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If you're looking for pizza, my favorite place in NYC is actually right across the street from the Phantom of the Opera theater, which should work out nicely for you...
If you're looking for pizza, my favorite place in NYC is actually right across the street from the Phantom of the Opera theater, which should work out nicely for you...
John's is fantastic We always go there when we are in NYC. It will be crowded right up to 8.30pm when the theatres start. After that it is nice and quiet.
The other place close to Times Sq. which is very good is Osteria al Doge (44th between 6th & Broadway). Very good quality food and much better than most around Times Sq.
If you like steak, Ben Bensons is the place to go (52nd and 6th). So much better than the Mortons or Capital Grill chains.
Sorry dude, I'm going to NYC despite what anyone says about it! It's not for everyone.
Yep, we'll certainly be doing the 5th Ave. stroll! Thank you for your suggestions!
NYC is fine. I lived in the area for 10 years and never saw even a hint of trouble.
5th Ave. is okay. But for real window shopping it has to be Madison Ave. If you want to do any actual shopping on Madison then take out a 2nd mortgage before you leave home.
They still have a web site and list two locations - neither on 2nd Ave. anymore BTW.
Its still open up near Kips Bay. I think owned by a relative. Note well, its kashrut is questioned - its open on shabbos, but in theory is sold to a gentile just before every shabbos and then repurchased after - most Conservative, and almost all Orthodox authorities do not consider it kosher. The food is still good though and the kashrut is probably better than that of the kitchens of most Conservative, and quite a few Orthodox Jews
I've dreamed of going on a trip to New York City my entire life and it's finally becoming a reality in less than a month!
Here's the itinerary so far--
Thursday:
Fly into Newark, NJ, arrive around 5pm.
Take shuttle to hotel in Jersey City.
Times Square
Find somewhere for dinner.
Friday:
Empire State Building (no tour)
NY Public Library (walk-through)
NBC Univeral/Rockefeller Center (Top of the Rock tour)
Trump Building
Tiffany's
FAO Schwartz
Central Park (Zoo, carousel, Belvedere castle)
Plaza Hotel
Grand Central Station
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (already have reservations)
Saturday:
Ground Zero
Trinity Church
Wall Street
Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island (tour)
Phantom of the Opera (already have reservations)
For those of you who have NYC experience, does this look like a good plan to you? Any insider secrets for cool things to do?
Note that a lot of the things on the list (Plaza Hotel, Tiffany's, etc.) are more for photo opportunities than to spend time and money. No more than 10 minutes will probably be spent at these locations.
Our hotel is within walking distance to NJ's PATH rail system that will take us right into downtown NYC.
When it comes to food, we have a couple of items on a wish list:
Deli (possibly Katz)
NY cheesecake
Pizza
Rice to Riches
Bagels
What do you think? I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!
I'm so jealous!!! I miss my New York City!!! Good for you!!!
I think that you may be squeezing too much on the Friday. Central Park alone (if you really want to feel the whole experience) may take half of the day. FAO Schwartz is a huge store, Empire State Building will take longer than 10 minutes. I mean, of course, if you want to run around non-stop, you can see everything. I would skip Trump Building and Tiffany's.
I don't know what time your shows are, but if you have time, I suggest to visit Soho, Tribeca, Chinatown and Greenwich Village, just to walk around, have a cup of coffee there. They have great restaurants in that area, one of the things I love about New York City is the food, try not to go to chain restaurants you can find anywhere. 2nd Avenue Deli is a very good kosher place to get food.
I have lived in NY for 17 years and for the most part, I have felt safe there. No worries, OP, you will have a fantastic experience.
Also, lines can run very, very long for the Statue of Liberty tour. We were in NY at the end of March (so around the same time you're going) and the line had to be at least 4. hrs worth of waiting. If you're absolutely deadset on being ON Ellis Island and getting the tour than go for it, but if you just want to see it, take the Staten Island ferry! It gets very very close (photo ops, etc.) but without the lines.
Ma, I have inside information on the Statue - a friend is a park ranger at Liberty Island - send me a PM and we can discuss some options for you. Also, do NOT skip Ellis Island. Even if you cannot find the time to "do" the lady, do make time for Ellis. I LOVE seeing Ellis and Liberty Islands from the ferry. No matter whether I'm coming or going to the city, I always sit on the west side of the ferry so I can look (just like a tourist) at the lady and it never fails to move me.
Jaggy01, John Pizzaria's pizza is very bland and boring. They overcooked the pizza with sour tomato sauce. I prefer Angeleno's, which I think it's the best in NY. I'm not impressed with Ray's or Raybarry's. Lombardi's souce is also sour. The best pizza I've ever had is in Phoenix(Bianca Pizzeria). However, you can get the same pizza like NY in Seattle and Denver. San Jose also has Slice Of New York, which is identical to New York.
Chava61, I wish that was true, but it's not. Try to hang out in the alley for a while, and you'll get mugged or hurt. Walk around 2am on 7 ave, you'll most likely be a victim of a crime. There are alot of thugs in Manhattan. It's just not as bad or advertised as the 1970's and 80's. I was there then and now as a visitor or briefly living there. It's still bad, and I wish it wasn't. Hey, the city is dirty with garbage bags piling up just about every night. It's just branded as safe and improved city, but beneath it, it's still bad but not as bad as it was in the past. It could change in a hurry, and maybe it already has.
Chava61, I wish that was true, but it's not. Try to hang out in the alley for a while, and you'll get mugged or hurt. Walk around 2am on 7 ave, you'll most likely be a victim of a crime. There are alot of thugs in Manhattan. It's just not as bad or advertised as the 1970's and 80's. I was there then and now as a visitor or briefly living there. It's still bad, and I wish it wasn't. Hey, the city is dirty with garbage bags piling up just about every night. It's just branded as safe and improved city, but beneath it, it's still bad but not as bad as it was in the past. It could change in a hurry, and maybe it already has.
Most people do NOT hang around in a business district like 7th Avenue at 2AM in the morning which is mainly deserted by the average person. So your example doesn't prove that NYC is particularly dangerous in general.
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and the kashrut is probably better than that of the kitchens of most Conservative, and quite a few Orthodox Jews 
