Ah, that’s great to know ! And it reminds me that I’d like to add a visit to a second-hand bookstore at some point.
As for the food, my daughters are in charge of that. They have very specific diets, so I’ll let them choose.
I pitched them the idea of going to a concert at the Village Vanguard and they politely but unambiguously turned it down. I don’t think I’ll have more success with a Broadway show, but I’ll ask them.
You mentioned the MET; since Central Park is on your itinerary, how about nearby Lincoln Center, home of the “other” MET - the Metropolitan Opera House?
The Strand is great, but there are other good used bookstores down there. I toured them all 5 years ago during our visit. Not as many as when I was growing up, though.
When you do the bridges, you probably want to walk towards Manhattan so you can see the skyline. One fun way to get on the Brooklyn side is to make use of the ferries.
For the Brooklyn Bridge, pick up the ferry on 34th street and go to Dumbo. Then once you’re back on Manhattan, pick up the ferry at Wall Street and go back to Dumbo for the Manhattan bridge, or go to South Williamsburg for the Williamsburg Bridge. Also notice that the ferry for Staten Island goes all the way up to West 39th, which is convenient to your hotel.
Lots of great suggestions again, thanks !
I won’t be able to add the MET Opera House and I don’t think my daughters would care, but I’d have been interested.
Day 1
Times Square ;
Broadway ;
Tiffany Landmark - 5th Avenue.
Day 2
Fulton Center ;
National Museum of the American Indian.
Day 3
Ferries (34th Street and Dumbo)
Brooklyn Bridge ;
Manhattan Bridge ;
Williamsburg Bridge ;
Brooklyn, Williamsburg area .
Day 4
Top of the Rock ;
Grand Central Station ;
Flatiron Building ;
Union Square ;
Macy’s
Strand Book Store.
Day 5
Subway
WTC Memorial ;
Oculus ;
Statue of Liberty ;
On the way back (late afternoon) :
The Charging Bull ;
The Ghostbuster HQ ;
The Village Vanguard.
Day 6
MET ;
OR
Guggenheim.
Still undecided…
Day 7
Central Park ;
Upper East Side ;
and perhaps
Roosevelt Island Tramway.
Day 8
Ferry from West 39th
High Line ;
Staten Island.
Should I buy specific tickets for the ferries or are they included in the subway passes ?
Also, will I be able to plug in my phone charger directly or do I need an adapter ? My daughters have iphones, so I supposed they’re less likely to cause problems there.
Day 4 - while you’re in Macy’s go to TheCellar. They have old-time, wooden escalators down there (there are a couple of others in the building too but I forget where) & the ‘piano’ from Big so you can step out a tune.
I don’t think either is worth a special trip by itself but if you’re already going to be in the building they are must-sees.
The Staten Island Ferry is actually free. You don’t need a ticket at all. Not sure about the others.
Note that the NYC Ferry between Staten Island and the West Side (mentioned upthread) requires a $4.00 ticket. The free Staten Island Ferry is a separately operated route that only travels between Staten Island and Lower Manhattan.
Added.
Good to know, thanks.
Most of the ferries require tickets. There are ticket machines at the dock to buy the tickets.
Keep an eye on the weather and adjust your itinerary appropriately. Move things around so you’re doing indoor stuff on the cloudy/rainy days and the outdoor stuff when it’s clear.
I’ve been comparing the things the the Guggenheim Museum and the MET have to offer, and it seems that the former only has two dozen paintings from its permanent collection on view at the moment. Is this possible ? Infuriatingly, their website isn’t very clear. I stumbled upon this yesterday after a couple of hours of browsing and I cannot find it now.
If that’s the case, then the choice is much easier, we’ll go to the MET.
Yes, it’s quite possible that the Guggenheim will have only part of its permanent collection out. The last times I was there they had big shows for specific artists, and they do that regularly.
Looks like just these items are out:
So if your main intention is to see lots of varied great art from many eras and cultures, go to the Met and focus on a number of favorite possible galleries.
On the other hand if you want to spend an hour or 2 in an interesting landmark building, go to the Guggenheim. They have a free evening I think twice a week.
The best advice I’ve seen about visiting the Met is that it’s like a supermarket and to go with a shopping list knowing what to look for. Otherwise it’s overwhelming.
In contrast the Guggenheim is like a small specialty store with a very limited collection.
I wanted to see some Klee, Tanguy and Rothko but it looks like none will be on view.
I’ll leaning very much towards the MET now. And, sure, having been to the Louvres, the Galleria degli Uffizi and the British Museum among others, I’ll have a to-see list. A long one.
So, we’re leaving next week !
I’ve got to quick additional questions.
Yes – the power sockets are mostly NEMA 5-15 type with a few remaining NEMA 1-15, the mains electricity is at 110V 60Hz
So you would need plugs or adapters to that standard for any plug-in electronics. Virtually every drugstore or electronics store in town should be able to sell you a power brick or power strip with the proper prongs on one side and USB-A (dirt cheap) or USB-C (not so dirt cheap) socket(s) on the other if you need more or a replacement (most electronics today use USB power ports so they are fine as long as plugged into one). However be aware that depending on when and how your hotel room was last refurbished, the wall sockets may be few and in awkward locations. Conversely in many lodgings that have been recently upgraded, the wall receptacles or desktop units have built-in USB-A ports for powering.
Oh you’re in for some hot weather! It’s been so hot and humid here the past few weeks, still looks to be in the 90s next week too.
Waiters in sit-down table service restaurants, cab rides, 20% is standard. If you go to a bar $1 per drink. I don’t use daily maid service when I am in hotels so I just leave $40 on the table at the end of my stay.
If you run a tab at a bar they will often hold on to your credit card until you pay. 20% on the full tab.
OK, I’ll look for built-in USB-A ports in the room, and, if don’t find any, buy an adapter or two.
That’s clear.
I’m not planning on running a tab anywhere during my stay but to use cash mainly for food and drinks.
Oh, and what about medecines ? I’m thinking of taking some basic stuff (painkillers, disinfectant, throat lozenges, etc.). Would that be a problem at customs ?
Drinks and food aren’t cheap in NYC. You’ll have to carry a lot of cash for that. I usually don’t carry a lot of cash.
I’ve never been a foreign visitor coming through US customs but as an American coming back through customs or traveling within the U.S. there is no problem with medicine as long as it’s in the original package or prescription bottle. Having a bunch of pills in a plain plastic bag might cause an issue.
If you are talking about over the counter medications , I’d probably buy some in NY if you need them. Just because there might be an issue if you bring something that is OTC at home but prescription-only or unapproved in the US. You’re going to be in NYC, and there will be loads of drugstores, so you won’t get stuck paying hotel prices.
It is illegal in NYC itself for an establishment to just not accept cash - but they can get around it by having a “reverse ATM” , so carrying a lot of cash and no card might result in needing to convert some on the spot.