sassenach Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 (edited) Dh and I are taking a super-duper quick trip to NYC. We'll have an evening, a full day, and a morning. I'm putting together a plan for our full day. There are a lot of website/blog posts about such a feat, but I'm wondering what the hive would do with one day in New York. The hubs is not much of a museum guy, so as much as I would love to spend the whole day at the Met, think *super touristy*. Thanks! Shannon Edited November 14, 2017 by Sassenach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 Went there a few weeks ago with my 10 / 11yos. We were in NYC for a total of under 24 hours. Here's what we did: Broadway show (Wicked). Empire State Building. New York Pizza. Slept. River tour. Central Park. I did not decide to do the "sad" things with so little time. My kids have the rest of their lives to do that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 Get on one of those hop-on, hop-off buses (be sure to start early enough so that you can get a decent seat initially and the full day experience). Have an idea of where you want to get off, or do an initial loop then go from there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 (edited) I just "did" Manhattan in 90 minutes lol. (I'm a native New Yorker, but my husband isn't [although we met while we were both living in NJ], and also that was all the time we had this trip.) What we did (ETA: we were staying w/family in Hoboken): Ferry from Hoboken to WTC (the boat man recommended the Staten Island ferry for next time – long ride (we love boats) and free) Walked across the bottom, historic part of Manhattan, seeing: Irish Hunger Memorial 9/11 Memorial Trinity Church (from 1697!) w/graves of Alexander Hamilton etc. NYSE Federal Hall street food! Ferry back to Hoboken from Pier 11/Wall Street We are going back next April & I want to eat lunch at Fraunces Tavern and see Stone Street & spend a day at Ellis Island ... Oh, we will also see Stephen Colbert's show being taped. I guess it isn't "taped" anymore lol. On previous trips I've seen a Broadway play, opera, ballet, etc. :001_wub: I know you said your hubs is not a museum guy, but most of these are indoor/outdoor places for active people. Edited November 1, 2017 by Laura in CA 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 (edited) NYC is very different depending on the area. If I had one day only, I would skip shows and museums and just soak the city up. Yes, the Met is amazing, and the Natural History has tons of awesome stuff, but really, just walk, take the subway or cab, and then walk some more. Evening - Greenwich Village. Just walk around or people watch until you find a neat spot to have dinner. There are many reasonably priced places to eat in just about cuisine. Pizza? Well, yes, if if that is what you like, but you can do just about any ethnic food, too. The vibe in the village is quite unique. Find a jazz club if you are into that sort of thing, or a comedy club, or a tapas place, or Vietnamese, or Thai, or... Next morning, South Street Seaport - different vibe, great view of the Brooklyn Bridge, etc. If it is not too cold - walk down toward World Trade Center area/ 9/11 memorial. Get a coffee/bagel/muffin/whatever for breakfast from a street cart. It's not so much for the experience, it's just that you can't really beat the price. Take a subway or cab to Times Square and... don't buy anything. Way too expensive. Watch your pockets and don't take photos with costumed characters. Not worth it. Take a subway or cab to the meatpacking district/ Chelsea for lunch. Go to the old Nabisco factory aka Chelsea Market for lunch. So many little shops inside with amazingly fresh, yummy, and quirky food. The decor is very industrial and super cool inside, too. Take a subway or cab and head to upper east side. You really need to see the difference in the vibe, how people dress, carry themselves, etc. Fifth Avenue and 60-80 ish street. Walk the super designer shop area, people watch. Don't try to find anywhere to eat here. Way too expensive. If you are into this sort of thing, check out the Candy Bar store - lots of different kinds of sweets. Find time to visit The Strand Bookstore. Not the new(ish) one, the old one (Broadway and E12) if you are into books. Dinner - Little Italy, hands down. Just walk the streets and find a place. There are usually people outside calling you in - describing the dinner specials, which are very reasonable typically. Alternatively - dinner in Chinatown (very close to Little Italy), walk to Little Italy for desert. Oh my goodness canolis, cheescake, gelato, .... Next morning - one of those hop on hop off bus tour things. Very expensive in my opinion, but you get to see a lot of the scenery. Edited October 31, 2017 by RosemaryAndThyme 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted November 1, 2017 Author Share Posted November 1, 2017 This is all great and super helpful! Thanks so much!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted November 1, 2017 Share Posted November 1, 2017 You can drop into the Met for a short time. The cost is a donation so you don't have to pay the suggested amount. There is so much to see that you could pick an area that would interest him or set him on the steps to people watch while you take a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted November 1, 2017 Share Posted November 1, 2017 Thank you so much! I was just feeling sad and overwhelmed at planning a few day trip out east. This made me smile! We should do something like this for lots of major cities! Just 1 or 2 day trip plans. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Q Posted November 2, 2017 Share Posted November 2, 2017 I really like Rosemaryandthyme's plan! (I'm a native NYer - still live in Brooklyn) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted November 14, 2017 Author Share Posted November 14, 2017 Just wanted to give you all a debrief! We ended up really only having 1 day to explore, but we got so much accomplished! We got in at 11:30 and just had enough time to run to the roof and take a picture with the Empire State Building (right next door!) in the background. It was FREEZING (for these Californians). After our hotel breakfast, we started the day by taking the subway to One World Trade Center. We missed our exit and ended up several exits away from where we were supposed to transfer. Then we waited and waited for a return train, but finally gave up when we saw the locals giving up. We ubered to the WTC and went up to the top. That was a super cool way to start our day. From there we decided to visit the 9/11 memorial and museum. I did cry, but I'm glad we went. By then it was around 12:30. We subwayed to the Staten Island Ferry building. That turned out to be a totally unnecessary ride, as it was walkable, but we didn't realize that. We turned out to be terrible at subwaying. We took the ferry over and that was awesome. The ferry had outdoor seating and it was lovely. When we docked, we RAN over to the return ferry and made it by the skin of our teeth. From there we walked up to Wall St and saw the Bull, Trinity Church, and the NY Stock Exchange. From there we ubered to Little Italy, which was the BEST EVER!! Thank you so much for that recommendation. It was the highlight of our trip. We did exactly as instructed and just walked until a little Italian man talked us into his restaurant. AMAZING. Truly one of the best meals of our life, and we couldn't believe how low the bill was. We had a leisurely meal, followed by cappuccinos and gelato. The sun was down by the time we left Little Italy, so we caught an uber to Rockefeller Center. We witnessed a couple get engaged on the ice and the beginnings of the tree getting its lights. We walked over to Times Square, saw a very weird street art performance, and then headed to Macy's. I had decided that I wanted our souvenir to be a Christmas ornament and Macy's windows were already decorated. We went to the top floor where I had an Elf moment of joy over all of the Christmas decorations. We chose our ornament and headed back to the hotel room. It was only 8:30 when we got back, but I was whipped and we had a 4:30am leave time for the airport. Our room had a jacuzzi tub and it was heavenly after being on my feet all day. We definitely hope to go back in the next few years! Thanks for the tips, everyone! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 I'm so glad you had such a great time!!! :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 glad you had a great time thinking of doing this to take the kids to something on Broadway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Good grief, you did s LOT. Impressive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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