If you're headed to this amazing metropolis, I'm so excited for you! Here are some of my tips and recommendations for making it an amazing trip. I don't pretend to be an expert after only two visits, but I had such wonderful time and I want you to, as well!
Planning:
Do your research and plan your trip...this is my advice for any traveler. There is more to do and see than you'll have time for in one trip, but it's important to plan so you can maximize your experience! I used a great app called "The New York City Essential Guide" to plan. It has a list of famous sites, neighborhoods, landmarks, restaurants, etc. You can favorite them, and they show up on a map. I then used the map to plan my days according to what was clumped together. I'll share more on those "clumps" later.
You'll need a subway app, too. I downloaded several, not knowing which one would work best, but I ended up using the one by Mapway.
Getting there:
I've flown into Newark and JFK, and out of LaGuardia. LaGuardia doesn't have an AirTrain that connects it to the New York Subway system, so you have to connect to it on a bus. I hate buses and bus stations (the armpit of civilization, as I call them), so in the future, I'll avoid LaGuardia. So my advice is Newark or JFK.
Take the AirTrain from the airport to the Subway system and find the line closest to your hotel. Buy a 7 day metro pass. Its only $31 and it's so worth it. Once you figure out the subway system, it's wonderful (albeit stinky)!
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| My first view of New York |
I stayed at the same hotel during both of my stays...The Amsterdam Court Hotel in the Theater District, on the corner of 50th Street and 8th Ave. The location is, in my opinion, ideal. It's a block from Broadway (we could see the "Wicked" sign out our window) and Times Square and on the corner is a subway line that runs the length of Manhattan, north and south. This subway line also connects to both JFK and Newark (via Penn Station). It's nothing fancy, and it's small, but it's under $200 a night, which is hard to find in Manhattan. They got rid of their free WIFI, though...not cool. If your budget allows for something fancier, do it! I would still, however, recommend something in midtown (between 42nd and 59th streets) because it's central to most of what you'll want to see and do.
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| I had to squish myself into the corner to take this picture |
Broadway:
You have to visit the Great White Way! Even if you're time in the city is limited, this is a must. If there's a particular show you want to see, plan ahead and order tickets. On my first trip, we bought tickets for "Annie" before we went on the trip. Then, once we were there, the weather was so bad, we bought tickets for "Cinderella" on the day of the show. There's a booth in the middle of Times Square called the TKTS Booth. They sell discounted tickets on the day of the show to fill up any empty seats. The great thing about this is you can get great seats for 40-50% off the original price. The drawback is that the really popular shows rarely have tickets available at the TKTS Booth. So, if there's a particular show you have your heart set on, buy tickets in advance. I hear "Hamilton" is amazing! Fiddler on the Roof is coming in November!
Central Park:
Central Park was so vastly different in January and October. In January, we went to the Park when it was covered in snow and there were no leaves on the trees. Very few other people were braving the 20 degree weather and slippery trails, which is a shame, because it was magnificent! We took a carriage ride through the bottom third of the park. You catch these on the south end of the park, on Central Park South (also known as 59th Ave). Then we walked through Strawberry Fields, around the pond, to the Bethesda Fountain, and over the Bow Bridge. We didn't do much else because of the frigid temperatures.
In October, the leaves on the trees made the park a completely different place. If you want to see fall colors, go late in October or November...we had very little fall color when we were there at the beginning of the month. The nicer weather also meant a LOT of people! We went back to Bethesda fountain, the Bow Bridge, and Strawberry Fields (this time, a band was playing Beatles music in homage to John Lennon and there was a crowd signing along). We visited Belvedere Castle, walked down The Mall, and rented rowboats on the pond. Renting rowboats was great fun. You can rent them at the Loeb Boathouse (also a restaurant with tables right on the pond...you'll recognize it if you've watched "When Harry Met Sally"). An hour in a rowboat costs $35 in cash, twenty of which you'll get back when you return the boat. If you don't want to do the rowing, you can ride in a gondola for a half an hour for $45 and be serenaded by a gondolier.
All of this, and we only saw the southern half of the park. It's really big.
