Planning for New York City!

[Hoc]

If you have no preference on what Broadway show to see do go to the tickets booth on Times Square and see what is available.

Go to the one at the South Street Seaport instead. Same tickets, fewer lines.

 

[icydog]

Go to the one at the South Street Seaport instead. Same tickets, fewer lines.

We need aisle seats because I have to have my right leg extended so when we see a show on the TKTS board we walk over to the theatre and tell them we want to see the show for the reduced price but need an aisle due to medical reasons. So far this has worked.

I haven't gone to South Street myself but my tour books recommend South St as well. I took a bunch of new tour books out of my library and took them with us. The information in them was invaluable. I liked the Frommer's New York City tour book the best. Some of the restaurants he mentioned were pretty good. You can eat cheaper in NYC than in NJ. It's crazy but true. I got delicious, real, NYC bagels with two eggs for $1.25 every morning. In NJ the same breakfast is $3.50. BTW, the water in NYC is the best! That's why the coffee and bagels are so good.

 

[MULTIZ321]

I second Marilyn's recommendation to obtain an unlimited ride Metrocard to use on the NYC subways and busses. This is way more convienient then Metro's exact fare policy - $2 per person per ride & I think it's coins only, no bills.

There are several types of unlimited ride MetroCards -
a 1-Day Fun Pass - Cost $7, Reduced Fare not available;

7-Day Unlimited Ride Metrocard - Cost $24; Reduced Fare Card $12

30-Day Unlimited Ride Metrocard - Cost $76; Reduced Fare Card $38

There are some other categories as well - for more info, visit http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/metrocard/index.html

If you are a Senior (65+) you can submit an application for a Reduced Fare Card. Here's the link for the application
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/fare/pdf/seniors.pdf

You submit a notarized application along with a photo. The Reduced Fare Card will be mailed to you and is good for 2 years. You don't have to be a resident of the New York State to qualify for the Reduced Rate Card. You activate the Reduced Fare Card by inserting it into a MetroCard Vending Machine - they're located in most Subway Stations - and follow the menu prompts along with inserting the amount of cash for the type of card service you want (e.g., most likely a 7-Day Unlimited Ride Metrocard). Be aware that the Metrcard Vending Machines will provide change up to a maximum of $6. So, in other words don't insert a $50-dollar bill or a $100-dollar bill and expect the machine to provide you change - it won't happen.

Alternatively, you can go the Metro Walk In Center at 3 Stone Street (in lower Manhattan between Broad and Broadway - Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) to apply for your Reduced Rate Card in person. If you go to the Walk In Center, you're only a couple of short blocks away from Fraunces Tavern where George Washington gave his farewell address to his troops at the end of the Revolutionary War. Drop in for a drink or a meal and soak up early American History. For more info visit http://www.frauncestavern.com/

You're also very close to the TKTS ® Lower Manhattan Theatre Center at South Street Seaport ( the corner of Front and John Streets, the rear of the Resnick/Prudential Building at 199 Water Street ) to get your 1/2 price theatre tickets. As other poster's have mentioned, much shorter lines here than at their Duffy Square location near Times Square. For more info, visit
http://www.tdf.org/tkts/#

Enjoy your trip,
Richard

 

[icydog]

You activate the Reduced Fare Card by inserting it into a MetroCard Vending Machine - they're located in most Subway Stations - and follow the menu prompts along with inserting the amount of cash for the type of card service you want (e.g., most likely a 7-Day Unlimited Ride Metrocard). Be aware that the Metrcard Vending Machines will provide change up to a maximum of $6. So, in other words don't insert a $50-dollar bill or a $100-dollar bill and expect the machine to provide you change - it won't happen.
Richard

Wow Richard thanks for all that information. I am printing a copy of both the senior application and the disabled persons application. The next time I am in the city I will be ready. I wish I knew there was a walk in place. We could have done all this while we were in the city last week and saved $12 each to boot.

