I’m going to be in New York for several days near the end of February and the beginning of March, so I’m trying to figure out what to do while I’m there (other than sleep in someone else’s bed Goldilocks style and feed their cats while I’m at it). One of the best things about being a freelancer is that I can work from anywhere with a wi-fi connection, and I don’t need permission to take off, so I try to take advantage of that as much as possible. I got a round-trip flight from Raleigh-Durham to New York at only $130, all fees included. Combine that with a free place to stay and this might be my cheapest vacation ever. I’ll have to do work while I’m there to meet several deadlines, but I plan to make the most of my leisure time.
I like to plan, plan, plan, so I want to accumulate a list of ideas for how to spend my time. Give me some suggestions! I’ve been to New York a few times before. The first time was on a high-school band trip in which we hit the big tourist attractions like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. I went again with my mom after college as a graduation present. That time we saw a Broadway show and spotted a real celebrity, Tom Cavanagh. The last two times I went was in 2008 when I was doing book promotions, so I got to stay in a hotel for free and was driven to the airport in a shiny black car, but I was only in town for a day each time. I managed to see Chinatown, the banking district, Times Square, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ground Zero under construction, and a lot more of Central Park than I intended to when I got lost. I also ate at Jamba Juice and Tasti D-Lite.
So, what else should I see? I’ll probably try to make it to a Broadway show, and I’d like to see the Ground Zero memorial. Other than that, I haven’t done any research because I thought I’d let you do the research for me. Delegating! It’s awesome! Where should I go? What should I eat? Where is the best place to find free wi-fi? Thanks!
flights are cheap but if you’re staying in a hotel, that can get exorbitant. hope you can find a good price on that.
you’ll get tons of other suggestions but the new one i checked out that i really liked was the high line park walk that you hop onto after you’ve walked around chelsea and chelsea market (lots and fun food stalls). it’s a few storeys high and you can walk uninhibited by traffic back to midtown with great views of the water on the left and the city on the right.
I AM TOO! what days?? because OBVS we have to go stalk tickets to see The Book of Mormon and go to my brother’s restaurant. Also you can come with me to the American Museum of Natural History if you don’t mind me freaking out a lot about how much I love it.
I’m SO jealous! I can find cheap flights but hotel just kills me. If I could get some kind of hotel hookup, that’d be nice!
You’ve already done all the things I’d suggest! I’ve only been twice and can’t wait to go back.
I liked the view from the Top of the Rock and the NBC Studios tour, but I love history. I’ve heard the Ground Zero site is a must. I’m not much for Broadway shows, so I’ve never seen one there.
I HAVE to eat at Southern Hospitality, Hell’s Kitchen when I go. The Mac n cheese and the chicken BBQ nachos are out of this world. As is the pecan pie.
It sounds hokey and boring, but I love the bus tours. The uptown treasures is my most favorite. If you’re in town on a Sunday, take the Harlem tour and eat at Amy Ruth’s. Get there before church lets out! Then catch the tour going back to times square and finish up the Uptown tour. Great way to see sights on your ass.
Have so much fun, double time for me!
Check out the Union Square Farmers Market for awesome foods 🙂
Also, seek out a Robicelli’s cupcake for the best cupcake in the world 🙂
If you want to go to Ground Zero you need to reserve a spot in advance on the Web site. Agree that the High Line is cool. While at High Line check out Chelsea Market for food. I love just wandering through SoHo and Greenwich Village. Maybe start at Washington Square Park? Central Park, especially the Bethesda Fountain, is gorgeous. Maybe try the Frick museum and/or the Museum of Natural History — the planetarium show is wonderful. City Bakery (on W. 18th) has amazing baked goods (Whole Wheat Croissant!) and a good (though expensive) lunch buffet. So much to do! If I can help more, drop me a line. (I lived there 8 years.)
