New York City First Visit

July 13, 2005 11:06 AM

Help my wife and I figure out how much we can fit in during a relatively short first visit to New York City.

My wife and I are traveling to NYC in August for a short trip. It is the first trip there for both of us and we are really excited. The problem we are having is that after reading all the previous AskMe threads on this topic and looking at all of the resources out there, we are overwhelmed with great stuff to do.

We already have our hotel and our theater tickets. (We are staying at the Dylan, and we are going to see shows Friday and Saturday night). What we are looking for is help in trying to figure out how much stuff we can actually do in the time we have. We will be there for 3 full days of sightseeing glory. We love museums, architecture, history, and great food. Our original plan was to do the following: the Met, MOMA, the Guggenheim, Circle Line Harbor Cruise, Empire State Building, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, and possibly more. Can we really fit this all in? We are concerned about how long it will take to visit the different things as well as the logistics in getting to/from. What is the best way to see things? Is there a perfect order? Any and all advice on this topic is greatly appreciated. I am also happy to provide more information including specific dates if it helps you to better answer the question.

posted by bove to travel & transportation (21 comments total)

I've lived here for 10 years. Your list is sound. You may want to add some geographic diversity with dinner or drink plans downtown so you get out of midtown and see some places where people who live here spend time. My only caveat would be to be ready to skip the Empire State Building line. It often gets long, takes awhile and well, it's just the view from a really tall building. I know, I know, you want to say you've done it, but a lot of the other stuff you listed strikes me as a better use of time. i hope that helps...
posted by elsar at 11:16 AM on July 13, 2005

This isn't specific advice, but if you're constantly under time pressure - 'ooh, 12 more minutes at the Met, then on to the Guggenheim' - you're not going to really see or enjoy any of it. I'd suggest that in general, you limit yourself to one specifically scheduled activity a day - and try to make it in the morning or the evening so you aren't trying to hit a scheduled stop in the middle of doing other things. By specifically scheduled, I mean, you have a ticket and it's for a specific time. Then, do other things, like museums, around that scheduled event of the day. The helpful thing about the scheduled event is it generally has a set time on both ends - so you know when it'll start and you know when it'll end and you can plan around it.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:20 AM on July 13, 2005

which circle line harbor cruise are you going for? the statue of liberty/ellis island one? that would be the only thing out of the way, and taking a fixed amount of time. the rest is easily walkable, supplemented by short cab rides. everything else you've got on your list is midtown-ish or on the UES, and it's very easy to hop from central park to the met to the gugg or other museums on museum mile, or from rockefeller center (which is essentially a big mall) to the MoMA (5th and 53rd).

the met is large enough that you could spend the whole three days there; for a neat alternative, go in late friday afternoon and head up to the rooftop bar after a short stroll through the park. stay long enough just to get a feel for it, and visit the three or four rooms you actually care about. otherwise you may go mad.

since you like architecture, it's nice that your hotel is right by bryant park, the NYPL (make sure to take a peek at the lions up front), grand central terminal, and the chrysler building.

another tip: buy your empire state tickets online and print them out. they're not tied to any particular date so you can use them when you feel like it. there's two lines at the ESB: the ticket-buying line, and the elevator line. this way you get to skip at least one.

have fun, get downtown (below 14th st, as elsar mentions), tip your cabbies, and remember to keep to the right on subway stairways. and for the love of god, please don't stand in the middle of sidewalk traffic staring your map.
posted by kathryn at 11:23 AM on July 13, 2005

Your itinerary sounds fine. When I visited New York last winter, I easily fit Rockefeller center, MOMA, the Empire State building, and the Statue of Liberty into one day; and the Natural History Museum, Central Park, Washington Square, NYU, etc into the next (and that was with extensive walking).
posted by muddgirl at 11:24 AM on July 13, 2005

If you are gonna do The Cloisters and The MET in the same day back to back, which makes sense 'cause it is included in the same "donation" pin/ticket, do *not* take the bus, it takes an hour or so to get from one place to the other. Take the subway, make the necessary switches.
posted by riffola at 11:39 AM on July 13, 2005

My only suggestion would be to take at least (I would take longer) a morning or afternoon to just wander around a neighbourhood. Chinatown, the lower east side, Greenwich village would all be good.

