New York
I Love New York,
official New York State tourism website
New York
City
NYC & Company,
New York City's official tourism website
www.newyork.citysearch.com
Getting to and from New York
City's major airports:
If you're arriving by plane at John F. Kennedy International
Airport, there are four main options:
* Take a cab
there is a flat rate from JFK to anywhere in Manhattan of $45. Going to JFK
will cost about this much as well, depending on where you're picked up (this
does not include tips and tolls!). This is probably the easiest and most
convenient transport but is not the cheapest.
* Airport shuttle these are
usually found at the ground level of the terminals. A popular one is
New York Airport
Service. They have drop-off/pick-up points at various locations
in the city.
* Super Shuttle
- these can be found around the country. This service will give you door to door
service to and from the airport and where you are staying in the city.
*
Subway
this will cost you $2 one way, and you can use cash or a Metrocard. Allow
plenty of time for this in case something goes wrong. Also, if you have a lot of
luggage, this isn't recommended.
If you're arriving by plane at
LaGuardia
Airport, the alternatives are:
* Take a cab there is no
flat rate like there is for JFK, and it will cost between $20 - $40, depending
on where you are going in the city. If you're arriving anytime between 4 p.m. -
8 p.m., don't be shocked when you exit the airport and are directed to the back
of an abominably slow-moving line for the next taxi, as this time period is a
very busy one.
* Airport shuttle see above for JFK.
* Super Shuttle
see above for JFK.
There are some other alternatives for LaGuardia
arrivals, but for a first-time visitor with luggage, they arent recommended.
For example, the M60 bus runs from all terminals to Manhattan, but it can take
quite some time and then drops you off at bus stops or connects you to subway
lines, not your final destination. You may have to transfer to another bus or
take a cab to get to your final destination. It's cheap, but it may be difficult
for out-of-towners who don't know the city well. Bus drivers aren't that
helpful in New York City, unfortunately. If you're looking for a bargain and
have just one bag, though, this may be the best option for you.
If you're
arriving by plane at Newark
International Airport:
* Take a cab this
will be expensive, and many cab drivers will not go to Newark. They are allowed
to refuse you because the airport is outside of New York City.
* Airport
shuttle see above for JFK.
* Super Shuttle see above for JFK.
*
New
Jersey Transit - this is a great option
because it's very reliable and runs often. You arrive at Penn Station in New
York on 34th Street and 7th Avenue. Make sure to buy a ticket before boarding or
you will be charged extra to buy it on the train.
Getting to and
from the city by train: There are many sights to see just outside New
York City that are very easily accessible by train. Be sure to buy tickets
before you board because you will be charged extra for buying on the
train.
* For Westchester County in New York and for Connecticut, use
Metro-North
Railroad. These trains ONLY leave from Grand Central Station which
is located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue.
* For New Jersey and Rockland
County, New York, you'll need New Jersey
Transit. These trains ONLY leave from Penn Station at 34th Street
and 7th Avenue.
* For Long Island, it's the Long Island Railroad
(LIRR). These trains ONLY leave from Penn Station at 34th Street and 7th Avenue,
the same station New Jersey Transit uses.
* For farther distances, you'll
have to use Amtrak,
and again the trains leave from Penn Station. If you are traveling to
Philadelphia from New York, a cheaper alternative is to take New Jersey Transit
to Trenton and from there switch to the SEPTA line into 30th Street Station in
Philadelphia.
Getting around the city: In addition to using
your own foot power, you can:
* Take the
subway The subway costs $2 per trip. Buy a Metrocard from the
vending machines in the station that usually accept cash, credit cards, and
debit cards. There are many other different types of Metrocards to choose as
well. If you're going to be in New York City for a week, you can save money by
buying a 7-Day Unlimited Ride Metrocard. This gives you unlimited rides on the
subway and local buses (not express buses) for a week. Compared to a
pay-per-ride Metrocard, over seven days you can save a lot.
Metrocard
kiosks are available in most subway stations, and the big machines accept
debit/credit cards and cash while the smaller ones only accept debit/credit
cards. To get up and down Manhattan on the subway, all you really need is the 1
or 9 from Penn Station (or west side of Manhattan) or the 4, 5, or 6 from Grand
Central (on the east side). These go all the way up and down Manhattan, and you
really have to not pay attention to end up in the Bronx. Avoid express trains -
take the local!
