The wife and I are going to take a couple of days for ourselves next month when we’re up visiting family in New Jersey and head up to NYC for a couple of nights. Since I’ve never really been to NYC I thought it a very good idea to ask my fellow dopers for advice and suggestions.
We’re thinking about staying at the Waldorf Astoria. Both because it’s centrally located and for the poshness of it. While I’m open to other suggestions, I do want to stay someplace nice to treat ourselves. And I don’t want to have to travel over hell’s half acre to get anyplace interesting.
While there are a few ‘must see’ places, I’m also open to suggestions for any cool things we may miss. We like museums so I know we’ll be visiting MOMA at the very least, other than that what should we try and hit?
Any great eating establishments? We’ll probably try and have one “nice” dinner out at a good place. Isn’t there a restaurant in Central Park someplace?
What about theater shows? A Google search will turn up about a thousand places to buy tickets to various shows, any dopers that live in NYC that can point me to a good site that covers a lot of shows? Or recommend a good show or two? We’ll be in NYC from July 6th to the 8th.
The “thing” about it is you get a very short amount of time to accept the offer (like, 5 minutes). For whatever show you’re interested in, go to the theater website and have a layout of the seats handy. Then you’ll know if you want the seats they offer you.
I have seats at Spamalot tonight, front row mezzanine, using this systerm (they offered me several worse sets of seats first)
We’ll be visiting about a week after you do, so these aren’t necessarily the recommendations of experience. After reading online reviews, as well as other threads on this topic on SDMB, we decided to stay at The Iroquois (49 W. 44 St.). A very nice Doper (Eyebrows of Doom) also recommended BroadwayBox.com as a way to get broadway tickets for less than retail. We used it and scored Spamalot tickets for $80 each - but it was for a Tuesday show which is a lot less likely to sell out.
The Waldorf strikes me as mighty pricey, unless you just want to be able to say that you’ve stayed there.
There are a few other relatively recent threads out there on this topic - you may want to do a search. Good luck.
In addition to the MOMA, there is the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, plus dozens of smaller galleries (I’m not into art, so others may help you there). In terms of museums, I’m more of a Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium guy.
In Central Park, there is Tavern on the Green - overrated, IMO, but still very good. There are more good places to eat in NYC than you can shake a stick at, from street food, to pizza, to fine dining.
As for Broadway shows, I like to shop on StubHub. We’d really need to know more of your tastes to recommend anything, as the shows run the gamut.
The sheer number of places to eat/shows to see/things to do in NYC is why I’m trying to narrow this down a bit with suggestions.
D_Odds, you mentioned that Tavern on the Green is a bit over-rated. Do you know of any other places that are nice with some atmosphere? Nice views, or interesting interiors in addition to good food?
For shows we’re really open to probably a lot. We like musicals as well as regular productions. I noticed that Marry Poppins is now a broadway show…and while I might go see that if it comes to town on tour, I don’t know if I want to use my one “see a show in NYC” card on that…know what I mean?
Hello Again, the site you linked to seems to only let you browse if you have some sort of promotional code. Am I missing something?
While in part the desire to stay at the Waldorf is the “hey, we stayed there” factor, it also is a nice hotel centrally located. Since this is probably the only vacation I’m going to get for another year or so I’d like to make the best of it. I imagine that we’ll be doing a lot of things that if you lived there you might not think a big deal. After all going to Rockerfeller Center is really just a big plaza with a bunch of buildings and some outside stuff. But it’s on the “in NYC, so must at least see” list.
Ok, that’s odd. There was a prior link in a recent NYC thread – within the past month – that I followed and I didn’t have to do that. (I got tix for Spamalot tonight for $80, first row Mezzanine). Maybe search recent threads?
