NYC Trip suggestions
 

My daughter and I are going to NYC next week. This is our third trip so we have done most of the tourist things. Our main focus is shopping, and having fun. So does anyone have any good suggestions for plays. We did not buy tickets ahead of time so we will be depending on TKTS. I know this limits us and we won't be seeing any of the biggies but I am okay with that.

Also any good stores. We love the biggies like Saks, Bergdorf, Barneys but unless we get some REAL good sales we won't be doing much shopping, just looking. Any good cool inexpenisive shops other than H&M ?

And one last question. How about some good but inexpensive places to eat? Less money spent on food means more money to shop!!!!!

for the food situation, maybe you could create a groupon account for nyc and something nice might come up!

I will look into that. I live in such a small town I have never used Groupon before. Not to many places around here to use it.

Definitely check out Uniqlo. It's a Japanese fashion store in SoHo. Very cheap and usually has a lot of cute stuff. I've been to the Tokyo store, too. http://www.uniqlo.com/us/stores/ny_soho_store.html

TKTS will have a few good things. Read up on what is on Broadway so you actually know what is offered. The list varies by day so who knows what will be available. When I went, you could get tickets to see Daniel Radcliffe in "How to Succeed."

Look for a walking/eating tour of China Town. We really enjoyed this. Great history lesson plus awesome food. We also have done the West Village but it wasn't as good. That being said, walk around the West Village to shop some.

Oh, and I can't forget...try Momofuku in the East Village on 1st for food. It's AWESOME! You'll have to wait a little, but it's so worth it. Get the pork buns and the Momofuku Ramen. If you like pork, this is pork heaven in a bowl! My husband laughs that every time we are in NYC, I make him take us there. We've even had star sightings there (Kelly and Ryan from The Office.)

when i went to NY two years ago, i believe i ate dinner every other night in china town. cheap shopping too :D

I didn't look today but Bloomingdales is always having some sort of sale. Saks (in BH) is having a take 40% off sales prices on July 4th only. Neimans (which is Bergdorfs in NYC) is also going on super sale next week. Go on their websites and see what's up. Be aware that Bergdorfs only uses their card and AmEx...or cash.

Soho has lots of great and expensive boutiques. We were there a year ago for shopping but the "in" places change by the hour. Go to TripAdvisor and ask what's in and in your price range.

Not the least expensive of places, but if your daughter liked Sex and the City the restaurant Tao is the place with the huge Buddah in the center of the restaurant. Serafina and Trattoria del Arte are good Italian places. Again, it depends what you order and where you're from. For us, prices are standard....in other parts of the US...prices astronomical.

....and just a note: (purely personal opinion) but Chinatown sells designer knockoffs. It is illegal to purchase (if caught) items as well as illegal to sell these items. And the production of said items relies of child labor........do with that what you want.

Stop into the Tiffany flagship store (57th & 5th) and browse. Several floors of sparkly goodness. ;)

If you're into Indian food, check out Devi (8 E 18th St., just off 5th) and/or Sapphire (Broadway between 60th and 61st, not far from Lincoln Center). And you haven't lived until you've had a pretzel from a hot dog vendor. Unfortunately, most of the restaurants I know of in Manhattan are on the pricey side, but I can always get my parents to foot the bill. ;)

Plays - I don't even know what's playing these days.

Have fun!

oh, and if you haven't been to Carmine's on your previous trips to NYC, please please please go!!! you will not be sorry. the best italian food i've ever had... my mouth is watering right now just thinking about their chicken scaloppine with lemon and butter... they do serve things in family sized portions (i think they only serve single portions for lunch but i could be wrong), but hey, that just means yummy food to take home :D

I can't stand Chinatown shopping!!!!! Last time we were there several of the people in our group went, we went along but both of us couldn't stand the crowds and everyone yelling at us. When they got back to the hotel and really started looking at their purchases everything was a mess. broken zippers, scrtaches etc. I would rather buy one good purse than 3 or for knockoffs. My daughter is a fashion major and she is kind of a snob about knockoffs!
I have my Neimans card packed already!! I assume you can use a neimans card at Bergdorfs? I ran into the card problem at Neimans in Tampa and now I am prepared. Might splurge on a dress of semi- formal since they usually have pretty soon after school starts.
We are looking for mostly cheap places to eat but we might take a night out and splurge, and my daughter loves SITC so she would love any of those resteraunts.

Looking at TKTS the only plays I am seeing listed in the last couple of days that I think we might like are Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Rock of Ages. Does anyone know anything about those?

Book of Mormon just won the Tonys...Having yet another senior moment but the play about the horse...And Spider Man...tickets to everything is expensive and I probably suggested the most expensive. Sorry.

actually I have always wanted to go to Carmines and have not done it yet. I think this might be the time to go.