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| Bow Bridge in January |
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| Bow Bridge in October |
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| Bethesda Fountain in January |
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| Bethesda Fountain in October |
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| Carriage Ride in January |
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| Row Boating in October |
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| The Mall |
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| Belvedere Castle |
Museums
There are so many great museums in New York, but we only made it to a few. They all deserve more time that you'll probably be able to devote to them, so it can be a little frustrating. We left the Met and estimated that we'd seen about 10% of it in 2 hours. Again, do your research and find out what art you want to see, then get the map and plan your attack.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Like I said, it's huge, and stuffed to the brim with masterpieces. We visited the Ancient galleries to see mummies and the Temple of Dendur (another homage to "When Harry Met Sally"). We also hit the American Wing because I wanted to see "Washington Crossing the Delaware". We made our way through the Impressionist galleries, which are chock full of paintings you'll recognize. Two hours, and this is all we were able to cover. Still, we left feeling a little Art Drunk, if that makes sense. We sat on the steps of the Met, in the sun, and I ate a hot dog from a street vendor while Jen had a pretzel she shared with pigeons (be careful doing that).
The Museum of Modern Art: MOMA is free on Friday nights! This is great, but it also makes it really crowded! We headed there for an hour after going to the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (!!!). This museum was a more manageable size than the Met, but we only had an hour, so we went for the popular paintings: Van Gogh's Starry Night, Monet's Waterlilies, and Jackson Pollack's One (the black, grey, white splatter painting).
The 9/11 Museum and Memorial: The 9/11 memorial, which is free, is a must. It's a peaceful, moving tribute to the victims of the 9/11 attacks. My favorite part is a pear tree that grows in the middle of the park...the Survivor Tree. Its the only surviving tree from that day...a miracle. All the other trees in the park are oaks, so the pear tree stands out. The fountains are footprints of the Twin Towers, and they're surrounded by the names of the victims. I learned on this visit, that families of the victims were able to request who they wanted their loved one's name grouped with, so if they had coworkers or friends or family members that were also lost, their names would be memorialized together. This made it more moving for me, somehow....it made me wonder how the names were related...how they knew each other...what their stories were. The 9/11 Museum is fairly new and costs about $25. if you get there and see a giant line, don't worry, it's not that bad. Buy your tickets from a kiosk and you'll be able to select a half hour window to get in the museum. You'll get in line according to your time slot. If you can't get a time slot right away and have some time to kill, Wall Street and Trinity church are close (and there's a great row of street food vendors on Church Street in front of Trinity Church). The Museum is like reliving 9/11. I was choked up/nauseated while walking through it because it took my back to that day. It's set up as a timeline of events, with pictures, artifacts, and recordings, that make you feel like you were there instead of just in your living room watching it unfold on television. Very well done, very moving, but we left a little melancholy. Nonetheless, if you're an American, I think you should see it.
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| The Survivor Tree |
Other Landmarks and Points of Interest:
The New York Public Library: A beautiful big chunk of marble! Flanked by two lions named Patience and Fortitude during the Great Depression, this building is a piece of art. The Rose Main Reading Room has a glorious painted ceiling. The library has a great store, and it usually has some kind of exhibit. The first time I went it was a children's literature exhibit, and the second it was an exhibit on the history of photo-sharing. Even though the children's exhibit is gone, if you go downstairs to the children's library, they have the actual stuffed animals that belonged to the son of A.A. Milne and inspired the characters from Winnie the Pooh. If you love books, you should also go to the Morgan Library...we went because I was traveling with a librarian!
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| The Real Winnie the Pooh and Friends |
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| Rose Main Reading Room |
Rockefeller Center: Rockefeller Center is an art deco complex of 19 buildings. The Comcast Building is the tallest, and where NBC Studios is housed (Where Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live are filmed). The Top of the Rock viewing deck is on the top of the Comcast Building. The building itself is worth exploring. It was built in the 30s and is full of Art Deco loveliness! The NBC store is on the street level, and there are shops below it, along with a subway station. In front of the Comcast Building (30 Rock, as it's called) is where the Rockefeller Christmas tree and skating rink are in the winter. In January, we skated here and it was magical! The giant tree, the music, the skyscraper lit up...a must do if you're there after during the holidays. This complex is also where you'll find The Today Show being filmed, so if you want to take a poster down and try to get on TV, this is where you'll go.
Top of the Rock: You have to get "up high" to see New York from above. There are a few options for this. You can go to the Top of the Rock, the top of the Empire State Building, or the top of One World Trade Center. We chose Top of the Rock for several reasons. First, where it is placed offers views of both Central Park and The Empire State Building. If you go to the top of the Empire State Building, you can't SEE the Empire State Building. Also, I've read that you have to wait in line for the Empire State Building and the Top of the Rock sells tickets with time slots so you don't have to wait long. The One World Trade Center is, I believe, the tallest of the three, but it is so far south that it didn't offer the views I wanted. Although, I'm sure you can get a good look at Lady Liberty from there. It costs about $25 to get to the Top of the Rock and you can spend as much time as you want on the 67th, 68th, and 70th floor observation decks.
