# You're on a day trip to NYC, on foot, what do you do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 8, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483 "2019-10-08T17:29:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/41 "2019-10-09T22:23:59Z")
It hasn’t been mentioned and it is a bit pricey, no doubt, but do NOT take the Circle Line tour. Most of New York’s interesting things are on the interior, and the Staten Island Ferry and the East River ferry show you most of the good stuff for a lot less. Assuming all of you are in good shape you can probably get to places faster on foot than on the hop-on hop-off bus. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/42 "2019-10-10T03:08:54Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Speaking of lesser known museums, I have to give a plug to the [New York Transit Museum](https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/). It may not sound fun, but I thought it was actually quite interesting. It’s got exhibits on the history of the construction of the subways, vintage subway cars, an old drawbridge control panel. But it’s down in Brooklyn, so it’s probably not something the OP can fit in in the time available. There’s also a Fire Department museum. It’s tiny, but it’s a lot of fun. It’s on Spring Street, in an old firehouse. And there are pictures on the wall (sometimes – I think they rotate them occasionally) of several relatives of mine (a couple of generations back). One Chief of Department, a couple of battalion chiefs. Lots of firefighters in the family, on one side, to this day (and cops on the other side – how much more Irish-American New York can you get?). ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/43 "2019-10-10T03:41:11Z")
I was wondering if this would be moved to IMHO. When walking in Manhattan, the grid system works out to about 1 mile for 20 blocks going north-south and about 1mile for 6 blocks going east-west. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/44 "2019-10-10T15:03:33Z")
Awesome suggestions guys. Question: Does google maps work reliably in NYC? I’ve had some gps problems around a lot of tall building before. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/45 "2019-10-10T15:08:02Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > Some questions that would affect your agenda: > > -How are you getting into Manhattan? Are you taking the PATH into Penn Station or are you getting dropped off? Does the drop off have to be at Penn Station? If you are getting picked up, does it have to be at the same place as the drop off? Remember, the PATH also stops at One World Center in Lower Manhattan. > > -What day of the week would you be coming? Most museums are going to be out of your group budget, but many museums have certain periods when they are free (Friday from 4pm to closing, etc). Also, most museums are closed on Monday. > > -What time would you be arriving/leaving? Also would you be taking this trip sooner (i.e. this month) or later. Locations like Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park are much more iconic closer to the holiday season, once the skating rinks, Christmas trees, and winter markets get set up. 1. My plan is to book parking online somewhere (there’s tons of places to do this). We won’t be returning to the car until the end of the day. 2. Saturday. 3. Probably rolling in around 11 or so, have lunch somewhere. Leave time is flexible but probably around 7pm. Late this month, as the trees are turning. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/46 "2019-10-10T17:36:26Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > I was wondering if this would be moved to IMHO. > > When walking in Manhattan, the grid system works out to about 1 mile for 20 blocks going north-south and about 1mile for 6 blocks going east-west. The north-south distance is pretty much exact, while the east-west is more approximate. The numbering east-west is about a hundred numbers to the block, but it’s not exact, as it is in Salt Lake City. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/47 "2019-10-11T03:51:43Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > No, it’s not. Times Square is a giant mall. A tourist trap with the same crap you’ll see anywhere. You don’t need to come to New York to eat at Applebee’s. I once played guide for a family friend for a day trip to Manhattan. Two meals in the city, and she insisted on going to 1) The Hard Rock Cafe and 2). The frickin’ Olive Garden in Times Square. No real reason to go to Times Square during the day except to get discount Broadway tickets. After dark, you can do a walkthrough to see the neon and lights. