New York City! (rent, hotel, cathedral, mansion)

[MAtheBanker]

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!

[tpk-nyc]

I don’t know if your itinerary is chronological, but Grand Central is much closer to the Public Library than Central Park. I’d go there before Rock Center. If you’re at Grand Central you should swing through the lobby of the Chrysler Building (right across the street). It’s small, but has very cool art deco marble work. Also, the Empire State and Top of the Rock might be a bit redundant, especially back-to-back. If you have limited time, you might want to do one or the other.

I’m not a fan of dining in the Times Square area, but if you must, I recommend Becco (Becco).

If you’re going to Trinity, you should also go to St. Paul’s Chapel (http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/congregation/spc/), a little up Broadway. The original Trinity burned down so the current building is actually 19th century. St. Paul’s is 18th century (and has George Washington’s pew and prayerbook).

If you want to go to a museum, I would recommend the Frick (The Frick Collection). It’s small, easily manageable (only six galleries), and not far from the Central Park Zoo. Places like the Met and MoMA are enormous and can be overwhelming if you don’t have a lot of time. It’s worth going just to see the building. It’s housed in the original Frick mansion. The best example of Gilded Age splendor left in Manhattan.

Regarding the Central Park Zoo, it’s nice but really for small children. The big zoo is in Bronx and would take more time than you have.

[Chava61]

The NY Public Library main branch on 5th Avenue has several art collections on the 3rd floor and usually one exhibit on the 1st floor. All of them free. So I would budget more time to visit there then simply a walk-through as you have on your list.
In the Times Square area, I would recommend Virgil's Barbecue. But usually one has to wait for a table. So first go there and put your name on the waiting list and then spend time walking around the area while you wait.
If you want to go to a museum, I wouid recommend the Museum of the City of NY (Museum of the City of New York : MCNY Homepage) which gives one a good overview of the city. One of their exhibits is a very well done short film that shows the history and development of NYC.
I would skip the Central Park zoo as it is really for small children.
Going to the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island is very time consuming and it takes at least half a day. If you just want photos of the Statue of Liberty, I would suggest instead that you take the free Staten Island ferry for a great view of the Statue of Liberty and for taking photos.

[Clark Park]

What a great itinerary you made! I congratulate you!

Since you are in NYC for a short stay I want to warn you that trips to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are great but very time consuming ... from my experience even if you catch one of earliest boats, these excursions will eat up more than half a day, and I have budgeted a full day from morning until late afternoon to tour these two sites properly.

Too bad you are not staying in Manhattan, which would be more convenient. Jersey City isn't bad if you are near Journal Square and can take the PATH train into lower Manhattan.

I could only recommend since you want to see Central Park anyway, can't you fit in an hour or so to take a peek at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is the greatest art museum in the Western Hemisphere and one of the 5 or 6 greatest in the whole world? Did you know that the "Met" is NYC's #1 attraction even ahead of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, or Ground Zero? Maybe you hate art and sculpture and Egyptian/Greek/Roman antiquities ...

In any case I hope you will report back to us and tell us how the trip went.

BTW, I always preferred the 2nd Avenue Deli to Katz's (which is a touristy place). Hot pastrami and tongue on seeded rye with cole slaw and russian dressing ... YUM! Even beats out the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich (please don't snitch on me!) If ya ever come to Philly, let me know!

[Cavaturaccioli]

Isn't the Second Avenue Deli closed since the owner was murdered?

[Clark Park]

Originally Posted by Cavaturaccioli

Isn't the Second Avenue Deli closed since the owner was murdered?

Oops! You may know better than me!

They still have a web site and list two locations - neither on 2nd Ave. anymore BTW.

Katz's is okay, and everyone wants to sit at the table that was filmed in the Billy Crystal movie When Harry Met Sally (there is now a bronze plaque on that table!) ... but real connoisseurs of authentic NY Jewish Kosher Delis usually prefer others.

[tvdxer]

You are required to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art (on the eastern edge of Central Park). Make sure to rent their audioguide and enjoy.

[durf]

New York is overrated, but you can still have fun. There are still some rundown areas, high crime, bad weather, bland architectures and rude taxi drivers. The city is a mess. Since you're visiting, check out the dated Empire St. building, Central Park, Times Sq., Soho/Grenwich Village and dance your way at Chelsea nightclub scene, staring at Jersey. You might want to stroll on 5th Ave for typical shopping. Hey, no Nordstrom's. Well, what are going to do? I guess head out to Lexington Ave for Bloomingdale. For museums, head Uptown to 80th St. Have fun!

[Chava61]

Originally Posted by durf

New York is overrated, but you can still have fun. There are still some rundown areas, high crime, bad weather, bland architectures and rude taxi drivers. The city is a mess. Since you're visiting, check out the dated Empire St. building, Central Park, Times Sq., Soho/Grenwich Village and dance your way at Chelsea nightclub scene, staring at Jersey. You might want to stroll on 5th Ave for typical shopping. Hey, no Nordstrom's. Well, what are going to do? I guess head out to Lexington Ave for Bloomingdale. For museums, head Uptown to 80th St. Have fun!

NYC is rated as one of the safest (if not the safest) big cities in the USA.
If you are interested in shopping along 5th Avenue, you have Lord & Taylor & Saks Fifth Avenue. I also suggest checking out the inside of the Trump Tower which is a few blocks below Central Park on 5th Avenue.
Also along 5th Avenue is the famous St. Patrick's Cathedral (Saint Patrick's Cathedral - The Catholic Church of New York City- Catholic Store (http://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/homepage/home.html - broken link)) right near Saks Fifth Avenue which also worth having a look inside.

