New York, New York!

Hey, we're planning a weekend away to New York city, and have next to no idea what we're gonna do!
Does anyone have advice on hotels (cheaper end) and any different sightseeing ideas? We will definitely be playing the tourist and seeing the main sights, such as: 9/11 Ground Zero, the Met (#1 on my list, very excited!!), Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and Central Park.
What's the best way of getting around in NY?
Any tips on eating out?
Which airport should we fly into/out of?
How do you get tickets to shows like Letterman etc?
Thanks in advance for any advice!

I have no advice what so ever since I've never been there but always wanted to go. I always wanted to ride a horse through Central Park. I just think that would be so cool...I park that big in the middle of a metropolis. Just wanted to say have a great time!!

To get around, use the subway.

To get show tickets, go to the shows website and request tickets, they are usually free, however, they do not guarentee that you will be allowed in the day of taping, so show up early!!

You have to make it a point to get to FAO Shawartz!!!!

The 2 airports you probally want to use are JFK or Laguardia.

The museum of Natural History is one of my #1 faves!

I don't know what else to suggest.... times square.... rockefeller center (not as much fun if the rink isn't open), you should probally get tickets to a broadway show. There are a million things to do in NYC... too bad I never go there! (despite being a 1/2hr drive away) lol

Hope you have a great time!!

Originally Posted by calico2222

I always wanted to ride a horse through Central Park.

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Very cool, and VERY VERY VERY expensive!

Originally Posted by calico2222

I have no advice what so ever since I've never been there................. Just wanted to say have a great time!!

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I went to NYC back in 1977, for my boyfriend's sister's wedding. We did the tourist tour too. Unfortunately, we had his other sister (who lived in England) driving us around, and she kept driving on the wrong side of the road. Holy mister...it was a white knuckle trip! We got lost in Harlem...not cool! One of the fun things we did was eat at little 'hole in the wall' type restaurants. I had some of the best food I've ever eaten in my life in those places. Central Park is awesome. The Statue of Liberty is so impressive to see in person (but we didn't do the actual tour.) There's so much to see and do....everything is BIGGER THAN LIFE. Hope you have a great time! Take lots of pictures. That's something I didn't do, and I regret it to this day! Oh....and you have to post the pictures too!!! (so we can all enjoy it vicariously through your experience!)

Metropolitan Museum of Art is my favorite place to go in NYC...as for getting around...wear comfortable shoes and walk! (and keep your wallet in your front pocket!) Have fun!

Thanks for the advice and stories! We're still planning away, trying not to get ovewhelmed at all the possiblilities. We realize that we have to just pick a few things to do, and stick with that as we simply don't have time to do it all. Should be exciting though!

ohhh I love NYC and go there alot with my hubby. I personally love the Village...so many great places to get and neat stores to wander around in. Plus alot of really instresting people like the guy who trained his black and white kitty to sit on his head. It was really cute.

Originally Posted by sillyitiliangrl

The museum of Natural History is one of my #1 faves!

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Originally Posted by calico2222

I always wanted to ride a horse through Central Park. I just think that would be so cool...

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Great ideas. I see the horse-drawn carriages every day. If you go to the Museum of Natural History (MNH)(an enormous, mesmerizing wonderland), you can ask the info desk re: where best to board a horse carriage. I imagine they'll say Central Park West right in front of the MNH or on Museum Mile (on the other side of Central Park) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_Mile,_New_York_City or around Central Park South (59th Street).

You can take a double-decker tour bus. Board them on 8th Avenue near 47th/46th Street OR 8th Avenue near 49th/50th Street in front of the Food Emporium (supermarket). The employees wearing red vests or yellow shirts will answer your questions re: which buses go where, etc. The red vest folks and the yellow shirt folks are competitors.

There's also a sightseeing "boat with wheels" (amphibious tour vehicle) called Ducks http://www.yelp.com/biz/nyc-ducks-ne...t_by=date_desc I think it's pretty new, I'm not sure. The link says 45th Street between 5th and 6th but I always see the boat parked on 47th/Broadway area near the Olive Garden chain restaurant, so, if interested, call the number listed to be sure (fyi, the Yelp.com site is great for both visitors and residents. When I browse it, I discover stuff I've never heard about or learn about stuff I see on the streets)

Have a superb time here in NYC!