Grand Central Station: You've probably been in a busy place before and heard someone exclaim, "It's Grand Central Station in here!". If you visit Grand Central Station, you'll understand where the metaphor came from. It's a gorgeous train station that has people criss-crossing the terminal from all directions. The ceiling is a vibrant cerulean blue with zodiac constellations painted on it in gold leaf and lightbulbs that the light up like stars. If you go down the giant ramps to the lower level, there's a great food court full of small versions of famous New York eateries. It's great place to grab a bite!
The Statue of Liberty: A trip to New York wouldn't be complete without seeing Lady Liberty...but there are a couple of options for how to see her. On my first trip, we took a cruise to Liberty Island, then on to Ellis Island. It was a great, historical trip, but it took most of the day. On the second trip, we took the free Staten Island ferry that runs every 15 minutes and just got a view of her going to, and coming from, Staten Island, but didn't go to the island. The tour option is great if you have time and are interested in getting a close up view (or even climbing to the top of) the Statue of Liberty. I booked tickets online the night before the cruise, but the tickets to the top of statue were sold out at that point, so if you want to do that, book ahead. They leave from Battery Park. The Staten Island Ferry is free, you just get on in the Ferry Building on the southern tip of Manhattan. When you get to Staten Island, you have to get off and get on a new ferry headed back to Manhattan. It's a quick, cheap option to get a glimpse of the Lady. Another way to see Lady Liberty that I'd like to try sometime is a dinner cruise around Manhattan. This would also be a great way to see the skyline and the bridges.
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| View From the Staten Island Ferry |
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| View from the Statue of Liberty Cruise |
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| View from the base of the Statue |
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| Ellis Island Museum |
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| Ellis Island: The room where immigrants were processed |
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| Ellis Island |
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| The Skyline |
The Brooklyn Bridge: Speaking of bridges, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge is a great way to see the skyline of Manhattan. Not to mention, the bridge is a piece of art itself. It's a little over a mile long, and the pedestrian pathway starts a lot further inland that I thought it would. You can get on the bridge on Park Row, directly in front of the New York City Hall. We went around sunset and it was a beautiful time to go, but crowded. There's a small path for walkers, and a small path for bikers. Nonetheless, it's worth it. We walked from Manhattan to Brooklyn, then took the subway back, but you could do it in reverse. In Brooklyn, we exited the Bridge and walked under it toward the East River. We were going to eat at the historic Grimaldi's Pizza that's right under the bridge, but it was so crowded, and we were so hungry, we ate at the Shake Shack, which has great burgers and cheese fries. Across the street is a promenade on the River with spectacular views of manhattan and the Bridge. There's also a quaint little lighthouse that sells freshly made ice cream to enjoy while you stroll along the river. Sunset was beautiful, but it cut our time in Brooklyn short. I would recommend taking the subway to Brooklyn, spending time exploring a little, and admiring the skyline on the promenade, then walking back towards Manhattan on the bridge in the evening.
5th Avenue (AKA Millionaire's Row, AKA Museum Mile): This major thoroughfare is considered the most expensive street in the world. It's also chock full of things to see! I would start at the southeast corner of Central Park at the Plaza Hotel (59th Street). If you head south you'll pass by shops like Tiffany's, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord and Taylor, and Saks Fifth Avenue, and more designer shops than you can shake a stick at. You'll go by Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the New York Public Library, the Empire State Building, The Flatiron Building, and you'll end at the Washington Square Park Arch. Granted, this is 52 blocks, so we didn't walk it all, but it would be doable if you made a day of it. Blocks in Manhattan are short going North and South (like the ones on 5th Ave), but long going East and West, so it can be deceiving just to count blocks.
The Highline: The Highline is a stretch of abandoned-subway-turned-elevated-park on the West side of Manhattan along the Hudson River. It offers some great views because of it's elevation and is a nice place walk instead of the sidewalks. However, I would recommend going on a weekday, in the middle of the day to avoid crowds. We went on a weekend at sunset and it was like being in a car on the freeway at 5:00. It actually goes right by Chelsea Market, so you could stop in there for a meal on your walk!
Little Italy: The main "vein" of Little Italy is Mulberry Street between Canal St. and Grand. It's basically a row of Italian restaurants. The fire hydrants are painted red, white, and green, flags are flying, and laundry hangs out of windows. At Christmas, there were garlands strung across the street and Nativities everywhere. You can buy biscotti and torrone from street vendors or Cannoli from the "Cannoli King". I don't think you could probably go wrong with a restaurant, but most of them have menus posted for you to check out. We chose one because there was a man with a New York accent touting "Handmade Pasta, ladies, we got handmade pasta, hee-ya!" Chinatown is just to the south of Little Italy and you won't be able to miss it. If you want to buy cheap souvenirs, hit Canal Street while you're there.
