NY Dopers, come to my aid! I’m finally visiting New York City and could use some help/suggestions. We are going to be there for a week in September and will be staying at the Algonquin Hotel (6th Ave & 44th St) in Midtown.
Things I want to do while I play tourist (feel free to comment):
Circle Line Cruise, 3 hours: When is the best time of day to go (get the sun on the skyline, etc).
Empire State Bldg: Again, the best time to go up and take pictures.
Seeing “Into the Woods” at the Broadhurst (got tickets). What’s a good place to go after the show for some drinks?
We want to take a carriage ride in Central Park. Any companies you can recommend?
I need places to eat. Best place for a Pastrami (besides Carnegie), egg cream, hot dogs, and pizza. Nothing too exotic, I’m looking for NY-style places. Sidewalk vendors are perfectly fine. Places that you’ve tried and love. Preferably around the Midtown/Times Square/south Central Park area.
I want to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and see the Promenade. Is it a long walk? What are some good places for lunch in the area?
Some places are advertising Harlem tours. Is it just an “embrace diversity” deal? Or has Harlem cleaned up enough for a white boy and asian wife to visit?
Ground Zero: worth a side trip? Good places for lunch in the Lower Manhattan area?
I find the Times Square area unbearable. It’s touristy and overpriced and the restaurants and bars are terrible. Just because the hotel and theater are there doesn’t mean you should limit yourself to that area. It’s not difficult to hop on the subway or a cab and head downtown. The Friends live in the Village, you know.
In any case, here is a list of bars near the theater. Citysearch has some useful listings.
You can go to Liberty Island but you can’t go up into the statue. You will go through an airport type screening process befor you can board the ferry.
A good place to go befor/after is Sardis. Kind of a legend.
I jsut saw Private Lives last night. Great show. We got our tickets at the half price booth in Times Square. If you want to maybe catch another show while your in town the TKTS booth sells tickets at a discount (50% usually, 25% sometimes) for the same day. Not all shows are there but a large number of them are there.
Ground Zero is kind of meaningless if you never saw the twins befor. Right now it is just a very large hole in the ground. However there are some very moving things near there. (some move items in you stomach much higher)
I think your hotel has a very nice bar.
Empire State Building (ESB) agian lots more ‘security’ means slower moving lines. (but not too bad) I wouldn’t go up at night. Things just wouldn’t be clear. You may want to go when the sun is high in the sky (noon) as photos will be easier to take.
Harlem.
It’s a big area and there are bad streets and good streets. I’ve been told that the double decker tour busses are a nice way to kind of go around the city and get a feel for it. They do drive through Harlem and that would be pretty safe.
What museums are you going to check out while you are here?
Chula: would it be a good idea to jump on the Subway after the show and head to the Village (around 10pm)? I assume many of the subway stories are exaggerated, but I would have to get back to my hotel even later after that. It would be a Tuesday night.
Zebra: Museums, I’m thinking of the Natural History with the big planetarium. Are there any that detail the history of NYC? I’ve read about both the NY Historical Society and Museum of the City of NY. Sounds redundant. Which one is better?
The subway, especially between midtown and the Village, is safe at all times of day and night – don’t worry about it. Alternatively, a cab will be $6.50 plus tip, tops, depending on where in the Village.
For Pastrami, there’s the Second Avenue Deli, on 10th St. and 2nd Ave, and Ratners, on Canal St (maybe Houston – I forget).
I’ll leave the best NYC museum to Stuyguy, the expert on such matters.
I have never been to Ratners, which the Times reports is on the verge of closing - it’s now open only one day a week.
Another option (and my favorite) is Katz’s, on 14th St. at 1st Ave. Perhaps most famous for the When Harry Met Sally scene, Katz’s is New York at its surly best.
Key point - there are two ways to eat at Katz’s: the cafeteria-line, or table service. Choosing the latter marks you as A TOURIST WHO’S TOO MUCH OF A WIMP TO TRY SOMETHING NEW AND WHOSE CAR IS BEING KEYED THIS VERY MINUTE. So do yourself a favor and pick the former. A clerk will hand you a ticket, which you will then hand to the staff person whenever you pick up another item.
The most crucial of which is pastrami. Which you will order on rye bread with mustard, no mayo, where the hell do you think you are?, and please note that state and federal law prohibit the importation of Miracle Whip (the Unmentionable Condiment) east of the Hudson.
Make sure to accompany it with a Dr. Brown’s - Cream Soda, Cel-Ray, Black Cherry, Root Beer. If you must have a vegetable, two are available: pickles, and sauerkraut. I’m more partial to the second, myself, but the pickles have a devoted following too.