* Take a bus
Dont be intimidated by the bus so many people are! Its a great way to get
to where you need to go and see your surroundings! Any bus with an M is a
Manhattan bus, Q is a Queens bus, and so forth. Ask the bus driver if you are
unsure. The bus also costs $2, and you either need exact change in quarters or a
Metrocard which you CANNOT buy from the driver. Many delis and newspaper stands
sell them, though. Just look for the Metrocard logo.
* Drive - Not to
scare you, but driving in New York City can be intimidating ... but with that
said, just remember to be patient. If you miss where you want to turn, just
drive a few blocks and circle around. Above 14th Street is the easiest area
because it is one big grid. Getting lost is not an issue. Don't let the cabbies,
pedestrians, etc., scare you. Just know your route and pay attention to your
sights and sounds, and you'll be fine. As for parking, you can look for spots on
the street, move your car occasionally, and take the risk of break-ins (don't
leave ANYTHING showing) or you will have to dish out the cash for a parking
garage.
Stuff to do:
* See the Statue of Liberty
-- This icon of America seems to be at the top of most people's lists of things
to see in New York. If you just want a view of the statue and don't want to
stand in a long line for tickets to Liberty Island, you can see it from Battery
Park at the tip of Manhattan or you can take the Staten Island ferry to get a
great view of the Statue of Liberty and the New York City skyline and the ferry
is free! You could get off at Staten Island and roam around, but there really
isn't much to see over there. Just stay on the boat and go right back to
Manhattan. If you definitely want to see the statue up close and visit
Ellis
Island, too, then do it first thing in the morning before it
becomes crowded.
* Gaze at the landmarks -- New York is full of them!
Definitely check out Times Square,
the "crossroads of the world" and the place where the big ball drops on New
Year's Eve. Another big landmark is Rockefeller Center,
known for the NBC Studios, Radio City Music Hall, and the world-famous skating
rink. Both Times Square and Rockefeller Center look best when lit up at night.
Go up, up, up in the Empire
State Building for a fantastic view of
Manhattan and beyond. Sadly, since the World Trade Center attacks, this is once
again the tallest building in the city. The site of the World
Trade Center is also on many
visitors' lists, and not too far away are Trinity Church-St. Paul's
Chapel and Wall Street with the New York Stock Exchange.
If you're one of those people who can't leave a big city without visiting a
cathedral, New York has the Cathedral of St. John the
Divine. Damaged in a fire in 2001, it remains open with limited
access in some areas. It's huge and full of cool art and moving memorials.
Architecture fans should visit the New York Public Library's Humanities
and Social Sciences Building, a National Historic
Landmark. New York City has so many landmarks that it's impossible to list them
all, but some other tourist favorites are the Chrysler
Building, Grand Central
Station, St. Patrick's
Cathedral, the Flatiron
Building, and City Hall.
* Visit a park -- The city parks are great
people-watching spots and good places to take some cheap take-away food and have
lunch on a nice day. Take a whole morning or afternoon for Central Park.
There's so much to see, and it takes a while to cover the bottom half where most
of the cool stuff is. It's so pleasant that you'll want to take your time and
people-watch as you go. Rent a
boat and row around the lake. You could pair the park with
museums since many of the big ones are right outside of the park. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the American Museum of
Natural History, and the Frick Collection are all right on the outside of the
park and lots of fun. Washington Square
Park in the heart of Greenwich Village wins the award for pure
concentrated chaos in one area.
* Art museums -- New York City is loaded
with outstanding art museums of all kinds. Probably THE biggie is the
Metropolitan Museum of
Art, aka The Met. It has more than two million works of art
from ancient through modern times. If you want to focus on modern art, the
Museum of Modern Art
(MOMA) is considered a must see with the Guggenheim
Museum next in line. The Guggenheim building itself is an
amazing architectural work by Frank Lloyd Wright. P.S.1
is a part of the Museum of Modern Art and is devoted entirely to contemporary
art. The Frick Collection
has a lot of really famous works by the greatest European artists, and the
building itself is one of the last Gilded Age mansions on 5th Avenue. They've
kept the interior furnishings, too, so it's an interesting peak into the lives
of wealthy New Yorkers from an age long gone. If medieval times are more to your
liking, visit The
Cloisters, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art located in
Fort
Tryon Park. It's an amazing place - you won't believe it's in New
York City because there's not a skyscraper in sight. The museum building is
styled to look like a medieval monastery with cloistered gardens, and there's
rolling hills, green grass, and trees. The collection is made up of medieval art
and architecture with chapels, paintings, tapestries, illuminated manuscripts,
etc. You may not want to go all the way out there if it's your first trip to New
York, especially if you have limited time, but it's highly recommended to those
who have the time and interest.
