To assist my preparations and reduce my normal propensity to royally screw things up, I'm asking for a bit of local knowledge.

This 4th July it will be our 25th wedding anniversary and we've always considered that we should celebrate with a trip to the US, New York in particular. We expect to do the usual tourist stuff but would appreciate guidance on other attractions we should try to pack into our 8 days - anything automobile related is acceptable too!

One major quandary is accommodation - hotel, guest house, B&B, downtown, uptown, out of city? I don't have a clue. Conscious of budget, obviously (whole trip looks like costing the same as the much postponed respray ) but hoping to report back that a comfortable, hassle free time was had by all.

Appreciate your help.

All the best

Trev

 

Trev,
my best advice after you've seen all the touristy stuff is to forget a plan and buy a metrocard. Just check out different parts of the city. Obviously you'll do the research that tells you to avoid certain parts of the city after dark and things of that nature, but if you stick with a plan, you'll miss the amazing stuff that you just randomly walk by. Check out greenwich village, china town/little italy, financial district, the battery, the boat basin, etc. Car related stuff...well not too much of that beyond some nice dealers on the upper west side. you could also check out the beer gardens in brooklyn and brooklyn brewery if you're into that stuff.

As for accommodations, well its gonna be ugly regardless. If funds are a real concern, you could consider staying in Jersey City, NJ and taking the path train over. Its a very quick and convenient trip, but you do miss out a bit on the city feel.

If you can give me a target price range, I can give you some options.

 

Couldnt agree more quadcammer. I commute to nyc every week day and find great enjoyment by walking every where. Theres just too much to see.

 

Trevor. Look up Sixty Thompson Hotel, great location in SOHO area for shopping, excellent dining and locale. A boutique hotel and close to Little Italy and Chinatown. Easy scoot to Brooklyn. Most things close enough to hoof it and if not just grab a cab.

 

You can see lots in a short period of time by using the subways during the day - red line for west side and green line for east side.....they are safe.....less expensive than cabs and faster....lived there 6 years and loved roaming around)

Some things to do.....walking lots is the way to be in NYC......

Dream shopping walk between 60th and 80th on Madison for great shops to view......

Corner 4th Street and 6th Avenue will drop you in Greenwich Village for walking around there and in SOHO so you can check out the shops.....hit West Broadway/Prince if you can near there....nice stores/cafes....

5th Avenue between 42nd and Central Park South is a nice walk - touristy but some good things to see.....St.Patrick's/Rockefeller Center/Sax...

Mulberry Street in Little Italy for reasonable Italian food choices/coffee/desserts, which is also near Chinatown.......where you can eat lots for cheap...

Katz Deli is a good choice for old fashioned sandwiches....tourist spot but good, as is Carnegie Deli - you can split anything there or at Katz's for 2......

Upper West Side - walk on Columbus Ave from 60-80th Street - shops and eats - you can walk back through Central Park

Good Italian restaurant - Il Cantinori ( 32 E. 10th St.)and Gourmet Greek restaurant - Periyali (19th Street and 6th Ave)- locals restaurants

Les Halles - reasonable French restaurant/cafe - Madison and 31st st.

Avra and Milos are two good restaurants.......Mediterranean..........Restaurants for Steaks - expensive in NYC - I'd skip that, but Wollensky's Grill is less expensive side to Smith and Wollensky's

Great foreign film place on Broadway and 65th, I think, cheap night time entertainment.......

Have fun........

 

come on, nobody who lives in NYC calls the subways by their color!!!!!!

 

okay, u r right...the 3 and the 6.............BUT...tourists like colors....and forget numbers........

 

As far as auto related (MMC) Manhattan Motor Cars has some cool stuff if your in the city.

 

Guys

This is great, just the kind of direction I was hoping for. I'm thinking 8 days may not be enough!

QC - as for budget, I guess we'll only do this once and wouldn't want to miss out on the experience by skimping too much (regardless of my respray) but $200-250 max a night for accommodation would probably be the point where the grip on my wallet tightens. Remember that I will be bringing a lady who expects to extend her wardobe extensively during our trip !

Abiazis - I spend far too long on the London underground and colours still work for me!

Flyingchappy - hotel looks good, thanks.


Thanks

Trev

 

The lasy will enjoy SOHO,Upper West Side and Madison Ave shopping........

Don't tale her to 47th street...that is Diamond Row...

 

Next time I am New York I will try Peter Luger. Its a restaurant with excellent steaks. Foodies over here rave about that place. Look it up in Google maps

 

Lugers is hopelessly overrated. Decent steak, but nothing special and the atmosphere leaves something to be desired.

I prefer delmonicos all day.

 

Check out the Holiday Inn Express at Time Square. It's a block or two off Broadway. No great views but you're in the heart of the action and in your price range. Time Square is probably the safest place in NYC. You don't have to worry about looking like a tourist there because everyone else does too.

Here's what we like:

Go a few avenues west for reasonably priced meals. See Wicked. Ride the subway to Yankee Stadium (they're home on 7/1). Check out Chinatown, Greenwich Village and the WTC site. Sit out on the street late night in Time Square and people watch . Check out a weekend street fair. Just walk around, you'll run into something interesting.

 

Then I must go to Delmonicos! Ill be the first Filipino to try it Tnx

 

agree in principle, but I'd spend as little time as possible in times square. Its cool to see...once.

I'd much rather sit outside a cafe on the upper east/west or tribeca or well pretty much anywhere but times square.