Yes, the Neiman's card works at Bergdorfs. If you're going to Bergdorfs and are looking for purses...go to Jorge (Hor=hay). He used to sell me my purses here in BH. He's great.

As a few people on this board know...I LOVE shopping. And buying......and New York.......

I don't mind splurging on plays as we really love them. but I didn't think there was anything I really wanted to see this time around. We have seen several of the big ones like Wicked, Jersey Boys etc. Now I am kinda sorry I didn't go ahead and get tickets for Book of MOrman, looks kinda fun. Checked it out and they are sold out ofr a while.

Since when does Bergdorf Goodman only take AmEx? I used my debit card there last week. :o I've always gotten amazing deals at Bergdorf (ie, $350 Prada flats for $75 or $9 for Wolford tights that would normally go for $60), and I think it's because it's not a high-traffic destination like Bloomies or Saks. People don't go into Bergdorfs just to say they've been (like people do with Bloomies), they go because they want something there and most of their shoppers are willing to pay full price. As a result, when things go on sale, they're priced to move.

As far as shopping goes, it's really based on what you want and how much you're willing to pay. Some of my shopping recommendations include:

Muji, a Japanese design store
The MoMA design store
The New York Look--it's a small designer boutique that has a few locations around

Otherwise, the shopping is pretty much the same as you'd get anywhere.

As far as food, "inexpensive" is based on where you live now. Last weekend, I was in Charleston, and restaurants listed as "$$$$" there are "$$" here.

Lexington Avenue and the 20s for Indian food. One thing that's really cool is that the restaurants are usually filled with Indian families, which you don't always get.
Cafeteria (17th and 7th) is a pretty cool place for breakfast, and is pretty inexpensive for NYC standards. It's open 24 hours a day. Every time I go, I end up seeing random celebrities.

As far as the "major attractions," some people really like the double decker buses. Please, please don't do anything that markets itself (ie, a tour) as related to "Sex and the City" or "Friends" since those things tend to be crowded and overpriced.

I saw "The Addams Family," through TKTS, and really liked it way more than I suspected I would.

We love to shop too, Although my daughter and I have different shopping styles. She will be very happy to take all her money and buy one very awesome pair of shoes or a purse etc. I have a hard time doing that. My life as a kindergarten teacher in a small Louisiana town just doesn't call for killer shoes.

Rush or lottery tickets are way cheaper than TKTS if you have the time and inclination to plan ahead. If one of you has a student id, you'll have more options. TKTS might still do $20 tickets 20minutes before the show for off broadway shows.

There's also Shakespeare in the park, which is free but you either have to line up super early or do the online lottery for tickets. The shows this summer are All's Well That Ends Well or Measure for Measure depending on the day.

For food, Eataly. The building is kind of like an Italian market with a couple different restaurants in it and some walk up stations. The gelato is to die for. It's around 23rd and 5th I believe.

Shopping, a large concentration of wealthy people make for good second hand stores. Not everyone's cup of tea but I got a Lily dress for under a hundred with the tags still on. If daughter is into fashion the Met has an exhibit on Alexander McQueen and the Cooper Hewitt has a awesome jewelry exhibit.

Definitely Eataly! Great food and interesting culinary shopping. When we were there over Easter, we almost got run over by Mario Batali walking in.

Debit card is like cash. I'm talking credit cards. :)

Carmine's was the ONLY place my friend and I could get fed after a concert (that wasn't McDonald's) when we were starving. It was indeed yummy.

I would also check out the TopShop store. It's not as cheap as H & M on the whole but they do have some bargains.

We are already planning to go to the Alexander McQueen exhibit, that was one of her musts. Topshop was one we planned to visit also.
Does anyone have any idea about dates for Shakespeare in the park, I couldn't find them anywhere.
I would love to check out the resale shops, that might be fun.
When I say cheap, I don't really mean Walmart cheap, just that although we love all the designer shops we just can't do all our shopping there. In the past we have spent most of our time there but as my daughter has gotten older and her lifestyle has changed ( going out with friends) her wrdrobe needs have changed. When she was younger and wore a uniform to school and lived in a small town she really didn't need a lot of clothes so she liked to splurge on a few real nice things. Now she likes to have more options as she goes out and does a lot more in college so we wnat to find some places that are a little less expensive. And since so much of it is the same as we have here, that is why I asked for any suggestions.
I am really getting alot of ideas and I appreciate all of them. Keep them coming !!!

well as you say google is your friend!!! Just goolged Shakespere in the park and got the dates, might try that. Also Eatly looks wonderful.

This makes no sense at all. The stores don't care if it's a debit or credit card--if it's got the MasterCard or Visa logo then it's all the same to them. :)

Eataly is awesome--it gets super crowded. Some people really like Magnolia Bakery, but it's up to you if you think standing in line for an hour (it's gotten better lately since they opened more locations) for cupcakes is worth it. Sprinkles just opened not too far from Bloomingdales and Barneys.

