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Hi everybody
My wife is taking my eldest son (14) to New York for a few days next week. Although I have been there a number of times, neither of them has been before and as I know there are a lot of seasoned travellers on this site, I thought I would ask for some extra help:
Favourite few places/things to do and visit?
Handy tips from any recent visitors?
Anything particularly unusual you would recommend?
It's a big place and there's plenty to do. I would like them to make the most of it, as it's unlikely they will be back within the next couple of years.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Tonish
E. Cosgrove
07-09-2005, 00:28
My eldest son has just returned from NY ( He is 24)
He had a wonderful time. He was particularly fascinated by ground zero which seemed to have a profound impact on him as he had also visited pre 9/11.
He enjoyed Ellis Island and the statue of liberty and on broadway went to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
He is a big star wars fan and would have loved to watch the one man star wars show on broadway, but his cousin ( female ) who he was travelling with drew the line [msnoo]
Both of them shopped till they dropped.!!! ( I trained him well):D
Cruella DeVilla
07-09-2005, 00:38
New York is fab, there are hundreds of things to do and see! Statue of Libery and climbing to the top of the Empire State building are the must do tourist activities that spring to mind.
Try hailing down a yellow cab, go to Broadway, Shopping of course, China town, Soho, Greenwich Village, Central Park, oh the list is endless:D I found that it had to be tourist trail or shopping we were knacked trying to do both in 5 days.
Might stop of on the next trip to Florida as I love the Big Apple but like millions of other love the Florida fix too.
I spent 8 years going to NY twice a week and I agree with the posts above but there is so much to see and do.
As for something a bit different try USS Intrepid one of the most successful ships in US history is now one of the most unique attractions in New York City. Berthed on the mighty Hudson River in Manhattan, the Museum boasts educational exhibits and exciting events.
Also China Town (Canal Street) Running from the western side of Manhattan over to the Lower East Side, Canal Street isn't as clearly defined as bustling Broadway or ritzy Madison Avenue. It goes through the industrial neighborhoods of Soho and Tribeca, then crowded Chinatown (with Little Italy just northeast) and finally the once-heavily Jewish Lower East Side. The hub of Canal Street, however, is considered to be Chinatown, where one can expect to see an endless expanse of cramped markets selling anything from fish and oriental foods to antiques, watches and bags at bargain prices. Dim sum and authentic Chinese restaurants are the main draw for both tourists and native New Yorkers.
Its great for fake goods, trendy clothes etc[msnwink]
Staten Island Ferry - free!
The Staten Island Ferry provides 20 million people a year ( 70,000 passengers a day ) with ferry service between St. George on Staten Island and Whitehall street in lower Manhattan.
The ferry is the only non-vehicular mode of transportation between Staten Island and Manhattan. NYC DOT operates and maintains the eleven vessel fleet as well as the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island, Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan, the City Island and Hart Island Facilities, The Battery Maritime Building and, all floating dock building equipment.
The Staten Island Ferry is run by the City of New York for one pragmatic reason: To transport Staten Islanders to and from Manhattan. Yet, the 5 mile, 25 minute ride also provides a majestic view of New York Harbor and a no-hassle, even romantic, boat ride, for free! One guide book calls it " One of the worlds greatest ( and shortest ) water voyages."
From the ferries deck you will have a perfect view of The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You'll see the skys[bad language filtered out]ers and bridges of Lower Manhattan receding as you pull away and coming into focus again as you return.
A typical weekday schedule involves the use of five boats to transport approximately 70,000 passengers daily (104 daily trips). During the day, between rush hours, boats are regularly fueled and maintenance work is performed. Terminals are cleaned around the clock and routine terminal maintenance is performed on the day shift. On weekends, three boats are used (64 trips each weekend day).
Central Park
New York's Central Park features 843 acres filled with classic architecture, gorgeous statuary and up to date sports, educational and performance facilities. Besides all of this there is the world famous Central Park Zoo and Wildlife Center and the Children's Zoo. The park also boasts two full service restaurants (including the world famous Tavern on the Green and the scenic Boathouse Restaurant on the Lake). And all of this doesn't even come close to the natural splendor of the landscape.
Central Park has a wide variety of carefully crafted topograhical aspects all created by the genius of Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted. From the beautiful centerpiece of the Park, Bethesda Terrace to the more rustic charm of the North Woods Central Park changes from festive fountains to pastoral retreat all in the space of a few city blocks.
There is also a fully functional National Weather Station located at picturesque Belvedere Castle, an outdoor performance venue at the Delacorte Theatre, two skating rinks, a public swimming pool, and several different information centers located around the park that offer not only information about the park, but also host a variety of educational programs for adults and children alike. Then there is the rich historic content of Central Park. On the East Side there is The Obelisk, or Cleopatra's Needle,
steph_goodrum
07-09-2005, 01:56
Like Mach2 I'd recommend the Uss Inrepid and from the next pier they can take the Circle Line cruise which takes around 3 hours for the full cruise around Manhattan with all the sights pointed out on the way.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steph_goodrum
Like Mach2 I'd recommend the Uss Inrepid and from the next pier they can take the Circle Line cruise which takes around 3 hours for the full cruise around Manhattan with all the sights pointed out on the way.
[/quote]
Oh Yes I forgot about the Circle Line Cruise[msnwink]
jo carroll
07-09-2005, 02:25
I really enjoyed Ellis Island, we almost didn't bother as I wasn't thrilled with the idea of trailing round but hubby pre-booked a package including a tour so decided not to waste it and to have a quick look. We were there ages and it was one of the highlights of my trip. Would definitely recommend it and it helped me understand America and Americans a little bit more.
Ellis Island was a highlight of my trip too. We had the guided tour and the chap who showed us round was excellent and really helped to create the atmosphere of what it must have been like when the boatloads of people arrived there.
Another thing I particularly enjoyed was going up the Empire State Building at dusk. We went up once in the daylight and once at dusk, but I would say that the dusk visit was the best. To see the lights coming on all over the city was excellent.
ctgirlscout
07-09-2005, 02:52
Don't forget the Bronx Zoo. Or a game at Yankee Stadium.
MICKEYSDEN
07-09-2005, 10:58
We took our teenage daughters there last year and the best thing we did was to buy tickets for the hop on and hop off topless bus, these were great as we could look around at our pace and as soon as they got 'bored' we could move on to another place.
Clam chowder in Umberto's Clam House in Little Italy. Yummy![msntongue]
We took our 16 year old neice a couple of years ago and like Karen purchased the open top bus tickets. These were really good and allowed us to see loads of places. Have to say that her favourite bit was Ellis Island which really suprised me as we weren't sure if she would like it. We also took her to see 'The Producers' on Broadway which was fantastic!
timfawson
08-09-2005, 00:10
It may not suit the 14 year old but when we were there in November the girls went on a bus tour of Sex and the city sights seeing all the locations that were used in the series.
We also hired bikes and rode around Central Park.
Jackie, I was there for a month once when my hubby was working so I as I had children with me I spent hours day in day out in Central Park, its not somewhere I really went to on my Concorde trips but I really loved it during that month, got to know the zoo very very well[msnwink]