We’ve enjoyed every visit to NYC and want to go again and
again. Here are some notes from our travels. I might dig out my photos sometime
and post them.
Best time to go
The week between Christmas and New Year’s. The city is
beautifully decorated for the holidays and it’s a magical time to walk the
streets of Manhattan.
The store window displays are impressive, the huge Christmas tree looks over
the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center, the tourists are
all happy to be there, there might be a dusting of snow that makes everything
look light and beautiful.
Fun things to do
Broadway shows, of course!
This Budget Travel article discusses several ways to get
discount tickets:
www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2007/12/26/AR2007122601308.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Also try playbill.com
and theatermania.com so that you
don’t have to spend an hour or more waiting at the TKTS booth for same-day
tickets.
Explore Central Park
Run or bike the trails, go ice skating or rowing on the lake,
depending on the weather. Take a horse and carriage ride, visit the zoo, eat at
Tavern on the Green. It’s easy to spend an entire day here.
www.centralparknyc.org
www.tavernonthegreen.com
Staten Island Ferry
This is THE way to see fantastic views of the NY skyline and
the Statue of Liberty. Best of all, it’s free! www.siferry.com
Museums
We haven’t begun to see all the museums, but I could spend
all day in the Metropolitan (get there early in the day before it gets really
crowded). www.metmuseum.org/
The Museum of Modern Art was
remodeled a few years ago and I hear it’s fantastic. www.moma.org And the Guggenheim is a must. www.guggenheim.org/new-york
The American Museum of Natural History
is fun and is surrounded by large grounds. Relax on a bench and do some people
and dog watching. www.amnh.org
ESPN Zone
This is a major sports bar. It’s a great place for the
non-shoppers to hang out while the others indulge in some retail therapy. www.espnzone.com/newyork
Shopping!
Of course, every designer you’ve ever heard of, and many
you haven’t, has a store on Fifth
Avenue. It’s fun to just meander and look in the
windows. However, there are some reasonable places to shop around Manhattan.
·
For cheap, trendy clothing: H&M, 5th
Ave at 18th
St
·
Top-drawer and top-price kitchenware and
takeout: Zabar’s, Broadway at 80th St
·
For toys: FAO
Schwartz, of course, 5th
Ave at 58th
St
·
For French books and stationery: Librairie de France, in Rockefeller Center
·
For paper goods: Kate’s Paperie, various locations
I wish I knew where the best
designer outlets are…they are usually located around the Garment District. Let
me know if you find one!
New York Public Library
Libraries are some of my favorite places and this one is
impressive, from the lions guarding the entrance to the magnificent woodwork
and chandeliers in the reading rooms.
www.nypl.org.
Good places to eat
For breakfast/brunch:
·
Morning
Star Restaurant, 879 9th
Ave.
newyork.citysearch.com/profile/37758230
·
Sarabeth’s,
multiple locations
www.sarabeth.com
·
Balthazar,
80 Spring Street between Broadway and Crosby. My personal favorite, plus an excuse
to explore Soho. Don’t miss the brioche French
toast and the (pricey, but worth it) bread and pastry basket.
www.balthazarny.com/
For lunch:
·
Go to the food
market at Grand Central station and get picnic goodies to munch on in a
park or back at the room. grandcentralterminal.com,
select Food> Grand Central Market.
Or eat at Metrazur on the balcony
overlooking the main room and watch the hustle and bustle. We liked the salads.
www.charliepalmer.com/Properties/Metrazur/
·
Lombardi’s
Pizza, 32 Spring Street. A NY institution!
http://www.firstpizza.com/newyork.html
·
Nougatine
in the Trump Tower, 1 Central Park West. This is the
more casual eatery in the tower. Go at lunch to splurge on the divine food of
celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at a much cheaper price than at
dinner. The menu changes often.
www.jean-georges.com
For lunch or dinner:
·
Il
Corallo Trattoria, 172 Prince
St between Sullivan and Thompson. Everything is delicious and inexpensive (for Manhattan). The $9.95 lunch specials are a
great deal.
If you go for dinner, get there early. They don’t take reservations and try to
turn over the tables quickly. Be prepared for NY attitude and you’ll be fine. The
Fettucine Pescatore is like bouillabaisse over pasta. The Farfalle della Mare
is loaded with shrimp, butter, garlic, and tomatoes. Beware the canned peas in
some of the dishes! The portions are so large, you’ll want to share them or
take leftovers with you.
·
Brooklyn
Diner, 155 West 43rd
St or 212 West 57th (the one we went
to). Very cozy on a cold evening. Something for everyone and fantastic milk
shakes. Hillary loved the mac and cheese.
·
Mars2112,
Broadway at 51st. This is a fun one if you have elementary-age
children, or possibly boys that are a bit older. It begins like a theme park,
with an elevator ride set up like a space launch. The dining room is huge and
looks like, you guessed it, Mars. Aliens roam the area and the food is
kid-friendly. We had teenage girls with us who found it silly, but I know some younger
kids who loved it.
www.mars2112.com
· {Wish I could remember the name of the
outstanding Greek place Dennis took us to!}
Good places to stay
·
We’ve stayed at Park Central Suites. Very convenient, though pricey. Extremely slow
elevator. www.parkcentralny.com
·
I’m dying to stay at the Library Hotel: www.libraryhotel.com
·
The Doubletree
at Times Square has suites that can accommodate 6, so you can probably save
money vs. two rooms, and there is a fridge and microwave so you can eat one
meal a day in the room and save lots of money.
Since hotels are so expensive, especially in convenient
locations, your best bet will probably be to book an airfare-plus-hotel
package. Get on the travel forums and see what previous visitors say about the
hotel you’re about to book. Some are real hovels.
How to get around
·
Subway fares are going up, up, up--so if you
have three or more people, take a cab.
·
We used First Class Air cars from JFK to Manhattan and were
impressed with them. They have a fleet of Range Rovers and Lincoln Town Cars
and were much more polite than the NY cabbies and a comparable price.
(212) 304-1111 or go to the curb outside your terminal and they will hail you!
Things we want to try next time
Em and I would like to do a Project Runway-type tour including:
·
Parsons School of Design www.newschool.edu/inBrief.aspx#parsons
·
Bryant Park www.bryantpark.org
·
Mood Fabrics moodfabrics.com
· M&J Trimming nymag.com/listings/stores/mandj_trimming
·
Tender Buttons nymag.com/listings/stores/tender_buttons/
·
Tinsel Trading and The Store Across the Street www.tinseltrading.com
·
Metalliferous www.metalliferous.com
Adventures
·
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge,
meet up with my cousin Dennis, eat pizza at Grimaldi’s, and dessert at Jacques
Torres Chocolates.
·
The Cloisters, an overlooked outpost of the Metropolitan Museum,
in Fort Tryon Park.www.metmuseum.org/cloisters/
·
The Met Museum on a Friday when a
$35 ticket gets you entrance to the museum and a concert, and access to the
Trustees Dining Room for dinner. Also check out the rooftop sculpture garden.
·
Go to a NY Philharmonic rehearsal. http://nyphil.org/.
Shopping
·
East 7th and East 9th
between 2nd Ave and Ave A for vintage.
Food/restaurants/bars to try
·
The Oak Bar at the Plaza Hotel. It was
undergoing renovation last time we tried to drop in. http://www.fairmont.com/ThePlaza
·
Frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity3 on 60th St
·
Dylan’s Candy Bar. Of course, there’s one at the
Houston Galleria now, but we want to go to the original.
·
Rainbow Grill or Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center
Copyright 2009 Beth Schrader