Oh... noone has mentioned walking the Brooklyn Bridge! Great walk, lovely views of Manhattan. Good pizza on the Brooklyn side. Get the 4, 5 or 6 to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall.
posted by gaspode at 11:44 AM on July 13, 2005

Good plan, good suggestions here. I agree that walking the Brooklyn Bridge is great, but it takes a while, and combined with the time to get down there and back I'm not sure it's worth trying to combine with the midtown/uptown stuff on the list -- maybe for the next trip, once you've got the basics out of the way? Anyway, my suggestion: walk from Central Park to Rockefeller Center down Fifth Avenue. You'll pass some of the jewels of the area (though the bookstores, alas, are long gone), and you'll enter Rock Center via the lane opposite Saks, past the seasonal flower beds to the central area overlooking the sunken restaurant (where the skating rink is in winter). Then, if you're still up for walking (I know you out-of-towners get out of breath after a few blocks), you can continue on down to 42nd and your hotel. (Or, of course, you can do the walk in the reverse direction and relax in the park at the end.) Don't forget to stop into the NYPL and walk up (or take the elevator) to the third floor and the newly renovated reading room, one of the most magnificent public spaces in the city. And be sure to have a bagel and a slice while you're in town. Enjoy!
posted by languagehat at 12:00 PM on July 13, 2005

I agree with the advice about buying Empire State Building tickets online (cutting half an hour off of your wait time) and heartily DISAGREE (respectfully) with the advice to skip the Empire State Building. It is totally worthwhile. I recommend going up just a little while before sunset, then if you stay up there for about an hour you can see the city in the day and the city lights as night falls. Glorious.
posted by dirtdirt at 12:30 PM on July 13, 2005

All of the comments have been very helpful so far, thanks a lot. It seems like the general consensus is that we can do all of the things I listed, and possibly more. Any more suggestions about what else to do? I would love to get more advice like languagehat, that is specific about logistics.

Finally, any restaurant recommendations for dinner before the theater? Our shows are at the Gershwin and at Circle in the Square. We are pretty open both on cuisine and price.
posted by bove at 12:39 PM on July 13, 2005

I think one of the days, you should buy a ticket on one of the red double decker tour buses that does a loop around all of the tourist locations in Manhattan, and gives you unlimited on and offs. Then you won't have to worry about transportation (figuring out the subway can be tough!), plus you'll be able to see the city above ground, which you really can't by subway.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:39 PM on July 13, 2005 [1 favorite]

The best thing to do as a tourist in New York is simply strolling the streets. Manhattan's city life is what I pined for when I was away, and what every auslander I know raves about after visiting. Don't get so caught up in seeing the trees that you don't experience the forest.
posted by CunningLinguist at 1:05 PM on July 13, 2005

You can do the Guggenheim fast. It's just a spiral, and you can see where you are and where you're going. OTOH, you can't do the MoMa or Met properly fast. If you hurry, you'll miss huge sections.

Don't forget Grand Central!

When you're downtown, check out Federal Plaza to see what a police state would look like.
posted by smackfu at 1:49 PM on July 13, 2005

Skip the cruise, the empire state building tour, and Rockefeller Center. Definitely Grand Central (if you're geeky like me you'll enjoy the whispering gallery). Picnic in central park, or consider your drink at the roof of the metropolitan to be your tour of the park. You'll find a bunch of restaurants on 9th avenue between 45 - 59th streets. have fun!!
posted by armacy at 2:08 PM on July 13, 2005

I agree you can skip Rockefeller, or do it in just a few minutes. I've been in the city for about a year now, and just saw it for the first time a few months ago. I'm convinced that every TV show must use a wide-angle lens when shooting there, the place is pretty dinky compared to what I was expecting. Grand Central is a more insteresting stop, IMO.

And get below 14th st. for dinner at least once - that's where all us cool kids are. ;)
posted by falconred at 3:45 PM on July 13, 2005

Don't ride the big red retard bus. If you want to ride a bus, you can ride a bus all you want for $7 a day per person max or even less if you want three or fewer rides. It's pretty common to see New Yorkers hurling verbal abuse at the retard bus; I've done it once or twice myself.

Seriously, don't bother with buses at all, whether they're red or MTA. The subways are where it's at. Before you go, just learn how to understand the map and how to get to your planned destinations, and you'll be fine. Look above your head and follow the signs.

Stay away from Times Square.

You definitely do have to get south of 14th street, but not too far south, or else it gets very boring.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 4:37 PM on July 13, 2005

I agree with all the advice to see Grand Central, just be aware that the exterior is scaffolded right now so no photo ops outside. Inside is the good stuff anyway.

