:eek: Your taxi driver is a criminal. Sorry that happened to you, but cab fare from LGA to anywhere should never be that much.
Unless you hitched a ride with one of those shady guys who hangs out at the baggage claim. Then you deserve what you get.
A lesser-known museum that might interest you is the Forbes Gallery on 5th Ave. and 12th St. It’s small, but has an impressive collection of Faberge eggs and other things Malcolm collected (including some very elaborate toy soldier displays.) I used to work a few blocks away and would go from time to time. Oh, and it’s free.
This is not normal. I’m not saying a taxi from LaGuardia is cheap, but it shouldn’t be anything close to that unless you did something silly like go to New Jersey.
You took a marked yellow taxi from the taxi stand, right?
$90? When my mother visited someone a few years ago and took a cab, it was about $60 with tip, and she expects the driver to carry bags for her (she’s in her 70s, so they usually do), but then she tips big. The original fare was probably $40. Now, I don’t know exactly how far she went compared to how far you went, but unless you were staying somewhere up by the Cloisters, or in Brooklyn, that was so wrong. Was it really a taxi, or one of those black livery cars?
When are you going? Because time of year would impact some of my answers, and there might be particular exhibits up that I would recommend over others.
Best way to see Central Park: on a weekday.
Is it worth it to see City Island: I LOVE City Island, however, for a first trip of only a few days, it would suck up an entire day and it’s not really “New York City” so I would put that one off, unless there is something in particular about it that interests you (maritime history?) in which case let me know and I can recommend a few other historic things in the same area that you could bundle together.
History-themed things, with an emphasis on things on a budget:
Transit Museum in Brooklyn (already mentioned) is awesome and very low cost.
Green-Wood Cemetery, also in Brooklyn, is terrific and free to come in and do a self-guided tour (available online and there is an app) and they have programs that have modest fees but you generally need to get tickets for those in advance so worth it to check out if anything is going on while you are in town.
The New-York Historical Society is small and manageable ( it won’t eat up your entire day, and it’s really nicely organized). Admission cost is mid-range. The restaurant in the museum is also very nice.
NYC Historic House Trust, there are 20-ish historic houses within NYC public parks, the houses have a modest admission price. Some of them, geographically, are pretty far out there, so my strategy would be to know where you are already planning to be, and then see if there are any houses of interest in those areas. Many of them also do programming in spring/summer/fall, so it’s worth checking their calendars to see if they are doing anything you are interested in, ticket prices are low but limited in number so you need to get them in advance.
Depending on what exhibitions are up at the time of your visit, the Museum of the Moving Image is really fun if what they are showing at the moment happens to match any of your pop culture interests. It is in Queens, but a fairly direct shot via public transportation so it’s not difficult to get there.
For eating and drinking, the Campbell Apartment is definitely worth paying for a round of extremely overpriced drinks for the general ambiance at least once in your life (read up on the history of the space ahead of time). Okay, the photos they chose for the web site absolutely do not do it justice – the web site makes it look like a gathering place for absolute idiots and tools. I would go for for drinks like civilized people in the afternoon, because afterwork/evenings it is crowded and too much of a scene. NB: they are serious about proper attire. You can also plan to check out Grand Central Terminal spots before or after.
If you are going to splurge on one fine dining restaurant meal, I suggest Barbetta, which is very old, very Italian, very high service. The last time it was actually trendy was in the 1960s, and the crowd tends to be somewhat geriatric, but in a charming way. They do a LOT of their dinner business for theater-goers, and in NYC, theater dinner means rushed service because you need to get to your show. If you are going to eat and do NOT have theater tickets, let them know and they will not rush you at all. I’d recommend reservations for dinner, but lunch is usually okay for drop bys. The food prices are reasonable for what you get; the wine tends more higher cost but is excellent (the wine is so good you start ordering more and then the bill is staggering, so watch out for that).
The Forbes Gallery, mentioned above, is no longer open.
If you go to Katz’s, you can also wander a few doors down and visit Russ & Daughters, the “Louvre of Lox”.