Mango and Zara are very similar to H&M, TopShop, and Uniqlo in that they have moderate priced, well-designed clothing from Europe.

I echo PPs suggestions of Uniqlo, TopShop and Eataly.

I prefer Sprinkles and Crumbs cupcakes to Magnolia bakery. But I don't think any cupcake is worth standing in line more than 10 minutes for.

For fun looking at crazy diamonds, check out the boutiques on Park Ave.
For candy, go to Dylan's Candy Bar (across the street from Bloomingdales).
For good, quck eats, go to one of the many Europa Cafes or Cafe Metro.
For (IMO) the best cheesecake, go to Junior's (Times Square location is prob. the most convenient).
For one of my favorite restaurants in the Meat Packing District: Pastis.
For an iconic sandwich: Carnegie Deli.

Regarding credit cards at Neimans/Bergdorf: they just started taking other credit cards, which means you can finally use your debit card. I found this out when I went to our local Neiman's a few weeks ago. It's about time!

I'm getting very nervous about sending my 17 year old to NYC all by herself for this program at Barnard. I'll be glad when this trip is done. Is this how I'm going to feel if she gets into Columbia?

The area around Columbia/Barnard used to be - well, not the safest area around. I participated in the Columbia Science Honors Program as a teenager in the early 1990s, and my father drove me into the city every Saturday and walked me onto campus and into whatever building I was supposed to be in. Then he sat in his car for 3 hours, went over and waited outside the building until I emerged, and walked me back to his car and drove me home. I told him I was perfectly capable of navigating the LIRR and subway, but he wouldn't allow it. (Then again, he was overly paranoid.)

I don't know how much the neighborhood has changed since then. However, I can say that the Columbia campus has limited entrances and security guards. (At least, it did back then, and I assume that is still the case.)

If she goes to Columbia, she'll get street-smart in no time. You just have to stay sober, stay alert, and always look like you know exactly where you're going, even if you're totally lost. Most Manhattan streets are a grid, so it's hard to get totally lost.

Juniors is yummy, and it is close to our hotel.
Will be going to all the shops mentioned, thanks a bunch.

AGDee Know how you feel about sending your child up there alone, mine is a little older but she hopes to do an internship there next summer and plans to move to NYC when she graduates. I will be very worried at first.

Yes, we've already decided the best bet is to get a taxi from the airport that will take her directly to Barnard. I believe that for all the excursions they take off campus, they are in groups and it is pretty structured. It is a pre-college program after all. I want her to have a good feeling for the campus and surrounding area before deciding whether she really wants to go to Columbia or not, which is why she and I decided that the Barnard program was her best option this summer.

It's totally not fair that my daughter has been to/will have been to all these places that I've never been...lol.

I live about 10 minutes from Columbia. The area is NOT what it used to be (Well, Morningside Heights/Harlem isn't what it used to be). It's way safer, cleaner and well-lit. Great security as well (I mean, I've never been able to just walk on campus when visiting people).The surrounding area near campus is very clear that its Columbia territory. When your daughter ventures outside of that... she'll know. It'll be really obvious. I imagine you've raised a very morally sound daughter so she's not gonna go off the deep end and will use her better judgement when travelling (ie, travel in groups, not so late, etc).

I'm so excited for her!

Agree. Harlem is going through gentrification. I know several young ladies who live in the neighborhood, as it's one of the only affordable places in Manhattan for young professionals. It's home to several popular bars/restaurants.

Thanks! My ex expressed concerns and I said to him "If it were up to you, she'd go to Wayne State so how is that any different?" The area around Wayne State is NOT good, but the campus security keep the campus pretty safe.

I'll still be nervous while she's gone. But that's a mom thing. I have not let on her how nervous I am. It is a great opportunity for her.

Sorry for hijacking, tootiepie2. If she ends up at Columbia, I'll be referencing back to this thread for when I visit her :)

If you're a Lilly Pulizer lover like I am, the Madison ave store has had some GREAT sale finds. I bought one of my favorite tops there for around $30. Wander around Christopher street and Bleeker street in the Village...I've found some fun items there in cute little boutiques that aren't too expensive, though they are often next to the more $$$ shops.

I agree with the Eataly recommendation, but I also love S'Mac in East Village...it serves only Mac and Cheese, but if that's your cup of tea, it's definitely worth checking out! So good!

We love Lilly!!! Last time we were in NYC we were walking down 5th ave and glanced over and saw a bunch of lilly in the window so we wandered in all ready to shop. They looked at us like we were crazy. Turned out they were Lilly reps and were setting up for buyers I guess. We mad a comment about how much we loved Lilly then ran out, we were so embarrassed!!!

Shakespeare in the Park calendar

If you are around Washington Square Park, Peanut Butter and Co makes some interesting sandwiches.