Walking tours can be fun - when my brother comes to stay he often books one and although I know the city well usually enjoy them. He went on a walking tour of Central Park one year that he adored - it can be hard to take in all of the park on your first trip, so someone to show you the highlights is nice.

don't bother with buses at all, whether they're red or MTA. The subways are where it's at

Well that's easy for us to say. We know what Manhattan looks like and can negotiate the system. I think if you're there for the first time (and in August - even more humid underground!) take a bus, you'll see street scenes you won't see otherwise.

It's pretty common to see New Yorkers hurling verbal abuse at the retard bus

I've lived in NYC for six years and never seen this once.
posted by jamesonandwater at 7:08 PM on July 13, 2005

I agree with all of the above, but spend a bit of time before you go grouping things you want to see by location. What was said above about having Uptown/Downtown days is key. One idea is to do a MidTown day - MoMA is close to Rock Center which is across from St. Patrick's, is ~8 block away from Grand Central, is 1 long block from NYPL is one block to Times Square (you know you have to see it), is close to your Theaters. A lot of the stuff in Midtown you can just do a "drive-by."

Then the next day do the Met/Central Park/Guggenheim in the morning and then go Downtown and walk around SoHo and the Village - eat somewhere downtown. Or reverse that if you need to go to the theatre at night. Going to the Cloisters will take 1-1.5 hours to get there, and frankly, save that for your next trip to NYC. I second the above allowing time just to walk around and enjoy the city, instead of trying to tick one more item off your list.

As for logistics, if you find yourself lost, ask someone. Everyone knows you are a tourist, we all know that look on your face, and we really aren't that mean. If you get in our way, then yes we might be gruff, but don't be afraid to ask where something is. You can subway or taxi anywhere - it is easy, just know your cross streets for the taxi and remember to look at the Taxi lights on the roof: one light means open, two or none means the taxi is occupied. A good place to find reviews of restaurants are on New York Magazine. Everything will take a bit longer than you think it will - especially the museums. Count on coming back to town again, and you can skip a bunch of the permanent work at the Met and MoMA. Also, I am pretty sure you can buy tickets online for the Met and MoMA before hand - do this. Lines for the MoMA still get kinda long.

I live here, and I took my Grandma and Aunt on the Red tourist bus - and it was great - for them. But it might not be your cup of tea. And I haven't heard anyone yell anything at the busses, except some stifled laughter. But riding one isn't necessary.

Just to reiterate - you will be back, so just enjoy the city!
posted by plemeljr at 8:13 PM on July 13, 2005

we really aren't that mean

Just to expand on that: in over twenty years in the city I never saw anyone be treated badly simply for being a tourist or not knowing where they were. New Yorkers are incredibly helpful to strangers who need directions; I've seen people go blocks out of their way to make sure someone got where they were going. But the basic rule of NYC politeness is: don't hold people up. If people want to stop and help you, that's their decision and their pleasure, but if you stop dead in the middle of a crowded sidewalk to peer around, consult a map, or tell each other what a great time you're having, you may get spoken to sharply. (Stand right against the building wall instead.) And do not try to have a pleasant conversation with the clerk at the deli as you pay for your purchases; off duty, he would doubtless be happy to hear about where you're from and how much you like the city, but at the register, his concern is moving the line along so everyone can get to whatever they're already late for. Once you understand this basic rule, you'll see that New Yorkers are very polite in general -- the rules just aren't the same as elsewhere.
posted by languagehat at 6:16 AM on July 14, 2005

I'm with gaspode. Get downtown. I say, go to Chinatown (Wo Hop was good last time I went - on Doyers Street, I think, downstairs), then go to McSorley's for a drink (but do NOT go on a Friday/Saturday). It's a long walk or short cab ride, but worth it. Oldest bar in NYC (est. 1850's). They serve two drinks; McSorley's Dark Ale and McSorley's Light Ale. Try the cheese plate. Have fun!!
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 6:41 AM on July 14, 2005

You can't pass up the Museum of Sex.
posted by JPowers at 8:26 AM on July 14, 2005

Tip: If short on time (and if you're not moving there, you're always short on NYC time) don't go to the Statue of Liberty. It takes freaking forever to get the ferry there, you have to deal with a whole bunch of other tourists (and their kids) who aren't exactly the model of efficiency, and once you get there, you realize it's... just a big statue.

If you want to see it, get to battery park and gawk a while, then head up to soho or chinatown or something else interesting. They don't even let you inside the statue anymore.
posted by anildash at 12:19 AM on July 16, 2005