I recently visited NYC and really enjoyed the following:
– Green-Wood Cemetery trolley tour (also a good chance to see a little of Brooklynn)
– Walking across the Brooklynn Bridge (Brooklyn => Manhattan)
– MoMA
– NY public library (main branch, with the lions, has tours and exhibitions)
– Ess-A-Bagel
– Standing in the gold vault of the NY Federal Reserve (you have to book this in advance)
– Chelsea Market and the High Line
Hey Jennette! I saw your tweet and just had to reply, because I love NYC. Not sure of your budget, but I’ve stayed at the Wellington Hotel a couple of times (http://www.wellingtonhotel.com/?mcid=gc53k3) – not super fancy, but clean, friendly, great location and reasonably priced. I’ve only been there a few times but here are some of my favorites:
1. Have lunch at La Bonne Soupe (http://www.labonnesoupe.com/) – it’s super yummy and not terribly expensive.
2. MoMA
3. Brunch at Sarabeth’s (http://www.sarabethseast.com/index.html)
4. Walk around – West Village, Battery Park, Central Park, 5th Avenue, Times Sqare – just take a stroll in any direction.
6. Take in a Broadway show
7. Try to get in some of the touristy-cliche things: Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Chinatown, etc. – while definite tourist attractions, they are all worth seeing!
Have a great time!
You’re going to have so much fun!!! I agree with everyone’s suggestions so far.
I have so many favorites in NYC, it’s hard to choose which ones to suggest. But here goes.
1. The Cloisters. Located in the far north of Manhattan, this arm of the Metropolitan Museum is a gem of renaissance art.
2. The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Upper west side, Amsterdam Avenue. Not sure of the cross street; around 115? Recently restored after a devastating fire.
3. Too bad it’s winter, otherwise I’d suggest a trip to the New York Botanical Garden in Brooklyn.
4. Sitting on the red steps in Times Square.
5. Bryant Park (behind the Public Library, 42nd & 6th) has free wifi.
6. Hot Chocolate from Max Brenner on Broadway just below Union Square.
7. The Strand bookstore. Be prepared to lose several hours there.
8. Tip Top Shoes, 77th just off Broadway. Best shoe store anywhere.
9. The Town Shop, Broadway & 82nd. Best place to be fitted for a bra.
10. The Night Bus. This is one of those open-top tour buses, but it’s during the evening, and you get a wonderful view of the skyline at night.
Hope these help. Have a great time!
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and sit on a bench on the esplanade in Brooklyn Heights to soak up the view of the harbor and the Manhattan skyline. It’s amazing!!!
The bridge itself is pretty cool, too.
If the weather is at all friendly, I recommend a bike tour. I took the lower Manhattan/Brooklyn tour(but there are others), and I felt like you actually see so much more than on the bus tours but more than you could see on foot. We rode across the Manhattan bridge and then back on the Brooklyn bridge, with lots of time for pictures.
The bikes are comfortable, and the pace is touristy. They also rent bikes out by the hour if you want to take yourself on a tour.
Also, you could try to get into the audience for the Daily Show or Letterman, but they might be dark that week because sweeps will be over. For Letterman, be flexible because they tend to call just a couple of days in advance (I had to decline because I already had D.S. tix for the same time!)
And Pinkberry. Yum.
Not sure where to get free WiFi, but here are some suggestions for your visit:
*Take a walk around Chinatown: there are some fascinating shops and restaurants.
*South Street Seaport also has funky shops and cool street entertainment. From there, you can take a short walk to the Brooklyn Bridge and then walk across it. It’s also near the WTC memorial.
*If you can get out of Manhattan, visit the Queens Science Museum, Prospect Park in Brooklyn or the Bronx Zoo.
* Take a ride on the Staten Island ferry. It’s free — and you get a great view of the skyline.
* For eating, head to the now-trendy Hell’s Kitchen (on 9th Avenue, between 35th to about 55th Streets. There are many interesting, not-too-expensive restaurants there. My favorites are the Indonesian place called Bali Nusa (on 45th and 9th) and the Eastern European place called Balkanika (it’s also around 45th and 9th). You can also check out Little Korea (between 5th and 6th and 32nd) for some unique food and karaoke; if you like Indian, we love a place called Vatan (on 29th and 3rd) that serves all-you-can eat vegetarian Indian food.