I put an important part of your post in RED so people will heed your advice. I believe you should always use a credit card at the vending machines. It provides you with a record should something happen to your ticket and it is safer not to be brandishing so much cash in the subway. I also should warn you to take your Metro Card out of your wallet before entering the subway station. It is not a good idea to advertise where you keep your money. NYC is not like Rome or Paris, in that you don't have to expect pick pockets around every corner but, places like Penn Station, the Port Authority Building, Times Square and other places that cash laden tourists can be found, are well known pick pocket hevens. Just a word to the wise. NYC is a safe city, but as a savy traveler you should not be a target for unsavory characters that will prey on tourists no matter where you travel. Most of all have fun but watch your cash just like you would do in any large city.

Thanks again,
Marylyn

 

[PClapham]

RE the senior reduced fare card: can you get it the same day at the walk-in place?
Thanks
Aniita

 

[MULTIZ321]

Anita,

Yes, you can get it the same day, activate it and use it the same day also.


Richard

 

[Jaybee]

Richard, you have my thanks, too, for all the great information. Thanks to all of you, in fact. We'll be spending 6 nights in Manhattan in August, and having only spent about 3 hrs. in NYC previously, I need all the help I can get. It's all appreciated. Yea, Tuggers! Jean

 

[mamiecarter]

Eat like a tycoon, save like a scotsman!

You can subscribe to Zagats on line or buy the Zagat New York Restaurant Guide when you get here. They have a best cheap eats list that corelates quality to price. Also a list of restaurants with prix fixe menus and early bird specials. China town abounds it good $5 meals.Street food carts are often tasty as many fancy places.

 

[wauhob3]

The www.restaurant.com certificates helped save money too. We had one for Seppis a French restaurant a block down the street from Manhattan club; an Italian restaurant on 47th and Broadway Daniela Trattoria; Mars 2112 geared for those with young children and Steak Frites, a French steakhouse near Union Square. I’d go to all of them again except for Mars 2112 unless I had young kids with. We usually ate at a bigger meal at lunch than snacks later.

The best place we ate at though was at The United Nations in The Delegates Dining Room for their international buffet lunch. It is $25 a person and very elegant. You need reservations, which you can make the day of and you have to have proper attire but they didn’t say anything about my daughter being in jeans. I’m sure my daughter ate $25 worth of fresh raspberries and lamb alone. They had interesting choices.

 

[marion10]

Oh I want to go back. My kids really enjoyed the Sony Wonder Lab- http://www.sonywondertechlab.com/. Free, but you need advance reservations

 

[icydog]

We thoroughly enjoyed the Sony Labs. We walked in without a reservation but we called in advance to make sure there were no lines. We went by ourselves but kept telling each other that it would have been a great place for our 8 yo grandson. I'm glad this place was free because for two seniors it was not worth an admission fee. Many of the the exhibits were not working but the ones that were are very interesting.

As far as Restaurant.com gift certificates-make sure you meet all the requirements before heading out to the restaurant and CALL AHEAD to make sure they still accept the certificates. We did call and the one gc we had with us was not being accepted by the managment any longer. There is no recourse, you cannot argue, they say no-- and no it is. I have heard of folks ordering way beyond their budget to get to the minimums on the Gift Certificate, usually $35 but sometimes as high as $100, only to be told that they don't accept them anymore. It has happened so often to me it is now the norm to be advised they are no longer any good or the minimum has been raised substanially.

 

[wauhob3]

I looked on restaurant.com right before leaving to make sure they were still selling the certifcates for the restaurants we had certificates. If they didn't then I would have called first. I also tell them as soon as I get seated I have one. The only problem I had was for the Celebrity Deli which was closed down. Restaurant.com issued a mega certificate to replace. I also wait for at least a 50% off sale so I'm only paying $5 and sometimes they have them for $4. NYC has many of them.

 

[icydog]

I looked on restaurant.com right before leaving to make sure they were still selling the certifcates for the restaurants we had certificates. If they didn't then I would have called first. I also tell them as soon as I get seated I have one. The only problem I had was for the Celebrity Deli which was closed down. Restaurant.com issued a mega certificate to replace. I also wait for at least a 50% off sale so I'm only paying $5 and sometimes they have them for $4. NYC has many of them.

