Help me plan a weekend in NYC

January 6, 2024 5:24 PM

Two days. A tenuous understanding of NYC geography and scale. An over-ambitious plan, probably.

We're planning a kind of last minute trip to NYC for my partner's birthday. We don't really live that far away from NYC (Rhode Island) but we barely ever visit. We've done a lot of the really obvious tourist stuff over the years but don't really know the city very well. We're two mid 30s women.

Logistics:
*Next weekend, 1/13 and 1/14
*We are staying in Long Island City-- unless you all tell me that that is a terrible idea
*We're driving in from the North but are planning to park the car once we arrive and rely on MTA
*We are trying to keep things more on the affordable side where possible

Our plan so far:

For Saturday, I have always wanted to see the Cloisters and we'll be driving past them, basically, so I'm thinking we may do that as soon as we arrive, around 11am.

For the rest of Saturday, I'm not sure what we should do. I'm thinking:
*Go to the Met (since we'll have the tickets already for the day). It looks like it closes late so we can be kind of flexible.
*Get Dim Sum somewhere in Manhattan-- Ideally somewhere that will not be super chaotic in terms of process for folks who don't totally know what they're doing or what to order. Any suggestions?
*Find something to do in the evening that is more interesting than just getting dinner and drinks somewhere? Open to live music, performances, low-key dancing, dive bar hopping, something else? I'm kind of overwhelmed with options here. (Though realistically, we'll probably just hang out at the Met until close and call it a night.)

Sunday:
*Probably go to the Natural History Museum
*Maybe walk around on the High Line or in Central Park if the weather is okay.
*Maybe the Tenement Museum or the Museum of the Moving Picture if we're not too tired of museums-- but I'm guessing this might feel too ambitious.
*We're going to see Hadestown at 7:30pm, then driving home late.

Other questions:
*I have my eye on a hotel in Long Island City that looks like it's not a bad subway ride into Manhattan and might have decent street parking. The other option might be to park the car near-ish to the Cloisters and stay in Manhattan. Is either option obviously better or is there a better 3rd option that you'd suggest?
*Any cold-weather suggestions if we just want to have some unstructured down time? Bookstores, for instance? (I guess there's always the Strand?) Other quiet activities for people who just want to take a nap but don't have a place to do so?
*I'm looking at this question for general food recs. But if you could pick one cozy birthday dinner restaurant in our general geographic orbit that would cost us under, say, $75 pp where would it be?

Thanks!

posted by ambulanceambiance to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (21 answers total)

The Corner Bookstore is close to The Met - Madison Ave & 93rd St
Uva might be a place to look at for dinner w/ in your price range - 2nd Ave & 77th St. Close to the Met and The Corner Bookstore
posted by spacebologna at 5:38 PM on January 6

I have my eye on a hotel in Long Island City that looks like it's not a bad subway ride into Manhattan and might have decent street parking.

You should be aware that next weekend, and all weekends in January 2024 in fact, there is no 7 or N line subway service between Queens and Manhattan -- most notably for you, the Queensboro Plaza subway station will be entirely closed with no service.

That being said, most of the hotels that I know of in the Long Island City area are likely walkable to Queens Plaza station (note: a different station from Queensboro Plaza) where you can catch the E, R and (currently, through early 2024) the F trains into Manhattan, or Court Square where you can catch the E or the F.

But if for some reason your hotel is only accessible by the N or by the 7, I'd reconsider or plan for some extra travel time. There will be some shuttle buses and stuff running, but if you're not very familiar with NYC / NYC transit, it wouldn't be my first choice for a weekend visit.
posted by andrewesque at 5:39 PM on January 6 [9 favorites]

Re: the Tenement Museum - there is nowhere you can walk around, really, it’s all by guided tour. Look over their tour schedule.
posted by madcaptenor at 5:39 PM on January 6 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks for the heads up re: line closures. Looks like we'd be using the Queens Plaza station so I think we'd be okay.
posted by ambulanceambiance at 5:56 PM on January 6

Weather permitting, a walk around Soho. Trendy, but still fun to see the cast iron architecture...
posted by Czjewel at 5:58 PM on January 6 [1 favorite]