*For museums, check out the Frick, the Witney, MoMa, P.S. 1 Moma (in Long Island city). The last is in what used to be a school. It’s really cool-looking inside and they have bizarre exhibits.
*Washington Square — there are some of the city’s oldest buildings in this area and the square is supposedly haunted.
*Grand Central Station — you can actually take a tour!
This is getting to be a long list, but if I think of more, I’ll add.
I’m originally from Long Island, NY. (live in NC now) I would recommend everything that the previous posters said, with the addition of my favorite theatre district restaurant: Becco-
http://becco-nyc.com , it is owned by Lidia Bastianich & her son, Joe. They are famous for their three daily pastas for $22.95 dinner, $17.95 lunch and it’s unlimited! They also have a wine list where every bottle is $25!! Unheard of in Manhattan!
I also just like to walk around midtown 5th ave, stop in St Patrick’s to warm up and take in its beauty!
Enjoy your trip and remember to dress warm.
PS- You can always jump on the Staten Island ferry and take a little ride!
Since everyone is suggesting a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, I have to chime in with my favorite restaurant in Brooklyn Heights, Teresa’s. http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/teresas01/
The only time I was there I spent a lot of time in Brooklyn Heights, which was very friendly and walkable. Lots of cute little shops.
Just get a subway pass and explore. You’ll have a great time.
My daughter lives in NYC and I wish I could afford to visit her more often (there’s this little detail of having a job, too). I like the suggestions already posted. In addition, I love the Strand bookstore–it’s amazing and huge. It’s a great place to duck into if the weather turns bad as it seems to at least once every time I visit. I can spend hours in the Strand. 828 Broadway, (cross street is E. 12th). If the weather is decent, we visited the East River park last time and really liked it.
Have a great time! I’m jealous!
Get tickets now for the ground zero memorial.
Rocco’s in Greenwich Village has the best cheesecake I have ever had in my life. Right across the street is John’s Pizzeria–also delicious and a cool atmosphere.
A few tips from a recent visitor to NYC. First, you do have to get a time for the 9/11 memorial on line, but don’t be strict about it. We went at 12:30 for a 1 pm time and no one checks your time. It was relatively empty and peaceful. As we left at 1, the crowd was thick. Second, the pancakes at Clinton St Bakery are the best in the world. There was a 2 hr wait when we went, but 15 min for carry out and there’s a park with tables down the block! Score!
If you’re looking for a good show to take it, I just saw Priscilla Queen of the Desert this past weekend and it was great. Even the two straight men who were with us thought it was good.
Make sure you get some Pinkberry too. Awesome frozen yogurt.
Seconding the tour of 30 Rock, which was awesome and fun and gives you some pretty high celebrity-spotting chances. We really loved seeing the SNL stage, the views from the top of the rock were amazing and I suspect much less crowded than over at the empire.
I live in New Zealand and whenever I go to NYC, I make a point of going to one of the makeup counters and getting an update lesson from the makeup artists there. Because NYC makeup artists are some of the best in the world. I’m usually stocking up on makeup, so the lesson or makeover is “complimentary.”
To do this, it’s best to go on a Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday in the morning, when the counters are least busy.
Henri Bendel is warm and friendly. On my last NYC visit I had a great experience at Henri Bendel with both the Paula Dorf counter (Paula herself may be there) and the MAC counter.
If you do go to Henri Bendel’s it’s worth poking your nose into Bergdorf Goodman right up the street. This five-story luxury emporium is best treated as a museum of clothing. I was wearing jeans and an L.L. Bean jacket at the time (it was cold early March) and they knew I wasn’t buying anything, but I just calmly reviewed everything, like a princess.
And, yeah, that cheesecake at Rocco’s. MMmmm.
