Planning Surprise 10 Yr Anniversary Trip to NYC, Need Advice (VANITY)

Me | 1/02/04 | Freeper TwoBear

[TwoBear]

Fellow Freepers,

I'm attempting to plan a surprise 10 year anniversary trip to NYC for my wife. I've never been there, thus I'd like to seek your advice on the best area to stay, eat, shows to see, etc., etc. We'll mainly just be sight seeing, shopping and would like to take in a show. Now, we're from Tennessee so keep that in mind. I guess we'll have to put our shoes on when we get there.

Any advice on location (Manhattan, East side, West Side, Central Park area, Times Square, etc.) and hotels would especially be helpful!

We're going from 4/23-25.

I appreciate any help!

S

[RiflemanSharpe]

DON"T GO!!! There are alot nicer and cheaper placed on the eastern seaboard to visit.

[NautiNurse]

Wear very, very comfortable shoes for lots of pounding pavement. A fun tourist place to eat is the Carnegie Deli. Bring a large appetite.

[Alberta's Child]

Best advice I can offer:

Stay the hell away from here.

Seriously -- New York City is a great place to visit once in your life, but away from the glitter of Times Square and the hustle and bustle of the city's streets, the place is really a dysfunctional toilet.

If money is not a major concern, I would suggest you stay somewhere in Midtown Manhattan where most of the major attractions are, and where you'll be able to get around easily via taxi or subway.

If you're looking to save money, you might consider renting a car and staying in an outlying suburb with a train station (NJ TRANSIT in New Jersey, Long Island Rail Road in Long Island, or Metro-North in Westchester) that will allow you to get into Manhattan in less than an hour each day.

[MindBender26]

"Sammy's Roumanian Jewish Delicatessan" for dinner one night.

Circle Lines boat trip around the city.

Sunday afternoon walk in Central Park. Start at 66st and 8th Ave (Central Park West) Walk southeast from there.

Watch, (but don't play) some 3-Card Monte game you see on the street.

[ClintonBeGone]

I would suggest you stay in midtown, which is generally near Times Square/Grand Central Station. From there you'll always have easy access to the subways and where you want to go. Get familiar with the subway routes and the landmarks you want to visit. I personally find the east side from midtown on down to be the nicest and least congested with tourists. However, there are no subways on the east side (1st Ave). Hopefully you guys plan to fly into Laguardia Airport because you don't want to pay to park. From there you can take a bus or limo to midtown. You should do a hotwire.com search to see what type of hotel deal you can get. You would be suprised at how reasonable a deal you can get. And, of course, continue to use this site as a resource. You'll find that asking others who know NYC will really help you have a good time.

[travelinman_53]

I agree and I was born there.

I recomend Boston, some of the best Italian food in the US and you can follow the Freedon Trail. Make sure to stop in for a beer at the Green Dragon Traven.

http://www.celticweb.com/greendragon

[Tijeras_Slim]

Can you bring me one of those $10 Rolexes the street vendors sell?

[ClintonBeGone]

Why would you guys even say such things about NYC? It's the finest piece of real estate in the world and a wonderful place to spend a vaction. People are very friendly, and the visit can be educational and very historic.

[wireplay]

I always stay at the Hilton New York. Expect room rates near $300/night. I hear the DoubleTree Times Square is great. All are within easy walking distance to Times Square and Central Park.

Places to see:

The Met. No need to really go anywhere else. It will take you a week to see this museum. ;-]

Sacks 5th Avenue

Restaurants (no concern for price):

Del Frisco's for steak. This is a power dinner but expect a large tab.
Cite Grill for all around service, food, atmosphere
Judson Grill (great seafood and service)
Aqua Grill (really, really good seafood and a little less expensive. Need to take a cab.)
Rue 57 (sea bass is to die for and prices are reasonable...for NYC)
Redeye Grill (GREAT seafood. Nice atmosphere.)

My 2 favorites are Redeye and Cite. You won't go wrong with any of them however.

[Huck]

Take her someplace nice, like Wyoming or Colorado. Don't go to Manhattan. It's a pit.

[Alissa]

I'd recommend the Belvedere Hotel. It's walking distance to a large restaurant district, Times Square, theaters, and Fox News!! It's a small hotel on a side street that is not outrageously expensive. Here's a link to their web site: Belvedere Hotel

[alisasny]

I recommend the newly refurbished Millenium Hilton by the former WTC.

I am so sick of NY bashing. Its a great place to visit.

Also do an ebay of event tickets in New York. You will find many great deals. You can also put in the dates in the search feature and see whats available. I have gotten many good tickets from Ebay.

