Need NYC Help

[lintscreen]

DH and I are planning a trip to NYC this spring for our 5 year anniversary. Neither of us has been before. We'll do the standard tourist things, Times Square, Empire State, Statue of Liberty. We're not really interested in Broadway. We like to eat, shop, drink and walk around. I love photography so I'm looking forward to getting a ton of great pictures.

What neighborhoods or areas should we avoid staying in?

Which airport is easiest/the least hassle to deal with?

What's your #1 "don't miss" for NYC?

[Deleted]

I don't know that there's a neighborhood I *wouldn't* stay in... maybe not the Financial District/Battery Park City? There are a lot of hotels in the area but it is kind of a ghost town at night. Also, Times Square is worth checking out (quickly), but is very chaotic so I don't know that I'd love staying in the middle of it. If you want to be in the best-located area for the most popular tourist attractions, I'd pick midtown west, followed by midtown east or Chelsea. If you want to be in hip areas for eating/going out, I'd do Soho, Tribeca, the Village, Meatpacking District, or Chelsea. Public transportation is great, so as long as you're near a subway you'll be able to get around.

All of the airports have their pluses and minuses and which is most convenient depends on the location of your hotel. But the differences aren't THAT big, so I vote for taking whichever one has the cheapest/most convenient flights.  That's what I always do because really, none is leaps and bounds above the others.

Must-dos: I love Central Park in the spring. I'll vote that as the don't miss. Also, particularly because you're a photography buff, I'd recommend walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and hanging out in Brooklyn Bridge Park to take some great skyline photos. I also think that areas like the West Village, Soho (the quieter parts), Tribeca, and Greenwich Village are lovely and interesting areas to walk around, so I'd wander/windows shop/grab some drinks in one or a few of them. You'll get a much better sense of the city that New Yorkers love than you would being in midtown (which is all offices, business people (on weekdays), tourist attractions, and tourists).

[lintscreen]

Jan 28, 2014 16:40:05 GMT -5 v said:

I don't know that there's a neighborhood I *wouldn't* stay in... maybe not the Financial District/Battery Park City? There are a lot of hotels in the area but it is kind of a ghost town at night. Also, Times Square is worth checking out (quickly), but is very chaotic so I don't know that I'd love staying in the middle of it. If you want to be in the best-located area for the most popular tourist attractions, I'd pick midtown west, followed by midtown east or Chelsea. If you want to be in hip areas for eating/going out, I'd do Soho, Tribeca, the Village, Meatpacking District, or Chelsea. Public transportation is great, so as long as you're near a subway you'll be able to get around.

All of the airports have their pluses and minuses and which is most convenient depends on the location of your hotel. But the differences aren't THAT big, so I vote for taking whichever one has the cheapest/most convenient flights.  That's what I always do because really, none is leaps and bounds above the others.

Must-dos: I love Central Park in the spring. I'll vote that as the don't miss. Also, particularly because you're a photography buff, I'd recommend walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and hanging out in Brooklyn Bridge Park to take some great skyline photos. I also think that areas like the West Village, Soho (the quieter parts), Tribeca, and Greenwich Village are lovely and interesting areas to walk around, so I'd wander/windows shop/grab some drinks in one or a few of them. You'll get a much better sense of the city that New Yorkers love than you would being in midtown (which is all offices, business people (on weekdays), tourist attractions, and tourists).

Thanks, V! Midtown East is one of the area's I've been looking at. I like the idea of avoiding the tourist packed areas.

[definitelyO]

not a NYC expert - but we went last summer for a long weekend and rented an apartment in the upper West Side. while the loved loved the neighborhood and it was 2 blocks off Central Park it wasn't close to much else and we were on the subway/taxis for everything we did.

We really enjoyed the WTC memorial and we did a ferry ride (the Statue of Liberty was closed when we were there)

I have a huge list of restaurant recommendations from my friend who used to love there. but the one place that DH and DS LOVED was John's pizzeria. it has ruined them for pizza around our house.
John's Pizzeria -- midtown location www.johnspizzerianyc.com/, Bleeker St. location West Village (original) www.johnsbrickovenpizza.com/index.php

[sunshinedaydreams]

As a first time visitor, I might choose to stay in Hells Kitchen/Theater District. It's close to Times Square, Grand Central, 5th Ave, Rockefeller, Central Park, etc., and close to multiple subway lines. But it's a bit removed from the chaos of everything. There are some good restaurants on the side streets around there, as well.

As far as airports, I usually choose LGA. When I lived there several years ago it was always the cheapest, so now I just choose it out of habit. IME, it's always been easier to get to/from/through than JFK.

Don't miss - As a photog, I'd definitely do the Brooklyn Bridge. Also, Central Park. No matter how many times I visit the city, I always do CP.

