Going to New York!
 

Hi!

As an amazing graduation present from one of my family members, I'm off to NYC in a few weeks! Are there any particular places or shows I should definitely see there? Also, how should I dress there (i.e., how's the weather in mid-June)?

BTW, some background info about me -- I love going to art museums and theatres, as well as shopping malls, amusement parks, and sporting events. Unfortunately, I probably can't see a Yankee game while I'm there!

Thanks for any info! :D

There is sooo much to do in NYC that I hardly know where to start.

If you're into art, you must visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There is also the Frick Collection - this is a relatively small collection that can be easily viewed in a morning.

Visit the Museum of Natural History if you can... this is my favorite, but then, I'm a science geek :)

Weather in mid-June can be pretty variable... it's often hot and humid, but it can still get a little chilly at night. You may want a sweater and/or light jacket for the evenings, but otherwise, you should be fine with lighter clothes. Check the weather forecast a couple of days before you go.

Enjoy! :D

Go see "Cabaret" on Broadway.... DO NOT MISS IT! :D

Car,

One of my very favorite days in New York City goes like this: spend your morning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, eat lunch in Central Park at the--I think its called--the Park View Cafe (I'll check on that for you), and then walk across to the other side of the Park to the Museum of Natural History. Both museums are absolutely incredible. You will be completely exhausted by the end of the day, but its so worth it.

If you love to shop, then no trip to New York is complete without a stroll down Fifth Avenue. Its a shopper's mecca! :D If you walk on 5th down to the 50s, you can hop over to see St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center, which are also must-see landmarks.

Don't forget downtown, either. Chinatown and Little Italy are fun places to spend an afternoon. Its also fairly easy walking distance to City Hall, the government buildings, TriBeCa and Ground Zero if you want to pay your respects. :( Or, if you head in the opposite direction from Chinatown you could hit Soho and Greenwich Village.

There are about a million things you can do! Have fun!!! :D

You guys are forgetting one place that newbie should visit..... FAO Schwartz!!!! I'm sorry but I'm a child at heart and absolutely loved that place when I went there! There's a glass elevator and when it goes up it looks like Superman is pushing it....so cool :D

OK...I've never been to NYC before but my mom has been twice. She absolutely loves Broadway shows and has seen several on both trips. Her last trip she saw Aida and Thoroughly Modern Millie and loved them both. She especially loved Thoroughly Modern Millie...she said it was really cute plus it's supposed to be great (it won Best Musical last night at the Tonys).

Other than that...I'd just go see the regular tourist sites. Have a great time and hit 5th Avenue for me a couple of times!!!!

Allison

New York may be the greatest city in the world -- with the possible exception of London. I'm not sure which I like better.

Natives will probably scoff at this, but I had probably been to NY twenty or thirty times on business, and finally decided to just "go tourist" and take the Gray Line double decker bus tour of the city. It was fun, and a way to see a lot of places quickly. Some of them you will want to visit again. Your ticket is good for 24 hours, and you can get off one bus and catch the next one (or one later) if there is somewhere where you want to spend more time. There are several tours from which to choose. Just a thought. After I finally took the NY tour, I did the same thing in London. It was fun.

In terms of shows, I hope you watched the Tony (Toni?) Awards last night. Seems the hot shows (at least according to the Theatre crowd) are "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (although I didn't find it interesting), another revival "Into the Woods" (Sondheim is always outstanding and this is a great show), Urintown (haven't seen it), and Mama Mia (if you like ABBA music). Other good shows still playing: Don't miss Les Miserables (my all time favorite), Aida, Rent (maybe my second favorite), Cabaret, and even Lion King and Phantom of the Opera. There are lots of others on and off Broadway, but these are the ones that pop into my mind.

Also, someone mentioned Rockefeller Plaza. Check to see if SNL is in production at NBC while you're there (Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza -- although tickets must be gotten way in advance). Also, you might try David Letterman which also broadcasts from Manhattan. Again, tickets well in advance. If you're an early riser, you can watch one of the network morning shows. I like TODAY, but that's because I worked for NBC for many years. I wouldn't do that, but people seem to enjoy it.

I agree with the comments on the museums made above. So take your walking shoes! Manhattan is a wonderful place to walk around -- and it will save lots of cab fare! There are lots of great restaurants!

