Best. Pizza. Ever.
  • RedRider1
    thePITman;652377 wrote:My girlfriend and I are going on a 5-day vacation at the end of April, part of which includes New York City. I would appreciate input on the following:

    The serious relationship weekend. You'll be engaged by Christmas-time.

    :)
  • BigAppleBuckeye
    bigkahuna;653997 wrote: Big Apple, is the Museum of Art down by the Financial District or further North around Times Square?

    bigkahuna, the Met is way uptown in the Upper East Side. I recommend checking it out, then cutting through Central Park to the west side and hitting the Museum of Natural History (I admit I am a nerd and those dinosaurs get me every time!). I hear the Guggenheim rocks as well, but I am sad to admit that I have yet to visit it.