[wanderlustfoodie]

Jan 28, 2014 17:01:56 GMT -5 lintscreen said:

Jan 28, 2014 16:40:05 GMT -5 v said:

I don't know that there's a neighborhood I *wouldn't* stay in... maybe not the Financial District/Battery Park City? There are a lot of hotels in the area but it is kind of a ghost town at night. Also, Times Square is worth checking out (quickly), but is very chaotic so I don't know that I'd love staying in the middle of it. If you want to be in the best-located area for the most popular tourist attractions, I'd pick midtown west, followed by midtown east or Chelsea. If you want to be in hip areas for eating/going out, I'd do Soho, Tribeca, the Village, Meatpacking District, or Chelsea. Public transportation is great, so as long as you're near a subway you'll be able to get around.

All of the airports have their pluses and minuses and which is most convenient depends on the location of your hotel. But the differences aren't THAT big, so I vote for taking whichever one has the cheapest/most convenient flights.  That's what I always do because really, none is leaps and bounds above the others.

Must-dos: I love Central Park in the spring. I'll vote that as the don't miss. Also, particularly because you're a photography buff, I'd recommend walking across the Brooklyn Bridge and hanging out in Brooklyn Bridge Park to take some great skyline photos. I also think that areas like the West Village, Soho (the quieter parts), Tribeca, and Greenwich Village are lovely and interesting areas to walk around, so I'd wander/windows shop/grab some drinks in one or a few of them. You'll get a much better sense of the city that New Yorkers love than you would being in midtown (which is all offices, business people (on weekdays), tourist attractions, and tourists).

Thanks, V! Midtown East is one of the area's I've been looking at. I like the idea of avoiding the tourist packed areas.

I don't think v was saying that midtown east isn't touristy but rather than it is a convenient location for being a tourist. Anything below 96th street is going to be a touristy area so you should select a neighborhood where you can get a good hotel rate or that's convenient for public transportation (pretty much anywhere below 60th Street).

If I'd never been to NY before, I think the things I'd want to do most are: Statue of Liberty, walking around soho/village, the Met, and eating yummy food of whatever ethnicity you can't find where you live.

[anna7602]

I don't know a thing about hotels in this city as most of my friends usually crash with me. BUT, I just had dinner with a friend last night who was here for work and she was raving about the Omni hotel on 52nd Street & 5th Avenue. She comes to NY frequently for work and stays in different hotels and said this was her favorite by far, both based on service/room size/amenities and based on the location. A meeting of hers was cancelled and she killed time waiting for me by just strolling around the shops on 5th avenue and ducking into Central Park for a bit before the sun went down, all just steps from her hotel.

Besides that, trust everything v says. Oh, and I also vote for walking around the High Line in the spring. I'd also say that the banana pudding at Magnolia Bakery is way above the cupcakes, in case you're inclined to fall for the Magnolia cupcake hype.

[osumelissa]

I almost always stay in Midtown East - easy to get around and it's not a bad walk to the more touristy stuff.

In the spring, I would say Central Park and the High Line are musts. The Brooklyn Bridge is also a really good suggestion.

[mbcdefg]

Ditto v about not spending too much time in Times Square. All the lights and ads are neat to see if you've never been there before, but honestly there's not much else that's worth it there. Stores/restaurants are overpriced tourist traps. Walk around, take some photos, and move along. If you're near Times Square and *really* want to go eat, walk a couple blocks west to Ninth Avenue and look around in that area.

I don't know if you're already from a big city, but when you're walking, stay to the right and don't just stop in the middle of the sidewalk to take a photo or whatever. Move to the side, out of the way, and do what you have to do. The locals/commuters really are friendly people and will generally be glad to help you if you're looking for something, but it's maddening when someone just comes to a full stop in the middle of the sidewalk foot traffic and everyone behind them has to go around.

I've only ever flown out of Newark Airport since I live close by. You can get a train into the city from there.

There's a ton of things to see in Central Park, and you won't even get to many of them in one visit. I like to start at Rockefeller Center (nearby is Radio City Music Hall and Saint Patrick's Cathedral) and then walk north on Fifth Avenue to see all the fancy stores, plus it's less crowded than Broadway. And I keep going until I get to Central Park South, which is also near the Apple Store and the Plaza Hotel. Cool architecture.

The Flatiron District also has some cool architecture. And that Eataly indoor market is there and gets rave reviews, although I went once and didn't enjoy it due to the crowds. Try going on an off-peak time.

If you want a free ferry ride and nice photos of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (not access to the islands themselves, though), you can take the Staten Island Ferry.

If you like craft beer, I can recommend a few good places.