I got nothing for you but I am keeping this post as I am going to NY for the first time next summer and like you, love to plan, plan, plan. These are some great ideas. Hope you have a good time and let us know what you end up doing!
Jennette, Did you know there is a Jamba Juice on the campus of UNC?
some more thoughts. We used Chowhound Matthattan and mapped the recommends on our Iphones to great success. One touristy find so worth it is Becco, lidia B’s pasta place. Awesome. Also the best was MiaFrancesco. I am WW weigh in only and ate pasta and bread 4 times in a week and didn’t gain one ounce. Walking is the cure!!!! I was willing to gain because every taste was delish. so happy to find I walked it off.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Tiffany’s. Both iconic and touristy, but what the heck, you are a tourist.
If you walk the Brooklyn Bridge – which is fun and free – go to Grimaldi’s pizza under the bridge on Front Street. The best pizza ever.
And I loved the Golden Unicorn for dim sum. The dim sum is terrific but I love the name too.
And for a different museum experience, try the Tenement Museum on Orchard Street. You have to book your tours ahead through their website but it is a very interesting place. I’m a museum person so I know!!! Have fun.
The Cloisters! It’s the one place I go back to everytime I am in NYC. (Which is only about once every ten years. Last time I was there was for Cristo’s The Gates.)
SO cheesy but every time I go I always visit the Central Park Zoo. It’s a tradition for me. 🙂
Last time I went to New York, one of my favorite things was a walking tour of one of the neighborhoods – there are a number of tours offered: http://www.bigonion.com/
I believe we did the historic lower Manhattan…
the gelato at eataly is out of this world, and a park across the street. One thing I would never do is to go to the box office the day of a show and see if they have tickets for that night’s show. I had an extra ticket for every show we went to (one kid stayed home). I sold all for face value through the box office. So try that. Especially for book of mormon which is totally booked and concierge ticks are $$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
If you like romantic comedies there are a few fun places to eat that are movie-related. There is Serendipity III that was featured in the movie Serendipity (don’t forget to order the frozen hot chocolate—best drink ever!). And over by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan is the restaurant from You’ve Got Mail (where he peeks in and sees her waiting with the flower in her book). It does an amazing breakfast (the first time I was ever served salad with breakfast and it was delicious!).
My final eating suggestion isn’t from a movie (as far as I know) but it is well worth the stop. It is a no-name hamburger joint tucked behind a curtain off the lobby of the Le Meridien Hotel. Seriously, well worth the search. It only sells burgers, fries and frappes, but you’d better know exactly what you want when you step up to order or they’ll send you to the back of the line. Unbelieveable burgers and very tasty fries. Expensive for a burger, but still worth the search. REALLY! You won’t regret it. They are always mobbed and there is no sign and they don’t advertise. They don’t have to… it is that good!
Other than eating and museums and WICKED, of course, I would recommend getting lost in Central Park. It is an amazing, amazing find in the middle of the city. I went to NYC for five days for a conference and I spent most of my off time in Central Park. There are some formal gardens up near the Harlem section (North?) that are worth some time… and then along the West side in amongst the forested sections are some cool brooks and bridges and stuff. The little water falls actually drown out the sound of the city… the only place I didn’t hear traffic the entire time I was NYC both times I went there. Otherwise, it is a noisy city 24/7!
Have fun!
The Tenement Museum near Chinatown is incredible. They have an actual tenement building where each floor is painstakingly recreated to reflect a particular era in New York history. You buy a ticket for each floor, so you can do one or multiples. It’s fascinating and you learn a lot about immigration history while you’re at it.
The Canyon of Heroes is in lower Manhattan. It’s about a mile-long stretch of Broadway where the famous ticker tape parades are held. There’s a placard in the sidewalk for every ticker tape parade there has ever been, showing the date and who the parade honored. There are some weird ones, some wacky ones, some cool ones, and some where you think, who the heck was that and why did they get a parade?