* Other museums -- The Lower East Side Tenement Museum
is a pretty interesting look at immigrant life in New York between the late
1800s and early 1900s. The American Museum of Natural History
is great for dinosaur fans, and its newly renovated Milstein Hall of Ocean Life
is pretty cool. The Museum of Television and Radio
and the Intrepid
Sea, Air and Space Museum are two other
possibilities.
* Check out the neighborhoods -- New York has so many
unique neighborhoods ... Little Italy,
Chinatown,
SoHo,
Greenwich Village,
Harlem,
TriBeCa
... just pick one and explore!
If you visit a lot of museums on the
Upper East Side
and Upper West
Side, you might like to wander those neighborhoods, too.
Broadway at 77th Street is a nice neighborhood and not very touristy, and you'll
see a "real" part of New York. A great neighborhood is East
Village and Lower East Side
for a taste of a different New York, but some tourists are sketched out by these
areas - you'll have to decide for yourself. A nighttime stroll down St.
Mark's Place in the East Village and
Bleecker Street in the West Village will give you a great snapshot of New York
City, and you can get some really tasty food.
* Go to the theater --
Definitely see a show, but try to plan ahead and buy tickets in advance to save
yourself trouble trying to find a show with tickets available. Get half-price
tickets for Broadway shows at the box offices before the performances start with
the coupon codes at Hit Show Club.
It sometimes pays to wait by the stage door after a performance and have a
Sharpie or pen for any performers you spot to sign your playbill! Go to
Theater for the
New City to see plays by emerging and young playwrights.
*
See a TV show -- Try to get tickets for a nighttime show taping, like
"Late Night with
Conan O'Brien" or The
Late Show with David Letterman. Another website to
check out is nytix.com.
* TV and movie-related sights -- Go to 2880
Broadway at 112th Street to find Tom's Restaurant, the diner that "Seinfeld"
used for the exterior shots of the gang's coffee shop. The real Seinfeld Soup
Nazi can be found at Soup Kitchen International at 259A West 55th Street on the
north side of the street between 8th Avenue and Broadway. The place is closed in
the summer and on weekends, but at other times just follow the rules as seen on
the "Seinfeld" show to get your soup! The real Kramer has his own Reality Tours,
too. "Sex and the City" fans might want to pick up a copy of New
York: The Movie Lover's Guide -- The Ultimate Insider Tour of Movie New
York to see the show's "sexiest haunts." A company that offers
themed tours is On
Location Tours, Inc.
* Go on a tour -- You
could do a hop on and off bus tour that will cover all the major attractions.
These are fast and easy and are available through Gray
Line, iNeTours.com,
and others. If you'd like to see some of the city on foot with a knowledgeable
local guide, contact Big Apple Greeters
who will show you around New York City's neighborhoods.
* Shopping! -- A
shopping must is a trip to Herald Square for the Macy's flagship
store, and another great shopping stop is Century 21.
For electronics go to J&R
at Park Row. Head to Chinatown for knock-off and bootleg items (ask for the good
stuff in the back), and Pearl
River Mart is filled with all kinds of Chinese goods. For a bigger
directory of stores in New York City, visit NY.com's
listing.
Where to stay: This is often a big question for
visitors who may worry about cost and whether a location is safe. The Times
Square area is really noisy and crowded all the time. Midtown is really dead on
weekends and at night but perfectly safe. It would be cheaper NOT to stay near
the theaters, and you can easily jump on the subway or the bus or take a cab to
get to a show. Some folks suggest trying Priceline and Hotels.com
where you can sometimes get good deals on very nice New York City hotels.
Another website to check is Apple Core Hotels
which bills itself as being "for travelers staying in and around Manhattan who
didn't come to the Big Apple to pay outrageous New York prices." NYC.com also has a hotel list
that's worth exploring.