The Hell's Kitchen Flea Market was neat, although the last time I did that was several years ago. And I keep meaning to go to the High Line.

Fette Sau in Brooklyn has excellent barbecue.

[pacificrules]

We went to NYC for the first time a few months ago. We stayed in the Theatre District which was perfect. It seemed close to a LOT that we wanted to do, easy to jump on multiple subway lines, but still felt out of the chaos. We paid for a 72 hour hop-on/off bus tour which took us to many of the sightseeing places we wanted to visit, and also served as free transportation often.

As for 'must-sees': My H LOVED the U.S.S. Intrepid. My favorite part was just walking around the various neighborhoods. We blocked out a lot of time for walking/exploring and still could have used more! 

[Deleted]

DH and I went to NY last fall. We stayed at the City Club Hotel on 44st and 6th. Although it was close to Times Square, it was quiet at night. The hotel was nice, the room was tiny, to be expected, but well appointed.

I liked that we were handy (within a couple blocks) to several subway stations; that made it really easy to get around the city.

[protozoa]

If you are into food, I always enjoy doing food tours in new cities. We did one in Greenwich Village that I really enjoyed in NYC. I can get the exact tour name for you if you'd like. I like them because you get some history and culture information, taste lots of yummy food, and find out about places that you wouldn't necessarily find as a tourist (especially in a giant city like NYC I get kind of paralyzed making food choices).

ETA: I think staying near Times Square is good if you are on a tighter budget. There are hotels that are decent enough for lower rates. Even though I wouldn't spend much time there I find it's a good home base because of the proximity of so many subway lines. If I had more $$ to spend on a more expensive hotel and cabs I would probably stay in a cooler neighborhood.

[lintscreen]

Jan 29, 2014 16:24:23 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Ditto v about not spending too much time in Times Square. All the lights and ads are neat to see if you've never been there before, but honestly there's not much else that's worth it there. Stores/restaurants are overpriced tourist traps. Walk around, take some photos, and move along. If you're near Times Square and *really* want to go eat, walk a couple blocks west to Ninth Avenue and look around in that area.

I don't know if you're already from a big city, but when you're walking, stay to the right and don't just stop in the middle of the sidewalk to take a photo or whatever. Move to the side, out of the way, and do what you have to do. The locals/commuters really are friendly people and will generally be glad to help you if you're looking for something, but it's maddening when someone just comes to a full stop in the middle of the sidewalk foot traffic and everyone behind them has to go around.

I've only ever flown out of Newark Airport since I live close by. You can get a train into the city from there.

There's a ton of things to see in Central Park, and you won't even get to many of them in one visit. I like to start at Rockefeller Center (nearby is Radio City Music Hall and Saint Patrick's Cathedral) and then walk north on Fifth Avenue to see all the fancy stores, plus it's less crowded than Broadway. And I keep going until I get to Central Park South, which is also near the Apple Store and the Plaza Hotel. Cool architecture.

The Flatiron District also has some cool architecture. And that Eataly indoor market is there and gets rave reviews, although I went once and didn't enjoy it due to the crowds. Try going on an off-peak time.

If you want a free ferry ride and nice photos of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (not access to the islands themselves, though), you can take the Staten Island Ferry.

If you like craft beer, I can recommend a few good places.

The Hell's Kitchen Flea Market was neat, although the last time I did that was several years ago. And I keep meaning to go to the High Line.

Fette Sau in Brooklyn has excellent barbecue.

Thanks for the advice.  I'd definitely like to "see" Times Square but I'm not that interested in spending a lot of time there. 

I definitely get what you're saying about people stopping in the middle of the walkways to do something, it's one of my biggest pet peeves in a crowd also. 

I know Central Park is huge and I know there are some not great areas, which part of the park would you recommend?

[Deleted]

Jan 30, 2014 10:09:36 GMT -5 lintscreen said:

Jan 29, 2014 16:24:23 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

I know Central Park is huge and I know there are some not great areas, which part of the park would you recommend?

I don't know of any not-so-great areas!  I mean, I wouldn't wander the park alone at 2 in the morning, and there are areas that are boring because they're mostly baseball fields and such, but it is a great park.  

If I were going to focus though, I'd stay in the area below 81st Street because a lot of the neat stuff to see is concentrated there.  The very south part has the zoo and the carousel and the duck pond... if you go a bit north and west you get to the lake and the ramble and the castle and Strawberry Fields and the Met on the east side and the Museum of Natural History on the west side (across the street from the park).  

Here's a top ten list that's mostly focused on the southern part of the park: www.timeout.com/new-york-kids/museums-attractions/the-ten-best-things-to-do-in-central-park-parks-gardens (I do not have kids, and that list works for me anyway!)