Help me NYC

[k3am]

I'm tacking an extra day onto my April NYC trip. I'll be staying near Central Park / Columbus Circle (exact hotel TBD), and have a full day to myself. I don't really know anyone in the city and am not great at public transportation. (Did you know that announcements on Amtrack for New York and Newark sound like the same place??? And I'm not going to mention the first time I rode BART solo...) 

Any ideas? 

[sunbutter]

I would just choose one or two things you would really like to do and then go with the flow and enjoy just people watching the rest of the time.

Ideas:
See a show
Take a food tour (we did cupcakes in Greenwich village)
Pick a museum to wander through
Ferry to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island is cool

[waverly]

There are tons to do in Columbus circle and Central park, so no need to go anywhere else on public transit unless you want to. I would get up get a coffee, do some shopping, get lunch, wander into Central Park in the afternoon (don't get lost). You should be somewhat close to the John Lennon Strawberry fields. Get a map of Central park on paper or on your phone. I think if you walk towards the middle and then south you would run into the famous pond and boat house, and then there is a some steps and kind of a grand walkway. Anyway do some walking back out of the park south or west, and when you are tired get a cab or uber back to the hotel (wear a seatbelt as cabbies are terrible drivers just like any other city). And get some dinner. I don't have specific restaurants for you. There is a shopping mall literally right in Columbus Circle, so you can't miss it. We used to go over that way and go to the movie theater. I think you are not far from Julliard and the Arts Center is it JFK? In April unless it is raining it should be spring and beautiful weather. Bring walking shoes. We used to walk a ton when we lived there.

Sorry I was a little off in my directions.  It's Lincoln center and they are north of Columbus Circle according to the map. Also Rockefeller Center and the Moma don't look too far away.  


ETA- I agree with Sunbutter if there are specific tourist things you want to do.  I was thinking neighborhood stuff because that is what people do who have seen the tourist stuff already.   

[2chatter]

I prioritize food when there. I would also be super tempted to link it (this is super nerdy, warning) to a book or books. The Dollhouse comes to mind, but anything set in your actual locale would be awesome (Central Park affords a million options).

I always enjoy shopping, people watching and wandering. Ubers are super easy to get and so are cabs. I used to just walk forever and shop and eat then hop in a cab back to the hotel (consulting a map/colleagues for general ideas/safety in advance, but nothing specific) when I had a few hours to kill.

[traveltheworld]

Is it your first time or have you been many times already? As mentioned, the food! Look up a few places you want to go. Also, I love going to MOMA. The Met is great, but it's almost too overwhelming, and I feel like I have to spend a lot of time there; but with MOMA, you can be in and out in a couple of hours. And the MOMA has the BEST museum store anywhere in the world - great stuff for the kids and house too.   Or walk around SOHO (which also has its own MOMA store - I love the MOMA store, can't you tell?). If you are into art, the Guggenheim is really awesome (also has a great museum store with the coolest mugs).

So if it were me, I'd wake up, walk through a bit of central park, go inside the Guggenheim just to marvel at the architecture and get a mug, have lunch somewhere near the Upper East Side, then go down to SOHO to walk around, landing at MOMA for an hour or two. Find a quaint bar/restaurant to have a light dinner, go watch a comedy show or off-Broadway show.  Public transport is super easy, or Uber Share is awesome.

[mommyatty]

I love the NY Public Library. You can see the original Winnie the Pooh and all his friends down in the children’s section.

[hocus2]

Will Broadway be open? (It is dark Mondays though their might be off Broadway options). Beautiful, Lion King, Wicked are all fun crowd pleasers. There are some new shows I haven't seen and some shows like the Book of Mormon that I would only recommend to certain folks. Finding one ticket is much easier so you might end up with pretty good seats to even a really popular show. If you've never really done NYC you can do a bus tour or a walking tour. I had a great tour of the village when I first move here and it was a blast. If museums are your thing we have tons. I would consider getting down to the tenement museum since it is fantastic. I know the PP suggested MOMA but it never really my jam. I would also consider doing something like the highline if the weather is nice.

[k3am]

I've done NYC as a tourist as a kid... got to see a drug deal in Times Square. I also remember getting to climb up the Statue of Liberty and see the view out of her torch (google tells me no, so it may have been her) crown. Things sure have changed.

I did NYC a few years ago as a very pregnant adult in the winter, but didn't get to do much on my own, since it was also a work trip and it was COLD.

There will be lots of eating with clients and my boss M-W, I'll have all of Thursday at my disposal and a REALLY early flight back on Friday.

[traveltheworld]

Oh and walk the Brooklyn bridge at sunset. It's kind of a cliche but the skyline is beautiful.

[shakinros]

Do you have work stuff Wednesday night? If not, I’d see a show then. Kinky Boots or Come From Away for feel-good, maybe Network with Bryan Cranston. I’m old and would not want to be out at a show Thursday night before an early flight.

[k3am]

Sadly, I have a dinner Wednesday night. I did look up Broadway shows.. I’d REALLY like to see Harry Potter, but it’s a two piece show and the second show is on Friday. Other days of the week it’s at 2p and 7:30p.

[freezorburn]

If it were me ... I would call the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and ask if the magnolias are blooming, because they are STUNNING.

[twinmomma]

k3am You need to see both parts for Harry Potter, so if you can't fit both I'd see something else.

You could always just go to the cheap ticket booth in Times Square and see what you can get.

[k3am]

twinmomma I definitely would see half a show. I’m just lamenting the two night situation. So lame.