For a ritzy dinner I recommend the Mesa Grille. : )

[alisasny]

OH and stay away from Patsy's, the place Rush recommends. We went and service was downright horrible. Food was so so and we were rushed out of the place even though it was our Anniversary and that was stated to the Maitre'D : )

[alisasny]

Any suggestions ???

[whattajoke]

Oh come on... a trip to NYC is a must for all.

since this is visit # 1 (and I'm sure last), you have to do all the touristy crap. Liberty Park, Empire State Building, Times Square, Broadway show... the museums are top notch to be sure.

Don't be scared. Certain NYC elements prey on the fearful tourist.

don't be stupid. Don't trust anyone who looks like you can't trust them. (You CAN trust the taxi drivers though, believe it or not).

Don't buy mixed drinks in Manhattan. The shock might harm your heart. Actually, there's a code in the city if you are buying drinks and tipping a couple bucks each round, the bartender will buy your 3rd round or so. then again, maybe not with a southern twang, but who knows?

Don't think that you can rent a car. I mean, you can, but you have no need to. I actually drove from the Holland tunnel down Canal Street Saturday to the Manhattan Bridge. 2 miles = 45 minutes and 3 near dings. Welcome to Manhattan! (That's through Chinatown and it's nuts and another must see, to my mind. You can go to 5 points--see Gangs of NY-- Tribeca and chinatown).

Skip Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn. in April, see if the Yankees are playing at home. I hate baseball, but a Yankee game in Yankee stadium is a good experience.

Lastly, prepare to spend quadruple for stuff, esp if you stick to midtown and tourist areas.

Good luck!

[KellyAdmirer]

So many cynics about NYC, sheesh. Everyone should visit once or twice, it has a lot of history and I think it will be a great place for you.

Since it is a one-time visit, your main sightseeing venues will be in two places: a) downtown, around Wall Street, Battery Park, and the ferry to Staten Island (which you MUST take); and b) midtown, from 34th Street north to 59th Street. Manhattan is an island, a walk along the shoreline (preferably West Side either in Riverside Park in the 80s or in the new park from 14th Street South) is a great way to spend an afternoon. Do not bother with cabs, walking or the subway is the way to go. You can buy day passes for the subway that will cut down on expenses.

In terms of where to stay, that depends on so many things. I usually have friends stay at the Gramercy Park Hotel, not too pricey for NYC with an old-time feel and within walking distance of midtown and also (if you are a good walker) downtown. If you go midtown, expect to pay 2-3 times as much. If you want under $100, look to New Jersey or Long Island, but for a nice visit stay in Manhattan.

For restaurants, I would suggest Greenwich Village. Get a Zagat's Restaurant Guide, it will help a lot.

Good luck, and enjoy your visit. :)

[ClintonBeGone]

I am so sick of NY bashing. Its a great place to visit.

Thanks for including this comment. I find it the ultimate irony that someone posting from a trailer in backwoods Texas has the audacity to call NYC a pit. :) Happy New Year to the NYC freepers!

[nicmarlo]

Thanks for posting this...my daughter would like to go to NYC for her 16th birthday (she's never been there)...I told her I'd try and see if I could afford the trip (driving in from Central NY)....as I've not had to stay in NYC before (I've got family in Long Island), this thread is most helpful!

[marlon]

Look I know the propensity on this board is to bash anything East Coast but New York still is one helluva town. I have lived on the east coast all my life and while I regret that most of the area is demo/socialist there are still alot of conservatives here. Let's face it, you average Wall Streeter is not exactly urging for socialism. And, in the CT town in which I live finding a democrat is a rare sighting.

That said I think NY is a great place to visit. I have traveled extensively to other US cities and still find that there is no better food than in NY. You can get anything and it's almost always good so just pick you ethnicity and you can find a top restuarant serving it.

Finding a hotel is not a problem it all depends on what you want to pay for a room. They are expensive almost anywhere in NY but there are degrees. Mid-Town maybe a good place to stay but I wouldn't limit yourself to it. Despite what others have said it's actually quite easy to get around NY. The subways are fast as you never have to deal with traffic and you can get from one end of the city to another in less than 1/2 hour. They are also incredibly safe. Sure, I wouldn't get on one at 1:00 AM but then at that time traffic won't be a problem and you could zip around in a cab.

Specific recommendations are hard since I don't know what you like. If glitzy touristy things are you bag then stay in mid-town do Time Square, Empire State Bldg, etc. Remember also though that NY has great museums, the library is worth a visit and there are great neighborhoods to explore, SoHO, Greenwich Village, Little Italy/China Town etc.

My best advise would be to review what things you and your wife really like or would like to experience and chances are you can find it in NY.