You might try Curtains with David Hyde Pierce (of Frasier and Spamalot fame). Les Miserables, Wicked, Spamalot, Drowsy Chaperone, and Legally Blonde are all althernatives. As for restaurants, I’m a little behind the times of hot, trendy spots. I’ve been to Tavern a couple of times, mostly on business. I’ve heard only good things about Bar Americain (despite being a Bobby Flay restaurant). If you feel like a cab ride to Brooklyn, Peter Luger has the best steaks I’ve ever tasted and no doubt the best in NY. Lots of high end Japanese restaurants, and just about every authentic ethnic cuisine you could ask for. If you are at the Waldorf, I’d suggest telling the Concierge what cuisine you want, and let him handle the details. He’ll know better than me.
Make sure you take the subway at some point. I’m always amazed by how many tourists just get around in cabs, but the subway is a real chance to feel the authentic New York culture.
Times Square is always jammed with tourists; I’ve always preferred Union Square (although it’s quite tourist-y as well). Bleecker Street has got to be my favorite part of town, although it might not be the sort of things you are interested in. Lots of artsy little clubs, comedy shows, blues bars, that sort of thing on Bleecker.
Oh, I almost forgot - make sure you get a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street. Those things are ridiculously good.
Ok, I figured it out: you get a promo code at Broadwaybox.com; you buy the actual tickets through Broadwayoffers.com (it passes you through.)
Whew! Mystery solved!
For my money, Magnolia is a cool place but I wouldn’t stand on a 30 minute line for a $2 cupcake. The frosting is amazing but the cupcake itself is just a’ight, dog.
I really don’t know if this is your bag, but the best soul food in the world is at Sylvia’s in Harlem. Manna’s in Harlem also has great food, but the atmosphere is more casual. Not that Sylvia’s is very formal.
If price is not really a concern, take the subway to Brooklyn and eat at the River Cafe ( http://www.rivercafe.com/ ) The food is amazing, and the view from Brooklyn looking back at Manhattan is utterly breathtaking. After you eat, you can digest while strolling back across the Brooklyn Bridge.
You didn’t mention exactly what kind of show you’re looking to see, but I would completely recommend Grey Gardens, which won for both Best Actress and Best Featured Actress at this year’s Tony Awards. It MAY tour, but it won’t tour with the two women starring in it right now, Christine Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson, who are giving legendary performances. (I believe the Times critic, Ben Brantley, said about Ebersole’s performance “Watching this performance is the best argument I can think of for the survival of the American musical.”
It’s funny, but the wife also picked Curtains independantly last night. I’ll take a look at Grey Gardens and see if maybe we can do that as well. We have two nights, and three days…so we may be able to fit in two shows.
Anything else we should be sure to see/do? I’ve got the bakery down as a stop first thing in the morning. And I’m betting that we’ll be picking up some bagels before heading back down to Jersey Sunday.
Curtains is definitely a good pick if you’re looking for a big “standard” Broadway show, and David Hyde Pierce is great.
Also, if you’re into theatre, grabbing a drink at Sardi’s (44th, close to 8th) is a must. (Don’t eat there. It’s expensive and not great, but the atmosphere is beyond.)
Cool, the Waldorf! I’m envious. I’m a huge fan of going to places where a cocktail was invented. I believe that the Rob Roy was invented at the Bull & Bear in the Waldorf Astoria. Make sure you have one if you are into that sort of thing.
I saw Curtains, The Drowsy Chaperone, and The Color Purple in April. I really liked them all, but both my friend and I thought The Color Purple was the best of the three.
Yeah, “Tavern On The Green” may not be fine dining at it’s best, but… it is a very memorable experience - the opulent facility is really something.
The Loeb Boathouse restaurant is also in Central Park with a beautiful setting and wonderful food.
Of the museums, I like the Met best. Be sure to go up to “Top Of The Rock” when you visit Rockefeller Center. The only downside to the Waldorf is that it is a little bit out of the way compared to, for example, the Times Square Hilton.
You must spend a few hours walking through Central Park.
I liked Avenue Q and The Drowsy Chaperone. “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” is a cheap Off-Broadway production and is top-notch.
