I'm going to New York this weekend!

[riderinthestorm]

(and no! I'm not eating at Olive Garden)....

I need help planning this trip from anyone who can give me some advice. Here's my itinerary...

On Friday, I'm driving from Illinois to New Jersey to drop off a horse in Randolph. The owner will put us up at a nearby hotel since we'll be getting arriving on Friday night. We can leave the rig at the barn so we're planning on hopping a train and going sightseeing on Saturday and Sunday.

My tentative plan is to see some things in NY City on Saturday and stay... where? Any suggestions? Especially in light of Sunday which I'm definitely spending at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty (we're all history and genealogy buffs). I think (according to what I've discovered so far), we can take the ferry from the NY side to Ellis Island, and then take another ferry to the NJ side. Is this really feasible? And is there a train we can get back to Randolph on Sunday night since we're pulling out on Monday am?

I'd appreciate any ideas for what to see on Saturday. I'm thinking Times Square and Central Park? Or Broadway (my 14 year old is a huge theatre fan)? We're farmers so the cold, snow and weather doesn't bother us at all. We're prepared to walk, outside if necessary all day.

Here's the kicker:

The owner of this horse got just hired by Goldman Sachs so they are paying the moving bill. While this means we can stay at a kick ass hotel with the money they're paying to move the pony, we're just not "fancy" honestly. I'd rather take that money and go EAT somewhere kick ass, or see something cool rather than plunk it down to stay somewhere fancy. So convenience and cleanliness are the most important rather than a "name" - including hostels if that's the best option to maximize our time and travelling.

I'm open to all suggestions!

Thanks in advance!

[elleng]

1. Can't think too much about itinerary now, but to cover what you said for Sat.,

stay around Times Square (Milford Plaza, 44d St? family choose recently) gets you Times Square, includes theater district, and walk up Broadway or 5th or 6th aves. to Central Park. ZILLIONS of restaurants, certainly within your budget.

You can take subway downtown from Times Square for your Sunday explorations.

Have a GREAT time!!!

[darkstar3]

2. I was in NY for a whirlwind trip, but I'll offer what advice I can.

1. There are some good hotels in the financial district (South Manhattan). As tempting as it might be to stay at one of them since it would be so easy to get to Ellis and Liberty Islands, the financial district pretty much shuts down around 9pm.
2. The ferry to Liberty Island has a LONG line, and the tickets to the statue disappear EARLY. If you're planning on spending your Sunday at Liberty and Ellis, I suggest you go to Liberty first.
3. If you like Middle-Eastern or Asian cuisine, try it on Manhattan island. For example, I found a little hole-in-the-wall Thai place that was so good I almost made it TWO of my three self-paid meals in NY.
4. If you can get away with it, walk at least part of Manhattan Island.
5. Times Square at night is awesome. The TV doesn't do it justice.

I didn't get to see Central Park, so I can't give you an opinion on that one, but Union Square Park and Madison Square Park were both pretty cool.

[nolabear]

3. If you're not nervous about Expedia, you can get a great hotel rate.

Tell them you want at least three stars, and in Manhattan, and how much you're willing to pay, and roll the dice. We ended up in The Roosevelt for a really good price.

I would advocate for staying in Manhattan near Times Square. It's a good base of operations, is near the shows and MoMA (art you've only dreamed of seeing) and you can get to Greenwich Village and Little Italy and Central Park for reasonable cab fare. And if you get by the Waldorf Astoria stop in and say hello. I'm at a conference there this weekend!

Have a ball. It's a helluva town.

[hay rick]

4. New Jersey Transit.

Google NJT- they have on-line schedules. The nearest train station to Randolph is likely Morristown or Morris Plains. You will end up at New York Penn Station.

If you walk up to Times Square you might want to zig zag to see all the little shops and street vendors.

If you haven't been to the city before, my short list of sights to see would include the museums- the Metropolitan, Natural History, or MOMA. Wall Street and "ground zero" is interesting to see- South Street Seaport is nearby, and Chinatown is reasonably close.

Taxis are fairly reasonable- so you can jump around Manhattan as suits your interests. A subway trip will give you a whole different feel for the city and its residents. The locals can tell you where the nearest station is and which line to take.