Comments:
I've found
pretty reasonable rates on Hotels.com for Hotel Pennsylvania
near Madison Square Garden, though I'm not sure what they charge for parking.
It's not the best, but if you are just looking for a place to sleep, it's fine.
It's in a busy neighborhood near lots of subways and stuff. I've also stayed at
the Holiday
Inn Express in Queens with secure free parking. We didn't want to
drive into Manhattan so it worked well for us, and the train wasn't too far a
walk. We enjoyed the stay, but it was cramped sharing the room with three
others. The walk from the train late at night to the hotel was ...
interesting.
My dad always stays in the Holiday
Inn in Chinatown. Although it's pretty generic, it's only
about a block from the subway, and it's an interesting area of New York
City.
The Chelsea Star Hotel
has a wide range of accommodations, including dorm rooms.
I have heard
good things about the Best
Western President Hotel from people who have
stayed there.
At Hotel 31 I stayed in a room with
private bath, one double bed, and one twin bed. I lucked out and got a cheaper
rate than usual by reserving ahead. The room was clean, though some of the
linens were stained, but it was nothing too bad. There was a nice-sized TV with
lots of cable channels and a window unit air conditioner. We weren't given
enough linens (one washcloth for two people), the shower pressure wasn't very
good, and the temperature was hard to regulate. Other than that, it was fine.
The area is nice and fairly quiet, not far from the 33rd Street subway station,
maybe a 2 - 5 minute walk. The hotel is located in a historic building with lots
of the historic character intact - original wood doors and moldings and an
antique elevator (slow at times, but functional). They also provided storage for
our bags after check-out. Overall, I was very pleased with it and would
recommend it to any budget-minded traveler. They also have rooms available for
less money with shared bathrooms.
I stayed at the Chelsea Star - fun
place, nice laid-back vibe, not loud, clean bathrooms, and a terrace with tables
and chairs where people can congregate, chat, have a drink, eat breakfast,
whatever. I've also stayed at the Aladdin
Hotel which struck me as kind of dirty, to be
honest.
The Aladdin, like some other big city hostels, accepts homeless
vouchers. I've felt rather uncomfortable in a couple of hostels in those
situations since it changes the vibe of the hostelling experience.
I have
stayed at the HI-New York on the Upper West Side.
I think it's the cheapest option around. It's huge and feels pretty
institutional, but it's close to the park and a very easy subway ride to
midtown. I've also stayed at the Chelsea International Hostel
in (surprise) Chelsea, which is a swell location, and it's a fine hostel but a
bit pricier than the HI, if I recall correctly.
I've stayed at
Jazz on the
Park Hostel on the Upper West Side - a little noisy at night (the
building, not the people) but clean and not too expensive.
I've stayed at
the Big Apple
Hostel twice, and it's in a good location.
New York City
hotels are really expensive - that's why I use Priceline. With a few people
sharing, it's cheaper than a hostel. I stayed at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown (4
star) for $110/night and had a big corner room with two queen size
beds.
Bars, pubs, and restaurants: You can eat really
cheaply in New York City with its noodle shops, pizza sold by the slice, giant
bagels, falafel stands, and the best delis EVER. If the weather is nice, just
grab some food from a deli or a stand and grab a seat anywhere to watch the
circus go by. That said, here's some suggestions if you want to sit down in a
restaurant:
* La Petite Auberge
-- Really friendly staff, great (and huge) portions, great place for friends to
get together. Most of the customers are repeat customers. Prices are
reasonable.
* La Belle Vie
-- In Chelsea; yummy duck confit risotto.
* Rocking Horse Cafe
-- Tex-Mex
* Khyber Pass -- In the East Village at 34 Saint Marks Place
between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, New York 10003, phone: 212-473-0989; one of the
first Afghan restaurants in New York City; yummy mantoo.
* La
Rosita Restaurant -- 2809 Broadway, New
York 10025, phone: 212-663-7804; good old-fashioned Cuban food you can't really
find outside of Miami.
* Massimo al Ponte Vecchio -- 206 Thompson Street, New
York 10012, phone: 212-228-7701; good Italian food.
* Elephant &
Castle -- good breakfast; in Greenwich Village.
*
Old Devil
Moon -- in the East Village; good Sunday brunch; big portions,
way yummy food, cute waitresses.