Edit: Here's a short list of double-named streets I can think of and some other stuff:

1.
"Avenue of the Americas" is the same thing as 6th Avenue

2.
8th Avenue north of 59th Street is called "Central Park West"

3.
59th Street between 5th and 8th is called "Central Park South"

4.
"Restaurant Row" is 46th Street between 8th & 9th

5.
Most subway entrances have signs that will tell you if you enter here, you can only go this way (or that way), so if you want to travel in the OPPOSITE direction, look for a different entrance, typically across the street, so be mindful BEFORE you pay/enter The signs use far fewer words of course and the signs are black with white lettering, not blue The point is, don't use the wrong entrance and end up going north when you want south for example. An error like this will waste money and waste time because sometimes reversing course winds up being a huge headache. If the station entrance has no directional warning sign (the large/major stations often don't), usually it means you can choose the direction AFTER you pay/enter.

The last time I was in NYC, I think it was 1998, we were on the 77th floor of Tower 1 of the WTC. I remember getting out of the elevator and looking down at the Hudson River, and how tiny everything was from up there.

You can take the ferry to the Statue and then over to Ellis Island. I think Ellis Island is fascinating, especially if you have any family members that came through there.

St. Patricks Cathedral is also worth seeing. And the Steuben Glass store. And Tiffany's.

If there's not much difference in price, fly into LaGuardia.

Look into the boat trip around the island - you can do a lunch or dinner "cruise" around the island, and it is GREAT! We bought that as a gift for friends visiting the city (when we weren't in the area) and the LOVED it.

If you want to do an expensive NY Dinner out, make reservations now, consider Rue 57. If you want to do an expensive steak dinner - Mark Joseph's is in nowheresville but is a FABULOUS steak place. You may also want to eat at Bobby Van's (also very expensive). It is around the corner from the NY Stock Exchange, and located down in what was a bank vault. Being it's downtown, if you want to eat there, best to time it with your visit to Ground Zero.

If you want cheap - do Chinatown! We LOVE eating lunch at the Shanghai Happy Noodle place (not sure I'd want to do Chinatown in the evening). I think it's between Mulberry and Mott Sts. one block south of Canal Street.

In NY, when looking for things, remember that 5th Avenue divides the city in half sort of down the middle - and any addresses that are "XX E. Whatever St." are East of 5th Ave, and any addresses that are west are West of 5th avenue. Avenues run North and South, Streets run East and West. If you are walking North, Street numbers are going up. If you are walking East, Avenues are getting lower (though they are sprinkled with "named" avenues - they're not all numbered). Did that make sense?

When are you traveling there?

I went to New York city almost 2 years after 9/11. Ground Zero at that time was a huge whole, we went into buildings around it that were also damaged, it overall was a surreal experience. When we went to the statue of liberty, we couldnt go up in it becuase of 9/11.... We went to Ellis Island, it was very interesting...its where all the immigrants came through. China town is pretty cool. I hope you have a great time!!! I love New York!!!

To do the "NY window shopping" thing, start at 59th Street and 5th Ave, and walk South.

But yes - the absolute best way to get around the city is walking and taking the Subway. !!!! Despite what you've heard, it's quite safe. If you're out somewhere until like 2:00am, THEN you might want to consider cabbing it back to your hotel.

Originally Posted by pushylady

How do you get tickets to shows like Letterman etc?

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http://www.yelp.com/biz/late-show-wi...t_by=date_desc

I've never been

Originally Posted by LDG

remember that 5th Avenue divides the city in half sort of down the middle - and any addresses that are "XX E. Whatever St." are East of 5th Ave, and any addresses that are west are West of 5th avenue.

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Yes! Good one! So for an address like "7 E. 41st Street", you know it's east of 5th Avenue (because of the "E.") and at the same time it's very near 5th Avenue (because of the low building number, "7", in this example) (the lower the building number, the nearer it will be to 5th Avenue)