# Please Critique My New York Itineraries



## Hoc (May 20, 2008)

I've posted this on Flyertalk and gotten quite a few responses, but I'd like to see if anyone here has any suggestions.  I am flying into New York twice in the first week of June -- getting in at 8:50 pm and flying out the next morning at 7 am.  I am going to spend the night without getting a room, and sleep on the plane on the way home.  

The first trip flies in Wednesday night into JFK, and out Thursday morning, also from JFK.


The second trip flies in Saturday night into JFK, and out Sunday morning from LGA.  Here are my plans:

Wednesday
8:50 pm: Leave airport asap and go to Katz's (closes at 10:45 pm)
11:30 pm: Go to Birdland (Keely Smith has a set from 11:30 pm until about 1 am)
1:30 am: Go to Crunch Fitness in the Village, work out and shower (should be done around 3-3:30 am)
3:30-4 am: Go to H & H Bagels at Broadway and 90th and pick up a bag of bagels for home
4 am: Head back to JFK on the E train, arrive around 5-5:30 am and go to the Admiral's Club until I have to board the plane around 6:30

Saturday
8:50 pm: Leave airport asap and go to Greenwich Village for people watching or into a club (such as The Village Underground or Club Wha?)
10:30 pm: Go to the Blue Note (Rachelle Ferrell plays at 10:30 pm, and then Maritri at 12:30 am, ending around 2:00 am)
2:00 am: Go to Katz's
3:00 am: Go to Brandy's or another piano bar
4:00 am: Get on the N train toward LGA, transfer to either the Q33 or M60 bus to LaGuardia, arriving around 5 am
5:00 am-5:30 am: Go to the Admiral's Club until I have to board the plane around 6:30

Whattayathink?

Remember that 5 am is 2 am California time, and my bedtime normally is sometime around 1 or 2 am, so staying up that late in New York is no problem for me.


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## GrammyR (May 20, 2008)

*NYC*

Having just returned from NYC, my concern would be returning to LGA.  The train drops off in the middle of a less than desirable area.   The wait for the bus can be rather unpredictable.  However, I am sure there are some on the board that are much more familiar with NYC and can give you better advice.


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## Hoc (May 20, 2008)

GrammyR said:


> Having just returned from NYC, my concern would be returning to LGA.  The train drops off in the middle of a less than desirable area.   The wait for the bus can be rather unpredictable.  However, I am sure there are some on the board that are much more familiar with NYC and can give you better advice.



They were saying on Flyertalk that the place where the Subway drops off for the bus to LGA is extremely safe at 4 am, and usually crowded with airport employees, headed to work.  Were you there?


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## Conan (May 20, 2008)

Just for reasons of comfort and convenience, I'd splurge on a yellow cab to take me door-to-door to LGA.  Cabbies love getting a fare to the airport - - usually they have to go there empty and queue up to get a passenger into the City.


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## wackymother (May 20, 2008)

rklein001 said:


> Just for reasons of comfort and convenience, I'd splurge on a yellow cab to take me door-to-door to LGA.  Cabbies love getting a fare to the airport - - usually they have to go there empty and queue up to get a passenger into the City.



I would too. The trip will be very speedy at that time, with very little traffic, so it will be less expensive. 

Subways and buses don't run all that often between 4 and 5 am. Maybe the N train and the bus at 4:00 will be an interesting experience, or maybe they will just be kind of unpleasant.


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## Hoc (May 21, 2008)

rklein001 said:


> Just for reasons of comfort and convenience, I'd splurge on a yellow cab to take me door-to-door to LGA.



I think that would be kind of boring.  This trip is about adventure, and also I would not want to get to LGA much before 5 am.  My guess is that a cab from the upper east side to LGA at 4 in the morning wouldn't take more than about 25 minutes, and then I'd have to wait around at the airport until the flight leaves at 7.  Also, I can't think of anything to do in the city after 4 am, and I suspect that, if I wait until about 4:30 or 5, even on a Sunday morning, there's probably some risk of traffic.


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## wackymother (May 21, 2008)

Hoc said:


> I think that would be kind of boring.  This trip is about adventure, and also I would not want to get to LGA much before 5 am.  My guess is that a cab from the upper east side to LGA at 4 in the morning wouldn't take more than about 25 minutes, and then I'd have to wait around at the airport until the flight leaves at 7.  Also, I can't think of anything to do in the city after 4 am, and I suspect that, if I wait until about 4:30 or 5, even on a Sunday morning, there's probably some risk of traffic.



Not on a Sunday morning. The traffic in and around NYC on a Sunday morning is negligible--even my DH will occasionally drive into the city on a Saturday or Sunday, and he loathes driving there. Remember you don't have all the gazillions of commuters trying to squeeze into midtown. 