[MAtheBanker]

Originally Posted by tpk-nyc

I don’t know if your itinerary is chronological, but Grand Central is much closer to the Public Library than Central Park. I’d go there before Rock Center. If you’re at Grand Central you should swing through the lobby of the Chrysler Building (right across the street). It’s small, but has very cool art deco marble work. Also, the Empire State and Top of the Rock might be a bit redundant, especially back-to-back. If you have limited time, you might want to do one or the other.

I’m not a fan of dining in the Times Square area, but if you must, I recommend Becco (Becco).

If you’re going to Trinity, you should also go to St. Paul’s Chapel (Trinity Wall Street - Congregational Life - St. Paul's Chapel), a little up Broadway. The original Trinity burned down so the current building is actually 19th century. St. Paul’s is 18th century (and has George Washington’s pew and prayerbook).

If you want to go to a museum, I would recommend the Frick (The Frick Collection). It’s small, easily manageable (only six galleries), and not far from the Central Park Zoo. Places like the Met and MoMA are enormous and can be overwhelming if you don’t have a lot of time. It’s worth going just to see the building. It’s housed in the original Frick mansion. The best example of Gilded Age splendor left in Manhattan.

Regarding the Central Park Zoo, it’s nice but really for small children. The big zoo is in Bronx and would take more time than you have.

Thank you for the info! Yes, I think we'll skip the zoo. I didn't put it on the list, my friend did, so I'm glad we can skip it

Originally Posted by Chava61

The NY Public Library main branch on 5th Avenue has several art collections on the 3rd floor and usually one exhibit on the 1st floor. All of them free. So I would budget more time to visit there then simply a walk-through as you have on your list.
In the Times Square area, I would recommend Virgil's Barbecue. But usually one has to wait for a table. So first go there and put your name on the waiting list and then spend time walking around the area while you wait.
If you want to go to a museum, I wouid recommend the Museum of the City of NY (Museum of the City of New York : MCNY Homepage) which gives one a good overview of the city. One of their exhibits is a very well done short film that shows the history and development of NYC.
I would skip the Central Park zoo as it is really for small children.
Going to the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island is very time consuming and it takes at least half a day. If you just want photos of the Statue of Liberty, I would suggest instead that you take the free Staten Island ferry for a great view of the Statue of Liberty and for taking photos.

Not really a huge museum person, so that's why none were on the list. I'd rather spend time at other attractions since we only have three days.

I'll have to think about the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island tour. It's one of the top things on my list, but we weren't able to get tickets for the Crown Tour (it books out like six months in advance), so we'd just be doing the regular/general tour. I don't think I want to skip Ellis Island, though. I'll have to weigh our options.

Originally Posted by Clark Park

What a great itinerary you made! I congratulate you!

Since you are in NYC for a short stay I want to warn you that trips to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are great but very time consuming ... from my experience even if you catch one of earliest boats, these excursions will eat up more than half a day, and I have budgeted a full day from morning until late afternoon to tour these two sites properly.

Too bad you are not staying in Manhattan, which would be more convenient. Jersey City isn't bad if you are near Journal Square and can take the PATH train into lower Manhattan.

I could only recommend since you want to see Central Park anyway, can't you fit in an hour or so to take a peek at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is the greatest art museum in the Western Hemisphere and one of the 5 or 6 greatest in the whole world? Did you know that the "Met" is NYC's #1 attraction even ahead of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, or Ground Zero? Maybe you hate art and sculpture and Egyptian/Greek/Roman antiquities ...

In any case I hope you will report back to us and tell us how the trip went.

BTW, I always preferred the 2nd Avenue Deli to Katz's (which is a touristy place). Hot pastrami and tongue on seeded rye with cole slaw and russian dressing ... YUM! Even beats out the Philly Cheesesteak sandwich (please don't snitch on me!) If ya ever come to Philly, let me know!

New Jersey was a much more reasonable place to stay. If we flew into NY, we'd have to take an expensive taxi and stay at an expensive place that may or may not be close to the subway. We got a good deal on a hotel in Jersey City and it's steps from PATH. It just made more sense! I'd love to spend a night in Manhattan at least, though. Still thinking about it.

Thanks for the recommendation about the deli! Everyone I have talked to has said "Katz! Katz! Katz!", so it's good to hear other opinions, as I hear Katz has a really long wait.

Originally Posted by tvdxer

You are required to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art (on the eastern edge of Central Park). Make sure to rent their audioguide and enjoy.

Not really interested in museums. If we had more time, absolutely!

Originally Posted by durf

New York is overrated, but you can still have fun. There are still some rundown areas, high crime, bad weather, bland architectures and rude taxi drivers. The city is a mess. Since you're visiting, check out the dated Empire St. building, Central Park, Times Sq., Soho/Grenwich Village and dance your way at Chelsea nightclub scene, staring at Jersey. You might want to stroll on 5th Ave for typical shopping. Hey, no Nordstrom's. Well, what are going to do? I guess head out to Lexington Ave for Bloomingdale. For museums, head Uptown to 80th St. Have fun!

Sorry dude, I'm going to NYC despite what anyone says about it! It's not for everyone.

Originally Posted by Chava61

NYC is rated as one of the safest (if not the safest) big cities in the USA.
If you are interested in shopping along 5th Avenue, you have Lord & Taylor & Saks Fifth Avenue. I also suggest checking out the inside of the Trump Tower which is a few blocks below Central Park on 5th Avenue.
Also along 5th Avenue is the famous St. Patrick's Cathedral (Saint Patrick's Cathedral - The Catholic Church of New York City- Catholic Store (http://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/homepage/home.html - broken link)) right near Saks Fifth Avenue which also worth having a look inside.

Yep, we'll certainly be doing the 5th Ave. stroll! Thank you for your suggestions!