NYC Things To Do

some of you know already that i'm coming back to the apple! :D and on the friday i was thinking i would do the museums, i got to make a run to the city to pickup a lens but after that i am going to wander central pk and a few of the art museums. perhaps take in a show on broadway also.

i'm keen to check the intrepid museum! the met, guggenheim and MoMa. any other suggestions from the locals? i've been to the top of the empire state building, liberty island, china town, little italy.

so i am looking for things to do that the locals know about, that aren't in bloody guide books! :)

i'm staying at the Jersey City Hyatt and Jersey City Courtyard Hotel which are both close to the PATH and provide easy access to WTC. so who better to ask then the people who live n breath New York!

oh, and some good bars too!

These type of questions are exactly why this forum was created.

Central Park is great. I'll try to find a map for you and point out some cool stuff in there. Right about int he middle of the park is the Bethesda Fountain, which you've probably seen in movies. It's beautiful and I recommend seeing that.

As for the Intrepid, I think Concorde tours start at 1 or 2pm, and you should try to get your ticket earlier int he day to reserve your spot. Maybe someone else can clarify that for us.

I would also go visit the site of the World Trade Center. I thnk it's important for peopel to go and realyl get a feel for the magnitude of the tragedy. It is also interesting to see the construction that has already begun in the area, and how 7 World Trade (building that was knocked down across the street to the north) is already almost completed, towering high in the sky.

There's a hot dog stand on the southwest corner of 45th Street and 5th Avenue. Greatest. Italian. Sausages. Ever.

I think it's like $3.50.

Irish Carbombs are Phil's thing, so he can clue you in to all the bars and pubs.

For something a little more toned down, there's a kicakss burrito place around the corner from BH (among many other places) called Chipotle. Eat there and be merry.

I don't know what the schedules are like, but maybe you'd be interested in a baseball game, too.

Tell me again when you're going to be here...I'm trying to set something up at the Intrepid (again, first time Mario went through with it), so maybe you can fit in if it all pans out.


F

EDIT: Phil mentioned the WTC site, which is definitely an incredible visit. The Winter Garden (big glass atrium) that was destroyed four years ago has been totally rebuilt and is magnificent. It's quite an experience, and would make for some profound photos, so in addition to the restaurants and sights, I'd check that out as well. Everything in Lower Manhattan is now seen in a whole new light...

i went to WTC last year and spent about an hour with a friend at the site, i prefer not to say what it made me feel being there, bit hard to put it into words! is the glass atrium newly completed? if it is then i haven't seen it so i will look for it.

what are burritos?

in town from 12-16th may but the 12th is a rightoff due to late arrival time! intrepid is a go on the 13th or 14th i would think, how about we all make a tour of the intrepid on the 14th then head out to spot at Jfk or Lga? be an early start but would be a pretty good day, weather permitting!

As long as you'd be downtown, you should also go see City Hall, which is only a few short blocks from WTC. You should also check out the famous New York Supreme Court courthouse, which you have undoubtedly seen in many, many movies and tv shows (it's the big building with marble pillars that actually looks like a courthouse). I'm down there quite a bit for work, and every time I go in I feel important. The courthouse is located at 60 Centre Street...walk north from City Hall and you CANNOT miss it. The Brooklyn Bridge is also next to City Hall, and you can actually walk across it (there's a walking path right in the middle of the bridge). In nice weather, it's a very pleasant stroll...takes about 30 minutes if you walk at a leisurely pace and stop to take pictures of the skyline.

Once you get to the Brooklyn side, there's lots to see and do, but I highly recommend a stroll down to a local pizza place called Grimaldi's, which is like the best pizza in the world, IMO. Plus, about a half block from Grimaldi's is a really famous pier where you can get really nice pictures of the bridge from almost underneath it.

If you'll be in the city on Friday, you should stroll up to Rockefeller Center during the early evening (5-7pm), and you'll get a sense of how many people are in that area for work. I work right in the middle of it all, and it's overwhelming at times.

I hope some of this is helpful. Post here if you have any questions or want more ideas.

