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 07/04/2005 02:20:24 PM · #26
There is no way to see NYC in four days . . . there is so much to see and do there.

Off the beaten path
The Chinese Scholar's Garden - Statten Island
//www.sibg.org/cg.html
Statten Island Ferry - great shots of the City as well as the Statue of Liberty. Great place to people watch
Go to a Broadway Play - eat at Roxie's before or after
At Central Park - wander around - find the lake, see the street performers - take the horse carriage ride
Shop at Macy's, Steuben's, Fifth Avenue

Explore Long Island - rent a car and drive to the lighthouse on the far tip.

Don't be afraid to walk around on Broadway after dark. Lots of people, well policed - Time Square is amazing at night.

Eat at Tavern on the Green in Central Park

Walk the streets in many areas, enjoy the various architectural styles.
07/04/2005 02:49:37 PM · #27
What about the Tier Boxe ? Around the 667 area ?
 07/05/2005 04:02:55 PM · #28
Once you're in Yankee Stadium it doesn't matter if you have to sit on a light pole...just the experience of being there during a game is an amazing thrill. Wow bleacher seats !!! Now you get to meet REAL New Yorkers. I will never forget the first time I walked into the Yankee Stadium. I am a life long Yanks fan who lives on the west coast so I have only been to one game (thank you honey) my wife got me 2 tickets to a Boston Red Sox and Yankee game. I took my bestfriend and we stayed for a week. The first time I seen the NY behind home plate I knew my life was complete. May sound silly to some but my earliest memories are of Yankees baseball.

Anyway my point is PLEASE don't miss out on an opportunity to see a Yankees game. The energy in the stadium is second to none.
 07/05/2005 05:06:20 PM · #29
NYC's Manhattan is the easiest city to get around in and you can walk almost anywhere and if not the $25 week-long Metro pass is a must. The subway is excellent and I think the stations quite unique (compared to Chicago's system).

Was just there several weeks ago. My first trip to Ellis Island. I will definitely go back there again. It is a must see BECAUSE of the photographs. Had no idea Canadians immigrated here (?) Did they have to go through Ellis? Couldn't just walk across the border? Oh well, another thread maybe.

Had a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity's on the Upper East Side. OMG - I could have pigged out on two; it is that good! Was better than egg creams, which I've never found anywhere but NYC.

You can easily walk to both rivers - the East and the Hudson. They're only about two miles apart. Riverside Park on the Upper West Side is a well-kept secret. Very beautiful.

If you go up around Harlem and Columbia U. the crowds will thin out. St. John of the Divine church is worth the trip too (Morningside - Harlem area).

Coney Island in Brooklyn is a trip back in time. Fun place to visit also.

Okay, I'm done babbling.

One more thing. If you like to read - Strand's Bookstore. Supposedly 18 miles of books. It's between Washington Square and Union Square on Broadway.

Message edited by author 2005-07-05 17:09:12.
 07/05/2005 07:12:02 PM · #30
YEAH !!!!
I just managed to get M16 seats at the Yankee game on July 27th !!!
That's gonna be great !

07/05/2005 07:33:40 PM · #31

Wow those are great, congrats dude, NYC will be waiting for you (and your money =D


Message edited by author 2005-07-05 19:34:27.
 07/05/2005 09:37:09 PM · #32
Originally posted by Neurowork:
I'm going to NYC in 3 weeks and I'm starting to plan what I'm gonna visit there. Are there any must-not-miss places ? By the way, I'm planning to buy some lens at the B&H store on the 9th avenue.


Welcome, Neuro. They don't call New York "the city that never sleeps" for nothing. It's a brilliant place for someone with a camera that's into urban landscapes as the whole city is one twisted photo op.

First of all, NYC is flooded with tourists, especially Europeans now that the dollar is in the toilet vis-a-vis the Euro, and many of them are toting hundreds of dollars of camera equipment with them. Just as you would in any high density urban area like Paris, London, or Toyko, be aware of your surroundings and you should be just fine (i.e. when on the subway, tuck camera away).

