Looking for recommendations on what to do on a tourist weekend to New York
08-08-2013, 12:07 PM
#21
44. Take a dinner cruise on the World Yacht. Elegant dinner and dancing as you cruise down the Hudson, up the East River and around Manhattan. The Yacht boards at 6:00 pm at 14th Street and 12th Avenue (I think, get the exact address on the internet, google World Yacht). Prices per person are $105 Sunday through Friday, $125 Saturday. Reservations are necessary. A real nice way for you and your wife/girlfriend to spend the evening.
45. Take a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park. Quite expensive and I don't think it's worth the money, but lots of people love doing this. I didn't much like it and don't think I'd do this again. Some think this is romantic, I don't.
46. If you get to New York early enough on Friday take a tour of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street. It's controlled hysteria even though its not quite as frenetic as it was before electronic trading. Still, it's a lot of fun.
47. Take a double decker bus tour of New York. A real touristy thing to do, but you'll see a lot of New York.
More later.
45. Take a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park. Quite expensive and I don't think it's worth the money, but lots of people love doing this. I didn't much like it and don't think I'd do this again. Some think this is romantic, I don't.
46. If you get to New York early enough on Friday take a tour of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street. It's controlled hysteria even though its not quite as frenetic as it was before electronic trading. Still, it's a lot of fun.
47. Take a double decker bus tour of New York. A real touristy thing to do, but you'll see a lot of New York.
More later.
08-09-2013, 01:01 AM
#23
Rob is on a roll! Great recommendations. I'll keep them, too.
08-09-2013, 02:59 AM
#24
Rob's list is great.
The Staten Island Ferry at dusk is one of life's great (and cheap) pleasures.
However, I prefer my pastrami with a little fat, so I wouldn't go 'extra lean'
I would add the High-Line (http://www.thehighline.org/) a great way to see the lower west-side.
Brooklyn & Queens do have some less expensive hotel options. I would also consider Jersey City or Hoboken for hotels. You get city access via the PATH (http://www.panynj.gov/path/) to downtown and mid-town. It is not as convenient, PATH runs less frequently than the NYC Subway, as Brooklyn/Queens but is still a real viable option.
Michael
The Staten Island Ferry at dusk is one of life's great (and cheap) pleasures.
However, I prefer my pastrami with a little fat, so I wouldn't go 'extra lean'
I would add the High-Line (http://www.thehighline.org/) a great way to see the lower west-side.
Brooklyn & Queens do have some less expensive hotel options. I would also consider Jersey City or Hoboken for hotels. You get city access via the PATH (http://www.panynj.gov/path/) to downtown and mid-town. It is not as convenient, PATH runs less frequently than the NYC Subway, as Brooklyn/Queens but is still a real viable option.
Michael
08-09-2013, 03:09 AM
#25
Rob's list is great.
The Staten Island Ferry at dusk is one of life's great (and cheap) pleasures.
However, I prefer my pastrami with a little fat, so I wouldn't go 'extra lean'
I would add the High-Line (http://www.thehighline.org/) a great way to see the lower west-side.
Brooklyn & Queens do have some less expensive hotel options. I would also consider Jersey City or Hoboken for hotels. You get city access via the PATH (http://www.panynj.gov/path/) to downtown and mid-town. It is not as convenient, PATH runs less frequently than the NYC Subway, as Brooklyn/Queens but is still a real viable option.
Michael
The Staten Island Ferry at dusk is one of life's great (and cheap) pleasures.
However, I prefer my pastrami with a little fat, so I wouldn't go 'extra lean'
I would add the High-Line (http://www.thehighline.org/) a great way to see the lower west-side.
Brooklyn & Queens do have some less expensive hotel options. I would also consider Jersey City or Hoboken for hotels. You get city access via the PATH (http://www.panynj.gov/path/) to downtown and mid-town. It is not as convenient, PATH runs less frequently than the NYC Subway, as Brooklyn/Queens but is still a real viable option.
Michael
I'm not sure if the PATH trains are back to normal yet. Sandy did a lot of damage to the PATH system.
08-10-2013, 08:05 AM
#26
48. Remember the bike you rented in #17? Take it to 12th Ave and about West 14th Street and ride all the way uptown to about West 70th Street along the bike/walking path along the Hudson River. You’ll pass the New York Heliport, many docked cruise ships (you’ll be amazed at how big they are), the Intrepid (with its Blackbird and Space Shuttle) and many other sights. Most importantly you’ll see the Hudson River in all of its glory. This is a very New York thing to do.
