Imagine that you are going to have (approximately) six hours in NYC. What would you want to do or see so that when you went back to your home on the prairie you could tell people that you had seen NYC?
I’d go to an illegal rave at an abandoned warehouse in DUMBO and run naked through the streets, high on ecstacy. Then I’d knock over a liquor store and use the proceeds to bribe the Russian mafia hitman who’s out to whack me for stiffing the guy who sold me the ecstacy. I would then break into a costume shop, don a clown suit (complete with rainbow wig) and take the F train to Coney Island. There, I would hump random strangers while honking my red clown nose and beg for tips. I’d use the tip money to ride the Cyclone and get a hot dog at Nathan’s, then fake a heart attack and convince the ambulance driver to take me to the airport.
It’s true, that New York isn’t what it used to be.
Oddly enough, I did almost exactly 6 hours or so in NYC when I was just out of High School. For long boring reasons I have already told a jillion times myself and two friends backed up the crappy little Nissan and made the drive from podunk Indiana to NYC to see Late Night w/David Letterman because we had VIP tickets. We stayed in a Super 8 in Nyack, NJ, took the shuttle bus to the city, took a cab to Central Park (friend 1 wanted to take a picture of the Lennon memorial and leave an arty farty piece for Yoko to “find” (really), we then had the cab take us to Rockefeller Center, where we wandered around the block long enough to see Gene Shalit walking down the street (just out in the open!!!) and duck into a Tower Records, where they were selling an actual Pet Shop Boys CD - unheard of in our pathetic Musicland. We then went to see the show, decided to have a big-ol’ FANCY dinner at a snooty place in the same area, where on the plus side we sat right next to AL ROCHER!!! But on the down side, the waiter never came back with our change. True, it was approx what we were going to tip him, but that’s not the point!!! (He asked us if we wanted cocktails too - which left us AGHAST because we were all like 19 at the time, lol.) So then we went back to the building the show was in to see if we could catch Dave leaving the building and slobber on him, but luckily he was already gone. We tried in vain to remember where to catch the bus back, and couldn’t, so we decided to wait for a cab, and found approx 12,000 other people waiting for cabs, so we went BACK into the building and called a hired car service and they sent a limo, but didn’t tell us it was going to be an actual limo-type deal and the driver (and us) stared at each other for like 15 minutes until we finally asked if he was from the hired car service, lol. RUBES! Anyways, he acted like driving way the hell back to Nyack was no big deal, and when I’d said something dorky like “I can’t wait to listen to my PSB CD!” he said “let’s listen to it now!” and put it in. We talked with him the whole way about his job and stuff he liked etc and ended up giving him pretty much whatever we had left as a tip (not that it was very much) and then trying to stay up to watch the show on TV before falling asleep.
I guess my point is, even if you don’t do a whole lot of the “typical” things when you go, you can still get a buttload of memories out of it. This was like (ugh!) 15 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. As far as I know I’m the first person to actually go to NYC (and there’s only been one person since) and even the smallest detail is not wasted on other “prairie folk” heh.
Obviously I’m the first person IN MY FAMILY to go to NYC, and I “packed” up the car. I did not drive it in reverse all the way there. (Though we might have made as good time, since it was a blizzard.)
I think backing up to NYC would be awfully exciting, especially if you’re going in through one of the tunnels. 
Eureka,
If you’ve never done it, be sure to take the ferry ride to visit the Statue of Liberty, the best deal in town and a must-see in my book. When I did the rush tour a few years back, I did a lot of walking and saw Ground Zero (9-11), Grand Central Station, NBC Studios, and had lunch at Time Square. 6 hours is kind of rushed, but the subway gets you around pretty quickly.
See the Statue of Liberty, but don’t get off the ferry (you can see it just as well from the ferry as you can from the island, IMO). Instead continue on the ferry over to Ellis Island. That is an awesome place. They had to kick us out…we ended up on the last ferry back to Manhattan.
We also enjoyed NBC Studios (buy tickets in advance if you don’t have time to waste), Central Park, walking around Times Square in the rain, and navigating the subway system. We had more than 6 hours, though.
Things I wish I’d been able to squeeze in: go to some of those big camera shops that advertise in the back of Popular Photography, a Broadway show, a Conan O’Brien taping (though we had a kid under 16 with us, so that would have been difficult).
B&H Photo (34th and 9th, IIRC) is a must-see tourist attraction. It’s like an amusement park for nerds.
So how much did that guy eat back then?
It is funny the assumptions people make. Ok, if someone else had written the OP, I would assume they were planning to be in NYC for 6 hours sometime soon, too, but it is still kind of funny.
As it happens, I’ve been to Ellis Island twice. And to the Statue of Liberty, when one could still climb to the crown. And I’ve seen 4 musicals on Broadway.
But my Aunt Dorothy from Kansas is coming to visit me and she’s never been to NYC. She’s excited and seems to have gotten the idea that I’m some kind of expert on NYC. In fact, she’s so excited that it is scaring me a little.
In the interest of saving money and keeping my life simple, we’re going to make it a day trip, drive to the train station, take the train in, explore NYC for a while,eat something, and take the train home before bedtime. Six hours is an estimate- we may be able to stretch it to eight or nine.
So I thought I’d ask, what to you says NYC like nothing else would?
The answers have been interesting, keep them coming.
Somehow neither a RAVE or an amusement park for nerds quite strike me as what I’m looking for.
Ah, see, if I had known to put the suggestion to my husband that way, he’d have been more enthusiastic, and maybe we could have squeezed it in. Next time, definitely!
For a free trip and a great view board the Staten Island ferry right near Battery Park.
For terrifc food, eat at the 2nd Avenue Deli or the Four Seasons if you can get reservations.
For a great museum experience catch the Guggenheim or the Planetarium at night when the new wing glows.
For discount shopping visit the area right behind the Alexander’s Mall on 34th Street. There’s an alleyway filled with several cool bargain places. If you like books visit the public library on 40th and 5th. They have a fabulous bookstore in the back every day between 11 and 3 p.m.
You could also just walk. Seventh Avenue between 40th and 59th has lots of great upscale window displays. If you get tired stop off at the Musuem of Modern Art on 53rd. I caught a really neat Pollack show there a few years ago.
Have fun!