CAMERA EQUIPMENT. Tripods are tricky -- in some places you'll be fine, but in others you'll be hassled, so bring something portable. B&H (www.bhphotovideo.com) is well-respected. Also good is Adorama (www.adorama.com). I doubt that a personal lens in your camera bag will cause you any trouble at customs...

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION is comprehensive. For $24, you can get yourself a metrocard that will allow you unlimited trips on the subways and buses for 7 days (otherwise individual trips are $2). //www.mta.info

FOOD. Amazing eats abound. Beyond the scope here, but check out the NYC message boards at //www.chowhound.com for advice, and foodie finds. Pleaaaaase, do not eat at chains like Olive Garden!

A few ideas roughly south to north:

RIDE THE STATEN ISLAND FERRY TO SEE THE STATUE OF LIBERTY. Forget going to the statue of liberty. Instead take a FREE ferry ride from the southern tip of Manhattan to Staten Island and just get on the next boat to come back again (allow 1 hour for the round trip). Boats run continuously all day. Go upstairs on the boat and stand on the right side (when heading to staten island, left when coming back to manhattan) or in the front for great views of the Statue of Liberty, Manhattan, and NY Harbor. The best bargain in Manhattan.

VISIT BATTERY PARK AND WTC SITE. From the SI Ferry station, walk along the hudson riverfront for some great views. It's also right next to the World Trade Center site *sigh*.

WALK THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE AND VISIT BROOKLYN HEIGHTS. Near the Ferry, Battery Park City, and the WTC site is the Brooklyn Bridge. After checking out city hall, cross the street and walk across the Bridge. Fantastic views from manhattan. On the other side, it's worth exploring around the charming Brooklyn Heights neighborhood and the waterfront promenade with wonderful views of lower manhattan and the brooklyn bridge. If you're not up for walking both ways across the bridge, take the subway to brooklyn heights and just walk back to manhattan for better views.

CHINATOWN. All this walking in Lower Manhattan has made you hungry at this point, so walk just north of the Brooklyn Bridge and check out Chinatown. It's extensive and gritty... Aside from the touristic Mott Street, you'll also find it a very real neighborhood unlike Little Italy to its north. //www.explorechinatown.com

LOWER EAST SIDE. Where Chinatown meets the old Jewish tenaments, now being gentrified by hipsters. By day, take in the ambiance and check out the Tenement Museum. By night, it's a whole other world of bars and good live music venues.

EAST VILLAGE. Walk St. Marks Place from Cooper Square to Tompkins Square Park. Restaurants and culture galore. Increasingly gentrified, but fun.

SOHO. Neat loft district with pricey boutiques and restaurants.

WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK AND GREENWICH VILLAGE. Just wander around and take in the neighborhood.

UNION SQUARE. A nice public space. Check out nearby Rubin Museum of Himalayan art (a personal favorite) if so inclined. //www.rmanyc.org

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING OBSERVATION DECK. The building itself is great icon, but the real treat is the panoramic view from the observation deck. Worth the $14. Go at night -- it's open till midnight with the last elevator going up at 11.15pm and the nighttime view is surreal. FYI, no tripods allowed up there. //www.esbnyc.com

TIMES SQUARE. It's tourist hell, but it's a spectacle and a must-see. Also the theatre district. Do NOT eat here - the restaurants are mostly chains, touristic, overpriced, and mediocre at best! It's most amazing when lit up at night. For a real treat, once dark start out at 50th and Broadway and walk south along Broadway to 42nd street to take in the full view.

TAKE IN A BROADWAY SHOW, OR PERFORMANCE AT CARNEGIE HALL OR LINCOLN CENTER. Queue up at the TDF booth in Times Square for last minute cheap tix to performances, but see at least something! //www.tdf.org

ROCKEFELLER CENTER AND ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL. Rock is a nice plaza, and St. Pat's is just wow!

