# First New York Trip



## Jan&Ern (Jan 22, 2013)

I'm traveling to New York City at the end of February for a business conference. My husband and I are extending the stay so we can sight see for 2 days. We'll be at the Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue since that's where the conference is. What would be reasonable for us to do/see on Saturday and Sunday that's nearby and considered a "must see?" We also have heard that if we want to dine out on Saturday and Sunday evenings we need to make reservations soon. Any recommendations for restaurants that are not going to bust our budget but still offer a lovely meal and a New York experience? I know Tuggers are in NY all the time so I thought I tap this resource before picking up a travel book. Thanks!


----------



## vacationhopeful (Jan 22, 2013)

Nothing is cheap in NYC. Not even the hot dog carts.

Bring lots of money (or credit cards). Do a Broadway show, take a city tour, see/visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and visit the World Trade Center complex.

That is the first day or two.


----------



## legalfee (Jan 22, 2013)

The Greenwich Village Food and Culture Walking Tour. You will thank me for this. The Chelsea / Meatpacking tour is also great.

http://www.foodsofny.com/greenwichvillage.php


----------



## Conan (Jan 22, 2013)

Go to one of New York's great art museums.  The largest and most comprehensive is the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue at 83rd Street.  Admission there is always 'pay what you want' so don't feel bound by the suggested ticket price.

The Waldorf is within walking distance of the Museum of Modern Art, 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas a/k/a Sixth Avenue.  The admission there is a steep $25 or a few dollars less for seniors, and unfortunately you do have to pay it.  [But if you can get there on any Friday night between 4pm and 8pm tickets are free for all.]

For big name medium-expensive restaurants in your neighborhood there's the Palm Restaurant Too (Steakhouse) 840 Second Avenue at 45th Street, Shun Lee Palace East (Chinese) 155 East 55th Street between Lexington and Third Avenue), and many quality Japanese restaurants (ask the hotel concierge to pick one for you).  I call these medium-expensive in comparison to the pricier world-famous places like La Grenouille, Il Postino, The Four Seasons, and so forth.

If you want to spend a third as much and eat the way regular New Yorkers do, there are many quality Thai, Turkish, Indian, Szechuan Chinese, and other ethic restaurants to choose from.


----------



## bjones9942 (Jan 22, 2013)

Conan said:


> If you want to spend a third as much and eat the way regular New Yorkers do, there are many quality Thai, Turkish, Indian, Szechuan Chinese, and other ethic restaurants to choose from.



I agree.  Forget your 'nearby' restriction and you'll have a much nicer experience.  Go to Little Italy (or the 50's along 2nd if those Italian joints are still there). Try the xiao long bao (soup dumplings) at Joe's Shanghai in Chinatown.  Eat great Indian food in Curry Hill.  Visit Katz's Deli for a chopped liver sandwich and a sour pickle.  Take the G train to greenpoint and have the polish platter at Christina's.

The 50 lbs I recently lost are waiting for me in those restaurants, I just know it!


----------



## Luanne (Jan 22, 2013)

LOVED the Waldorf!  Stayed there quite a few years ago with dh and our two dds.  We had a suite, which was wonderful (and actually quite reasonable at the time).  What we loved was that they'd change the towels several times a day and they put chocolates on our pillows each night.

Wonderful location for walking everywhere.  I would definitely suggest seeing a Broadway show.


----------



## e.bram (Jan 22, 2013)

Met Opera at Lincoln Center. Hugh hall and singers do not use microphones. Amazing!


----------



## pgnewarkboy (Jan 23, 2013)

Go to the top of 30 Rockefeller for a NYC skyline extravaganza,   and explore the Rockefeller center area. Many say it is a better view from the top than the empire state building.  We certainly enjoyed it.


----------



## radmoo (Jan 23, 2013)

I second the metropolitan Museum.  Walk up Madison  Avenue and window shop.  And make sure to walk through newly restored Grand Central Terminal.  As a native NYer, I would advise staying away from big name restaurants which are meant for business accounts.  For a true NY experience, try the Carnegie Deli.  Cash only and share, trust me.  West 46th St in the theater district is restaurant row and there are many wonderful dining choices.  If you can get a table at Beccos, go for it.  They have prix fixe pasta menu and $20 wine, that is for bottle!  It is owned by Bastianich family if you are familiar with tv's Cooking With Lydia.
Just walk and take in the sights.  So much to see, so little time.  Thankfully it is the city that never sleeps.


----------



## vacationhopeful (Jan 23, 2013)

pgnewarkboy said:


> Go to the top of 30 Rockefeller for a NYC skyline extravaganza,   and explore the Rockefeller center area. Many say it is a better view from the top than the empire state building.  We certainly enjoyed it.



If you decide to go to the TOP of the Rock, look at their package tours of the fixed TV sets at 30 Rock and the Architectural Tour ... 

