Visiting NYC...what to do? (New York, Roosevelt: apartment, rent, neighborhood)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Sorry if this belongs in the "travel" forum, I'm new to here and haven't quite learned the ropes lol.
Anyhow, next June or July my family of 5 (ages 55, 54, 19, 17 and 12) will be going to New York City for about 4-5 days for a trip. Only one of us has been there and it was for business. I'm just curious what locations would we enjoy, besides the obvious places like Rockefeller and Times Square...kinda looking for off the beaten path, less touristy places! Restaurants too!
Take the Roosevelt Island Tram for a great view. Then walk to the southern tip of Roosevelt Island along the promenade on southeastern side of the island for some more great views.
pizza walking tour of manhattan
kayak tour
jetski tour of the statue of liberty
rent a couple of bikes and bike the loop on central park (6 miles)
Walk SoHo
The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side is one of my favorite places in NYC. It's especially eye-opening for young people, because it will make them appreciate all the modern luxuries that they may take for like running water and an actual bathroom after they see an outhouse in the tenement's backyard. Also, it's great for people who have an immigrant background, which is most of us.
Google for the website, and I would recommend booking your tickets online in advance once your plans are firm. Because June and July are busy months here, you don't want to get shut out. All the tours are really good. I've done three or four of them. You will not be able to enter the museum and wander around on your own; you must be part of a tour. The guide will fill you in on the family that lived in that particular apartment, how they lived, worked, and died.
After the museum you can wander around the rapidly gentrifying Lower East Side. Don't miss Economy Candy for a glimpse of the old neighborhood! Have fun!
These ideas aren't necessarily off the beaten path but I highly recommend them.
I would take subway to Brooklyn Heights and spend some time walking around the neighborhood. Make sure you check out the views from the promenade. Find place to eat (if you cant find recommendations on this site check out Trip Adviser), then walk Brooklyn bridge back to Manhattan.
You can also visit Governors Island or the The Cloisters and ( which is part of the Met Museum.)
Check out Greenwich Village. Great area for a nice stroll. Beautiful neighborhood. Tons of places to eat.
I second macnyc2003 recommendation of Tenement museum and Chava61 recommending Roosevelt island tram.
Even if you do not rent bikes as The Ryu recommended definitely spend time walking thru Central Park.
The one touristy thing I would do is Top Of the Rock.
Fraunces Tavern. Yes, George Washington did stay there. Museum and old tavern, was a center of Revolutionary activity during the American Revolution. Good food in the tavern, also.
Rubin Museum. One of the world's great himalayan art museums. Simply stunning stuff. Incredibly beautiful collection.
Frick Museum.
Eldridge Street Museum. A restored LES synagogue. Wonderful to see.
I would add Sunday brunch at the Rainbow Room. It was just restored and it's absolutely beautiful. The Frick is amazing as is MOMA. The Guggenheim. The Museum of Sex. The Highline. The Staten Island Ferry just for the views. 125th Street in Harlem. The Apollo. Le Bernardin. Di Fara's. Strand bookstore. Shopping in downtown Soho. Dominique Ansel Bakery for cronuts, DKA and cookie and milk shots. NYC ballet at Lincoln Center. Window shopping on 5th Avenue. NYC chocolate/pizza/wine/fill in the blank tour. Nobu 57 sushi. Trade Center Memorial. Peter Lugers' steak house. Rockefeller Plaza ice skating. Television show tapings. Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Concerts at Carnegie Hall.
Last edited by EastBoundandDownChick; 01-17-2016 at 02:27 PM..
The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side is one of my favorite places in NYC.
Which tour(s) did you do? I always wanted to go but haven't yet. Every time I think about it, I say I'll go soon Then I look it up and I want to do all the tours and get overwhelmed with choosing just one so I don't go.
Everywhere in Manhattan south of 96th street is obvious tourist territory and considered on the beaten path. Off the beaten path would be Uptown, Brooklyn and Queens, but the duration of tour trip does not allow enough time to see all of Manhattan, so forget about going off the beaten path. Maybe for the next trip.
My best tip is that you buy a couple of guidebooks. There are many on the market, and will give you ideas that are both broader and more specific than anything you'll get here, since you aren't providing any guidelines.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
