NYC this weekend, storm impact I should know about?

November 15, 2012 7:21 AM

My teenage daughter and I are heading to NYC on Saturday for a one day bus trip. Are there areas we need to avoid due to the storms still and are there any special things happening we should try to do?

The bus drops us off near Times Square mid - morning and we have until about 7pm. I think trying to see a last minute show would use up too much of our day. On our last trip, we walked Chinatown, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Battery Park. We also spent a short amount of time in Times Square just to see it, but won't spend much time there again.

Our other trip was in the summer, so doing a lot of walking was no big deal. I am not sure how the winter weather will impact that part. Also I have never been there around Christmas time so all of that would be new as well.

posted by maxg94 to travel & transportation around New York, NY (9 answers total)

The tree is up at Rockefeller Center as of yesterday (though it's not lit up until the 28th I think?).
posted by Grither at 7:28 AM on November 15, 2012

A lot of FiDi/ is still a huge mess. Not sure if that goes for Battery Park. This weekend into next weekend is the second busiest week for theatre that we have, so I would try to buy tickets for a show before you come.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:38 AM on November 15, 2012

South Street Seaport is still totally boarded up, I would avoid it. (I would avoid it anyway, actually, but especially now.)

If you guys like walking, just wandering around the East and West Village and the lower east side is fun, lots of cute shops and coffee places to duck in to if you get cold. There are lots of posts on the green with itineraries and directions.
posted by EmilyFlew at 7:49 AM on November 15, 2012

Pick up a copy of Time Out.
posted by brujita at 8:39 AM on November 15, 2012

It's supposed to be a high of 51 and sunny on Saturday, so it's not really going to be that cold, but will get a little bit chilly when the sun goes down.

Off the top of my head, the areas in Manhattan most impacted from the storm are the East Village (Avenue C), Chelsea (especially art galleries near 10/11th Avenue), and the Financial District.

Many of the Christmas stuff is not up yet, as far as I can tell. But Rockefeller Center's ice rink is set up already. The many holiday window displays on 5th Avenue are not unveiled until late November. Same with the outdoor holiday markets. Although the Union Square Holiday Market opens on Friday.

At Rockefeller Center, you could see the skating rink, go to La Maison du Chocolat for some hot chocolate, and then go up to the Top of the Rock for some stunning views of the city (there are heated indoor areas as well as outdoor viewing areas). I often recommend going just before sunset. It's also a very short walk from Rockefeller Center to MoMA, where you can see The Scream as well as the fantastically dark Quay Brothers exhibit. I also like to pop into the sleek, gorgeous Bar Room at the Modern (restaurant next door to MoMA) for some beignets. Or eat some street meat just down the street from Halal Guys (Famous Chicken & Rice Cart on the SE Corner of 53rd & 6th during the day and SW corner at night).

You could also do Grand Central (indoors) and Bryant Park (outdoors, but they have a skating rink up already) and the NYPL branch on 42nd street (they give regular tours), if you want to knock off some items on your landmarks to do list.

Alternatively, you could do an East Village noshing tour. Or a West Village one that drops you off at Chelsea Market and the Highline. If it's early enough in the afternoon, you can go to the Top of the Standard for a hot drink (a great view of the city and some nutty bathrooms, hotel guests only starting in the evening, IIRC). From there you can also go to the UrbanSpace Meatpacking open air market with food vendors, jewelry, clothing, gifts, etc.

The Union Square Greenmarket is also fun, combined with the newly reopened Union Square Holiday Market, lunch or brunch at ABC Kitchen, gawking at the expensive housewares at ABC Carpet & Home, and/or a stop into Mario Batali's Eataly.

Oh, and Discovering Columbus is still on view if a wacky, temporary living room built around a statue, interests you. It's free, and by Central Park.
posted by kathryn at 9:08 AM on November 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

We all seem to be getting back to normal so go hit all of the spots you had planned (before the hurricane.)

We don't have much Christmas stuff up yet, the tree is in the city, but not lit yet. Most Christmas stuff starts to unveil traditionally at Thanksgiving in NYC, though some stores may have some lovely displays now.

Please visit the outdoor stuff this weekend, it isn't quite cold yet, just chilly. I nth the highline if you can make that possible. It's in such a great spot too. The museums are fantastic and though I hate spiders, the Museum of Natural History has a great spiders exhibit with live spiders.

Enjoy NYC, we need you to visit!
posted by Yellow at 11:36 AM on November 15, 2012

Check out the Holiday Market at Bryant Park (opened late Oct) - fun to spend 30 mins (or more!) wandering the stalls, and there's some good snack options as well. Definitely one of my holiday must-dos when in NYC. there's an ice rink too.
posted by darsh at 12:10 PM on November 15, 2012

If you're planning on getting around by subway, do take a look at the changes to the subway that may effect your travels. Things are indeed getting back to normal, but there are a few important changes. For instance, if you were going back to Battery Park, one of the two main subway stations there, South Ferry, is closed.

While it does sound like you're unlikely to be going back to Battery Park, I'll still note that both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are closed due to storm damage (the pier where the boat docks at the Statue is apparently pretty much destroyed, and Ellis Island was hit hard).
posted by sciencegeek at 4:05 PM on November 15, 2012

Thanks for all the ideas. It was a perfectly beautiful day in NYC for walking and lots of it. We covered Times Square, Rockefeller Center (the teen loved the NBC store with all the tv show stuff), Macy's (so she could just see the sheer hugeness of it), the Holiday Market at Bryant Park, SOHO, East Village, and Canal Street shopping. Already planning the next trip.
posted by maxg94 at 8:40 AM on November 18, 2012