The first time I ever went to NY, I was a sophomore in college (1967) and found it to be a very intimidating place. I found the people to be very unfriendly. That has all changed. The people are wonderful and there's not much you can't find to do. And, the cabs hardly honk anymore. Everyone else does, though.

It's just a great city. There is so much going on. I've really just touched on part of Manhattan. You're very lucky. Take advantage of it.

How long will you be there?

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions :D. Boy, I don't know how I'll fit everything in!

AlphaChiGirl, I'll be there for four days and four nights. Too short! But I'm sure it will be four amazing days :D.

Maria, I really want to go to Ground Zero, to pay my respects. My question is, does anyone know if there are restrictions as to how close we can stand?

I know that there is a viewing platform for the public, and you can get a specific time slot to go to Ground Zero to pay respects. I'm not sure where you go to get passes, but I will ask my cousin in NYC. He will be sure to know.

*******Madame Toussauds--don't miss it. think it's 42nd and 5th. unreal experience*******

Museum of Natural History

Central Park

forget FAO---go to the new big Toys R Us. i think it's on 40th not sure. absolutely unbelievable in there.

can't get too close to ground zero to see anything. viewing platform will take the whole day. just walk past it. you honestly can't see anything from the platform. see my thread about ground zero if you want a detailed description of what it looks like.

empire state building--nice to see but don't waste a day on it

that's it for now

Everyone has given you such good suggestions. Here are my contributions.
Go to 59th Street and Lexington Ave. and you'll visit Bloomingdale's! Walk to 57th Street and keep walking. Some of the best (and most expensive) stores in the world are on 57th including Bergdorf Goodman and Tiffany & Co. You can pretend that you are Audrey Hepburn. :D The Russian Tea Room is also on 57th Street. Try to take a carriage ride through Central Park which begins on 59th Street. Check out the zoo although it isn't as good as it used to be.
The Empire State Building has the most incredible view. On a clear day you can see for miles.
Go downtown and take the Circle Line to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Wear comfortable shoes because you will climb stairs for half an hour if you want to reach the top.
The Bronx Zoo!
The museums and theatre in New York are world class. The Producers, Les Miserables, and Cabaret are still hot tickets. The Guggenheim, Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art should not be missed. Also visit Lincoln Center.
I'll try to think of some more places.
Regarding wardrobe, June can be brutally hot so be prepared. If you will be in doors, most places are air conditioned and can feel like the Arctic. I guess it isn't that different from Southern California.

When my mom and I go to NY, we always try to get standyby tix to Letterman or Conan. Call the studios or check their websites for info about how to do it. The way we did it was wait in a line for awhile to get standby tickets. Then, you come back at the end of the day, and if people with regular tickets don't show, the standby people get in. The earlier you get there, the sooner you'll be in the line and therefore have a better chance of getting in.

Somehow, I don't know how Toys R Us could EVER compare to FAO Schwarz. The singing clock tower is just fabulous. Its just so incredibly magical. Better than Disney in my opinion.

I would seriously reccomend seeing Into the Woods. Its my all-time favorite musical, and Sondheim is an absolute genius. I have a tape of the original production and every time I watch it, I get a new perspective on it. Its a totally amazing show. Another good one is Ragtime. Beautiful sets, beautiful music - really moving.

You can hit Chinatown for all the wonderful fake goods that your friends will love. Make sure to get a $5 rolex and and a "fake spade." My dad had a "rolex" from there that ran for many years - no one was the wiser!

Have a great trip! I *heart* NY!

you know, i didn't even want to go in the big toys r us when my cousins came to the city to visit me. i HATE toys r us. but oh my god! it was absolutely amazing. they have a working ferris wheel, an ENTIRE floor of all different kinds of candy, a full size barbie house and every kind of crazy toy you could want!

the atmosphere was 100 times better than FAO, and you could actually afford stuff there! and the store is huge.

i'm going to take all my friends who come visit there from now on! it really is that great.

Oooooh...
 

You have to go to a broadway show!!! Central park is awesome too. Radio City Hall is cool too. And of course you must go to Liberty Island!!!

