Whoo hoo! I am planning a trip to NYC in mid-October 2014. I am very excited. I was there a few years ago as well as when I was a teenager. I am getting one of the New York passes and a subway card but I have a few questions…
I am thinking about going to one of the 3* Michelin rated restaurants one night for a tasting menu (by nyself unfortuantely) so will being a single be a problem? What is the expected dress, I am a jeans, sneakers and sweater type girl (middle age actually) I do have slacks (Dockers) I wear to work sometimes but no dresses and definately no heels. Any suggestions on clothes? any suggestions on which one to visit? Per se looks like they are having some troubles, La Bernadin is a little less expensive but Daniel is higher rated for comfort.
I am pretty much planning to stay in Manhattan although i am tempted by the Indosian restaurant in Brooklyn and maybe Hootie Couture vintage shop in Flushing whereever that is. I love food, shopping, Art Museums and swing dancing. So I have found a site that lists lots of swing dancing opportunities, I am already planning on MOMA that I missed last time, The Metropolitan Museum and the Cloisters, the Frick and Gugginheim. but I need to know about Textile/costuming places if anyone know about those. Other Museum recommendations would be welcome. Tell me about your favorite food places, your favorite shopping experiences. I am female and would be considered plus size esp by New York standards.
I have been in the Empire state building and down to the Battery park to see the Statue of Liberty. I have been to a couple parts of Central Park, Trump tower, Lincoln center, Alvin Ailey dance, Laguardia High School. What other cool stuff would you recommend?
I am not an expert on any of those restaurants unfortunately. I do know though that Per Se was given a C grade on their health inspection due to food storage issues or something like that. Keep in mind though that in New York food grades are at the discretion of the individual inspector and many restaurants get poor grades for structural issues that have nothing to do with the quality of or the making of the food itself.
As for what to wear basic black pants, a button down shirt, sweater or blazer and dressy or work appropriate flats are fine. Dress like how you would for an interview.
For textiles, the Metropolitan Museum of Art recently had an exhibit about the silk trade- you can check their website to see if it’s still going on. The Fashion Institute of Technology also has a museum of textiles and garments which is open to the public. I’m not sure what their current exhibit is, but that can also be looked up on their website. You might also have fun going to the fabric stores in the Garment District between 7th and 8th avenues around 36th- 38th St. It’s fun to check out Mood where the designers got their materials on Project Runway.
Flushing is in Queens. As long as you’re comfortable traveling to the outer boroughs I’d say to for it. It’s fun to do the non-touristy stuff.
I would recommend checking out NYMag’s website for suggestions ion what to do. Brokelyn is another good resource for things to do that are cheap and not so “touristy.” I also highly recommend the Brooklyn Museum and the Studio Museum in Harlem if you like contemporary art. There is also the New Museum on the Bowery.
Prepare for increased MetroCard rates. This chart shows whether it makes more sense to buy an unlimited or a pay-per-rode
Being single won’t be a problem for anyone if it isn’t a problem for you. Honestly, people rarely dress up for fine dining any more than they do for work. I honestly wish you’d buy some black cigarette pants and comfortable but stylish flats or something but no one’s going to refuse to seat you for wearing jeans and sneakers. They will probably treat you better if you look rich because that’s how things go. I would wear jeans to Per se, but nice jeans and with good boots, a status handbag, etc. and I’m guessing that’s not your plan.
Why not try Momofuko? Or Café Boulud. Also, you should really consider getting a nice blouse and those cigarette pants and flats. You can get the entire outfit for $100 or less at TJ Maxx or similar.
There are big people everywhere in America, including in New York. I think people are judged less here, if anything, because it just takes a lot to shock anyone. No one is paying attention to you unless you’re really causing a scene. Just focus on enjoying yourself if you can.
Flushing is in Queens. Brooklyn will probably be unrecognizable to you if you’ve been before, at least most of it. The city overall has gotten very safe. Brownsville in Brooklyn is dangerous but there isn’t anything to do there anyway. Flushing isn’t dangerous. Nowhere in Manhattan is dangerous other than tourist areas and some tiny pockets of Harlem. Most of Harlem is great. Check out Harlem.
MoMa is my favorite museum. You may also want to check out PS1.
