NYC noob hopeful for honeymoon hotel help!
May 4, 2010 11:24 AM Subscribe
I'm planning a surprise New York City honeymoon for this summer and I'd like some advice as to where we should stay when we're there (and also any of your secret "must-do's")
Where should we stay? We've never been to a big city together, so I want to maximize our enjoyment. It's our honeymoon, so we should be able to tell people that our room was "amazing" or close to it.
We both like rooms with views so we can watch the city.
Should I be looking for a room near Times Square so we can take in maximum action? Do hotels in NYC really have "honeymoon suites"? Will it be too noisy close to this area?
My hotel budget is around $400 per night, although I could likely go a bit higher if there is a compelling reason. We'll be staying from Wed-Sat, so three nights in a hotel.
What else should we do while we're there? We're pretty easy to please - we'll probably want to fit in a few of the more "cliche" touristy type things, but anything you could suggest is appreciated. City tour recommendations are welcome - do they have those open top bus things to cruise around in with a guide to point things out?
Do we need tickets for broadway shows in advance or can we just decide on something the day of and pick up tickets?
Many questions in here, I know - feel free to pick and choose which ones to answer.
Where should we stay? We've never been to a big city together, so I want to maximize our enjoyment. It's our honeymoon, so we should be able to tell people that our room was "amazing" or close to it.
We both like rooms with views so we can watch the city.
Should I be looking for a room near Times Square so we can take in maximum action? Do hotels in NYC really have "honeymoon suites"? Will it be too noisy close to this area?
My hotel budget is around $400 per night, although I could likely go a bit higher if there is a compelling reason. We'll be staying from Wed-Sat, so three nights in a hotel.
What else should we do while we're there? We're pretty easy to please - we'll probably want to fit in a few of the more "cliche" touristy type things, but anything you could suggest is appreciated. City tour recommendations are welcome - do they have those open top bus things to cruise around in with a guide to point things out?
Do we need tickets for broadway shows in advance or can we just decide on something the day of and pick up tickets?
Many questions in here, I know - feel free to pick and choose which ones to answer.
We spent our wedding night at the Waldorf-Astoria, and they put us in a lovely room and had some champagne in our room when we arrived. We did brunch the next day at their Peacock Alley restaurant, which was amazing.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:28 AM on May 4, 2010
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:28 AM on May 4, 2010
Other things I recommend include a walk through Central Park, a visit to Chinatown for some soup dumplings, a trip out to Coney Island for a hot dog at Nathan's and perhaps for a Cyclones game, and a visit to Marie's Crisis.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:38 AM on May 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:38 AM on May 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
I've mentioned this in NYC-related questions a few times before, but I cannot recommend the Tenement Museum highly enough. Particularly if you're looking for something touristy but not super overwhelming like a major museum.
I've been to NYC a number of times and this is my favorite thing to do. I plan to take a different tour next time I get back there. Keep in mind that each tour is limited to a small number of people due to the nature of the apartments in the building. You can usually get tickets the day-of, but it's not a bad idea to buy them in advance.
posted by awegz at 11:44 AM on May 4, 2010
I've been to NYC a number of times and this is my favorite thing to do. I plan to take a different tour next time I get back there. Keep in mind that each tour is limited to a small number of people due to the nature of the apartments in the building. You can usually get tickets the day-of, but it's not a bad idea to buy them in advance.
posted by awegz at 11:44 AM on May 4, 2010
a couple of NYC centric threads that should help you.
try to stay in midtown east/lower east/upper east/central park areas as it looks like those will work best for the kind of things you enjoy. I don't prefer staying in times square because as touristy as it is, it is also crowded and noisy ALL THE TIME. Regardless of the hotel room you get, do mention that it is your honeymoon when you check in for some extra attention.
TKTS booth mentioned previously is a good bet for show tickets if you are not particular about any one show.
Definitely spend an afternoon picnic and more in central park - there are so many things to see and do in the park itself.
Congrats!
posted by cusecase at 11:58 AM on May 4, 2010
try to stay in midtown east/lower east/upper east/central park areas as it looks like those will work best for the kind of things you enjoy. I don't prefer staying in times square because as touristy as it is, it is also crowded and noisy ALL THE TIME. Regardless of the hotel room you get, do mention that it is your honeymoon when you check in for some extra attention.
TKTS booth mentioned previously is a good bet for show tickets if you are not particular about any one show.
Definitely spend an afternoon picnic and more in central park - there are so many things to see and do in the park itself.
Congrats!
posted by cusecase at 11:58 AM on May 4, 2010
Dollar for dollar, walking over the Brooklyn Bridge is the best thing you can do in the city (it's free)! And once you're on the Brooklyn side, there's a lot you could check out:
Pizza at Grimaldi's
Ice Cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
Take in the spectacular views at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Enjoy your trip!
posted by kmtiszen at 12:07 PM on May 4, 2010
Pizza at Grimaldi's
Ice Cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
Take in the spectacular views at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Enjoy your trip!
posted by kmtiszen at 12:07 PM on May 4, 2010
Can you tell us a little about what you guys like to do normally?