Ronnie:D

Yay newbie, everyone should come to New York!
There is so much great stuff to do in nyc
Some fun stuff:
If you like art of course the met (82nd street and 5th) but remember its closed on mondays

grand central train terminal is really quintessential nyc and beautiful. besides the awesome main space, there are plenty of stores and eateries on the lower level (it has gotten soo much better since the early 90's). it is a great public space with nyc energy

century 21 the greatest dept store ever is always stocked with great deals on designer (and not designer) clothes, household/electronic stuff, and shoes shoes shoes. it has reopened after 9/11. it is at cortlandt and day street, to get their by train take the a or c to chambers street (its a bargain hunters dream)
http://century21ny.citysearch.com/1.html

if you go shopping at bloomies try eating at serendipity 3, it has great food and amazing desserts (like frozen hot chocolate). its around the corner from bloomingdales on 60th street between 2nd and 3rd aves.

china town is a very fun bustling place but can be intimidating and also has some juncky cheap stuff. canal and mott streets are good places to explore around
for good fairly authentic food go to sweet n tart: the main resturant is at 20 mott street and at 76 mott street there is a smaller cafe branch (mott between bayard and canal). they have yummy dim sum and also great milk tea with sago (bubble tea is tea, milk, and tapioca balls)
for all kinds of fun chinese imports go to pearl river mart (277 canal, at canal and broadway)

you may not have time but if you want to venture out to brooklyn got to astroland amusement park, coney island. it has the cyclone, a famous wooden roller coster, carousel, ferris wheel, arcade, flea market, skating rink, fishing pier and 2 resturants. (its at surf ave and w 10th in brooklyn take the b, d, n, or f train to stillwell ave and the or the d or f to w 8th street

if you do want to go to a yankee game you can always buy tickets at the stadium the day of game to sit in the bleachers

the museum of natural history is having an amazing exhibit on baseball as america

The deal with the World Trade Center:
You can get tickets from the south street seaport mueseum ticket booth at fulton and south streets. the booth is open 11 am till 6 pm or until they run out of tickets. each person can get 2 of the tickets (they are free). you can use the tickets to stand on the viewing platform for a thirty minute period either the day you get the tickets or the following day (you choose the timeslot). The viewing platform is at church and fulton streets.
i understand that people want to see the site but just remember that although it is cleared it is still an open grave, (i have no doubt that all you greek chatters would be respectful, just its a sensitive subject)

a site full of nyc info is www.newyork.citysearch.com

Have fun! and post how your trip went :)

times square area
 

it's all cleaned up and an easy place to walk.
there's also a cheap ticket booth at 42nd Street. i recommend it highly. plenty of quality places to eat, and also plenty of cheap places to eat and drink. just be smart on what you do and have a ball.
mmcat
:D

Newbie, did you ever come to New York?

My best times in NY were when i went out at night.



I would recomend going to the following clubs:

1.Twilo-------my all time favorite, although gainesville has a club with that name.

2.The tunnel-------very fun

3.Crobar

4. The blue room

5. The hague

If you are a diverse woman, these should be good exp. for you.

eh
 

Twilo - closed
Tunnel - closed
Crobar- Never existed in NYC...only in Miami and Chicago
The Blue Room - I assume you mean the one in LA because I've never heard of one in NYC. Either way the place is completely different from the above mentioned "warehouse" clubs and appeals to an older crowd.
The Hague - Never even heard ot this place and I doubt it exists in NY as well.

Next time you want to recommend places you've experienced to a "diverse woman" who is/was going to NYC, you may want to check about their existence.

- Rudey
-- Slap!

Look at the post. I edited it to NY not just new york city.



I havent been there (NYC) in a long time so i wasnt sure if Twilo closed or Tunnel, as for Crobar there one in NYC, Sanfransico, Miami, Chicago, Ibizza and in Austin. The blue room---Jacksonville,Miami,Ibizza,New Jersey (not NYC) and in Boston (John Debo plays there often)those are the only ones i know. The hague----its a bar named after a club in London and the place where the EU conveens in Holland. Sasha plays there alot.


You assumed i was naming wharehouse clubs but i was naming a diverse set. Not just some stupid rave clubs. You totally missed why I told her about all those clubs. I was not sending her to a rave scene but giving her a mix between hyped stuff, to relaxed to a bar atmosphere. Instead you had to open your fly trap and try to make someone look bad but your the one who looks like an ass now.

!Smacked your ass!