If I went back after all these years*, it’d be for the food. I did the visitor thing with Mrs. J. long ago and took a boat out to the Statue of Liberty and went to the top of the Empire State Building, both nice enough but not something I regretted never having done when growing up in NYC.
*I’d suggest visiting my boyhood home, but I don’t think there are official tours and my old bedroom has probably not been preserved as a shrine.
yes I did and the fare was preset at the booth at LaGuardia . that included the tolls going into Manhattan.
The first time I went to Manhattan I went with no plan, got off the train at Penn Station turned left and just walked. (I had just moved to New Jersey and had a free day). It was one of the most fun days of my life. I recommend you take one day or half day and do the same. Ditch the maps, ditch the plans, pick a neighborhood and spend 5 or 6 hours just wandering. Go to the bathroom first. Public restrooms are hard to find.
Otherwise, for food: Gray’s Papaya makes a good hotdog stop (or Papaya King, I guess). Shake Shack is an amazing burger joint, but go early or there will be a line. Magnolia Bakery is famous for their cupcakes, but the real treat is the banana pudding.
I can not recommend the High Line Park more highly. It’s a beautiful place for a stroll on a sunny day. Go see a show. Skip the musicals. They are great but honestly musicals are musicals. They are about the same no matter where you see them (unless you are talking Hamilton. If you figure out how to get tickets for that, go). A straight play in a Broadway theater, or even an off Broadway one, is a treat though.
I may be miss remembering the airport. sorry for confusion
Sampiro, a few folks have mentioned places to eat. Do you have any particular interests in that area? There are lots of things to try over many price ranges.
Seconding Russ and Daughters, but it’s a claustrophobic nightmare during busy weekend hours. Their smoked fish is unparalleled, and their sandwiches with cute names are reasonably priced.
There are Shake Shacks elsewhere in the city where the wait is much shorter than at the original Madison Park location and (as far as I know) the food is identical. If you go to the American Museum of Natural History (lots of gigantic dinosaur skeletons!! and an amazing gems/minerals collection), there’s a Shake Shack 2? blocks west of there, on Columbus Avenue.
Really?? Bummer. Sorry for the misinformation and that it’s not available.
Really?? Bummer. Sorry for the misinformation and that it’s not available.
I sent some ideas, but they are probably really old, out dated, and way too general.
Sampiro, whatever you decide, would you please consider telling us about it all after the fact? What worked, what didn’t, what was worth the money & what wasn’t?
Now I’m curious what the reason is!
Probably July or August. Possibly after Labor Day if the planes and lodgings are significantly (not slightly, but “enough to stay longer”) cheaper) but more likely in late summer. (I have a niece who lives on E. 79th Street and have been invited to crash with her, but since I barely know her I’d rather rent a room and go out to dinner with her, plus I’m probably not going alone.)
Two great originals are now gone; j&r and fao schwartz. However a ferry ride is fun and fairy cheap.
Top of the Rock is pretty cool. You can probably attend a Fox News or NBC news broadcast.
The Apple store next to where fao was located is very pretty. It’s the best Apple store I’ve ever seen.
You might want to check out he Macy’s flagship store while it’s still there.
When I was there last, the WTC memorial was still under construction but it looks beautiful from what I’ve seen.
There’s a zoo in central park and the tix are <$20.
Have fun.
First thing I did was take a three-hour walk up and down 5th Avenue in Manhattan, all alone, eyes and ears open, no distractions. Try to see what it is that makes New York different from any other city. Cheap and effective.
There’s no preset fare from LaGuardia, only JFK, and from JFK its $52. (tolls additional, but the Battery tunnel toll is $8).
About the question, is City Island in the Bronx worth going to:
Yes it’s a trip to get out there to City Island. Possibly not for a first-timer’s visit to NYC, it’s certainly not the ‘typical NYC’ thing to do. The movie by that name made it look like a nice, quaint place with some charm, but movies can do that, add charm where there possibly isn’t much.
So, Scribble’s vote is meh, delphica’s vote is YES!! delphica, what do you recommend there?