"The great affair is to move."
July 23, 2009 9:37 AM   Subscribe

In September I'm flying to Chicago to meet some friends. We'll be driving a van from Chicago to New York. What are some interesting things to do along the way? Is there anything especially weird that we should stop to see?

The route is set. Chicago to Cleveland to Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to Lancaster to New York City with a night in each town. Some of these drives are shorter than others, leaving plenty of time to stop and check things out. I'm then spending a week in New York City and would like some recommendations on cheap, fun things to do while I'm there. Where should I eat? What should I see? It's adventure time. Help me make this trip worthwhile.
posted by anoirmarie to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (9 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Roadside America - Shartlesville, PA
posted by mattbucher at 9:52 AM on July 23, 2009


My default stop for that trip is Cedar Point. It's got the most rollar coasters in the world in one place, the second tallest and fastest, and a goodly portion of them are those rare, old-school wooden ones. Totally made of win.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:52 AM on July 23, 2009 [3 favorites]


in Philadelphia, I recommend going down to about Fifth and South and walk east along South. Lots of stuff to see, or at least there used to be. Been a few years since I been down there, but I can't see it changing all that much.

Lancaster's a pretty quiet town, from what I remember. On the other hand, find a 'family style restaurant' and eat dinner until you can barely move.

New York City is, well, NYC. if you have $55, I suggest you take one of the tour buses from the Port Authority, and take notes of what you like, then go back the rest of the time and visit it. Eat in Chinatown at least once (the Wo Hop Noodle Kitchen at 17 Mott Street) is good and cheap), go up the Empire State Building or up to Top Of The Rock (at Rockafeller Center) and see the sights. See if you can get into a UN Tour.
posted by mephron at 9:54 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]


Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame!
posted by caddis at 9:58 AM on July 23, 2009


In Pittsburgh, stopping at Primanti's is probably a must. Find Station Square, take the incline up to Mount Washington. There's a couple of restaurants / bars and ice cream and one heck of a view from several observations decks.
posted by alynnk at 10:12 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]


If by "Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to Lancaster" you really mean "Pittsburgh to Lancaster to Philadelphia" i.e. the usual Pennsylvania Turnpike way of getting to Philly from Pittsburgh with a stop in between in Lancaster, then, well, Hershey is about 60 miles roundtrip, if that, out of your way, just northeast of Harrisburg. Also, in Harrisburg, you could drive down to Three Mile Island and take an ominous picture with the cooling towers in the background, just like all those 1979 TV crews did. If you're a fan of the Mad Men series on TV, you could tour the real life Utz potato chip factory in Hanover, about 40 miles southwest of Harrisburg. You'd then be only about 15 miles straight east of Gettysburg, where you could visit the Civil War battlefield.
posted by paulsc at 12:43 PM on July 23, 2009


Best answer: In NYC: The ESB is too expensive for what you get (lines to buy a ticket, lines to go up in the elevators, crowding, older facilities). Top of the Rock is much more convenient (timed entry, few crowds, about the same cost, new facilities). The UN tour is super-boring and they show you room after room of ugly 70s decor.

Free tourist attractions in NYC:

Union Square Greenmarket (M, W, F, Sat, 8am-6pm)
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge
Staten Island Ferry (with Statue of Liberty view)
Times Square
Grand Central Terminal
Central Park
Rockefeller Center
New York Public Library branch on 42nd Street
Church of St. John the Divine
Grant's Tomb
Walking around the West Village, Noho, Soho, East Village, etc.
The High Line

Note that you cannot go inside the Woolworth or Chrysler Buildings. Don't go to South Seaport. It's a giant outdoor mall with bad food.

Museums: All museums typically have a "recommended" ticket price but you are not required to pay full price -- you can enter the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a quarter and they will not bat an eye. Some museums might be a little less friendly. Chelsea's galleries are free as well. Museums with free or pay-what-you-wish hours are listed on Newyorkology.com.

TV tapings: typically free. Most places will have already allotted tickets for the days you will be here, but there is usually a standby line, if you are patient. Free TV tapings.

Cheap Eats (go Chinatown, food carts, or Outer Boroughs to stay under $15 per person):
Stuff yourself in Flushing, Queens for under $10
What to eat in NYC that you can't find elsewhere
Time Out guide to Cheap Eats: everything under $10!
The NY Mag guide to street carts
Midtownlunch: Zach never spends more than $12 unless he can help it
The Lower East Side Self-Guided Gustatory Tour: mostly cheap except for the bagel sandwich at Russ & Daughters (take out only, about $10) but you can split it with other people

Cheap/free live comedy and live music can also easily be had.

See also best weird places to go in NYC. If you're in the mood for urban exploration, check out the archives of Forgotten NY. Consider staying on the 6 train after it reaches City Hall. City Secrets has lots of interesting factoids about NYC. And other random fun things to do can also be inexpensive. Of course, you can always drink, too.

See also:
The basics of visiting NYC: how to not stick out and look like a tourist
Free tours in NYC (scroll down)
FreeNYC
posted by kathryn at 1:14 PM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]


Notre Dame is worth seeing, (and the College Football Hall of Fame if you wish), and definitely Shipshewana.
posted by katopotato at 5:15 PM on July 23, 2009


Hmm, my link didn't work. It's http://www.shipshewana.com/
posted by katopotato at 5:15 PM on July 23, 2009


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