CENTRAL PARK. A wonderful urban park. Check out Belvedere Castle, the Ramble, the Bow Bridge and the Lake, Strawberry Fields, and otherwise wander the area between 86th Street and 60th Street. Enjoy a vendor hot dog there.

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. in the 70s on the east side of central park. Probably my favorite museum anywhere. If open, check out the rooftop garden. //www.metmuseum.org

GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL. You'll probably find yourself passing through there anyway... Great architecture. There are tours, I think -- find one.

YANKEE GAME AND THE BRONX. You scored tix -- excellent. Now combine with a wonderul Italian meal in the "Arthur Avenue" section of the Bronx, and/or a visit to the Bronx Botanical Gardens/Bronx Zoo and you have yourself quite a day. May be too much time up there for the length of your visit, tho... Watch yourself here at night in non-crowded areas (no such trouble with Yankee game crowds tho!).

OFF THE BEATEN PATH:

THE CLOISTERS. Jump on the A train to 190th Street and walk north to Fort Tryon Park. A nice collection of art (run by the Metropolitan Museum of Art) in a great building surrounded by a hilly park with views of the George Washington Bridge. //www.metmuseum.org

BROOKLYN BOTANICAL GARDENS, BROOKLYN MUSEUM, AND PROSPECT PARK. If you didn't go to the Bronx Botanical Gardens and you have time, you may want to check out this trifecta.

QUEENS. The most ethnically diverse areas of the city are in the borough of Queens. Riding the #7 train for a half hour to Flushing (Queens' Chinatown that tourists rarely trek out to) can be interesting. So is venturing on the #7 to Wooside for the city's best Thai (Sripraphai) and then wandering down Roosevelt Avenue for a hectic but culturally fascinating experience.

CONEY ISLAND AND BRIGHTON BEACH. The cyclone roller coaster and a hotdog at Nathans on the beach boardwalk is a throwback to the New York of yesterday, along with the interesting Russian neighborhood to its east, but may not be worth the hour-long subway schlep given your limited time. If you do go, grab some pizza at Totonno's -- off the beaten path, old school, and one of the best slices in NYC.

More than enough here to get you started... When you get into town pick up a copy of the Time Out New York magazine at any newsstand for a comprehensive listing of everything going on in the city that week. For music and events, the Village Voice (free, on some street corners) is also good.

Enjoy, hope the weather holds, and PM me if you need anything specific.

Josh

Message edited by author 2005-07-05 22:15:39.
 07/05/2005 09:39:09 PM · #33
Cyril-It's not about the seats. It's about being at the Ball Park.
Even bad seats are great seats.
Enjoy the atmosphere.

Personally...I would have chosen a Met game...but that's me.

Hope you have fun at the game and a super stay, in the city.
 07/05/2005 10:30:38 PM · #34
Josh,

You should be a tourgide, I'm quite impressed
 07/05/2005 10:51:15 PM · #35
Originally posted by photodude:
Josh,

You should be a tour guide, I'm quite impressed


I'm impressed too. very impressed. Best advice I've seen on touring the city........ever!

Let me add...never eat in Times Square. Mostly tourist traps serving bad food to the masses, rushing to see a show or to those who don't know better. The Olive Garden would be considered a low point. Virgils rib joint is good in a crumby kind of way...great place to pig-out.

If you[re looking for a New York, eclectic type of menu with odd range, go the The Blue Ribbon or The Blue Ribbon Bakery. Very popular with savvy world travelers that know food and the glitterati.

Gooooo Yankee's!!!
 07/06/2005 06:22:33 AM · #36
Thank you all for your answers, especially Josh !
Now I have to sum up what's been said, sort and plan.
I'll just have to blame myself if I miss something there :)

One last question though :

What are the places I don't wanna go ? like really dangerous places and stuff ?
Is it safe to take the subway after the Yankee's game ? or should I find a cab instead ?
 07/06/2005 09:48:42 AM · #37
Originally posted by Neurowork:
One last question though :

What are the places I don't wanna go ? like really dangerous places and stuff ?
Is it safe to take the subway after the Yankee's game ? or should I find a cab instead ?