P.S. -- Don't listen to Futt....Chipotle is a freakin' chain owned by McDonalds. If you want real food, eat at somewhere local. For example, try the Carnegie Deli. Overpriced, but definitely a NY experience. The sandwiches are so big that it is beyond belief. The Carnegie Deli is several blocks from Rockefeller Center.

me, personally, well i always prefered girl watching. and now is the time of year where the wx is great and spending some time in the park on a lazy sunday afternoon watching the ladies is a great way to waste away the day. then again, i work on sundays now an have a few ladies of my own. do a you wish though...

I'm gonna have to agree with Futt on Chipotle. The place is amazing, owned my McDonalds or not.

A burrito is Mexican. A tortilla with beans and other things in it. Very yummy.

Sure, Chipotle is good, but it aint the place I'd recommend to someone who's coming from literally half way around the world to see NY. Hell, there are Chipotle restaurants all over the place outside NY. In Arizona, where I have all my family, there's a lot of them. I think Monty would want to experience something unique to NY, and I disagree that Chipotle is that kind of place. It's not because the food is bad, it's because there are more unique places (such as my suggestion, the Carnegie Deli...but there are lots of others). Just one guy's opinion, though...

when it comes to NY i want the real NY experience, if i can eat at Chipotle in San Fran or anywhere else in the country then i'll probably do it elsewhere. i'm into the real NYC kinda thing. Carnegie Deli sounds like my kinda place! just looking at the menu makes my mouth water.
frankly if i can get a buritto in San Fran then i probably don't need one in NYC, but i can't get Carnegie food in other parts of the country.

do they do takeout at carnegies? i hate sitting and eating alone!

It's just a goddamn BURRITO. Here, there, San Fran, New York--it doesn't matter. Have it as a snack when you're through with your fisheye at BH, it's quick and easy, and you can get to LGA from Penn (across the street) in about an hour.

Burrito. Calm down.

Carnagie Deli is damn good, there's also Ben's Best (I think moreso on the island and Queens) for the same thing with a Jewish flare.

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It's just a goddamn BURRITO.

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Burrito. Calm down.

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You're awfully grouchy this morning, aren't you? Didn't have your Pop Tart for breakfast?

Anyways, I think it is YOU that needs to relax. There's no need for you to take it personally that people can have different opinions about what an out-of-towner might want to experience in New York.

This whole discussion of burritos is actually rather amusing. It reminds me of that tv commercial for some brand of salsa where cowboys are sitting around a campfire, and one of them hands the others a new jar of salsa...he looks at it and says "Made in NEW YORK CITY???"

Just a reminder, B&H closes early on Fridays...2pm I believe. So be sure to get there first before the other sites.

Mike

I actually think that B&H closes at 1pm.

"Burrito. Calm down." <----Quote of the day. HAHAHAHA

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Originally Posted by Phil D.

I actually think that B&H closes at 1pm.

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1pm during the fall/winter and 2pm during spring/summer (daylight savings).

Mike

woooow, seeing as though alot of fuss has been made about the Burrito i may have to try it after getting the fisheye. that way i can say i tried one in NYC then go to carnegies for a snack later on. i plan on being at BH early, i noticed it shuts early so that's no probs! i'll be there when they open. this time i am going to take a walk to the UN too!

one other thing i will do if $$$ permit, take the chopper tour of Manhattan! :D

Well, being that some people have recommended sites downtown take a visit to the Museum of Jewish Heritage. I'm not Jewish but I must say this was one of the most impressive museum's I've ever been to. They do an amazing and moving job at illustrating the horrors of Nazi's and have an immense collection of primary source material that blew my mind. If your interested in history and WW2 you must go. Simply an astonishing place to see.

Hey! For a true experience, go to a Mets game!!!

some great ideas! thanks guys and i will do my best to put them all into action with the very short time i have! :D

you can always do caroline's on broadway. great comedy, great atmosphere. a bit pricey if you forget how many drink's you've had. took a buddy of mine from riddle there last night, had a great time. even picked up two ladies who made it back to his hotel with us... :lol:

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Originally Posted by cancidas

even picked up two ladies who made it back to his hotel with us...

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I'd have thought you would have taken them to LGA and had a wild time in a parked Saab 340.

sorry josh... that's the kind of experience i only share with FA's.