High end shopping areas are the must judge-y places to hang out but also everyone is used to tourists and they’re just going to think “tourist” and who cares. Buy something to wear to dinner!
My #1 message to tourists is to not take the train or cab anywhere between 8am and 11am or 5pm and 7pm because we are trying to get to or from work which can be a frightening scene.
The best thing to do here is just walk around.
Walking along the west or east side of the park is a great way to check out some of the most amazing real estate in the city. I’m a west side person so that would be my suggestion.
Go to Zabar’s.
The Jewish Museum has cool stuff sometimes.
Ultimately there is so much to do that you should really just think of whatever it is that you want to do the most in the world and figure out which train to take. I honestly don’t think that we have the best food in the country. At all. Though we do have the best pizza and bagels. Sal and Carmine’s for pizza and Murray’s for bagels.
If you haven’t chosen a place to stay yet, use a discount booking site and you may be able to find a room in a **** boutique hotel and not have to stay in a chain.
cigarette pants would be a no for me, but as long as no one will be frowning if I am not wearing a party dress and heels my wardrobe will accommodate slacks and a jacket or nice sweater depending on the weather. Will probably still have the sneakers so that I can walk. I remember from last time how much my feet hurt after walking to a lot of stuff, swing dance classes, and then dances at night. I think I wear better shoes now so maybe I can wear flats for a short time.
I am not wedded to anyone high end restaurant but Per Se is around $300.00 without tip whereas some of the other’s tasting menus are a third less. I am not sure that it would be worth $200.00 for a meal but I won’t know unless I try it. I am also considering the Food on Foot tours if I get the New York Pass.
the hotel I am staying at is on the West side of Central park and is a converted older building, close to the subway, it is a chain so I get the benefit of national standards (and national management should it all go pear shaped) but an older building with new management who seems determined to address previous problems.
The subway chart was very helpful, I thing the 7 day pass would be the best with maybe a 10.00 for the extra day I will be here. Would depend on what I decide to do the first night in town.
I have heard that you can get some discounted theatre tickets on the day of the show but it is pretty much chance what tickets might be available. Are the tickets worth the hassle of going to that place to see what is available? or are they off the wall plays and not really that much cheaper anyways?
thanks for the suggestions so far.
There are several ways of getting discounted tickets to Broadway shows.
TKTS. This is probably what you were thinking of. They have a location in Times Square that sells day-of tickets. You have to go there in person and wait on line to actually buy the tickets, but I am pretty sure they now have a real time app so you can at least see what is on the boards before you go there. The availability may change at any time however, depending on what is sold and what batches of tickets they are given. See herefor an example of what was available for the past week. They will have most Broadway shows **except **for the really popular ones that are always sold out. You are not going to find *Book of Mormon, Lion King *or *Wicked *on TKTS so don’t even bother looking for those.
In terms of price, they are cheaper than full price, but they are still not cheap. (When you are starting from a base price of $145, even a 50% discount still leaves a $70 ticket!) Gone are the days of getting a $30 TKTS ticket.
Online discount codes, such as those found at BroadwayBox.com, Playbill.com, etc. Might be a bit more (or comparable) to TKTS, but you can buy them in advance.
Rush/Lottery. This is the cheapest option, but you have no guarantee of actually getting a ticket, and for hot shows you may have to wait *hours *in the early morning. Rush/Lottery seats are generally in the $25-$37 range, and depending on the show, can be found all over the theatre, from front row center to partial view on the far side.
For a great site explaining all of the Rush/Lottery policies of the various shows, check out http://www.broadwayforbrokepeople.com/. Good thing is almost every single show has a rush/lotto policy, even those that are sold out.
You’ll be here in October, so there will be the new Fall season starting, but from what I have seen of what is currently running (that will/should still be running then), I really recommend Bullets Over Broadway! It’s still in previews (and so has not been reviewed yet) but I had a blast! It’s like a Golden Age big upbeat musical, so much fun!
Enjoy your time in NYC! If you have any other theatre questions, ask away and I will be happy to answer them for you.
I’d like to suggest taking a walking tour. I did the Original Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour run by Big Onion and it was great - I’m a native but that part of town has always fascinated me and I wanted to know more about it as my Mom grew up down there.
Also a really great place to visit - the High Line. Hopefully the new (and I think final) section will be open by then.
