2009 Omlet cube and run for sale

[stehaggan]

We have booked a trip to the big apple in march over st pats day for 10 days.

 

I'm Planning all the touristy sites but wanted to ask anyone who's been for any other recommendations that I shouldn't miss. I.e street food , markets etc, live music venues etc

 

Thanks

[sadietoo]

we are veggie and ate at Han Gawi Korean Restaurant (veggie but don't let that put you off) and it was like nothing I had ever done before and the food was delicious....

 

Also ate at The Candle Cafe (again veggie but very NY!) and that was a great experience too!

 

also can recommend the Empire State Building at night time...!

 

I'm very

[j00lz_12366]

Ohhh we're going in June so I will watch this with great interest-also my o/h is vegetarian so we have been researching good places to go and are always looking for recommendations

[Mum]

For shopping you need to go to Centuary 21 (bit like TKMaxx but superior!)

 

I second Empire State at night.

 

If you fancy the equivalent of Harrods, you want to go to Bergdorf Goodman's (I met Manolo Blahnik there ).

 

Lower Manhatten there is a fabulous Chinese Restaurant "Dim Sum" and the food is brought round on a trolley and you select how little/much of each dish that comes around.

 

Little Italy was not recommended to me, but I did have afternoon tea at the Plaza.

 

I've been twice and each trip was different and both very memorable

[Margaret]

We were there last week and went to a fantastic resturant called Spice in the meat packers district of Manhattan.

Really fantastic atmosphere and the food was amazing.

Enjoy your trip, we had a fantastic time.

Also The Statue or Liberty amd Ellis Island was really incredible, not to be missed especially if you use the audio equipment (headfones) as you wander around Ellis.

[Redwing]

If you are going to the Natural History museum the hot dogs in the cafe there are amazing

 

I would recommend the Rockerfeller centre as well as/instead of the Empire State, less crowded and has an awesome view of the Empire State so great for photos

 

Seek out the cheesecake shops too, there are a few about and we never found a bad one

[AndreaT]

Oooo, so , I love New York!

 

Another vote here for The Empire State at night and can definitely recommend the Rockerfeller Centre during the day.

 

A great touristy thing to do is a helicopter trip, if you get a clear day it's wonderful flying over the city and Central Park.

 

And I have to agree with Redwing, you can't beat NY cheesecake!

[stehaggan]

thanks for all the help - in very excited now

 

So do you mean view the empire at night or go up it at night to get pics of the city in lights?

X

[Redwing]

If you go for a helicopter trip ask where it will be flying, we booked a trip but at that time flying over the city was banned so we just flew up and down the river a couple of times, it was a waste of money

[Mum]

thanks for all the help - in very excited now

 

So do you mean view the empire at night or go up it at night to get pics of the city in lights?

X

Go up at night When you get pix of the city at night, you will find one huge looking black spot! But, it really isn't a black spot, it is merely Central Park Also, most "tourists" visit the ESB during the day and they miss out on the most beautiful view of all

 

Just one word of caution if you intend to go up at night ... check the visibility rating!!!!! If it's cloudy/foggy, forget it! But, that could equally apply during daylight hours.

 

Another thing: plan a visit to Grand Central Station. There are some amazing boutiques there, but, more importantly, they have "whispering galleries", it's huge fun finding those! Or, you could harness the pleasure of NY tours from local residents who really know the area. Not as expensive as commercial tours, but they take you to the hub of it all.

[Space Chick]

I echo what Redwing said about the cheesecake shops

 

I loved the statue of liberty

 

I have to admit, I didn't like New York... It was too "full on" for me, I prefer the laid back nature of Western USA... But it's one of those places you HAVE to go to at least once.

[KimmyCustard]

Yes - we went to NY in February, 2 feet of snow arrived on our second day but it made the week even more magical. ESB is great, we went during the day and it was very clear because of the freezing weather. We also did a helicopter trip, saw the Washington Bridge, Ground Zero, ESB and the Statue of Liberty along with other buildings pointed out by the pilot .

 

Try to see a show on Broadway, we saw Phantom of the Opera and the show and atmosphere was great. Cheap tickets to be had in Times Square.

 

Visit Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company, also on Times Square, the food is YUM!