Anevening activity that isn't too demanding and all-weather appropriate is stand-up comedy - a quintessential NYC crowd-pleaser. I don't really like live performance but stand-up is good for pretty much anyone. Comedy Cellar is the obvious one but there's many more make sure to book / arrive early on a weekend night.
posted by artificialard at 6:25 PM on January 6 [1 favorite]

You should be able to find street parking near the Cloisters. I don't think overnight parking is allowed in Fort Tryon Park, but your chances of a spot south of the park are good.
posted by hoyland at 7:07 PM on January 6 [1 favorite]

The Cloisters is a great museum! But you could easily make a full day of it. Personally, as a longtime NYC resident and veteran of all the city's major museums, I would never attempt the Cloisters and the Met in 1 day. I would in fact never attempt the Met and *any* other museum in a day.

But if you really want to get the most out of those tickets, I would suggest you should scrutinize what's on view at the Met, then surgically zoom in to see just 1 or 2 things, and then hustle out of there before exhaustion overtakes you.

If you do in fact hit both of those museums on the first day, I'd tend to think you won't feel like doing the AMNH the next day. I do think the High Line would be a great second-day activity, weather cooperating.

A possible fun Saturday night thing: Drinks and tapas-style bites at The Campbell, the swanky bar hidden on an upper level of Grand Central Terminal that used to be the private office and pied a terre of a railroad baron. Note that it's a bit pricey, and you'll need to make reservations. But it's a gorgeous space, with tons of atmosphere, than even many locals don't know about.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 7:42 PM on January 6 [8 favorites]

Near-ish your hotel on Saturday night, you could eat at:
M. Wells
Adda
Manducati's
You could also see a dance show at The Chocolate Factory or visit the best contemporary art museum in the city, PS1.
posted by minervous at 9:21 PM on January 6 [1 favorite]

I will say that I found the Tenement Museum underwhelming. It may be super worthwhile and a highlight but I found the experience a bit off-putting: it presents their way of living as something from long ago when many of my hardworking immigrant neighbors literally live in the same conditions now. So, if you are dying to go -- I was --, then go but if you are busy and it's a maybe, then I'd consider visiting a different museum. Rhode Island is really so close to NYC that you could make it an annual trip! I'd try to focus on doing one museum per day because the Cloisters, the Met, etc. are amazing and intense. I think it's good to have a food goal but also to be open to something cool that you stumble across. I am positive that, no matter what, you will have a cool experience (as long as it's too cold, brr, but you're a pro as a New Englander!)
posted by smorgasbord at 9:39 PM on January 6 [1 favorite]

I personally don’t tend to spend hours and hours at The Cloisters and I’ve been dozens of times. I kind of gaze at the tapestries and the dig the cool space and am out in an hour. But don’t rush off from the area when you’re done -I would suggest taking the opportunity while you’re in the neighborhood to eat amazing Dominican food!
posted by ojocaliente at 10:32 PM on January 6 [1 favorite]

Coffee and pastries at Ethiopian Buunni Coffee right near the Cloisters - metered parking outside
A couple hours at the museum and, if it’s not rainy, stroll at Fort Tryon Park

Drive to LIC hotel to at least drop off stuff if can’t check in yet, nap if can
Perhaps eat a little something in the neighborhood, maybe at the food hall right by Queens Plaza station

Potential indoor downtime at New York Public Library main branch (and the renovated one across the street) at Bryant Park
Early dinner in the area
Chili or Café China for Sichuan near Bryant Park
Atoboy for Korean $75 prix fixe (try to reserve), service included, extra for drinks or dessert, in a minimalist space in NoMad
NONONO for Japanese in NoMad
Then the Met for live music at 6-8:30pm as part of “Date Night”

Or the Met earlier, then West Village dinner and drinks
Nami Nori for temaki sushi hand rolls
Vibes and some dancing at Cubbyhole and/or nearby Henrietta Hudson

Sunday sleep in
Bagel Talk, Zabar’s, or Jacob’s Pickles on Upper West Side + AMNH + Central Park - walk down to Lincoln Center for public atrium, or Turnstyle Underground Market at Columbus Circle