49. Take a helicopter tour of New York. People do this but I don’t recommend this. It’s very expensive and I don’t think its worth doing. You’ll see a lot of water towers and roof tops. Not the best way to see New York, but if you’re into helicopters do it.
50. While walking around look at the buildings. You’ll see every type and style of architecture in New York. I’ve already mentioned the Grand Central Station and the 42nd Street Library. For art deco take a look at the Empire State Building (5th Ave & 34th Street) and the Chrysler Building (42nd Street and Lexington Ave). Go into the lobby of each building, the lobbies are magnificent examples of the style. Visit the Woolworth Building on Broadway and Park Place. Built about 1913 it was at the time the tallest building in the world. Visit the Sony Tower (originally the A T & T Tower) on Madison Ave between 55th and 56th Streets. Designed by Philip Johnson, its top resembles a piece of Chippendale furniture. Take a look at the Lever House (Park Ave & 53rd St), one of the first of the Baushaus style glass façade buildings. There are many more, the Citigroup Tower, The Flat Iron Building, The Met Life Complex and etc. Just walk and look up.
51. If you’re into horticulture take the subway into Brooklyn to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, one of the world’s premier botanical gardens. You can spend hours walking around and looking at the plants and trees. The Botanical Gardens are directly across Flatbush Avenue from Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Not quite as big as Manhattan’s Central Park, Prospect served as the model for Central Park. Frederic Law Olmsted designed Prospect first as a practice run for Central Park. Prospect is a very, very beautiful park right in the middle of Brooklyn.
52. If you’re into animals go to the Bronx Zoo. A quite remarkable zoo and now with a monorail affording overhead view of the amimals. A nice way to spend an afternoon. There is a zoo in Central Park and another in Prospect Park but neither come close to the Bronx Zoo in terms of variety of animals and exhibits.
53. If you like looking at Churches and Temples New York is a great place to see them. Make sure to see St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Madison Avenue. One of the most beautiful church’s in the world. See Trinity Church on lower Broadway. Very famous church with a great deal of history. In the burial yard you’ll find the graves of Alexander Hamilton, Robert Fulton and many others. For synagogues see Temple Emanuel, where all the rich Jewish citizens of New York go to worship. Or, take a look at the Brotherhood Synagogue on East 20th Street near the Teddy Roosevelt Birthplace. It started it’s life as a Quaker Meeting Hall. Liz and I used to belong to the Brotherhood Synagogue when we lived up the block in the city. If you find yourself downtown on the Lower East Side you’ll find many of the Shuls (Yiddish for Synagogue) built by the Jewish immigrants. Some have been restored and are absolutely beautiful. Some have been taken over by non-Jewish congregations and are now churches. If you look closely at them you can see evidence of every congregation that has used the building. That is some of the glory and greatness of New York.
54. Visit Grant’s Tomb. Nothing really great, just Ulysses S. Grant’s final resting place in Riverside Park along the Hudson. Nothing special about it except once you go there you’ll always be able to answer the silly riddle, “Who’s buried in Grant’s tomb?”. Only do this if you have absolutely nothing else to do and have exhausted the preceding 53 items.
49. Take a helicopter tour of New York. People do this but I don’t recommend this. It’s very expensive and I don’t think its worth doing. You’ll see a lot of water towers and roof tops. Not the best way to see New York, but if you’re into helicopters do it.
50. While walking around look at the buildings. You’ll see every type and style of architecture in New York. I’ve already mentioned the Grand Central Station and the 42nd Street Library. For art deco take a look at the Empire State Building (5th Ave & 34th Street) and the Chrysler Building (42nd Street and Lexington Ave). Go into the lobby of each building, the lobbies are magnificent examples of the style. Visit the Woolworth Building on Broadway and Park Place. Built about 1913 it was at the time the tallest building in the world. Visit the Sony Tower (originally the A T & T Tower) on Madison Ave between 55th and 56th Streets. Designed by Philip Johnson, its top resembles a piece of Chippendale furniture. Take a look at the Lever House (Park Ave & 53rd St), one of the first of the Baushaus style glass façade buildings. There are many more, the Citigroup Tower, The Flat Iron Building, The Met Life Complex and etc. Just walk and look up.