(NYC has something for everybody. And if you tell us a bit about you, we could tailor a better response. IE- if you're not into art/design, I probably wouldn't send you to MoMa.)
posted by functionequalsform at 12:15 PM on May 4, 2010
(NYC has something for everybody. And if you tell us a bit about you, we could tailor a better response. IE- if you're not into art/design, I probably wouldn't send you to MoMa.)
posted by functionequalsform at 12:15 PM on May 4, 2010
Response by poster: Good question:
Her: Likes dance/drama/pop culture/celebrity stuff
Him: Photography/design/architecture
Don't let that steer you too much - we are essentially country bumpkins who will want to hit on as much of the "required" NYC stuff we can.
posted by davey_darling at 12:26 PM on May 4, 2010
Her: Likes dance/drama/pop culture/celebrity stuff
Him: Photography/design/architecture
Don't let that steer you too much - we are essentially country bumpkins who will want to hit on as much of the "required" NYC stuff we can.
posted by davey_darling at 12:26 PM on May 4, 2010
Don't let that steer you too much - we are essentially country bumpkins who will want to hit on as much of the "required" NYC stuff we can.
Ah, then these are good responses!
I would also recommend setting aside one day for "Adventure Day," in which you have a loose goal or theme and proceed to get (almost) hopelessly lost. You'll be surprised at how much Required Stuff you'll bump into by wandering around with only a general goal.
Ideas as "goals:"
Her: With only the help of Google and its maps, find and reenact scenes from as many NYC-based movies as you can in one day.
Him: Again, only with the Google Maps, make a DIY "NYC History and Architecture" tour. I mean, get to Googling now. Look for addresses. Make a list of weird places you'd like to see.
(Caveat: don't make all of the locations so far apart that it becomes work. The point is to just do something ridiculous, get away from the crowds, and find personal details.)
Adventure Day will give you guys some great stories ("OMG, Mom. We ended up in Harlem! And we ate at evidently the most famous fried chicken place!")
posted by functionequalsform at 12:52 PM on May 4, 2010
Ah, then these are good responses!
I would also recommend setting aside one day for "Adventure Day," in which you have a loose goal or theme and proceed to get (almost) hopelessly lost. You'll be surprised at how much Required Stuff you'll bump into by wandering around with only a general goal.
Ideas as "goals:"
Her: With only the help of Google and its maps, find and reenact scenes from as many NYC-based movies as you can in one day.
Him: Again, only with the Google Maps, make a DIY "NYC History and Architecture" tour. I mean, get to Googling now. Look for addresses. Make a list of weird places you'd like to see.
(Caveat: don't make all of the locations so far apart that it becomes work. The point is to just do something ridiculous, get away from the crowds, and find personal details.)
Adventure Day will give you guys some great stories ("OMG, Mom. We ended up in Harlem! And we ate at evidently the most famous fried chicken place!")
posted by functionequalsform at 12:52 PM on May 4, 2010
Don't skimp on walking around inside Grand Central Terminal and staring at all the gilded glory.
We're a pair of country mice, and we like to do that.
We like to just go and stare at stuff, walk around Central Park, and have dinner.
It's really nice to have unscheduled, meandering time in such a busy city, so you might some of that, in between the touristy wanderings.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:15 PM on May 4, 2010
We're a pair of country mice, and we like to do that.
We like to just go and stare at stuff, walk around Central Park, and have dinner.
It's really nice to have unscheduled, meandering time in such a busy city, so you might some of that, in between the touristy wanderings.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:15 PM on May 4, 2010
Eat here and here and definitely here.
Walk around without a map and get lost. Pay attention to small entrances to places down below street level. Ask for directions and opinions: no one wants to show off how well they know the city than actual New Yorkers.
And talk to cab drivers.
posted by digitalprimate at 2:49 PM on May 4, 2010
Walk around without a map and get lost. Pay attention to small entrances to places down below street level. Ask for directions and opinions: no one wants to show off how well they know the city than actual New Yorkers.
And talk to cab drivers.
posted by digitalprimate at 2:49 PM on May 4, 2010
And Don't skimp on walking around inside Grand Central Terminal and staring at all the gilded glory.
A thousand times. I'm there almost every day and never, ever get tired of it. Also, get a pan roast at The Oyster Bar while you're there. And, the arch outside the oyster bar is a Whispering Wall - you can definitely surprise your lovely with that!
posted by digitalprimate at 2:53 PM on May 4, 2010
A thousand times. I'm there almost every day and never, ever get tired of it. Also, get a pan roast at The Oyster Bar while you're there. And, the arch outside the oyster bar is a Whispering Wall - you can definitely surprise your lovely with that!
posted by digitalprimate at 2:53 PM on May 4, 2010
Here's a couple fun things you can do...
