new york itinerary help much appreciated
Replies: 12 - Last Post: Oct 4, 2012 3:51 PM Last Post By: tiltedflipcurves
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new york itinerary help much appreciated
Hi there,I'm new here and would really appreciate some help. Me and my partner are going to New York this November, and im hoping it will be a fabulous once in a lifetime trip. I've put together an itinerary that i think suits us, but was wondering if anybody would be kind enough to check it over and point out any logistical errors or things ive missed/other suggestions! It is both of our first time to the city and we are both in our mid-twenties.
Day 1 - arrive JFK at approx 20.00, get back to the hotel (midtown west 35th street) settle in and acclimatise!
day 2 - statue of liberty and ellis island trip, walk through wall street on the way back. return to hotel and change, then dinner somewhere and empire state building
day 3 - walk around central park, ice skating at wollman rink, possibly eat lunch at the boat house, then visit the met museum and then walk down 5th avenue and window shop. back to the hotel and change, dinner somewhere and then visit times square and walk down broadway
day 4 - world trade centre memorial site, Train to brooklyn and walk down brooklyn heights promenade, then back across brooklyn bridge at approx 16.30 (which i think is the approx sunset time in mid/late november) back to hotel and change. then dinner in and a walk around china town
day 5 - walk around a bit day - see grand central station, new york public library, Chrysler building, more 5th avenue/park avenue wandering (plaza hotel). Possiblly a carriage ride in central park if havent done it yet. Then go down town to make it for a 16.00 departure for the semi circle cruise. back to hotel and change, then out for dinner
day 6 - check out of hotel and store luggage. visit the highline and greenwich village (may do the food tour here as have heard it is very good) and then the intrepid air and space museum (partner is in the military and interested in this sort of thing). back to hotel to pick up luggage then to be at newark international airport for a 21.15 departure flight
does this sound feasible? I want to fill my days but not do to much so we feel rushed. most lunch and dinner restaurants are still undecided. I havent included a broadway show as we ave seen alot in london recently and feel this is an expense we can spare. Any feedback would be really greatly appreciated - id much rather find out now that something doesnt work!
thanks so much. xx
1
Day 3:The Met is huge, and can easily suck more time than you'd expect. Half a day may not even get you half-way through. (Obviously this is dependent upon your tolerance for art.)
Day 4:
The WTC site should be moved to Day 2. It's not too far away.
2
thanks thats great advice, do you think i could fit the WTC site and statue of liberty into 1 day? and if so what would be best done first? I'd heard both were best to do in the morning to avoid the crowds!4
you might consider doing the Empire right on your first night to get a feel for the city. Personally, I wouldn´t skip Top of the Rock, since you also see the park from up there, esp. since you are going to be here in November, you might still see some fall foliage. pick a very clear day, tough!if you are in the Plaza Hotel area, you might want to eat at the food hall, which is quite nice, I think - it´s like a fancier food court (with service and usually a wait as well).
consider the full circle cruise (unless the weather isn´t nice of course), it shows you much better how varied NYC is.
note that the "shopping part" of 5th ave only starts below 59th street.
don´t leave out SoHo, West Village/Meatpacking (might be best to comine it with the Highline) and you might want to have a look at the Green Market at Union Square (best on Saturday, but there´s a market Mon, Wed, Fri also).
5
Personally I didn't find Ellis Island to be all that interesting. It's an important historical place and I like history, but seeing it didn't do anything for me.If you've got the bucks I'd strongly consider seeing a show or the Philharmonic etc..
Edited by: LongIslandBob
6
We saw The Book Of Mormon on Broadway and it was absolutely hysterical. We are not big on theatre shows, but this was really funny and entertaining.7
Lines for the Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty are likely to be shorter or non-existant later in the day. Also toss in Wall Street while you're down there. There are great historical sites all over Lower Manhattan.Day 5 won't take up much time. Throw in some museums - Morgan Library, MOMA, Design Museum, International Center for Photography etc.
And on Day 4, toss in Chinatown/Greenwich Village/Lower East Side. I also recommend the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.
8
The WTC site is close to the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Elis Island is del worth the visit.9
Check that the statue itself is open for business. If all you can do is walk around the island and not go in then I would question the worthwhileness of visiting Liberty Island.Book tkts for WTC online and print them out. If you try to collect after ordering online or get tkts for the day you will add about an hour or two to your effort. Even then (for me) it was about 90 min to clear security, spend some time at the site and get back out. I was there for a midday-ish Monday visit.
If you want something less tourists do then visit Riverside Park and get an A express train to Fort Tryon Park. Do visit the Lower Eastside Tenement Museum and African Burial Ground Museum if you have an interest in Manhattan's history. YOu don't have the High Line on your itinerary and I think most people would find that great (IMO start at the southern end).
10
Lower Eastside Tenement Museum is a great idea. There a re a whole list of walking tours out of the museum offering an incredible picture of the Lower East Side11
Statue of liberty and ellis Island won't take that long. Neither will Wall St. You need to pre-book your time at the WTC.Your excursion to the Met is fine, just don't expect to see everything. Pick and choose what you want to see.
The Plaza hotel is at the corner of 5th Ave and 59th Street, near Central Park. On the day you do the stuff in Central park, do that too.
12
Just remember that life is what happens when you've made other plans, and so is weather. As in, you may well have nice weather, but a cold rainy day in November can get pretty raw. So check the forecasts and be prepared to switch things up, like museums when it rains and Central Park when it's sunny.The Marathon is Nov. 4. If that coincides, it affects traffic.
