Car-only NYC spots?
January 20, 2010 9:28 PM Subscribe
What are some great places in NYC that you actually need a car to get to easily?
For example: my friends and I love Killmeyer's Old Bavarian Inn on Staten Island, which is accessible by a thirty minute drive -- or two hours worth of bus transfers. Are there any other great places in NYC that are worth going to, but only by car?
For example: my friends and I love Killmeyer's Old Bavarian Inn on Staten Island, which is accessible by a thirty minute drive -- or two hours worth of bus transfers. Are there any other great places in NYC that are worth going to, but only by car?
Another great place in Staten Island is Mandolin Brothers, if you're into stringed instruments such as banjos and mandolins.
If I had a car, I would go to Zum Stammtisch (beware of web page music!) in Glendale. I haven't actually been there, just have heard good things about it and it definitely is a place I'd like to try.
posted by wondermouse at 9:49 PM on January 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
If I had a car, I would go to Zum Stammtisch (beware of web page music!) in Glendale. I haven't actually been there, just have heard good things about it and it definitely is a place I'd like to try.
posted by wondermouse at 9:49 PM on January 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
I've heard great things about the beaches at Fort Tilden State Park (though that link makes parking sound a little tricky.. I think there are actually other lots than the one they describe). Sooo hard to get to by subway/bus. Probably best in warmer weather, though.
posted by alphasunhat at 9:56 PM on January 20, 2010
posted by alphasunhat at 9:56 PM on January 20, 2010
You'll be looking for places at the extremities of NYC - City Island in the Bronx, Fort Tilden Park at the end of the Rockaways (as mentioned above), or the edges of Staten Island. Anywhere in or near Manhattan is a traffic nightmare and easier to see by subway.
Any particular reason you're limiting yourself to the 5 boros?
posted by swngnmonk at 10:22 PM on January 20, 2010
Any particular reason you're limiting yourself to the 5 boros?
posted by swngnmonk at 10:22 PM on January 20, 2010
I visit Red Hook semi-often, and have never driven there. Yes, it might make it easier at times, and there are nights I've left via car service (just to avoid waiting for a bus, etc) but it is possible. The B61, the B77, the Ikea Water Taxi - less immediate than a local subway stop maybe, but still doable.
posted by pupdog at 12:01 AM on January 21, 2010
posted by pupdog at 12:01 AM on January 21, 2010
It depends on where you're starting from.
For instance, I have a five minute walk to Van Cortlandt Park but if you live downtown you have a rather long subway ride. Arthur Avenue, the Bronx Zoo and the Bronx Botanical Gardens are also up north.
I hear that the Noguchi museum is more easily visited with a car.
posted by sciencegeek at 4:16 AM on January 21, 2010
For instance, I have a five minute walk to Van Cortlandt Park but if you live downtown you have a rather long subway ride. Arthur Avenue, the Bronx Zoo and the Bronx Botanical Gardens are also up north.
I hear that the Noguchi museum is more easily visited with a car.
posted by sciencegeek at 4:16 AM on January 21, 2010
I walk by the Noguchi museum almost every week. It's not at all hard to reach with public transit (N or W to Broadway, 104 bus or a 15 minute walk to Vernon Boulevard).
I prefer a car for the Fairway in Manhattan--it's certainly accessible by foot but it's a giant pain to walk back up that hill towards the train with armloads of groceries.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 5:53 AM on January 21, 2010
I prefer a car for the Fairway in Manhattan--it's certainly accessible by foot but it's a giant pain to walk back up that hill towards the train with armloads of groceries.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 5:53 AM on January 21, 2010
Wave Hill is on the Metro North Hudson line or accessible by the BX7.
Oddly enough, I walk to the Fairway at 125th St (with a backpack) on a regular basis.
As I said, answering this question well would require knowing where the person starts from.
Each of the places I listed are accessible by public transportation but are significant trips for someone coming from downtown. Maybe not "two hours of bus transfers," but long enough to enjoy reading a good few chapters of a book on the subway/bus.
Personally I find a car in the city to be more of a hindrance than a help except when making large shopping trips (Costco) or going to Ikea (but I've avoided the Red Hook one).
posted by sciencegeek at 6:19 AM on January 21, 2010
Oddly enough, I walk to the Fairway at 125th St (with a backpack) on a regular basis.
As I said, answering this question well would require knowing where the person starts from.
Each of the places I listed are accessible by public transportation but are significant trips for someone coming from downtown. Maybe not "two hours of bus transfers," but long enough to enjoy reading a good few chapters of a book on the subway/bus.
Personally I find a car in the city to be more of a hindrance than a help except when making large shopping trips (Costco) or going to Ikea (but I've avoided the Red Hook one).
posted by sciencegeek at 6:19 AM on January 21, 2010
It's a terrible pain to get to the airports by mass transit -- absent extreme traffic conditions much longer than by your own car or a car service or cab, and requiring transfers which are horribly unpleasant if you have significant baggage.
posted by MattD at 7:10 AM on January 21, 2010
posted by MattD at 7:10 AM on January 21, 2010
Spa Castle in College Point, Queens. And I second City Island.
If you're going to Red Hook, take the F to Smith & 9th, then the free Ikea shuttle. Or do the same from Boro Hall. It's a much nicer neighborhood on foot than behind a window.
posted by tip120 at 7:32 AM on January 21, 2010
If you're going to Red Hook, take the F to Smith & 9th, then the free Ikea shuttle. Or do the same from Boro Hall. It's a much nicer neighborhood on foot than behind a window.
posted by tip120 at 7:32 AM on January 21, 2010
It's a terrible pain to get to the airports by mass transit
Do you travel in parallel New York? JFK is hooked up to the subway now, and LaGuardia is reachable by a couple bus routes that run all the way down Manhattan and are easy to pick up (I got mine near Columbia and just sat for a while).
I will admit to feeling a bit cheated by the $5 fee to get from the JFK subway stop to the airport itself, but didn't find the transfers a problem. If you have that much luggage, you'll never want to take the subway anyway.
posted by whatzit at 9:13 PM on January 21, 2010
Do you travel in parallel New York? JFK is hooked up to the subway now, and LaGuardia is reachable by a couple bus routes that run all the way down Manhattan and are easy to pick up (I got mine near Columbia and just sat for a while).
I will admit to feeling a bit cheated by the $5 fee to get from the JFK subway stop to the airport itself, but didn't find the transfers a problem. If you have that much luggage, you'll never want to take the subway anyway.
posted by whatzit at 9:13 PM on January 21, 2010
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posted by youcancallmeal at 9:40 PM on January 20, 2010 [3 favorites]