- Ordering a pastrami sandwich at Katz. I think it is the NY Deli experience and the pastrami is fantastic. Tip the counterman for a a few slices of pastrami before he prepares you sandwich. If you recognize the interior you probably remember it from Meg Ryan's 'fake orgasm' scene in When Harry Met Sally from 1989. BTW: Did I mention the pastrami?
- Visting the Conservatory Gardens in Central Park. If it's a nice day you can hoof it from the Guggenheim.
- Taking in views of the very tippy top of Manhattan from the The Cloisters. If you like medieval art/architecture the museum is a constructed from various european monasteries. FYI, since its way up there, you'll want to take an express line (A Train). Also, when you depart the subway take the elevator inside the station up to the buses.
- Browsing the Union Square Farmer's market
- And, walking the el from the high line.
posted by cheez-it at 8:53 PM on May 4, 2010
- Ordering a pastrami sandwich at Katz. I think it is the NY Deli experience and the pastrami is fantastic. Tip the counterman for a a few slices of pastrami before he prepares you sandwich. If you recognize the interior you probably remember it from Meg Ryan's 'fake orgasm' scene in When Harry Met Sally from 1989. BTW: Did I mention the pastrami?
- Visting the Conservatory Gardens in Central Park. If it's a nice day you can hoof it from the Guggenheim.
- Taking in views of the very tippy top of Manhattan from the The Cloisters. If you like medieval art/architecture the museum is a constructed from various european monasteries. FYI, since its way up there, you'll want to take an express line (A Train). Also, when you depart the subway take the elevator inside the station up to the buses.
- Browsing the Union Square Farmer's market
- And, walking the el from the high line.
posted by cheez-it at 8:53 PM on May 4, 2010
Take a walk on the Brooklyn Bridge at night for a beautiful (and romantic) view of the Manhattan skyline.
posted by joeyjoejoejr at 9:16 PM on May 4, 2010
posted by joeyjoejoejr at 9:16 PM on May 4, 2010
This site shows where movies and TV shows will be filming, if your fiancee might want to check any of this stuff out.
posted by cmgonzalez at 11:07 PM on May 4, 2010
posted by cmgonzalez at 11:07 PM on May 4, 2010
Response by poster: I'm looking at July 21st-24th, 2010. (arrive in the afternoon on the 21st)
posted by davey_darling at 7:17 AM on May 5, 2010
posted by davey_darling at 7:17 AM on May 5, 2010
We stayed at the Bowery on our most recent trip to New York and really liked it http://www.theboweryhotel.com/. Not sure if it's ideal honeymoon material - the room was quite small but had a fabulous view and had a very large number of A list celebs in the trendy boutique bar downstairs, which added to the fun.
The one thing I'd really recommend is taking an open-top bus tour when you first arrive if you haven't been to NY before. It might sound touristy... hell it IS touristy... but for us it was a blast and really helped us get our bearings.
posted by bister at 5:11 PM on May 6, 2010
The one thing I'd really recommend is taking an open-top bus tour when you first arrive if you haven't been to NY before. It might sound touristy... hell it IS touristy... but for us it was a blast and really helped us get our bearings.
posted by bister at 5:11 PM on May 6, 2010
Response by poster: blister, that place looks really neat!
What is it near? Will we find it to be close enough to the "action"? (again, when I say "action", I mean the things about NYC that you see in movies, if you know what I mean)
posted by davey_darling at 7:43 PM on May 7, 2010
What is it near? Will we find it to be close enough to the "action"? (again, when I say "action", I mean the things about NYC that you see in movies, if you know what I mean)
posted by davey_darling at 7:43 PM on May 7, 2010
Response by poster: Sorry, I know that I'm not being very precise here - I guess what I am getting at is that I think it would be cool to be able to leave our hotel and be "somewhere cool" - is this hotel in an interesting/notable/unique area with cool stuff to see?
It seems that it's about a 45 minute walk to times square, so I imagine that would be fine.
What would the advantage to staying at the bowery be as opposed to, say, the westin times square hotel?
posted by davey_darling at 7:47 PM on May 7, 2010
It seems that it's about a 45 minute walk to times square, so I imagine that would be fine.
What would the advantage to staying at the bowery be as opposed to, say, the westin times square hotel?
posted by davey_darling at 7:47 PM on May 7, 2010
It's on Bowery . Really close to all the village action NoHo/Soho/Village etc. It's basically trendy-central with lots of places to go out to eat/music etc in easy walking distance.
We absolutely loved it.... keep it quiet we want to be able to get in there when we go back.
posted by bister at 9:37 PM on May 7, 2010
We absolutely loved it.... keep it quiet we want to be able to get in there when we go back.
posted by bister at 9:37 PM on May 7, 2010
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Some stuff (like Wicked) sells out in advance, but for a good selection of things, you'll be able to pick up half-price tickets day-of at the TKTS booth.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:25 AM on May 4, 2010