The Celebrity Deli proves my point. My brother and I went in for lunch before the theater only to be told they don't accept them any longer. We had to hurry to find someplace else to eat. I personally am glad the Celebrity closed down. The attitude in there was atrocious. I still say call first rather than schlepp cross town to find out they don't honor them. It is up to the discretion of the manager. As far as mega certificates I have five waiting to be filled. I think of them as empty pieces of paper. Restaurant.com used to be the goose that laid the golden egg until owners figured out the advertising wasn't worth the loss in revenue. I had one restaurant owner yell at me saying he was sick of pieces of paper and no money. In fact he was right. We would buy the gcs for practically nothing and eat a lovely dinner and walk out paying only the tip and maybe a couple of dollars for extras we ordered so we didn't have a zero balance. It was good while it lasted but restauranteurs know it for the scam it is now and the goose got cooked.

 

[wauhob3]

The Celebrity Deli proves my point. My brother and I went in for lunch before the theater only to be told they don't accept them any longer. We had to hurry to find someplace else to eat. I personally am glad the Celebrity closed down. The attitude in there was atrocious. I still say call first rather than schlepp cross town to find out they don't honor them. It is up to the discretion of the manager. As far as mega certificates I have five waiting to be filled. I think of them as empty pieces of paper. Restaurant.com used to be the goose that laid the golden egg until owners figured out the advertising wasn't worth the loss in revenue. I had one restaurant owner yell at me saying he was sick of pieces of paper and no money. In fact he was right. We would buy the gcs for practically nothing and eat a lovely dinner and walk out paying only the tip and maybe a couple of dollars for extras we ordered so we didn't have a zero balance. It was good while it lasted but restauranteurs know it for the scam it is now and the goose got cooked.

Sorry you had a bad experience but I don't know why you consider it a scam. No restaurant has to participate. It isn't so different than Entertainment cards especially since they require two diners and often you have to purchase $35 worth of food plus alcoholic drinks are usually excluded. I can tell you I probably would have never ended up at any of the restaurants I went to without the certificates. I also used Mapquest to plot out the addresses so I knew they were nearby.

 

[frankhi]

We are going to NYC in Sept. for some sightseeing and Yankees games. We are staying at the Embassy Suites in Lower Manhatten. Is it fairly easy to get a cab (or a car service) after the game? Thanks

 

[Sue K]

Besides owning at the MC, our son and daughter-in-law live in Manhattan so we go in all the time. Cabs are something you can never count on! Generally it's not a problem, you can hail one fairly easily, but if it's raining or really, really cold, forget it, you can stand there an hour and not be able to get one. I would think that would be a problem after a Yankee game. Try to find out what subway to take back to you hotel. The subway is not the most pleasant means of transportation but much more reliable than counting on a cab.

 

[Karen G]

Try to find out what subway to take back to you hotel.

I agree. When we went to a Yankees game from the MC, we took the subway there and back. There were a lot of other people on the subway with us going to the game and returning, and they were very helpful in making sure we got on the right trains.

Upon re-reading the post above, I see that the poster is not staying at the MC but at the Embassy Suites in lower Manhattan. I still think the subway is the best transportation and I'm sure there will be people around to help you find the right trains.

 

[magiroux]

The Celebrity Deli proves my point. My brother and I went in for lunch before the theater only to be told they don't accept them any longer. We had to hurry to find someplace else to eat. I personally am glad the Celebrity closed down. The attitude in there was atrocious. I still say call first rather than schlepp cross town to find out they don't honor them. It is up to the discretion of the manager. As far as mega certificates I have five waiting to be filled. I think of them as empty pieces of paper. Restaurant.com used to be the goose that laid the golden egg until owners figured out the advertising wasn't worth the loss in revenue. I had one restaurant owner yell at me saying he was sick of pieces of paper and no money. In fact he was right. We would buy the gcs for practically nothing and eat a lovely dinner and walk out paying only the tip and maybe a couple of dollars for extras we ordered so we didn't have a zero balance. It was good while it lasted but restauranteurs know it for the scam it is now and the goose got cooked.

I just wanted to chime in here....That really does sound like an awful experience you had with that restaurant, but to be fair, it sounds like the restaurant is the scammer, not Restaurant.com. The owner/manager of the restaurant can authorize as many (or as few) GC's to be sold on the website as they want. If he was only seeing paper, that's his fault. They are free to set as many restrictions as they want, and some of them ARE quite restrictive. Seeing he's now out of business, perhaps he just didn't know how to run a restaurant???