* Joe's Shanghai -- 9 Pell Street between
Doyers Street and Broadway, New York 10013, phone: 212-233-8888; in Chinatown;
Chinese food is soooooo good and not too expensive.
* Corner Bistro
-- great burgers.
* Quantum Leap -- 226 Thompson Street between Bleecker and
West 3rd Street, New York 10012, phone: 212-677-8050; tasty vegetarian, no
alcohol.
* Zum Schneider
-- Bavarian indoor biergarten.
* Nuyorican Poet's Cafe
-- 236 East 3rd Street between Avenues B & C, New York 10009, phone:
212-505-8183; venue for artists traditionally underrepresented in the mainstream
media and culture
Trip Report - New York City - September
2003
We stayed in midtown, and the first evening we wandered down to
Union Square's
Greenmarket, shopped for a knock-off bag to carry all the
necessities, and bought the husband a stylin' outfit at Filene's on 6th Avenue
to wear to dinner at Rocco's. Lots of wandering around Greenwich Village and a
browse through the Strand,
a very cool old book store, and I was done for the night. The next day it poured
rain so we headed to the Public Library to check out the September 11th Photo
Exhibit and the Reading Room. We had a quick lunch uptown at a Belgian cafe,
then dashed down to Grand Central Station on the subway to meet my mom who flew
in that morning. We did some shopping in the afternoon, and a visit to the
San Gennaro
Festival in Little Italy rounded out the day. We returned to
Greenwich Village to have dinner at a vegetarian soul food eatery, Red Bamboo,
and then went in search of some real gelato around the corner. Next stop was to
show Times Square to my mom and make our tired way back to our hotel. On Sunday
morning we walked to Hell's Kitchen for the flea market. It was too bad the rain
kept away most vendors. We had a brunch at the Bus Stop Coffee Shop and took the
subway down to Battery Park to take a look at the Statue of Liberty. On to more
shopping (for my mom), some snacks (thin crust pizza for us, McDonald's for
her), and yet more shopping for my mom while we went in search of another
Belgian cafe, this time in Chelsea. It was getting dark so we took the subway to
Brooklyn to admire the skyline views from the bridge. We headed back to Little
Italy for dinner and called it a night. On Monday morning we watched a little
bit of the "Today Show" at Rockefeller Center (saw Al Roker), and it was time to
go.
Rochester
Visit Rochester
Stuff to do: The best and most interesting
things to do in Rochester with a family are:
* Visit the George Eastman House.
Eastman founded the Eastman-Kodak Company and was a huge philanthropist
(basically, he built everything in Rochester) during the first third of the 20th
century. His house and photography collections are open to the public and are
AWESOME.
* Go to the Memorial Art Gallery
and see nearly 11,000 works of art.
* See a movie at the Little Theater,
a lovely old theater in downtown Rochester where you can go to see independent
films. There's a cafe attached that has live jazz music on the weekends. Next to
the Little Theater is a MASSIVE coffeehouse called Spot Coffee.
It used to be a Chevy dealership - that's how big the place is.
* Do some
shopping at the Eastview Mall
in Victor, a nice mall.
* Take a day trip to the Finger Lakes
and check out some of the wineries.
Bars, pubs, and restaurants: As far
as dining goes, brunch is best eaten on Park Avenue, a great tree-lined street
in the artsy part of Rochester that has several places for eating on Sunday
morning/afternoon. For dinner, the best part about Rochester is that there are
so many different kinds of restaurants:
* Plum House on Monroe Avenue --
Japanese
* Mykonos Restaurant on University Avenue -- Greek
* Olive Tree
on Monroe Avenue -- Greek
* Atomic Eggplant on Marshall Street --
vegetarian
* India House
on Monroe Avenue -- Indian
* Dinosaur
Bar-B-Que -- American; long wait on the weekends
* Rio Bamba on
Alexander Street -- continental
* The King and I on East Henrietta Road --
Thai
* Mario's
on Monroe Avenue -- Italian
* Restaurant 2 Vine on Winthrop Street --
Italian
* Tapas 177 -- Spanish
For
nightlife, surprisingly, there are tons of bars and lounges in Rochester. Most
of them are concentrated around St. Paul Street or at the corner of East Avenue
and Alexander Street.