As you walk up from the southern end of the Canyon of Heroes (basically starting at Bowling Green Park) you’ll also pass Wall Street and the church from National Treasure, which has gravestones in its cemetery going back to the 1600s. This is the area that was first settled by Europeans in NY and the history is really cool.
On the food front, check out Goodburger. It’s a chain and the burgers are well beyond good.
You better tell us what tip you used and your successes,
Wish I was going to NYC, the city so nice they named it twice! ENJOY!!
At the New York public library at 42nd street you can hit the perfect trifecta of a seat, wifi and electrical outlets in the 3rd floor reading room (plus it’s beautiful and feels very serious and researchy up there). And the midtown lunch website offers lots of fun interesting and inexpensive NYCish lunch options in that area: http://midtownlunch.com/ You could combine a trip to the 42nd St library with a tour of 30 rock and/or Grand Central.
There are Starbucks everywhere with wifi, but getting a seat can be hard, especially later in the day, and they’ve started covering up the electrical outlets in most locations, so your seat is only good for as long as your battery holds out. But I’ve had luck with getting to Starbucks on the early side – e.g., 9 am – they get fuller later in the morning.
What neighborhood will you be staying in? I live in the Bronx and have done the house sitting in Manhattan/work sessions combined with fun activities thing before – and I’ve found that it’s the least stressful/most productive to stake out a place to work in the mornings near where I’m staying and then venture out for sightseeing/fun in the afternoons. It’s possible to try to find work spots near places to sight see, but it can be a little hit or miss, which then makes the outing feel stressful (e.g., do I go to that museum that I came here for, or spend more time wandering around looking for a seat with wifi so I can get more work done…?) So knowing where you’ll be staying might lead to more concrete suggestions for work spots from folks who know that particular neighborhood…
I went into NYC for the day last summer with my teenage son, and blogged about it here
http://allthosestamps.blogspot.com/2011/08/gotta-love-new-york.html
Hope that helps. I would also highly recommend the Museum of Natural History for us nerdy types. There’s a subway stop in the basement, so it’s easy to get to, and dino bones are fun even if you’re not a kid. And we love the Met, especially the non-classical art areas. There’s a display of medieval chests that is really awesome.
For Broadway tickets, the gold standard is the tkts booth in times square. You have to get there early, and there’s no guarantee what will be available, but it’s half price.
– You definitely need to stand on the TKTS line for 1/2 price same-day Broadway tickets (go the Brooklyn location & there’s no line & you can get matinees the day prior) – tdf.org spells it all out for you.
– The Strand is heaven for book-lovers. And it’s right by Union Square so you get the Green Market.
– You can never go wrong with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Or The Cloisters. Take the boat from Battery Park past The Statue of Liberty since you’ve been there before (you’ll still get a good float-by photo op) and take the boat to Ellis Island.
– Go to Tiffany’s. Go to the NY Public Library. Go the Empire State Building. They’re touristy but iconic for a reason. Because they’re still awesome.
– You can walk the High Line. It’s nice. But it is just a walk.
– Better yet, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge & back (with a stop for homemade ice cream at Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory in the light house along the river)
– On the foodies list… For the best pancakes, you want Clinton Street Bakery. For cupcakes, you want Sweet Revenge. Pizza – try Lombardi’s (Mott Street & Spring Street) for the oldest brick oven pizza in Manhattan. Or you could go with the movie locations food tour. Serendipity’s on the upper east side (conveniently near bloomie’s.) Or Cafe Lalo on the upper west side (it’s where Meg Ryan waits for her online “friend” with her copy of Pride & Prejudice & a flower..) Check out Eataly. And Chelsea Market. And Doughnut Plant. Wow. That’s just way too much food talk.
My favorite thing to do – and I live here – is put on a good pair of sneakers/walking shoes, a Streetwise NYC map, and get lost in my own city. Too many great ideas to offer!
@Cindy – I’ve been at that burger joint at the Le Meridien and it was so cool!! Really liked the burgers and felt like I was on holiday in some cool place. I can recommend it!