I have been using Restaurant.com for over four years now (use at least five per year)for establishments from NH to FL and have NEVER had an issue. I have never called first, although I always present my GC before ordering. I have, however, been discretely reminded to please tip on the pre-discount amount, which means they must have people that do not tip appropriately. You have to make sure you you read all restrictions before purchasing and patronizing the participating restaurants.

If I begin to have the problems you have experienced, I will certainly eat my words and give the website the big "thumbs down", but I used two GC's in Orlando Easter week and had no problems at all.

 

[dvc95]

I had several experiences where I was told the restaurant was no longer honoring the GC, which made me stop using that site. I'm sure it is probably the establishment (and it was more than 1 restaurant--I bought several GC at once) who is at fault rather than restaurant.com but either way--I was the one out the money. I'd had success with it as well but I just wasn't willing to take the chance once I'd been burned. Just my 2 cents.

Heidi

 

[Jaybee]

Hi, guys! I've been reading and reading, but maybe missing something. We'll be going from JFK to the New York Hilton in Aug., and having to catch an 8:23 am flight back home. Any advice on the best way to get from the airport to the hotel in the evening (5:30pm), and ...more importantly, getting back to the airport by 7am? A taxi sounds like the surest way...but not if we can't find one. Thanks for all the help.

 

[icydog]

Hi, guys! I've been reading and reading, but maybe missing something. We'll be going from JFK to the New York Hilton in Aug., and having to catch an 8:23 am flight back home. Any advice on the best way to get from the airport to the hotel in the evening (5:30pm), and ...more importantly, getting back to the airport by 7am? A taxi sounds like the surest way...but not if we can't find one. Thanks for all the help.

I am assuming you mean the Hilton Club on 6th Avenue. If you are staying there you will have no problem getting a cab no matter what time of day or night. there is always a long queue of cabs waiting for fares there. There are also shuttle services to and from the airport. They are very reasonable and run 24 hours a day. Some pick up at hotels and some meet at 42nd street but you should find out exactly how you plan to do this BEFORE you leave home.


http://www.panynj.gov/aviation/jgtsfram.htm
This is the best site to use. It tells you which shuttle to use to get into and out of Manhattan

 

[hudson1126]

You do not want to take a taxi or car service from Yankee stadium after the game. Trust me.

Follow the crowds after the game to the subway.

 

[Jaybee]

Marylyn, thanks ever-so-much for that website, and your helpful information. I really appreciate that, and all you helpful Tuggers.

I am assuming you mean the Hilton Club on 6th Avenue. If you are staying there you will have no problem getting a cab no matter what time of day or night. there is always a long queue of cabs waiting for fares there. There are also shuttle services to and from the airport. They are very reasonable and run 24 hours a day. Some pick up at hotels and some meet at 42nd street but you should find out exactly how you plan to do this BEFORE you leave home.


http://www.panynj.gov/aviation/jgtsfram.htm
This is the best site to use. It tells you which shuttle to use to get into and out of Manhattan

 

[Dani]

We are going to NYC in Sept. for some sightseeing and Yankees games. We are staying at the Embassy Suites in Lower Manhatten. Is it fairly easy to get a cab (or a car service) after the game? Thanks

Frank,

It is next to impossible to catch a cab at the end of a Yankee game and even if you were able to, it would not likely be a yellow cab but what we call a gypsy cab and the traffic would be terrible. Do yourself a favor and take the subway to and from Yankee stadium.

 

[Jaybee]

Hi again, Marylyn...Using the website you provided, I've booked our reservations for p/u & delivery for transportation for our trip. So now I've reserved airport parking, so I have to get the silly pictures for the Metro Discount applications. Thanks, all..

I am assuming you mean the Hilton Club on 6th Avenue. If you are staying there you will have no problem getting a cab no matter what time of day or night. there is always a long queue of cabs waiting for fares there. There are also shuttle services to and from the airport. They are very reasonable and run 24 hours a day. Some pick up at hotels and some meet at 42nd street but you should find out exactly how you plan to do this BEFORE you leave home.


http://www.panynj.gov/aviation/jgtsfram.htm
This is the best site to use. It tells you which shuttle to use to get into and out of Manhattan