Orlando also has The Blue Room.

i c
 

Keep talking your trash to people who can't handle you. It's good to be confident but back up your words. Perhaps I can go slower for you...

1. This thread was about NYC. You somehow changed it to NY, then included places like Jersey. Jersey, which you say is not in NYC, is also not in the state of NY...some even consider it its own state. Perhaps you should have just listed all the spots in the metrostate area...you know just in case anyone decides to visit ny and then leave.

2. The reason why I find funny what you said is that Twilo is really famous and it's your "all time favorite". Anyone into the club scene knew when it closed...and if it's your favorite, then pay attention. Perhaps you're new...perhaps you talk trash...perhaps you should have know regardless of whether or not you've been to ny lately.

3. The crobar. Please tell me where it is in NYC. Just to make sure I wasn't going out of my mind, I went to their website (http://www.crobarnightclub.com/) to see they aren't there. Only Miami and Chicago were listed by the way. I don't know about a lot of the locations you posted so I won't say anything, but seriously if it exists in NYC, please tell me where.

4. Never been to the blue room in Jersey, and never heard of it there (that doesn't mean it doesn't exist where you said it does and it's not a good club). In either case, NJ is not a part of NY either and I have no idea why you listed it. As for name dropping Debo, he actually plays more often at Chrome in Boston where he's res.

5. The Hague. I know what the Hague is in Europe, in terms of the EU. But please tell me more about the club in london since sasha plays there a lot... I still have never heard of a bar in NY with that name. I even checked one of the better bar/club guides to make sure as well as the Yellow Pages.

Now listen here. I am not trying to make you look bad. Honestly, your posts have made me laugh so far, even though some people have hated them. But talk crap and i will sh*t on you. If you're really into that scene, pm me and i will tell you more about nyc.

- Rudey
-- Kids these days...

Keep in mind that Rockefeller Center is designed by Greek. Raymond Hood, architect.
:D

Hello Kitty!!
 

There's a Hello Kitty store across from Madame Toussand's Wax Museum. My neice is a Hello Kitty fanatic and loves going there. The prices are very decent and includes products with all of the Hello Kitty characters. They even have Hello Kitty bubbble gum and candies.

On the same street as the wax museum there's a huge HMV, an Applebee's, and the Broadway show The Lion King. BB King's restaurant is on the same side of the street as the Hello Kitty store. It's the perfect place to experience the hustle-bustle of New Yorkers.

I can't wait to go to the new Toys R Us. My son has saved his Christmas/birthday/report card money so that he can go crazy there. Little does he know he's limited to two purchases. Anyway, he can't wait to see the ferris wheel and neither can I.

Also, don't forget about uptown. You can fish (need ID) at Central Park at 110th street ~ it's a catch and release program. There are activity kits available from the info. center there for a wide range of things you can do in the park. There's a nice garden somewhere in the mid/upper 90's where many people take their wedding pictures that you can walk to from 110th. There's also the El Barrio museum featuring Latino art/artists on 102nd (I think) street. All you have to do is walk down from the Park, no turning down avenues. NY is a great place for walking. :)

Further uptown, you can check out the Apollo Theater and Sylvia's restaurant. There's a wide variety of restaurants and great shopping there too. Lots of history...

ahem- someone may have posted this, but it NEEDS to come from me...

GO SEE RENT... get lotto ticktes, GO GO GO!!!!!!

Then afterward stick around and meet the cast, meet the guy who plays Mark... Matt Caplan

okay Im good now...


Ooh, dood- yea I was reading other posts... DO GO ON THE FERRIS WHEEL IN TOYSRUS!

So sorry to not have replied to you all sooner!

I had a FABULOUS, absolutely fantastic time in New York. I LOVE NYC :D :D. I had never been to NY before, and to let you all gather a picture of how much I loved my trip there, as we left NY I berated myself for not applying to NYU!

Why do I love NY so much?

Well, first and foremost, the energy and vitality of the city. It's incredible...call me crazy, but I actually like crowds. Times Square was my fave part of NY by the way. But anyway, it was just amazing, because at 1 AM, people are still up and about, walking around. I love that. In San Fran, streets are dead after, like, 10 PM. Seriously! And the Subway system? I actually like it! (Well, except for the fact that it gets sort of confusing.) I love that you don't need a car, and that you can use the Subway to get anywhere you need. I just love how bustling, vibrant, and simply put -- ALIVE -- New York City is!! Maybe that's why Times Square is such a favorite of mine...it's so glitzy and bright and alive!