 

Visit SoHo (which is the shortened name for south of Houston St), lots of boutiques and delis, lovely place.

 

Visit the Chinese district, the handbag shops were GREAT and I bought one for $12 - it was turquoise suede and lovely. The chinese restaurants are delish, the one we visited banged the food down on the table and more or less yelled at you, but it was a great experience and we werent offended, theyre just like that!

 

Have a great time, we stayed at The Belvedere Hotel on West 48th Street, near to Times Square, nice hotel and very nice staff.

[Clash City Rocker]

The last time we were there we went up to Harlem (about 125th Street on the subway) to visit the Apollo Theatre then walked back down "Malcolm X" road/street/drive ?? loads of restaurants, cafes and bars which leads into the top of Central park, and then through the length of Central Park back to Times Square/5th Avenue.

 

Also go and watch the New York Knicks Basketball team at Madison Square Gardens. They play at least once a week in Feb/Mar/Apr. Tickets aren't expensive, get them from Ticketmaster before you travel and collect them from the box office on arrival (very easy to do). We saw NY Knicks V Chicago Bulls and loads of celebrities. A real "Razzamattaz night out" !!!!!

[gongladosh]

The helicopter trip isn't cheap but if they're flying (check via your hotel on the day), they fly from the south seaport and cost around £180 for a v short trip (7 or so mins) or £230 for 15-17 mins. Sounds not very long but it was worth it for the view alone for us. The longer trip takes in the Statue of Liberty, Downtown Manhattan and the bridges.

 

The Empire State is worth a visit and there's a nice brewpub in the basement of the Empire State (well, brewpub chain) - Heartland Brewery. There's a decent tourist shop near the top. There are two viewing areas - one on the 86th floor (outdoor), and one on the 102nd floor (indoor only and much smaller). When in the building, buying an 86th floor ticket you can add on a ticket for the higher floor also but it's ~$17 extra.

 

Not been to Top Of The Rock (Rockefeller Building) but have heard good things about it - it's one of the few places where you can view both the ESB and Chrysler Building.

 

Oddly you can't get in the Chrysler Building (other than the rather pretty lobby) - the observation deck closed in the 1940s... It's near Grand Central Station which is also well worth a view.

 

For food, you can find restaurants if you wander around, but the real eateries are out in the districts (Chinatown, Little Italy, Meat Packing district etc)- a short taxi ride away.

 

Statue of Liberty is worth a visit usually but it's currently being worked on so you can't get inside it for another year. When open, if you get your name down a month or two early you can visit the crown rather than just the pediment. It doesn't cost much more. You can get this on a tour from the fort in Battery Park - it gets you to both Liberty and Ellis Island by ferry.

 

Wall Street's worth a visit, for NYSE, the bull and there's a great little wine shop behind the bull that sells cheap port!

[SilverC]

Gosh, we will be there at the same time for our belated honeymoon. We plan to do all the main sights etcc, but friends of ours have bought us a book which lists the secret gems in old New York, but as I'm not that great at keeping secrets, I'll list them for you here (copied from the book, I've not been to any of these places either): Mainly food and drink orientated but sound interesting all the same.

 

Sarges Delicatessen, 548 Third Avenue. Old style deli since1964 serving matzo ball soup, chopped liver, corned beef and pastrami. Its ordinariness is what makes it so rare.

 

JJ Hat Center, 310 Fifth Avenue. What it says - they sell hats of every kind!

 

El Quijote, 226 W.23rd Street - Authentic Spanish restaurant - have a drink or two at the bar, appreciate the Cerbvantes mural and soak up distinctive spanish atmosphere

 

American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street - where Night at The Museum was filmed. Recommended = the taxidermy, with entire families of elephants, rhinos and lions are displayed. Also a giant squid and sperm whale locked in battle.