Don’t believe 'em. The Circle Line Tour was mind-numbingly boring. A three hour tour was how Gilligan’s Island started, too, remember?
Take the Roosevelt Island Tram if ya wanna see the skyline. Or there are faster boat tours than Circle Line.
As far as an after-theater drink in Times Square is concerned, I think you’ll like the view from the revolving bar in the Marriott Marquis on 46th & B’way.
A drink at the Rainbow Room (in Rockefeller Center) bar during sunset is pricey, but well worth it. Spectacular views.
The N-YHS* and the MCNY are about equal in their appeal (which, unfortunately, often means their dullness). I suggest you check out their websites before you pick one – the one with the exhibit(s) that you find most interesting is the one to pick.
You might be better off going to a more specialized museum – like the new NYPD museum, or the Brooklyn Historical Society. Here’s another idea: as I mentioned in the linked thread (and elsewhere), the NYC Panorama at the Queens Museum of Art is utterly thrilling; take the tour for the full experience. Then you can stroll past the Unisphere and other remnants of the '64 World’s Fair.
(Despite Lola’s WRONG opinion…) the Circle Line might be another option for taking in NYC history. The guides are pretty knowledgeable and dispense a lot of historical tidbits during the cruise. And, it’s so much more fun than most stuffy museum exhibits.
stuyguy’s latest NYC tip:
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge is an undeniable thrill. But it has one drawback: you can’t see the full bridge itself while you’re on it. So here’s what you do. Start across the BB at City Hall, on the Manhattan side. Walk to Brooklyn, taking in the wonderful views of NY harbor and learning about the history of the bridge from the informative plaques at each tower. As you reach the Brooklyn side, bear left, and descend the stairs to street level. Walk a few blocks north to Jay Street and find the entrance to the pedestrian walkway of the Manhattan Bridge. Walk to Manhattan on the MB, taking in the wonderful views of NY harbor which now include the BB. Eat a meal in Chinatown – where the MB leaves you.
*The New-York Historical Society was founded in the early 19c when the name of the city was hyphenated. They carry on the tradition to this day. If you include the hyphen they’ll think well of you.
[katz’s nazi]The ONLY place to eat pastrami is Katz’s deli. Get there any way you can. And don’t let anyone talk you into doing anything stupid, like getting corned beef, or a hot dog. Get the pastrami. On rye. Mustard. That’s it.[/katz’s nazi]
Cel-Ray, from what I’ve read is a celery soda! How “intriguing” (a safe word).
Russian Tea Room is no more. So we need another NY-experience prix fare dinner before the show. Would I like the Four Seasons or Rainbow Room? Which would have a better Pre-Theater menu? I’m leaning toward the Rainbow Room with the view.
Hubzilla, Bronx Gal here. Living in one of the non-burned buildings <g>. And I’m a huge theater fan.
“Into the Woods” is a good choice; it won the Best Revival Tony and watch for the cow–she steals the show.
As for eating, while all the above suggestions are fine (esp. Katz’s and Sardi’s) I’m suprised nobody’s mentioned Restaurant Row, which is on 46th St. between 8th and 9th avenues. There’s a famous place called Joe Allen, which is not only a great theatrical hangout for actors but is plastered with show posters–for flops! Try the meatloaf and banana cream pie. Marlowe’s a couple of doors down is terrific for Sunday brunch; but you might want to try a place down in the Village for the atmosphere if the weather is nice. There’s Manatus on Bleecker and Christopher that I always like, and Anglers and Writers is a cozy book-lined place on Hudson and St. Luke’s.
On Fridays and Saturdays a lot of people who love show tunes go to a bar called Marie’s Crisis and sing with Jim or Dexter, the pianists.
Also, don’t neglect off-Broadway when looking for shows. “Forbidden Broadway”, a parody show that’s updated every few months, is a must for people who love theater. Every author of a new show is highly insulted if their show is not parodied in the revue by the brilliant Gerald Allesandrini and company. Off-Broadway also tends to be more edgy and fresh than some of the more touristy and tired Broadway shows, although “Urinetown” is Broadway and it’s brilliant.
Take the subway when you can; taxi only at night or in an emergency. Surface transportation during the day can take forever as trucks and buses clog the too-narrow, 19th century vintage streets. The subway is now pretty clean and very very safe, although sadly the bums are starting to beg sometimes again. But they’re not dangerous.
I agree with 90% of this - and advise tipping the counterman, you might get a little bit of tongue… ON YOUR SANDWICH!
Seriously, one problem with the Katz’s reccommendation - it’s on the south side of Houston St, not 14th. A little further south. And say that name HOUSE-ton. Not like the city. The street is older.