AND my favorite is, do a Jimmy Fallon show - standby tickets practice is: ask at the NBC store early in the AM (after/during your standing outside the Today show window), find the line, get a ticket (everybody in the party must be there as only 1 ticket per person), come back at appointed time (4-4:15 was the old time), stand in line again and hope. Get thru security, get upstairs to the sound stage, and enjoy. Get out around 6:30PM. 6 hours later watch to see if you are on TV. *Yes, it is FREE and I always find it is fun*. And I never watched Jimmy Fallon before - thought he was silly and immature. Well, he is -- but he just so loves his job and just gets everyone in the theater into it. It is taped live and only a very little gets editted. And he runs up and down the steps everytime --- handshakes, high-fives, signing stuff, hugs at the end of the taping. And his guests are so much less stuffy than Letterman. IMHO.


----------



## wauhob3 (Jan 23, 2013)

I hope you aren't tied to your hotel room while your husband is at his conference. There is so much to see and do that you can do on your own too. 

A vote for Times Square to go to a musical or play. You can get discount tickets in advance using codes if you register at www.broadwaybox.com or www.theatermania.com . For NY pizza casual dining you can couple that  with John's Pizza in Times Square http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com/

A third vote for the The Met : 

The Met http://www.metmuseum.org/visit (Not to be missed even if you are there just a couple of days IMHO. You can pay as suggested or you can pay as you wish we usually pay $5 each visit and stay a couple of hours but easily it could be all day. They have a free highlights tour if you hit the correct time.)


Other choices
The Frick  http://www.frick.org/visit is another really nice small art museum.  

NYC has the most thriving Chinatown out of all the cities we have been too. http://www.explorechinatown.com/ People visit Canal St there to buy knockoffs but sometimes walking through basic through things like grocery stores is a cultural adventure

We had a lot of fun doing both Accomplices on different trips. It is a scavenger hunt/interactive mystery theater and tour all rolled in one. Definitely a unique experience and one of the most interesting experiences we have had. The Greenwich one should be running at least in February http://accomplicetheshow.com/


----------



## Jan&Ern (Jan 24, 2013)

*Thanks for the ideas!*

Love the idea of the Jimmy Fallon show and we are going to book the Greenwich culinary tour. Looking forward to the experience of the big city and the luxury hotel.


----------



## vacationhopeful (Jan 24, 2013)

Jan&Ern said:


> Love the idea of the Jimmy Fallon show and we are going to book the Greenwich culinary tour. Looking forward to the experience of the big city and the luxury hotel.



Get on the web and find out IF you can still request dates that you will be in NYC for pre-ordered tickets to Jimmy Fallon. They are free; the standbys get in to FILL the seats. One time, as I was a single, I got a seat with a group of 3 in the 2nd row band side of the stage -- had the asile seat. Their 4th person could not make the trip to NYC (work) and with only 4 seats in that row, I, as a standby, got LUCKY coming in the sound stage door, as the NBC Page was shouting, ANY SINGLES?.


----------



## jont (Jan 24, 2013)

Jan&Ern said:


> Love the idea of the Jimmy Fallon show and we are going to book the Greenwich culinary tour. Looking forward to the experience of the big city and the luxury hotel.



The thing about NY is that's it's so big and there's a million things to do, it can sometimes get overwhelming. Just pick out a few things and enjoy. I've lived here almost my entire life and there is still plenty of places I haven't been to. Enjoy you trip.


----------



## Beaglemom3 (Jan 24, 2013)

http://www.newyorkpass.com/index_attractions.aspx?aid=16&gclid=CNvCybbRgbUCFUid4Aod7goATg

_*MOMA*_

_*Museum of Natural History*_

*Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Guggenheim*
As mentioned above, *Rockerfeller Center*. Take the whole tour, studios and Top of The Rock. 
Good breakfasts downstairs, make reservations with them directly and not via "Open Table". Watch the skaters.  http://www.patinagroup.com/restaurant.php?restaurants_id=18

My favorite:  http://becco-nyc.com/   Make reservations.

Enjoy !

Must eat at (don't go at peak lunch or dinner)http://www.eataly.com/ *"Eatly"* directly across from the Flat Iron Bldg. Eat and shop. Save room for the Gelataria.   http://www.mariobatali.com/restaurants_eataly.cfm


----------



## Jestjoan (Jan 24, 2013)

http://www.bigapplegreeter.org/


----------



## Jestjoan (Jan 24, 2013)

*Awesome view and food (DD rec)*

"Print (Restaurant). In the Ink48 hotel. Bar is called Press. The views are from the bar. Restaurant is on the ground floor." 

I have no idea about price, sorry.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...-r146341356-PRINT-New_York_City_New_York.html


----------



## jimkin (Feb 6, 2013)

This is a great thread.  I'm planning my first trip to New York also.  The only for sure right now is we want to catch a Yankee game.  These are some wonderful ideas we can use to enhance the trip.


----------