Or Chelsea Market + High Line + The Shed lobby

Convenient dinner before 7:30pm near Hadestown at Times Square location of Awesome Dimsum - fast casual with large menu with pictures including sampler/platter options, ordering station, buzzer system, and self-service/seating
Or Dim Sum Sam, which also has counter ordering
(Try the lava / egg yolk buns)

Other cozy eatery ideas

Other downtime ideas, including Housing Works bookstore café in SoHo
Also Book Club Bar in East Village , board game café Hex & Co - in Union Square or Upper East Side, PAC lobby downtown next to World Trade Center
posted by eyeball at 12:16 AM on January 7 [12 favorites]

Also apparently there’s a nasty flu going around the city, so consider masking. Happy bday to your partner, safe travels, and have fun!
posted by eyeball at 12:30 AM on January 7 [1 favorite]

For Saturday night, consider setting up a low-key IRL MeFi event to meet locals! This list of possible cafes and bars might help.
posted by brainwane at 4:52 AM on January 7 [1 favorite]

I need to go update that post with my results, but one of our accidental discoveries on that trip (which was the weekend the last of TS Ophelia hit NYC, so it rained the entire time) was Mott Street Eatery. It is NOT a quiet place, I'd suggest going at slightly off hours if you go, but we went as part of a Mott Street Girls Chinatown tour and shared a bunch of stuff, all spectacular, but you have to get the Thai-style chicken rice for sure.
posted by Lyn Never at 4:57 AM on January 7

For such a short trip and with unfamiliarity with the city, I wouldn’t recommend staying in LIC. The time you’re gonna take to schlep back and forth from/to your hotel can be eliminated if you stay in the city. Subway service on weekends can be all kinds of fucked up, even if your line in particular isn’t, it’ll probably affect you. And it takes forever to get places in New York, much longer than you think it should.
posted by rhymedirective at 6:13 AM on January 7 [5 favorites]

Addressing the Dim Sum issue - your best bet would be to go on the earlier side of the day, actually. You'd beat crowds, and the good stuff would still be available.

I like consulting the Eater web site for food recommendations - they stay pretty up-to-date, and they also do things where they show you about 20-30 options on a map so you can pick something nearby a given location. They also don't ignore the other 4 boroughs. Here's their most recent Dim Sum map, in fact.

Also, specifically addressing the "somewhere that will not be super chaotic in terms of process for folks who don't totally know what they're doing or what to order" issue - you may be interested in a place called Dimmer & Summer in Brooklyn. It has a bit of a stripped-down menu, so you don't have to go crazy making up your mind; it also has a menu that you order from in advance. And - your food is frequently delivered to your table by a self-driving rolling cart with a screen decorated with a cat face.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:27 AM on January 7

When we visited the Tenement Museum we walked around the neighborhood and lighted on Russ and Daughters, that deeply wonderful source for smoked fish, bagels and "appetizers", as their sign says, on Houston St. There were a couple of small tables inside, and benches outside, and a bagel and shmear was a terrific choice for a quick lunch.
posted by citygirl at 6:27 AM on January 7

Since you’ll be staying in LIC, consider a visit to Dutch Kills Bar if you’re into cocktails.
posted by slkinsey at 7:35 AM on January 7 [2 favorites]

We did the Cloisters and the Met in the same day in November (coming in by train from Boston -- Hi Neighbor!). It was our first time in the Cloisters and our 5th or 6th in the Met. At the Met, we looked at one exhibit in any detail, then got coffee and wandered out -- much more than that would have been too much.

So, based on our experience, I would not expect to really "see" the Met if you are doing both in one day and would recommend looking at a map and selecting one or MAYBE two exhibits that are clutch for you and make a plan to see those. If you feel more up to it when you get there, GREAT! But otherwise you can feel you like you saw what you needed to.
posted by chiefthe at 8:29 AM on January 7

I'd concur-- don't stay in LIC since you have such a short visit. Stay at the Lucerne on the upper west side which is close to the AMNH, and on the west side subway lines which access much of the fun cultural stuff you want to do.
posted by hovey at 9:21 AM on January 7