Debating a Break To NY (from UK)

[mcchriswood]

Hi there Guys.
Haven't been on in a while and thought i'd come back and have a little look around again. Hope everyones doing fine.
I know there is a majority of American Users on this site so thought this would be perfect for me too ask a few questions about planning a break in the future.
Now i won't be going until December 2011 (planning for the 16th - 22nd) reason being i have already got two summer holidays booked for next year so funds won't allow me too go next year and im desperate too go near Christmas.
I'll be going with my Other Half and was looking too stay near the thick of everything ie madison square gardens etc.
Basically what i am asking is what could i get up too in my 5 days in NY.
So far i am planning -
either a visit to a basketball or baseball game
Visits too empire state, ground zero
Shopping trip too woodbury common.

It will be my very first visit to the US which i have been waiting for for a long while.
I'm 21 years of age and enjoy sports and shopping.
Is there anything i need to check out whilst i am over there??
Any recommendations??
Any ideas for hotels??
And lastly anywhere where i can book so far in advance??
Thanks guys and girls look forward too hearing from you
Chris

 

[DaveAri]

Hi there Guys.
Haven't been on in a while and thought i'd come back and have a little look around again. Hope everyones doing fine.
I know there is a majority of American Users on this site so thought this would be perfect for me too ask a few questions about planning a break in the future.
Now i won't be going until December 2011 (planning for the 16th - 22nd) reason being i have already got two summer holidays booked for next year so funds won't allow me too go next year and im desperate too go near Christmas.
I'll be going with my Other Half and was looking too stay near the thick of everything ie madison square gardens etc.
Basically what i am asking is what could i get up too in my 5 days in NY.
So far i am planning -
either a visit to a basketball or baseball game
Visits too empire state, ground zero
Shopping trip too woodbury common.

It will be my very first visit to the US which i have been waiting for for a long while.
I'm 21 years of age and enjoy sports and shopping.
Is there anything i need to check out whilst i am over there??
Any recommendations??
Any ideas for hotels??
And lastly anywhere where i can book so far in advance??
Thanks guys and girls look forward too hearing from you
Chris

http://www.nycgo.com/

 

[mcchriswood]

Thank you for the link. Great site.
Ive now added central park indefinately too my list and am thinking about a broadway show.
Chris

 

[Cities]

If you want to stay near Madison Square Garden, I recommend the Ace Hotel. Although somewhat expensive, it's not too bad considering you'll be in NY.

http://www.acehotel.com/newyork

There is just so much to do, I don't really know where to start.

Hit the major museums, just because you should at least once in your life: The Met, MoMA, The Guggenheim, Museum of Natural History. Also, I enjoyed the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

Walk around and get a feel for the different neighborhoods. Check out the East Village, West Village, Lower East Side, Soho, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Harlem, Chinatown.

Go to Brooklyn! Walk around Williamsburg and Park Slope. Take the train down to Coney Island for a bizarrely great experience.

Eat good food. Peter Luger in Brooklyn has the best steak I have ever had.

Since you only have five days, I'd skip Woodbury Commons. It's an outlet mall, and I'm sure you can find better prices on Amazon or Ebay.

 

[Obsessed]

One quick note - staying near Madison Square Garden would not be my first choice.

 

[The Nid Hog]

One quick note - staying near Madison Square Garden would not be my first choice.

+1. My daughter had a college interview come up at the last minute near a holiday and we wound up booking a hotel near MSG in desperation. I think that it was in the Hilton group, so it safe and nicely done. However, the room was so small and it was dominated by a huge plasma screen TV--I felt like I was in some kind of test chamber for controlled TV viewing. On the plus side, there were some fantastic Korean restaurants there and I got to watch some loudmouth try to get his new Porsche out from under the dump truck that backed over it by mistake.

 

[mcchriswood]

Ok guys thanks this is proving somewhat interesting.
Where would you guys stay if not near MSG??
If i say for instance i'm going to do a days worth of shopping where is the best place to go - Id say im a casual sort of guy wearing alot of ralph lauren, slim levis, abercrombie, franklin and marshall and so on and so fourth.
Over hear we pay 45GBP for a polo ralph lauren and your hard pushed to find cheaper.
I then think i'd do maybe a day visiting empire state building and a few bits of history and a day at a sports game then the rest of the time having a little look around. As you all say there is so many places too go and visit. I dont have a great understanding of how big the area is and what it has too offer and whats in certain places.
So far you guys have been perfect in feeding me great information.
I have a lot of time too plan and am starting already to right out a detailed itinerary.
Thanks again
Chris

 

[mcchriswood]

sorry just too add...is there anywhere specific i should avoid - ie dangerous places as i will be with my other half.
Also i have just looked at the ace hotel and it looks wonderful however i think it will MORE than cater for our needs. I think we would be looking for somewhere cheaper as we would reall yonly be looking to rest our heads there.
Saying that it needs to be clean and safe for the two of us.
A friend stayed in the pennsylvania hotel and said it was ok albeit a few things but having looked at reviews it has very low ratings
Chris

 

[Obsessed]

There are hotels stashed all over the City, in much nicer areas than near MSG (where the Pennsylvania is), an area that is not particularly interesting unless you are actually going to MSG. Any decent area in Manhattan where you might stay will be accessible to other areas pretty easily via public transportation, and you'd have to aim pretty low to find a hotel where personal safety would be a concern.

You won't be here for over a year, you have plenty of time to do some research. I think there are a lot of NYC-area guys on B&B, so you should get plenty of suggestions.

