New York City! What to see.

[burn_baby_burn]

Heading to New York next weekend to catch two games between the Yankees and Red Sox. Friday and Saturday will be spent at the Ball Park. We have a free day on Sunday before we head home on Monday. So I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on what to do and see besides Yankee Stadium.

Our hotel is right beside the Empire State Building, so that will be easy to see. Obviously I want to see the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. Is it worth taking a boat ride through the harbour to see these things? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[dissentowner]

Maybe check out ground zero? Never been so I don't know.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Maybe check out ground zero? Never been so I don't know.

Some guys in our group want to see it. I'm not so sure, since it is just a big construction site. I can see that here.

[Sainters7]

Where are you staying? Manhattan I'm assuming? When going to the Yankees game, take the Subway there and board it at Grand Central Station, that's a sight to see in itself. Battery Park on the south side of Manhattan is pretty cool too. They have these really cool war memorials for every war the U.S. has fought in(many of which Canada fought in as well), and each piece of pavement circling the memorial shows the losses and MIA's for a particular country, Canada being one of them. This is also really close to Ground Zero(which was kind of boring to be honest, it just looks like a parking lot. But still a must-see. When we were there all the buildings around the area had black sheets over them to protect them from dust. But that was only a year after 9/11, theyre probably gone now), and you can also see the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park.

There's also lots of shows to take in as well. Me and my buddies were on a massive cross-country road trip so we only had an abbreviated 3 night stay in N.Y. and didn't really get to see anything, but I would've loved to see Conan. My buddies went to see Regis & Kelly(I slept in as I didn't care), but they're weird like that.

Over-all though I say the coolest thing is to just walk around Manhattan and experience the culture. N.Y. has a very cool "feel" to it, and the people are a riot. We stayed around Times Square(which is also a place to see, but its so obvious I didnt bother mentioning it, I'm sure you would've thought of that on your own), and the different vendors around there are hilarious. Some will charge you 75 cents for a pretzel, and a guy two blocks down will charge you $2. Call him on it, and he'll sheepishly give it to you for 75 cents. Also, people cross the streets even when it says "Don't Walk", and also cars(mostly taxis) will rip through cross-walks when it says "Walk". It took a day or so to get used to, but after that it was alot of fun(but I get a kick out of stuff like that). I definitely yelled at my fair share of taxis when they cut me off while I was crossing the street. It's so bad that people actually bang on the hood of a taxi when they do it, its almost like a custom. Its a riot when I saw people doing it.

People walk everywhere in Manhattan, as traffic is obviously gridlocked. I'd suggest spending an afternoon just hoofing it around mid-town Manhattan(the NY public library is also there, which was cool), looking at the sights and sounds, and hitting up all the different vendors for lunch, as they're surprisingly really good. Just seeing skyscraper after skyscraper is incredible, its crazy how huge Manhattan is. We went to 16 states on that trip, and New York City was the only city that actually blew me away.

[Devils'Advocate]

There were some good suggestions in this thread:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=31655

(not calling fata... things change in 2 years... I only posted the link because there really are some good suggestions in that link worth reading)

[burn_baby_burn]

Thanks Sainters7. We are definately taking the subway to the Bronx.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

There were some good suggestions in this thread:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=31655

(not calling fata... things change in 2 years... I only posted the link because there really are some good suggestions in that link worth reading)

Lots of great info there. Thanks a lot!

[fatso]

one of my favourite things to do when I go to New York is just walk around Soho on a Friday or Saturday evening, especially if the weather is nice. Stop in somewhere for something to eat and then go bar-hopping.

It's pretty cool down there - lots of cool bars, shops, restaurants, and people are pretty nice. It makes you feel like a New Yorker.

[Antithesis]

Are you into 'cultural' things? You could go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art ... stop at the Hello Deli for a sandwich and on to Central Park?

Chelsea Piers are a lot of fun as well, lots of stuff to do there as well.

Chinatown, Little Italy, all sorts of stuff.

[socalwingfan]

My wife and I just got back - along with all the suggestions mentioned above, I will add going to see Boeing Boeing if you want to take in a show - it is hilarious

[dissentowner]

[bcb]

Tour Madison Square Garden

[the crispy badger]

Was there last August and damn is it an amazing place! I loved walking up Central Park West and seeing where so many famous people live, the weather can be a killer(+40 at 8:30pm!) and things are expensive but it's all worth it when you first see that killer skyline, it takes your breath away.

[metallicat]

There is nothing to see in NYC. In fact, those baseballs games have been cancelled. You had better just send them to me, and I will return them to the Yankees box office for you.

[BurningDownTheHouse]

Take in a show at a jazz club somewhere in the city. I'd recommend the Blue Note in Greenwich Village (http://www.bluenote.net/newyork/index.shtml). Reservations are required, I believe. It has been a couple of years since I was there, but it was great!

I'll second Sainters7's suggestion to just walk around Manhattan. Great atmosphere, and you'll come across some less-advertised places to visit and some hole-in-the-wall places that you'll want time to check out. I did that when I went for a girls' trip. Wouldn't you know, we stumbled across the Museum of Sex.

Take the subway to Brooklyn and walk back to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge.

LOTS to do!

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by Antithesis

Are you into 'cultural' things? You could go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art ... stop at the Hello Deli for a sandwich and on to Central Park?

Chelsea Piers are a lot of fun as well, lots of stuff to do there as well.

Chinatown, Little Italy, all sorts of stuff.

I have a cousin who lives there (unfortunately she is heading out of town during the long weekend). Her biggest suggestion was the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[Byrns]

I was there last year, and the places my wife enjoyed most were:

Shopping in SOHO
Shopping for knockoffs in Chinatown (where they take you into the "secret" room in the store)
Central Park

New York is awesome I know we can't wait to go again!

[The Goon]

This thread is relevant to my interests, as I'm trying to organize a trip there with my fiancee at the end of July.

Does anyone have suggestions as to accommodations that aren't equivalent to a mortgage? So far the best I've found is across the river in New Jersey.

[Table 5]

Haven't you guys heard? New York City has put a moratorium on tourism for the 2008 season. No more entrants will be permitted. Sorry for the inconvenience.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by The Goon

This thread is relevant to my interests, as I'm trying to organize a trip there with my fiancee at the end of July.

Does anyone have suggestions as to accommodations that aren't equivalent to a mortgage? So far the best I've found is across the river in New Jersey.

It depends, if you want nice, inexpensive accomodations (ie., if hotel-room activities are going to be a primary part of your trip), probably something in NJ is the way to go. The transit system is good enough that you can get to Manhattan pretty quickly from just about anywhere. If you just want a crash pad with a good location, I'd recommend somewhere like the Larchmont, where my wife and I recently stayed. It's european-style, which means the bathroom is down the hall, and the decor is pretty uninspired. But the location just a couple blocks from Union Square was ideal.

In terms of other sights to see and things to do, if you like bookstores there are some great ones in NY: Strand, a massive used book store near Union Square, and Rizzoli, an extremely elegant and upscale one near
the south end of Central Park. There's even a McNally Robinson in Soho.

For food, Katz's Deli is expensive, confusing, and busy, but worth these inconveniences. Ignore it's pop-culture claim to fame as the location for an infamous Meg Ryan movie scene, and focus on the reubens, which are honestly the best I've ever had.