Visiting NYC for the 1st time

Hello all you fellow east coast Legacy owners. Well me my wife and 2 daughters are heading to NYC this thursday 5/18 for vacation. We were just wondering what the most common things are to do and see as tourists? We already have reservations for a broadway show (My wifes idea) and I have been a life long Yankees fan and will be fulfilling a dream of mine by going to watch them play the Red Sox. We are staying in Time Square so I'm assuming everything we want to do will be within walking distance. We are only going to be there for 4 days so I don't want to be overwhelmed with trying to squeeze in every little thing to see and do while we are there. I was hoping you locals could give me some insight on what the most popular things to do are as well as some great places to eat! My kids are 4 and 10 so whatever it is we do it needs to be fun for them. Thanks in advance!

To get to Yankee stadium you will need to take the Subway.

 

How long are you staying?

 

You could take a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island.

 

To be honest you should get away from midtown and go to places like Little Italy, Chinatown and SOHO to see what NYC is really like.

 

You shoud hvae a blast though no matter what you do.

 

Have Fun!

Thanks for the info, we'll be there for a total of 5 days.

Other good touristy things...

 

Empire State Building observation deck and/or Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center.)

 

Lots of Museums: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History (with dinosaur floor...), Museum of Modern Art, etc.

 

Of course, take a stroll through Central Park, and possibly see the Central Park Zoo.

 

There are water tours of the city and New York harbor. Check out Chelsea Pier.

 

There's the Fulton Fish Market.

 

and TONS of great restaurants!

 

There's the Fulton Fish Market.

 

No longer. Moved it to new location in Bronx. I seriously regret not visiting it in it's historic location.

 

I add one unusual recommendation: B&H Photo Video store at 33rd St & 9th Ave. Very unique store (biggest photo equipment store in the world allegedly) run by Hasidic Jews.

Hmm...Just looked it up on wikipedia...moved in 2005?! Then again, that's probably the last time I did the tourist thing...

 

And the Intrepid Museum is closed until Fall 2008....

you need to take the 4 train to yankee stadium. it's a garbage area.

take the red double decker bus tour.

 

you can get on and off the tour bus the whole day.

 

 

it also come with a commentary.

we'll try it again...try the intrepid.

We are staying in Time Square so I'm assuming everything we want to do will be within walking distance.

 

nah man, there's alot more to the city than you can walk to from there. It's easy enough to get around though.

 

Fulton fish market wasn't much of a site to see anyhow. You guys aint missin much.

 

Take the kids to the hayden planetarium & the museum of natural history. I always liked that as a kid. A bway show is good too, you're wife is on the right track there. Everyone pretty much covered all the bases for tourist stuff. Empire state building. Boat ride to see the statue of liberty (or actually go to it if you have enough time). Chinatown. Little Italy. Those are always fun. The problem most tourists have in NYC is they misinterpret the attitudes of people. Nobody is intentionally being mean. It's just that polite kinda goes out the window here. People order a coffee like "gimme a large reg coffee". It's not considered rude to not politely ask "may I have". Things move quickly too so try to keep up :lol:

we'll try it again...try the intrepid.

 

intrepid is in dry dock bro

you need to take the 4 train to yankee stadium. it's a garbage area.

 

No No No, theres a boat that goes up the East River. Leaves from Wall St. and 23rd St(?) It leaves Wall Street 90 minutes before first pitch.. They serve booze and you get to cruise up the river and check out the city on an open air vessel. BEATS THE HELL OUTTA TAKING THE TRAIN UP TO THE BRONX. The train to Yankee Stadium is a bitch. Believe me, super crowded. Plus only $18 round trip.

It's all here...

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/

since you are staying in times square you gotta go to John's Pizzeria its a pretty damn cool place and the pizza is awesome. it used to be a church

http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com

the east river is about the cleanest water you will ever see. i suggest you take a drink.

You'll have an amazing time!!!

 

*+1 for Top of the rock/Empire State building

*No matter what your religious background, you can go to St. Patricks Cathedral(It's beautiful), it's on 51st and 5th ave

*The Bodies Exhibition is amazing! http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/

*Depending on the age of your daughters and if you trust them enough to leave them alone in the hotel. You and your wife can take go to "The Bitter end" on Bleecker st. Live Bands, Great music!!! Or catch a comedy show, Laugh Factory and HA!! are very close to times sq. and Comedy Cellar is on Macdougal st.

*For a relaxing morning you can go out to Battery park off of Chambers st. Take some sheets and relax for a while or walk around(Beautiful View, especially at night)

*The Wax Museum would be something you might enjoy, it's also in times sq.

*If the girls want to do a little shopping...if it's makeup, perfume, or skincare, Sephora is like Heaven! There's one on 43rd and Broadway, a Beautiful one on 48th and 5th, and one of the flagship stores is on 34th st. between 7th and 6th ave across the street from Macy's.

*For food(close to times sq), 8th and 9th aves have nice places. I def recommend Little Italy!

**Since it's your first time here you all should try the Hot dogs(Dirty Water Dogs, as New Yorkers call them). They're easy to find b/c there's a "stand" damn-near on every corner and 3-4 in between, lol

 

Tips:

*I wouldn't recommend eating anything in Penn Station

*Wear Sunscreen, if you need any, see Sephora above

*When walking down a street, try not to walk 4 across b/c it takes up a lot of sidewalk space and believe me, there will be many people walking down that street at a faster pace than you. If you can, walk 2 in front and 2 behind, this will help minimize the bumping. Also, if you're going to stop to enjoy the sights, do so on the sides not right in the middle of the side walk. This will also minimize the bumping.

*Be careful when crossing the street, yellow cabs pop up outta nowhere.