 

[Navig8tor]

There are more hotels further uptown you might want to look at. I think there are some boutique ones that run a lot of specials up near the park.

If you can find a decent one near times square you would have a good base of operations. There is a large subway terminal there so you can get to practically anywhere. Also it's not too far to walk to many tourist sights and broadway shows.

There are no baseball games at that time of year. They have hockey or basketball at MSG. You might be able to catch a football (american) game on a sunday if they are in town.

The Radio City Music Hall Christmas show is always a big draw. You might want to look at that.

 

[mcchriswood]

Thanks. Yes i think we was probably looking at a basketball game then.
And really thats what im looking for...a hotel in a good place thats a good base and easy to reach everything.
Preferably within walking distance (i understand not everything will be) This way i can get a feel for the place whilst travelling to places we will be visiting.
Thanks again and as has been pointed out its a fair while until i go so i will await some more of the NYC guys to give a little advice
Meant to say will definately be visiting central park also
Thanks again B&B

 

[TorzJohnson]

Woodbury Common? Are you going strictly for the shopping or because you saw a picture that looked nice, like this:

Because I do a lot of work around the Woodbury / Central Valley / Harriman / Monroe area and that picture is rather misleading. Woodbury is also a long drive up horrible, horrible Interstate 87 from the city too.

No matter what else you do while in NYC, don't miss the American Museum of Natural History (but don't eat lunch in their cafeteria) and the MoMA.

 

[andrewckellogg]

Woodbury Common? Are you going strictly for the shopping or because you saw a picture that looked nice, like this:

Because I do a lot of work around the Woodbury / Central Valley / Harriman / Monroe area and that picture is rather misleading. Woodbury is also a long drive up horrible, horrible Interstate 87 from the city too.

No matter what else you do while in NYC, don't miss the American Museum of Natural History (but don't eat lunch in their cafeteria) and the MoMA.

Not to mention humanity at its worst near Christmas.

 

[DunEdinRanger]

In December, you won't be catching any baseball games, unless the World Series is still on.

You may want to check out getting some college basketball tickets at the Garden.

If you're a runner, check out http://www.nyrr.org for a list of races in December.

If you like beer, the Brooklyn Brewery is a must stop.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is about the coolest museum. Paintings, knights in shining armor, and Egyptian artifacts.

Become familiar with the subway - http://www.mta.info it will get you everywhere you want to go. Get an all day pass, you'll save in the long run.

Don't fly into JFK. I would suggest Newark as it has easier, and more frequent mass transit into the city. http://www.njtransit.com will have the latest information. There is train that will take you directly from Newark Airport to New York Penn Station, conveniently located under Madison Square Garden.

At Christmas time, obviously must see items are the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center, the store windows at along 5th Avene, and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The PATH (Port Authority Trans Hudson) system http://www.panynj.gov/path/ whisks you to Hoboken from stops along 6th Avenue (Never Avenue of the Americas). From the Hoboken Terminal you can walk along the frigid waterfront enjoying spectacular views of the New York Skyline.

 

[_JP_]

Where would you guys stay if not near MSG??

I've stayed at the HI New York City Hostel. How does $29 per night sound? I stayed there last year during a visit to NYC and I can recommend it. Private rooms are also available for an additional cost. The money you save there can be put to use for other things during your visit. It's a short walk from the subway and within walking distance of Central Park.

 

[Navig8tor]

[/QUOTE]The PATH (Port Authority Trans Hudson) system http://www.panynj.gov/path/ whisks you to Hoboken from stops along 6th Avenue (Never Avenue of the Americas). From the Hoboken Terminal you can walk along the frigid waterfront enjoying spectacular views of the New York Skyline.[/QUOTE]

Don't forget Carlos' City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken if you are the fan of Cake Boss. Even if you're not they have good stuff.

 

[mcchriswood]

Hi again guys
Sorry too bring this back up again.
After having a long think and a talk to the other half she has decided she would rather go too canada and has always fancied it apparently.
Im in two minds about it as i know i could probably catch a decent ice hockey game which would be great but other than that i know VERY little about the country.
I suppose we would be going for 5-7 days still and i reckon a more touristy area such as vancouver or montreal.
What would there be there for me??
SWMBO has this idea that we can just stroll along in the winters snow and do nothing all day everyday. This however is clearly not the case
Thanks Guys
Chris

 

[rickw]

I generally stay in a hotel just south of Central Park. There is a raft of Hiltons, Marriots etc. Last month I was at the Marriot at 48th and Lexington.

I would recommend a bus tour out of the Port Authority. There is an on and off double deck bus that goes up into Harlem and down to SOHO (South of Huston).

Nobody has yet mentioned the Museum of Modern Art.

Shopping. Macy's is on 34th. Bloomingdales is at about 60th and Lexington. Plenty of designer shops on Madison (maybe 50th up)

Don't miss Grenwich Village - Lower East Side. This includes Washington Square, Little Italy and NYU.

You might consider changing your timing to May - June. Nicer time of year to walk the streets. The artist will be out in the Village and baseball season will be on.

 

[Mazeman]

You've got to catch a Broadway play or two!

You can get 1/2 price tickets on the day of the show at Times Square. The last time I went, the booth was located at the Marquis Marriott hotel. The line can be long, but it moves fast. Get there 1 hour before tickets sell (I think they start at 3 PM for an 8PM show--- but double check this).

A Broadway Show is a must.