 

PJ Clarkes, 915 Third Avenue - where Ray Milland stumbled up to the bar in the film, The Lost Weekend. This is the only one to visit - there are other bars with similar sounding names but this is the original and hasn't changed much since the 1940's

 

"21" Club, 21 W.52nd street - A former speakeasy, it used to be wall to wall with celebs in the 1950's. Age hasn't withered it and it is still recommended as 'the' place to dine

 

Chez Napoleon, 365 W.50th Street - a family run French restaurant overseen by 87 year old Grandmere Marguerite Bruno, with her daughter & grandson at front of house. Untouched by passing trends, this has a loyal following

 

Nom Wah Tea Parlour, 13 Doyers Street - New Yorks oldest Dim Sum restaurant established in the 1920's

 

Corner Bistro, 331 w.4th street - one of New Yorks favourite burger & beer joints, giant burgers with all the trimmings at $6.75 each

 

McSorleys Old Ale House, 15 E.7th Street - In business for over 150 years, tradition is still taken seriously. Women only been allowed in since 1970!! They still use the original coal burning stove, cash register and only serve their own light or dark brown ale, and only 2 at a time - be warned!

 

Shopsons General Store, Essex Street Market, 120 Essex Street - the owner doesn't suffer fools gladly and doesn't have time for people who can't choose from the menu with over 100 items, people who try to pay by card )it's cash only) and he won't serve parties of more than 5, or people with special dietary requirements. Despite all of this is VERY popular.

 

Economy Candy, 108 Rivington Street - Stacked floor to ceiling with sugary stuff, this is a sweet shop gone berserk, Trading since 1937 they also stock, fruit, nuts and halva.

 

Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway - They have 18 miles of books and have been trading for over 80 years

 

The Campbell Apartment, Grand Central Terminal, 15 Vanderbilt Avenue - Built in the 1920's as the office of financier John W Campbell, this space has acreage of leaded windows, 25 foot high beamed ceilings and an immense fireplace, the centrepeice of which was Campbells safe. The room is now a cocktail bar but managed to powerfully evoke the Gatsby era.

 

The Landmark Tavern, 626 11th Avenue - Built in 1868, much has changed. A waterfront location, and what was once a roughnecks drinking bar is now a restaurant and bar. It's well worn on the tourist trail but the 19th century interior has been well maintained and is an atmospheric place for a drink

 

J Leon Lascoff & Son, 1209 Lexington Avenue - Lascoffs is a calm, orderley, old fashioned pharmacy for all that ails you. An imposing exterior gives way to decorative hanging lights, high windows, wooden balcony and the collected ephemera of more than 100 years

 

Rudy's Bar & GRill, 627 Ninth Avenue - Rudys is perhaps a little too proud of it's dive bar status, but this is the real deal regardless, a Hells Kitchen fixture since the 1930's. Dark & grimy with battered booths and cheap beer, their famous free hotdogs are a temptation to some, a challenge to others.

 

Keens Steakhouse, 72 W.36th Street - A wood panelled vintage restaurant with small wooden booths for romatics and sealing deals or larger ones for groups, trading for over 125 years, their signtaure mutton chop has acheived near mythical status.

 

Bills Gay Nineties, 57 E.54th Street - In business since the 1920's this speakeasy was once haunted by the stars of the 1930's during prohibition uncluding Laurel & Hardy. Devoted to the past, it has a jockey at the entrance, wooden booths, dark panelling and old photo's - a refuge from the modern world, and long may it stay that way.

 

Schwaller & Weber, 1654 Second Avenue - Provisions of a German nature, ie sausages, salami and pates prepared in their own plant in Queens. Has won awards throughout the US and GErmany too. Mustard, preserves, marzipan and chocolate add to the delights available.

 

Paris Theatre Cinema, 4 W.58th Street - Since opening in 1948, this stately cinema has kept it's focus on good movies in a pleasant environment for the discerning audience. NB: Good means foreign usually, so don't expect the latest blockbuster. It offers comfy seats, excellent popcorn and no ads.

 

Lexington Candy Shop, 1226 Lexington Avenue - Done the old way, Coca Cola is made form scratch using syrup and seltzer. The coffee is brewed in 1940's urns and their lemonade is made to order using real lemons. All of that comes at a price, but it's worth paying if only to spend time in this remarkably well preserved pre way luncheonette.

 

A few of the other eating places I fancy is http://www.magnoliabakery.com/home.php where Sex and the City was filmed and ot those fantastic cream pies and also Jekyll and Hydes in Greenwich Village, a friend has been and apparently there is something rather strange about how you actually get in there - she won't spoil it for me, so I am intrigued!