Good luck and have a great time.

[WinkyDink]

5. Stay in the Marriott on Times Square. See one show if you're dying to. MORE:

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/travel/nycmq-new-york-marriott-marquis/

DO NOT EAT IN TIMES SQUARE!* Check here:
http://nymag.com/restaurants/
*Unless you love calamari, for which I MUST praise John's Pizzeria on 44th off 8th Ave!!

Also, for timely events, CHECK HERE:
http://newyork.timeout.com/

What is ONE---ONE--thing you are interested in? A work of art, so that you might want to see the Picassos and Monets in MOMA on 53rd off Fifth (also right at Rock Center, Saks, Trump Tower, St. Patrick's, Central Park), and shopping?
http://www.nyctourist.com/shopping_fifthave.htm

Or the ancient Egyptian and everything else in the Metropolitan Museum on Central Park East, with a following walk down Madison Avenue and all of the fancy-schmantzy stores?
http://www.nyctourist.com/shopping_madisonave.htm

A ramble through Soho, Chinatown, and Little Italy, with some small art galleries, boutiques, and a Dean and Deluca's thrown in?
http://www.nyctourist.com/chinatown1.htm
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/New_York_State/New_York_City-841252/Things_To_Do-New_York_City-Little_Italy-BR-1.html

Way down to see Trinity Church, the 9/11 site (not museum, which is further west) at St. Paul's Chapel, Wall Street, and the mall-like South Street Seaport?

Music? Check out BB King's on 42nd between 8th and 7th.
http://www.bbkingblues.com/schedule/index.shtml

57th St W has Carnegie Hall, the Russian Tearoom, great small stores, and is near Columbus Circle/Central Park W.

Please DO NOT DO A "TUSSAUD'S WAX MUSEUM" OR NBA STORE!

DO THE ONE THING YOU'LL REGRET NOT DOING!


(I've been, a lot; 3 times over this Christmas, e.g. Many times for B'way last two years.)

[riderinthestorm]

6. I'm back!! What a trip! Thanks for all the recommendations...

Had an uneventful trip from IL to Randolph NJ where we dropped the horse and rig. It was a clear shot driving 14 hours so we managed to get in by 8 pm. We hustled and caught the late train to Penn Station and stayed at the Bryant Park Hotel near Times Square, 4 stars (thanks for the Expedia tip - $189/night and it was absolutely perfect).

Slept in on Saturday and got on the road sightseeing by 9:30 am. Picked up a bagel, cream cheese and coffee at the first deli and started walking. Empire State building (no wait in January), Ground Zero (disappointing - while the view from the Financial building was fine, it just had lost it's impact perhaps?), Soho (my 14 year old could have spent all day there shopping but ended up only buying a most excellent pair of hand knit mittens and a charming knit hat), Little Italy (dinner there), a chocolate shop/restaurant named Max Brenner's (my daughter's choice for lunch), the Union Square Green Market (of course), and many, many art galleries.

We stayed away from the museums because we would have spent all day in just one. In Chicago we have the Art Institute, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Field, and so many others, we decided that this trip was dedicated to getting the feel of NY City. When we go to Chicago, there's times we spend a whole day just at the Oriental Institute for example... we're hopeless in museums so when you only have a limited amount of time, you've got to prioritize.

My daughter and husband went shopping in Times Square at 10 pm Sat night! That area never sleeps eh? I was already back in the hotel with my feet up. We walked ALL the way to Battery Park on Saturday from 33rd St and only took the subway back to the hotel at 10 that night. I was whooped but obviously the rest of my family needed to do some more shopping.

Sunday was spent at Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We were there from 9 am until 5 pm. Loved, loved it. Lady Liberty is so damn impressive in person. Honestly, the Statue of Liberty was my favorite thing and I'm a cynical old bitch. I was moved. When we got off the ferry we walked to Chinatown and went to Joe's Shanghai, a Zagat rated Chinese restaurant (again, it's January so we only had a 20 minute wait!) and then back for drinks at the hotel later that night.