51. If you’re into horticulture take the subway into Brooklyn to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, one of the world’s premier botanical gardens. You can spend hours walking around and looking at the plants and trees. The Botanical Gardens are directly across Flatbush Avenue from Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Not quite as big as Manhattan’s Central Park, Prospect served as the model for Central Park. Frederic Law Olmsted designed Prospect first as a practice run for Central Park. Prospect is a very, very beautiful park right in the middle of Brooklyn.
52. If you’re into animals go to the Bronx Zoo. A quite remarkable zoo and now with a monorail affording overhead view of the amimals. A nice way to spend an afternoon. There is a zoo in Central Park and another in Prospect Park but neither come close to the Bronx Zoo in terms of variety of animals and exhibits.
53. If you like looking at Churches and Temples New York is a great place to see them. Make sure to see St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Madison Avenue. One of the most beautiful church’s in the world. See Trinity Church on lower Broadway. Very famous church with a great deal of history. In the burial yard you’ll find the graves of Alexander Hamilton, Robert Fulton and many others. For synagogues see Temple Emanuel, where all the rich Jewish citizens of New York go to worship. Or, take a look at the Brotherhood Synagogue on East 20th Street near the Teddy Roosevelt Birthplace. It started it’s life as a Quaker Meeting Hall. Liz and I used to belong to the Brotherhood Synagogue when we lived up the block in the city. If you find yourself downtown on the Lower East Side you’ll find many of the Shuls (Yiddish for Synagogue) built by the Jewish immigrants. Some have been restored and are absolutely beautiful. Some have been taken over by non-Jewish congregations and are now churches. If you look closely at them you can see evidence of every congregation that has used the building. That is some of the glory and greatness of New York.
54. Visit Grant’s Tomb. Nothing really great, just Ulysses S. Grant’s final resting place in Riverside Park along the Hudson. Nothing special about it except once you go there you’ll always be able to answer the silly riddle, “Who’s buried in Grant’s tomb?”. Only do this if you have absolutely nothing else to do and have exhausted the preceding 53 items.
08-10-2013, 05:43 PM
#28
With a very few exceptions, we've done everything on my list and loved doing them. Deep down inside I'm a big city boy who loves the feel of asphalt under his feet. My favorite asphalt is the asphalt found in New York City. It's very special asphalt.
I think there's enough interesting things on the list to keep Chris busy for a few weekends, but there are so many more things to do and see in New York. As I think of them I'll continue to add to the list.
08-10-2013, 06:54 PM
#29
Registered User
Much much to be added to this thread but I like the Halal truck, not exactly sure where the original one is but it has the longest line, even at 2:00AM. I also enjoy the speakeasies scattered around Manhatten, Angel's Share being a favorite. I found the Cosmopolitan Hotel reasonable but of course it's not fancy, just clean and comfortable.
08-11-2013, 09:40 PM
#30
Rob's list is great.
The Staten Island Ferry at dusk is one of life's great (and cheap) pleasures.
However, I prefer my pastrami with a little fat, so I wouldn't go 'extra lean'
I would add the High-Line (http://www.thehighline.org/) a great way to see the lower west-side.
Brooklyn & Queens do have some less expensive hotel options. I would also consider Jersey City or Hoboken for hotels. You get city access via the PATH (http://www.panynj.gov/path/) to downtown and mid-town. It is not as convenient, PATH runs less frequently than the NYC Subway, as Brooklyn/Queens but is still a real viable option.
Michael
The Staten Island Ferry at dusk is one of life's great (and cheap) pleasures.
However, I prefer my pastrami with a little fat, so I wouldn't go 'extra lean'
I would add the High-Line (http://www.thehighline.org/) a great way to see the lower west-side.
Brooklyn & Queens do have some less expensive hotel options. I would also consider Jersey City or Hoboken for hotels. You get city access via the PATH (http://www.panynj.gov/path/) to downtown and mid-town. It is not as convenient, PATH runs less frequently than the NYC Subway, as Brooklyn/Queens but is still a real viable option.
Michael
Several of the things on Rob's list were on mine as well. As a teenager I spent HOURS at the MOMA, and several of the other places that Rob mentioned. I would also recommend a Circle Line tour of lower Manhattan. But, as he and others have mentioned it is hard to beat the Staten Island Ferry when it comes to the "most bang for the buck".