Here's link to a page with basic, common sense, safety ideas: //www.nyctourist.com/nycinfo_safety.htm

And here's a link to a Google search for other links: Safety Tourist in NYC

NY is not that bad. It's a city like most others, just very, very big.

My 10 tips for being street smart:
1. Stay where there are other people.
2. When you walk, act like you know where you're going--you don't have to walk fast to do this. (By the way, if you don't know, New Yorker's are some of the fastest walkers on earth.)
3. Know where you are at all times at the basic level--in a shopping district, a few blocks from a metro entrance, in a crowd of teenagers, etc.
4. Know where you can go if you suddenly feel threatened--walking off the street into a shop, restaurant, hotel lobby, government building, etc. is the easiest way to get away from a suspicious-looking character...so as you walk around keep these places in mind.
5. In crowds, stay near "safe" people: mothers with children, people in business suits, uniformed workers from maintenance to security--the same kind of people you'd rather be near in your own country.
6. You can't judge a book by it's cover, but you CAN judge a person by their shoes--when in doubt about someone, check out their shoes.
7. Relax! Nothing says tourist (target) like an anxious expression on your face.
8. Know where your things are at all times. Do carry your wallet in your front pocket. Do separate your valuables so they are not all in one bag that can be grabbed from you. Keep physical contact with your camera bag at all times. (Real story: Several years ago, I was walking up 5th Ave with my husband. We'd walk a block and have to stop for a walk light, walk a block, wait, for many blocks. I felt a tug on my backpack and when I turned around to see what was happening I found a pick-pocked who had been carefully trying to un-zip the pocket on my backpack for several blocks!)
9. Remember that criminals want an easy target. So don't be an easy target. Look people in the eyes, briefly, in a non-threatening way--just so they know that you know they're there. (By the way, it is considered highly impolite to stare at other people while riding the metro. Look around, just don't make an entire drawing in your mind.)
10. Finally, people are the same everywhere. There are as many criminals per capita in NYC as there are in Paris or Arles--there's just a lot of "capita" in NYC. New Yorker's are some of the most friendly and helpful people in the world--they are also some of the fastest talking, fastest, walking, busiest, and frank people you'll ever meet...get ready for the Autoban of the human race!

Food:
Eat a pretzel from a street vendor.
Eat at least once in Chinatown.
Eat a Reuben Sandwich in a Jewish Deli.
Be sure to have a piece of cheesecake from a bakery.
Delicatessen coffee is 10 times better than anything you can get in Starbucks...be sure to have some.
New York is filled with people from everywhere--and so has restaurants with food from every corner of the earth. Have your burger and beer at an Irish Pub, your pizza at a Sicilian restaurant, and your hot dog at Coney Island or Yankee Stadium...then go eat something non-american for the rest of the week.
07/06/2005 10:04:15 AM · #38
I haven't been there in years, but there used to be street performers in Washington Square. It was pretty entertaining.
 07/06/2005 10:31:01 AM · #39
Originally posted by Neurowork:
What are the places I don't wanna go ? like really dangerous places and stuff ?
Is it safe to take the subway after the Yankee's game ? or should I find a cab instead ?


If you're staying in Manhattan, definitely take the subway to/from Yankee Stadium unless you want to experience a NYC traffic jam (overrated!). You'll be accompanied by thousands of other fans doing the same thing...

Where not to go because it's "dangerous"? The occasional vile public restroom :) As a tourist, I'd be more concerned about where not to go because it's an overrated rip-off. Most of the "dangerous" areas are simply not in places that you'll be likely to wander. I could tell you to avoid Bed Stuy and East New York in Brooklyn, but you'll be hard-pressed to locate those places on a map let alone find yourself wandering there...