I'll be honest, on both trips we had so much to do and see that we didn't spend a lot of time sitting in restaurants. We ate on the go with food courts and street carts a lot, but we did hit a few interesting restaurants. New York is full of so many wonderful culinary opportunities...quick or leisurely, cheap or pricey, fancy or casual. One word of advice: AVOID THE CHAIN RESTAURANTS! You'll be tempted by them when you're tired and hungry. (I'll admit, Jen and I ate at a Chipotle one night) There are just too many unique choices to waste time at a chain restaurant.
Food Courts: There are a few food courts we visited that were wonderful. The Plaza Hotel has an upscale food court in their basement. We didn't eat there, but we walked through it and it smelled delicious! Grand Central Station, in their lower level, have a food court full of small versions of New York restaurants like Magnolia Bakery, Shake Shack, and Junior's Cheesecake. Chelsea Market is a mall of restaurants built in an old Nabisco Factory in Chelsea. Great food in a cool, old building.
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| Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes from Grand Central Station |
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| The Plaza Food Court |
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| Chelsea Market |
Street Food: They're everywhere when the weather's good! I didn't see any during the blizzard, though. Mostly bagels, hot dogs, pretzels, and Halal carts. The hot dog carts I ate from in front of the Met were owned and operated by disabled veterans, which I loved.
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| Grilled Corn from the Financial District |
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| Street Vendor Hot Dog at the Met |
Cafe Lalo: This place is a favorite of mine for breakfast or desert. If you've seen "You've Got Mail", this is the cafe where Tom Hanks goes to meet Meg Ryan and she has a rose in a copy of Pride and Prejudice. They have pictures from the movie and a plaque outside...and really delicious nutella waffles. It's a little out of the way, on the Upper West Side off of Amsterdam Avenue, but is only a few blocks from Strawberry Fields in Central Park, so I would make it part of your Central Park day. You'll need those Nutella Waffles to fuel your day of walking!
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| Nutella Waffles...if you want the strawberries, ask for them! |
Serendipity 3: If you've seen the movie "Serendipity", John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale have a frozen hot chocolate at this cute little dessert spot. It's got overpriced desserts, but it's adorable and historic. Also out of the way a bit, it's on the Upper East Side and is a good late night detour.
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| Famous Frozen Hot Chocolate and Apple Pie a la Mode |
Ellen's Stardust Diner: If you love musical theater, you have to go to Ellen's. Food-wise it's on par with your average greasy spoon...just basic diner food. What makes this place special is the wait staff. The waiters and waitresses are aspiring broadway stars who sing while they serve you and bus tables. It's wonderfully ridiculous! They pass a bucket around for tips that go toward acting, dance, and voice lessons. It's on Broadway, just a block from where we stayed.
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| Love is an Open Doo-ooo-oor! |
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Itineraries by area:
I mentioned that I planned our days by sights that were in clusters on the map. Here are some of the clusters. If your time in NYC is limited, I bolded what I consider "must-sees".
Central Park Cluster: Cafe Lalo, Natural History Museum, Central Park, The Met
Fifth Ave Cluster: 5th Avenue (Start at the corner of the Park), The Plaza, Tiffany's, Bergdorf Goodman (great window displays during the holidays), Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, The New York Public Library, Bryant Park, Grand Central Station
Times Square Cluster: Times Square, Broadway theaters, Ellen's Stardust Diner, Sardi's, Lillie's Victorian Bar and Restaurant.
Chelsea Cluster: The Highline, Chelsea Market
Flatiron Cluster: Empire State Building, The Flat Iron Building, Gramercy Park, Pete's Tavern, The Strand Bookstore
Soho/Little Italy Cluster: Soho to shop (between Broadway and Lafayette, Housten and Canal), Little Italy to eat (Mulberry Street between Canal and Grand)
Lower Manhattan Cluster: Battery Park and Staten Island Ferry (Statue of Liberty), 9/11 Memorial, Trinity Church, Wall Street and Stock Exchange, Fraunces Tavern, Stone Street, Brooklyn Bridge
This is just a morsel of the fun that can be had in this city, and I can't wait to go back for more. If you have a trip planned, I hope this helps you get the most out of it. If you don't have a trip planned, I hope this has you wanting to go!
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