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/48 "2019-10-11T04:25:09Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > And, there is an inexpensive ferry which stops near Wall Street which goes to Roosevelt Island, Long Island City, Astoria, and I think 34th street. Well worth it. > You can walk all around Roosevelt Island, from the light house on one end to the UN Park on the other, and get a nice view of the UN. If you get tired there is a free bus. Then take the tram back. NYC Ferry charges$2.75 for a single ride, which is equal/cheaper than the subway. There are other ferry lines that have stops near Wall Street that are NOT inexpensive, such as NY Water Taxi. The ferry is wonderful in nice weather, and not so wonderful on a drizzly, windy November day with choppy waves > [@Voyager](#): > > When I was in NY last October I walked the High Line, and was disappointed. The weather was not great (I canceled my plans to walk the Brooklyn Bridge.) To a New Yorker all that space is great, but if you live in other places maybe not so much. I like the High Line, but I will admit it is not a pleasant experience in poor weather and overly crowded in peak hours during good weather. It’s certainly nicer than walking over the same ground at street level. Rather than treat the High Line as a destination, think of it as a way to get from place to place. The south end has the Whitney and Chelsea Market, further up are the many art galleries in Chelsea. The north end used to be a kind of desert, but the brand-spanking new Hudson Yards. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/49 "2019-10-11T04:49:00Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The [Tenement Museum](https://www.tenement.org/) is really good. It is a very good museum, but the cheapest tour ticket is $27. Granted, you can go to the visitor center/gift shop gratis. Keeping strictly to the parameters set with the OP is pretty difficult, and a lot of people don’t seem to be paying much attention to them. Broadway shows? Movies in Times Square? The Guggenheim? The Central Park Zoo? The OP has $200 for a party of seven. That is about $28.50 per person for a day that will include lunch and dinner. A one-way subway ride costs $3, so a round-trip for the entire party wil cost $42, or 1/5 of their budget. There is also a group member that cannot walk much more than wandering around midtown (Penn Station to Rock Center and back). ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/50 "2019-10-11T04:52:29Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > 1. My plan is to book parking online somewhere (there’s tons of places to do this). We won’t be returning to the car until the end of the day. > 2. Saturday. > 3. Probably rolling in around 11 or so, have lunch somewhere. Leave time is flexible but probably around 7pm. Late this month, as the trees are turning. Ummm…is the parking fee coming out of your $200 budget or is it separate? Parking for the day is going to cost a good chunk of change. If you can get into the city about two hours earlier, you would probably be able to park for free in lower Manhattan on a Saturday. (All the Wall St types and city government employees won’t be around.) ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/51 "2019-10-11T06:23:05Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > I like the High Line, but I will admit it is not a pleasant experience in poor weather and overly crowded in peak hours during good weather. It’s certainly nicer than walking over the same ground at street level. Rather than treat the High Line as a destination, think of it as a way to get from place to place. The south end has the Whitney and Chelsea Market, further up are the many art galleries in Chelsea. The north end used to be a kind of desert, but the brand-spanking new Hudson Yards. Oddly enough, all the years I lived in Queens and came in often, and the four years I worked in the city over the summer, I never went to Chelsea. I was more an East Village type. Plus, if you live in the city I can see walking the streets as being a drag, but New York streets are among the most interesting in the world, and so walking them is a plus. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/52 "2019-10-12T04:18:12Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Plus, if you live in the city I can see walking the streets as being a drag, but New York streets are among the most interesting in the world, and so walking them is a plus. Thus is generally true, but large swathes of the far West Side (west of Penn Station) north of Chelsea are pretty dreary walks, especially going north-south. It seems like only chains can afford the rents on some of the the avenues, so you can basically count the number of Citibanks, Starbucks, and Duane Reades you pass by. You can also pass a bunch of construction sites, or buildings with empty storefronts, as owners are trying to sell the buildings off to developers planning the next big Hudson Yards-like project. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/53 "2019-10-12T04:34:38Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > It may be surprising, but NYC is a fantastic place for budget eating. You can easily get a very large, very tasty meal at the three restaurants I mentioned (and many more) for under $15 a person. Under $10 for Go Go Curry and NY Pizza Suprema. I don’t know about Pizza Suprema, but I can 't see the OP fitting their party of seven into the branches of Xi’an Famous Foods or GoGo Curry that I’ve been to. NYC is also the land of the $10-12 avocado toast. I think you’re way overstating the budget eating, especially in the touristy areas of Manhattan that the OP is likely to be going to. I once took a day bus trip into Manhattan (3.5 hour ride) with a friend and her parents, and her parents were agog at the meal prices at places I thought were inexpensive. They considered any entree over ten dollars as expensive/fancy and sure as heck weren’t going to eat “weird” food. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/54 "2019-10-12T05:08:27Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Start off at The Transit Museum, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge visit The South Street Seaport, check out Wall St., see the World Trade Center memorial. I rate the Transit Museum as one of the better non-major, non-art museums in the City. I mean, it’s underground in an unused subway station, so how cool is that? However, it is $10 a ticket, so $70 for the group, plus $21 to get over there via subway. That’s $91 out of $200 dollars, leaving about $15.50 per person for two meals. There might be a cheaper way to get over to Brooklyn, if the OP takes their trip before Governor’s Island closes for the season (check). The ferry from Battery Park is free on the weekend, and from Governor’s Island, one can take the other ferry to Brooklyn Bridge Park and walk to The Transit Museum or walk around the cobblestone streets of DUMBO before walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/55 "2019-10-12T06:16:07Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > Ummm…is the parking fee coming out of your $200 budget or is it separate? Parking for the day is going to cost a good chunk of change. If you can get into the city about two hours earlier, you would probably be able to park for free in lower Manhattan on a Saturday. (All the Wall St types and city government employees won’t be around.) I already booked parking for $19 for 12 hours by Madison square garden. And no, that’s not part of the budget. It’s not a hard $200 either, but I would rather not spend money on anything but food and maybe cheap transportation in the city this go around. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/56 "2019-10-12T12:23:45Z")
> [@bmoak](#): > > There might be a cheaper way to get over to Brooklyn, if the OP takes their trip before Governor’s Island closes for the season (check). The ferry from Battery Park is free on the weekend, and from Governor’s Island, one can take the other ferry to Brooklyn Bridge Park and walk to The Transit Museum or walk around the cobblestone streets of DUMBO before walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. The ferry lands in Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Heights end of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Still plenty of cobblestone streets there – it’s one of NYC’s prettier neighborhoods, and it’s designated a historic district, so it’s pretty much untouchable by developers. One could still walk to the Transit Museum, which I think is actually closer to Brooklyn Heights than to DUMBO. Or walk through Brooklyn Bridge Park to the DUMBO end, which is a nice walk in and of itself. Then up along Old Fulton Street (right past the famous Grimaldi’s Pizza, if you’re hungry, but there’s always a line there) and right onto the Brooklyn Bridge for the walk back. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/57 "2019-10-12T12:58:32Z")
Check out the Time Warner Center, Brookfield Place and Hudson Yards. Basically a tour of the various upscale mixed-use commercial developments / shopping centers. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/58 "2019-10-12T14:23:53Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > I already booked parking for $19 for 12 hours by Madison square garden. That is a really good deal for NYC. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/59 "2019-10-12T14:49:04Z")
> [@Ashtura](#): > > You’ve got six other people with you This is the problem - herding 7 people around is… troublesome. Otherwise, I did this about a year ago (but I was on my own.) I hadn’t been to NYC in over a decade so, it wasn’t like I was familiar with the place. I went to Central Park, Times Square (I’m a tourist - I’m ok doing touristy things) went to a couple of museums (MoMa & Whitney), walked around a lot (including part of the High Line), and then left. But it was just me - and I like walking and I didn’t have to negotiate with 6 other people. Also, I was lucky in that it was a sunny, warm (but not scorching hot) day. You will want to make alternative plans in case of weather. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483/60 "2019-10-12T16:28:54Z")
Head straight to Zabar’s for real bagels, not the chewy wad that calls itself a bagel in the Pacific Northwest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-on-a-day-trip-to-nyc-on-foot-what-do-you-do/841483.md?page=4)