Personally, I'd rather go to an all-night diner and do some people-watching. That would be more interesting than waiting for a bus in the middle of Queens early early on a Sunday morning. Let me think what would be fun then. Have you looked at Time Out New York for some late-night/early morning entertainment ideas? You might be able to see something really cool.


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## wackymother (May 21, 2008)

Hoc said:


> Saturday
> 
> 3:00 am: Go to Brandy's or another piano bar



Or just stay at Brandy's for another hour or two?


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## Hoc (May 21, 2008)

wackymother said:


> Or just stay at Brandy's for another hour or two?



Brandy's closes at 4 am.  Also, after having Katz's at 3 am, I doubt that I would be able to go to a diner and eat anything.


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## wackymother (May 21, 2008)

Okay, so you need an interesting non-eating activity in Manhattan on a Sunday morning from four a.m. to about six a.m.? What's the date?


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## wackymother (May 21, 2008)

You could go to Times Square and see what's happening at the crossroads of a million private lives. Or you could go to the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue and talk about iPods and see who wanders in. Probably some pretty interesting people in the wee small hours of the morning.

http://www.apple.com/retail/fifthavenue/

and here it's mentioned on a blog.

http://laughingsquid.com/24-hour-apple-store-in-new-york/

I think they used to do loading and unloading at the NY Times in the early morning hours on Sunday, and I knew people who went to see that. But the Times has moved west (just south of the Port Authority, I think) and I can't seem to find any info on what happens there in the morning.


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## wackymother (May 21, 2008)

Hoc said:


> Brandy's closes at 4 am.  Also, after having Katz's at 3 am, I doubt that I would be able to go to a diner and eat anything.



You don't need to eat. You just need to nurse a cup of coffee!


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## Hoc (May 21, 2008)

wackymother said:


> Okay, so you need an interesting non-eating activity in Manhattan on a Sunday morning from four a.m. to about six a.m.? What's the date?



Sunday morning, June 8.


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## wackymother (May 21, 2008)

Still thinking about this. I asked DH what he would do from 4-6 in the morning on a Sunday in NYC and he said, "Sleep?"

I did have another thought for you. Schedule a Blue Van Super Shuttle (1-800-BLUE-VAN) pickup from way, way downtown, maybe down by the South Street Seaport. They will pick you up anywhere in Manhattan for a flat-rate airport trip--I think it's about $25. Meet the van downtown, get on, and tell the driver you're in no hurry to get to LaGuardia, and could he take the scenic route. You're sure to be one of the very few passengers aboard, and you'll get a great semi-private trip through Manhattan and into Queens. 

I went from LaGuardia to 175 St. that way once and it took more than two hours. It was actually pretty cool, because there were about 15 people to be dropped off, and I saw parts of Manhattan I had never, never seen before. And never will again!


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## Hoc (May 22, 2008)

wackymother said:


> Schedule a Blue Van Super Shuttle (1-800-BLUE-VAN) pickup from way, way downtown, maybe down by the South Street Seaport.



Naaw, Supershuttle wants to pick me up no later than 2:55 am, and they'll probably wind up dropping me at LGA around 3:30 am.  Then I have to wait at the airport for 3 1/2 hours.


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## wackymother (May 22, 2008)

How early would they get you?


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## Hoc (May 22, 2008)

wackymother said:


> How early would they get you?



It was something like 1 am


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## wackymother (May 22, 2008)

You could go to Little Korea and visit one of their all-night spas. Just google all-night spas New York and you'll see a bunch. You get to judge for yourself which are spas and which are  "spas," but if you're looking for an interesting adventure, they should be perfect!


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## Hoc (May 22, 2008)

wackymother said:


> You could go to Little Korea and visit one of their all-night spas. Just google all-night spas New York and you'll see a bunch. You get to judge for yourself which are spas and which are  "spas," but if you're looking for an interesting adventure, they should be perfect!



I had originally thought of going to a spa and getting a massage (legit), and maybe an hour or so sleep while doing it.  But I have an interest in a physical therapy clinic here at home, and one of my benefits of ownership is that both my girlfriend and I get free weekly one-hour massages and chiropractic treatment.  I used to get massages as one of the activities on each of my trips, but I don't do that anymore, since I consider paying $100 for an hour massage to be a waste of my money now, and a weekly massage is more a fact of life than a treat nowadays.


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## suskey (May 22, 2008)

How about a ride on the Staten Island Ferry?

Susan


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## Hoc (May 23, 2008)

suskey said:


> How about a ride on the Staten Island Ferry?
> 
> Susan



I had actually proposed that over on Flyertalk.  Apparently, the area around the Ferry in Manhattan can be dicey in the middle of the night, other than the lit-up statue of liberty, the harbor is dark at night with nothing to see, and there is only one small Ferry at that time.  So if there is any kind of glitch or problem, I would wind up on Staten Island at 4 am having to take a taxi to LGA.  In light of that, I nixed the Ferry idea in lieu of Brandy's.


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