The train back to Morristown NJ was fast on Monday am. Our (now former) client picked us up and brought us back to the barn for the rig and we were on our way back to Illinois by 9:30 am. Hit hard rain in Gary Indiana, snow in Oakbrook, but by then we were only 30 min from home and we just took it easy to the end. All in all, a most successful gamble weather-wise in January for a major road trip.

So really excellent food, really excellent weather, a great hotel and an amazing city... what a great weekend. Thanks to everyone who provided help with suggestions. DUers are the best!!

[elleng]

7. Happy to hear you had such a good time!

You sure 'covered the waterfront,' eh???
:hi:

[GoneOffShore]

10. Sorry my reply was a little late.

Thought you were going this coming weekend.

Maybe next time.

[Drum]

11. I only saw all of this after the fact, so...

...any advice of mine would be moot, and folks upthread had lots of winners anyway. All in all, sounds like you had a very very good (and diverse) visit!

I've lived here in NYC since 1989, and we do love visitors, honestly! I'm particularly attentive to gentle advice when family or friends---who have never/seldom---come to the city. Your trip sounds wonderful, and that gives me a vicarious smile.

Cheers!
Tom

ps...the horse-delivery thing sounds neat (and I hope congrat$ are in order.) Just 'cause I'm curious, would you consider posting a pic of the horse here? Crazy & a propos of nothing, I know. I have a friend who does courier/delivery trips with sailboats/yachts, so the whole thing just intrigues me.
Again, v glad you had a great visit to our City~

[riderinthestorm]

13. We had more than a few people stop and ask if we needed help as we perused our map of the city

Everyone was extremely friendly, very helpful.

I don't have the pic of this exact horse although you can google Halflingers and see an image. He's extremely typey with a mind like a mule, named Axel. We don't own him. The owner is a 14 year old girl whose dad got hired by Goldman Sachs. Goldman paid for the move so basically they paid for our sightseeing adventure. We definitely overcharged! }( We used our two horse trailer with a large dressing room (we also have a gooseneck 4 horse). We took out the divider so the pony had a "box stall", and loaded the girl's tack trunk, saddles and bridles into the dressing room. We also took 10 days worth of feed and 3 hay bales so he can transition to the new feed gradually.

FWIW, we don't usually do this kind of commercial hauling except to get to South Carolina or FL for the winter show season but the money was excellent and we wanted to see the city so it was a win/win. We'll do it if we've sold the horse for the new owner but again, since I'm not thrilled with long distance driving we usually charge A LOT to either deter them from using us, or to make it worth our while.

[GoneOffShore]

8. Places to eat, places to see

Eat at:
Union Square Cafe - Danny Meyer's restaurant - http://www.unionsquarecafe.com/ - If you can't get a reservation - eat at the bar.

Or Blue Smoke - http://www.bluesmoke.com/blue/ - another Danny Meyer restaurant.

Or Benoit - http://www.benoitny.com/ if you want really good fries - It's an Alain Ducasse place and the food is excellent - don't sit in the dining room, get a bar table. Really amazingly good food.

If you can find him, because he moves around a lot, look for the Wafels and Dinges (Waffles and things) truck - http://www.wafelsanddinges.com/location.html - Great street food - Get the Liege waffle with bananas and speculoos(kind of a ginger snap topping) or the waffle with bacon cooked inside it.

Go to see:

Anything at MOMA - http://www.moma.org/ - They're doing a series on Weimar cinema right now.

Or the Neue - http://www.neuegalerie.org/ - Interesting art - and Cafe Sabarsky for lunch - Austrian beer, wine, pastries and interesting sandwiches.
It's right up the road from the Met.

[Lisa0825]

9. I went to NYC in November and stayed at the Times Square Hilton

and it was great! We went to see American Idiot on Broadway, and the theater is just a couple blocks from the hotel. Until February, Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, is playing the role of St Jimmy. The show ROCKED! We also hit Sardi's for pre-show drinks, and then Blue Water Grill for dinner. It was a great quick visit!

[HEyHEY]

12. I don't know, going that far and not hitting the OG seems silly

[MrScorpio]

14. Don't let the bedbugs bite!

[DeadEyeDyck]

15. burrrrrrrr n/t