In Manhattan, everything south of 110th Street on the West Side and 96th Street on the East Side is pretty much safe at all hours these days, although you should probably avoid Central Park after dark unless you're in a lit area with people. North of that, be more careful. The area around Columbia University, for example, is pretty safe nowadays, as is Washington Heights from the GW Bridge up Fort Washington to Fort Tryon Park, and also some areas of 110th - 125th Street on the West Side.

As far as public transportation goes, the subways at night in Manhattan are pretty safe and have many people riding them. Be watchful in empty areas. For the subway-averse buses are an alternative, albeit usually a slower one except when going cross-town in some areas where the subways go only north-south, and convenient-but-expensive cabs abound.

Ultimately it comes down to your personal comfort zone. Be smart, enjoy.
 07/06/2005 10:39:42 AM · #40
Originally posted by KaDi:

My 10 tips for being street smart:


Great post by KaDi.

Although #6 did give me a chuckle. In a day and age where some NYers spend hundreds of dollars to emulate "the homeless look", I really don't know how well this stands up... :)

EDITED TO CORRECT MY NOT BEING ABLE TO READ NUMBERS...

Message edited by author 2005-07-06 11:32:24.
 07/06/2005 10:53:50 AM · #41
Originally posted by misterjosh:
Originally posted by KaDi:

My 10 tips for being street smart:


Great post by KaDi.

Although #7 did give me a chuckle. In a day and age where some NYers spend hundreds of dollars to emulate "the homeless look", I really don't know how well this stands up... :)


I'll bet you meant #6. :)

Edit to add: I used to live near Woodstock, NY where all the "Ritzy Riches" came to play Hippie in the summer. There they were, drenched in tie-dye from neck to ankles where below you'd see $300 sneakers! (All the "real" hippies who lived in the area had on $10 K-mart sneakers, were barefoot, wore combat boots or sandals from the Goodwill shop.) Since I sold at the flea markets I got in the habit of checking out footwear--always talked real nice to the $neaker$ and never let on that I knew they were from out of town.

Message edited by author 2005-07-06 11:01:27.
 07/06/2005 11:02:30 AM · #42
Because I live there, I have a strong affection for the West Village and the west end of Manhattan. The walkway between Battery Park and the 42nd St ferry terminal (along the Hudson River) is beautiful and packed with photo ops. Aside from the water and the Jersey City skyline - sun sets directly behind it - there is a skateboard park, a trapeeze school, a million playgrounds, cool buildings, mini golf, chelsea piers and a whole lot of hot city chicks running along the pathway.

If you are in this area ... do yourself a favor and eat a bacon cheeseburger at Corner Bistro (just off 8th ave, at intersection of W. 4th St and Jane St). Add fries, draft beers at $2 apiece, and you'll have a genuine NY midnight snack.
 07/06/2005 11:37:59 AM · #43
Don't carry money or credit cards in a backpack, especially in Chinatown. The vendors will warn shoppers when someone is attempting to pickpocket.

I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a "fannypack" but I did wear an inconspicuous money belt under my tops/shirts and never carried a purse. Didn't have any problems with my camera and I wandered around by myself, but did stick to either crowded areas or the ritzier residential areas (where they probably would have thought my camera not worth the effort).

Katz Deli in lower East Side - yum!
 07/07/2005 12:44:30 AM · #44
Originally posted by woohoopepper:
Don't carry money or credit cards in a backpack...
I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a "fannypack"... Katz Deli in lower East Side - yum!


Nothing says "tourist with valuables conveniently packaged and ready to be cut away" like a fannypack... :)

Katz's will indeed serve you the best darn pastrami sandwich in NYC. To keep on topic here, I'd even say that its vintage Jewish Lower East Side dining space is quite photogenic. Just don't ask for mayonaisse or white bread -- that would be another no-no for your "dangerous things to avoid doing in NYC" list.

Message edited by author 2005-07-07 00:46:16.
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