Secondly, you can't beat the culture that NY offers. The Met -- just incredible. I'm a big art buff so you can bet that I was in art lovers' *heaven* while I was there. I was oohing and ahing all over the place! I was like, "Oh my god!!!! That was in my Art History textbook! And it's here...I'm seeing it LIVE!" :D I left with a whole bunch of stuff from the Met Gift Shop :). And the theatre? Oh my goodness, theatre alone is a reason that everyone should go to NY. I saw two amazing, leaves-me-smiling-when-I-think-about-it shows: the play Proof, and the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. Proof was so wonderfully written and left the audience smiling when the curtain went down (Jennifer Jason Leigh is awesome as the lead). I hate math, and while the play Proof was based on mathematicians, I looooved the storyline. Thoroughly Modern Millie -- oh my gosh, I can't say enough about it. That musical is absolutely delightful -- we were in uproars of laughter at almost every minute of it! The day we saw it, the understudy was playing the part of Millie. She had an incredible voice though and played Millie very well -- the audience loved her! I just love, love, love Thoroughly Modern Millie, and gosh, if it ever comes to Cali, you can bet that I'm going to see it over and over again. I still remember some scenes so vividly, and just thinking about them, I laugh so hard! For example, the evil hotel lady, those 2 Chinese boys, Jimmy, Millie wanting to be modern by bobbing her hair and marrying her boss (though at the beginning she doesn't even have one yet!!)...I love it so much!!! :)

And the weather! There are actually seasons in NY! And the people...for some reason, I seem to have a thing for NY boys. I don't know why...but, for example, I've met two NY boys who are now living in Cali...and they're awesome. Something about NY that does something to me! And the boys in NYC are so cute... haha. And of course the shopping, Soho, and all the neighborhoods....I fell in love with NY after seeing the Upper East Side. If I'm ever so lucky to live in NY (I hope to move there after college graduation), I really hope to live in the Upper East Side. The Upper West Side is nice, too, though!

And you know what? 9/11, of course, hit every one of us Americans hard. But I don't think I fully understood how much 9/11 impacted the lives of New Yorkers. Of course I was shellshocked and so sad for the city of NY when 9/11 happened. But after my visit to NY, as our cab was driving us to Newark airport, I saw the NY skyline in the distance, and saw where the Twin Towers had stood, and tears just fell out of my eyes. For the first time, I understood just how great NY is, and just how much 9/11 must have affected the New Yorkers. And I just thought how incredible NYC is, and just finally realized the extent of the 9/11 tragedy on NY.

Of course I bought an I love NY shirt. And I plan to wear it proudly (so what if it's cheesy?)! I seriously hope to make NYC my home in the future after college graduation. I feel like I'm betraying California, but NY is just so much better! :o My friend told me, "Yeah, after NY, everything's all downhill." And quite honestly, I think she's right. I was soooooo sad when the plane rolled into Cali. I was just thinking, "It'll be so long till I can go back...and I miss it so much already."

All you New Yorkers, count your lucky stars!!!!! There's one girl living in Cali who wishes she was in NYC!

Oh and I gotta say...I had EXTREME culture shock when returning to Cali. Which is weird because Cali is my homestate. Anyway, my plane landed in LAX and when we to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica (next to LA), I was so annoyed because people in LA walk extremely slow (in general). I was just thinking, "Hello people! I just came back from NY! Could you walk normally?" Sorry, that was mean...but it's just that people in NY actually walk like they're going somewhere...and I liked that. :)

Also...when I returned to San Fran, I was so sad because things are just so quiet and....dead...here! Great place for tourists, not-so-great for residents that like fast-paced, energetic city life.

Now I know why my guy friends who were born and raised in NY aren't used to Cali!

P.S. I'm still kinda bummed about that NYU thing. The thing is, people had told me to apply to NYU, because they know I'm a true city girl who really loves things like art and theatre and shopping, etc., but I decided not to because I was like, "It's too far away and I've never been to NY!" If this trip had been one year earlier, you can bet that NYU would have been my number one or two choice. Yeah, I love USC, but NY was just THAT great.

You can always transfer to NYU. :D
When were you here?