 

We are staying not too far from the Natural History Museum - can't wait it sounds fantastic.

[AndreaT]

The Campbell Apartment, Grand Central Terminal, 15 Vanderbilt Avenue - Built in the 1920's as the office of financier John W Campbell, this space has acreage of leaded windows, 25 foot high beamed ceilings and an immense fireplace, the centre piece of which was Campbells safe. The room is now a cocktail bar but managed to powerfully evoke the Gatsby era.

 

I've been here, it's fab! I was going to recommend it but couldn't remember what it was called It has a great atmosphere and the cocktails are great. It's a beautiful room too. You can eat there but you have to book so we just waited for a table in the bar to become free (whilst having a cocktail of course) and had some nibbles. It's very popular with NYers for after work drinks so does get very busy. Definitely worth a visit!

[laurmurf]

Don't forget to have an egg cream while you're there!

[Wolfie]

Echo what everyone else has said.

 

Museum of Modern Art - MoMA for short. Free entry/donation when we went. The best stuff in the world. Even if you don't know the artist or the title, you know the piece.

 

Eat at The Waldorf - being America, you can dine whilst wearing your jeans!

 

We were surprised how friendly the people were; how spotlessly clean the place was; how tired we were after the holiday - but it will be great! Just a bit

[laurmurf]

here's another bit of info to bear in mind:

 

10 of the best burgers in New York: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/nov/08/new-york-top-10-burger-joints

New York has burgers for every taste, says Tom Byng, founder of London's Byron chain, whether you want to splash out on a white truffle special, or keep things classic with bacon or cheese

 

Shake Shack - is FANTASTIC

Shake Shack NYC Photograph: Alamy

 

Danny Meyer's populist burger shack in Madison Park represents a welcome diversion from his more upscale outfits. There is no inside seating, so you perch on one of the outdoor tables or take away to a nearby apartment or office. The queue builds quickly, so be prepared to wait for up to an hour for the privilege of a Shake Shack hamburger. Why the fuss? Because it provides the perfect hamburger for the everyman – soft, squidgy buns, a thin juicy patty, oozing American cheese. And, at $4.50 for the standard burger, great value. Other good things include crinkle-cut fries, shakes and hotdogs. Shake Shack has now been developed into a franchise, but the original remains the pick of the bunch.

• Southeast corner of Madison Square Park, near Madison Avenue and East 23rd St, +1 212 889 6600 , shakeshack.com

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Reading all this with great interest .

 

It's my 50th and YS's 18th on the same day in August and as our original idea of Iceland is proving too expensive, I'm wondering whether NY might be a good idea. None of us have ever been to the US . Perhaps it's time .

 

Sorry to hijack the thread but any recommendations on the best (and cheapest for 4 adults!) way of getting there?

[SilverC]

We found the cheapest deals on ebookers, but we ended up using them to find all the info, then prices out, then booked direct with the airline (United) and direct with the hotel. We are flying from Manchester into Newark straight through (It's cheaper if you are prepared to make stops in between), then flying back into Birmingham as it's the only flight back stright through rather than stopping somewhere else in America for hours.

 

If you are prepared to do the longer flight with more stops it works out very reasonable indeed and due to the time difference, for the outbound flight we arrive in New York just 4 hours after we depart (though in reality it's more than this if you see what I mean)?

 

Our Hotel offered some great deals, and looking at the reviews on Trip Advisor, they offer free upgrades to bigger rooms as a matter of course.

[laurmurf]

I fly to the States quite often, Boston or New York, and I have got the best deals by flying from my (very) local airport - Leeds Bradford - to Amsterdam and getting a connecting flight direct.

 

What extra time you add is covered by not having to turn up at the airport more than 40 mins before the flight and having an incredibly straight forward check in. An Schipohl airport is lovely, even has a museum!

 

I have used kayak, ebookers and expedia to compare cheap flights but have booked via expedia for the last few years.

 

Another idea for hotel booking is using priceline and bidding on hotel rooms. I have used them for the last 4/5 years to get 4* hotels in Boston for about £50 a night.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Thanks for the tips . I did a quick search on various sites and they were all coming up at about £1,000 each for flights plus hotel . We really can't justify that for 3 nights . It looks like a bit more creative searching is required!