*Be careful with street vendors especially when it comes to fragrances. The fragrances that you see being sold on the street are usually fake. The tester that they spray for you might be real but the actual fragrance in the box is not.

*If you'll be taking the subway a lot, save money by buying (4) Daily Unlimited passes @ $7 each per day or (4) week unlimited passes @ $24 each. The subway is $2 per person each way, so if you take the subway round trip twice a day it's $8 per person. A great tool is this website: http://www.mta.info/metrocard/tourism/index.html

 

Have Fun!!!

i remember my first yankees game-

one set of "college aged" guys (they were of the right age group, but i'm pretty sure they're not partakers of higher ed) were cursing throughout the first few innings. a guy there with his kids asked them to keep it down. so one of the classy few turned around, spit on the dad, and then threw his beer on him.

 

oh, did i mention they (the guys and the family) were all yankees fans? kinda reminiscent of being at a raiders game, without all the stabbing.

 

empire state building is nice but it takes a long while to get up and down again. the museum of natural history is great, but most major cities have one so if you got one in portland/salem/eugene, it's prob just as nice.

 

i think the statue of liberty is a must, just don't go up in it. stop off at liberty island if you like and walk around but going up takes a lot of time. (ellis island is the name of the chunk o land with the immigration center IIRC).

 

i don't like the doubledecker buses, i swear the pickpockets wait for the people whom jump off of 'em. the subway is great if you can can follow the maps, pretty straight forward except the local/express thing. see above re: unlimited passes. if you can afford it, or don't want to deal with the trains, just take cabs. but even though i used to live in NYC, a cabbie tried to rip me off when he noticed i wasn't paying attn and took an extra long route. most of the time though, not a problem...it's just they drive like crap.

 

central park is amazing. lots to see there. just fun to walk around if you are there on a weekend. get your snacks (drinks, chips or other stuff) at any outside convenience store cuz they gouge you in there.

 

lots of great places to eat as well, depending on your taste.

 

keep in mind, some of the shows are racy (chicago, cabaret, etc). there are some decent kid-friendly shows too.

 

shoppin is great everywhere. although i don't like supporting my wife's addictions when my car is fairly un-modded ;P

 

i like chinatown for the late afternoon (or in the AM for dim sum) and then shopping (fake everything if you are into that sorta thing). walk over to Little Italy (and man, is it getting "littler" every year) for dinner/dessert. the lights are nice, the spumoni refreshing in the summer, and the tiramasu is great.

 

no dirty water dogs...that crap will kill you. if you want a good hot dog, hit up gray's papaya or papaya king.

 

be safe, don't carry lots of cash, watch your kids carefully. great town.

Thank you everyone for all the great info. I'm sure we'll have a great time!

You'll have an amazing time!!!

 

*When walking down a street, try not to walk 4 across b/c it takes up a lot of sidewalk space and believe me, there will be many people walking down that street at a faster pace than you. If you can, walk 2 in front and 2 behind, this will help minimize the bumping. Also, if you're going to stop to enjoy the sights, do so on the sides not right in the middle of the side walk. This will also minimize the bumping.

 

 

+1000000000 , Dont be tourists, even though you may be. Some people are just too oblivious.

 

Also, I know you are staying in Times Sq, but spend AS LITTLE TIME THERE AS POSSIBLE. TS is TOURIST HELL. Definitely go down town and enjoy the better areas. Stay away from the upper sides.

If you can get below Canal St visit Tribeca, and have brunch at Bubby's http://www.bubbys.com/

 

You may end up seeing one or two famous people in thenatural habitat.

 

SOHO, West Village, Tribeca, Canal St, Little Italy, Chinatown, Battery Park, World Trade Center site, those are all places that I show people on my 5c NYC tour.

 

Another tip, go to the top of the empire state after 10 PM on a clear night, not only will you avoid the huge crowds, you will get a beautiful night view.

 

Also forgot, if you do make it downtown and near the Brooklyn Bridge, walk it over to the Brooklyn side and have some ice cream at the Ice Cream Factory: http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/brooklyn-ice-cream-factory/

 

The walk is a great experience, and you will enjoy so awesome ice cream along with great views of the city.

 

X

the east river is about the cleanest water you will ever see. i suggest you take a drink.

 

:lol: :lol:

 

Human flesh tastes just like chicken I heard

 

 

While you're staying in Times Square, you will be amazed to see that Times Square stores stay open damn near 24/7...My first time in Toy's R Us at 2am in the morning was a bit weird......

 

If you guys like interesting all natural fruit drinks, check out Jamba Juice on 7th Ave and around 48-49th St (you can't miss it)...

 

The good thing about Manhattan is that everything is available via bus or subway and the city is all of 25 sq miles so navigating around it doesn't take too much time.....I'd take a walk through Central Park, see some Museums, Ulysses Grant's tomb is on the upper west side if you were soo inclined to go see it (it really is a gorgeous tomb lol)

 

ummmm....

Hello all you fellow east coast Legacy owners. Well me my wife and 2 daughters are heading to NYC this thursday 5/18 for vacation. !

 

 

my advice.

 

1. Wear a bullet proof vest

2. Wear a gas mask

3. Dont wander into Jewish neighborhoods.

4. Dont go drinking with coxx unless you can fight

5. dont wander into washington heights.... a member on this board will try to touch your pee pee

my advice.

 

3. Dont wander into Jewish neighborhoods.

 

 

my advice.

 

3. Dont wander into Jewish neighborhoods.

 

please clarify this baseless dumbass comment

3. Dont wander into Jewish neighborhoods.

 

:lol: Now you're gonna get ganged up on by the people who don't know what happened

 

4. Dont go drinking with coxx unless you can fight

 

:lol: :lol: we didn't have to fight remember? I just use the force to get rid of em