NYC in one day?

CJones

CJones

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Looks like we will be flying the RV to Boston in a few weeks (May 11-15th) to visit one of Rachel's friends. While there, we'll probably take some sort of bus from Boston to New York and spend a day there. If you could only spend one day in NYC, what would be on your 'must see' list?

Any 'gotchas' for flying into the area? We've been requested to use Norwood for ease of access by our picker-upper.
 
CJones said:
Looks like we will be flying the RV to Boston in a few weeks (May 11-15th) to visit one of Rachel's friends. While there, we'll probably take some sort of bus from Boston to New York and spend a day there. If you could only spend one day in NYC, what would be on your 'must see' list?
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If you're taking a bus to NYC you'll probably wind up at the Port Authority bus terminal which is within a couple blocks of Times Square. If you want to do an aviation related activity you could go to the Intrepid Museum. I hear that it's been refurbished and is back at its dock. That is also within (long) walking distance of the bus terminal. Other than that I guess it just depends what kinds of things interest you and Rachel. There's a ferry that will take you to both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. If you want to go inside the base of the Statue of Liberty you need to make prior arrangements. I thought the museum at Ellis Island was pretty interesting. I also like Central Park.
 
CJones said:
Looks like we will be flying the RV to Boston in a few weeks (May 11-15th) to visit one of Rachel's friends. While there, we'll probably take some sort of bus from Boston to New York and spend a day there. If you could only spend one day in NYC, what would be on your 'must see' list?

Any 'gotchas' for flying into the area? We've been requested to use Norwood for ease of access by our picker-upper.
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It depends on your interests, but if you want to see what's unique to New York, check out Central Park (gorgeous this time of year!), and get out on the Hudson(Staten Island Ferry, Circle Line, etc).
Best view in NYC is not from atop the Empire State Bldg, IMHO... it's at Top of the Rock (observation deck atop the GE Bldg. at Rockefeller Center). I think it's better because on the 2nd level there's no glass or bars, and from there you can see the Empire State Bldg. :D And the Chrysler bldg. And Central Park. And just about everything. It's awesome on a clear day.

If you have a healthy budget, try a helicopter tour... another great way to see the city in its entirety. I've never taken one of those tourist bus rides, but it looks lame to me. NYC is not best enjoyed from a vehicle in traffic, IMHO.

There are plenty of museums, but of course for pilots the USS Intrepid Museum is a must. All of the above are roughly in the same neighborhood, except the SI Ferry.

For dining, I can't recommend any place in particular, but if you are hanging around midtown at suppertime, go uptown a ways, a few blocks from either side of the park... plenty of great restaurants in those areas. Stay away from the tourist-y places, like in Times Square.

As far as flying into Norwood goes, I haven't landed there in ages, but coming from NYC in a light single I had no issues with airspaces or anything else.
 
Chris, take a bus? No freak'n way! Fly into one of the GA friendly airports on Long Island or ?? (The folks in the city will chime in)

Hmm, one day in the city? So many things to do... You could geek out and visit the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier on the Hudson, take in a play, Visit the Empire State building, hang in Times Square to say you did it, walk through Central park,,, Only a day? Not enough.....
 
Everskyward said:
If you're taking a bus to NYC you'll probably wind up at the Port Authority bus terminal which is within a couple blocks of Times Square. If you want to do an aviation related activity you could go to the Intrepid Museum. I hear that it's been refurbished and is back at its dock. That is also within (long) walking distance of the bus terminal. Other than that I guess it just depends what kinds of things interest you and Rachel. There's a ferry that will take you to both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. If you want to go inside the base of the Statue of Liberty you need to make prior arrangements. I thought the museum at Ellis Island was pretty interesting. I also like Central Park.
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That's the kind of stuff we're looking for - the general 'major' touristy places: Statue of Liberty, Times Square, etc. I'm not sure of proximity of everything as far as what is possible to do in one day.
 
CJones said:
That's the kind of stuff we're looking for - the general 'major' touristy places: Statue of Liberty, Times Square, etc. I'm not sure of proximity of everything as far as what is possible to do in one day.
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If you start out at the Port Authority bus terminal you can take the "E" subway south to the World Trade Center station (blue line on the map) and walk to Battery Park where the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island docks. Either that or you can walk from the bus station east a few blocks and take the "1" (red line on the map) to the South Ferry station.

http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm
 
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In just one day?

Another movie that Tony hasn't seen yet.

We walked down Broadway and looked at the Ed Sullivan theater with the Letterman marqui and Hello Deli, looked in to the Soup Nazi's place around the corner. You could see Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Television History....
 
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CJones said:
That's the kind of stuff we're looking for - the general 'major' touristy places: Statue of Liberty, Times Square, etc. I'm not sure of proximity of everything as far as what is possible to do in one day.
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Statue of Liberty- you'll want to get there early or you'll spend a portion of your one day waiting in line.

Grey Line Tours are an easy way to get around most of the points of interest. Nothing in depth, but they do seem to cover a fair bit of territory. The tour we were on covered the theater district, Wall Street, China Town, the hole where the World Trade Center used to be, City Hall, SoHo, Battery Park, UN Biulding, and a few other places I've forgotten.

The NYC subway is pretty good for getting around. The link gets you to a subway map:
http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm

Get some good NYC pizza, made the way pizza is supposed to be made.

NYC is a good city to spend time and money- Despite Cory Lidel and the 9/11 incidents, New York has kept it's air space open so you can still do the Hudson River Tour (if you had a plane). Not like a certain midwest city that closed it's lakefront airport 'cuz they were 'fraid of terrorists. That certain midwest city makes a tasty open crust tomato pie they insist on calling "pizza"- get the real stuff in NYC! :smile:
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Statue of Liberty- you'll want to get there early or you'll spend a portion of your one day waiting in line.
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I've been living in and around the City for years, and I have never made it to the Statue of Liberty. The lines for the boats to get there are just too long for my taste. A good substitute is to take a trip on the Staten Island Ferry. The Ferry is a budget pleaser - it is free! And you get reasonably close to the Statue for a good view. Plus a great view of Manhattan as well.

You have to get off the Ferry in Staten Island but just follow the crowd and walk back onto the Ferry for the return trip. Fun!

-Skip
 
Skip Miller said:
I've been living in and around the City for years, and I have never made it to the Statue of Liberty. The lines for the boats to get there are just too long for my taste.
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Something about that in the human mind:

I've lived in and around DC for 30 years, never once stepped foot in the Washington Monument (line stigma also).

Been to Lady Liberty twice, tho! . . . Ponderous, man, ponderous.

And if you're around for dinner, Il Vagabondo is our personal fave, a favorite of Waste Management Executives, so they say.
 
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A good way to spend the afternoon is to take in Battery Park and the Castle Clinton National Monument, then hit Ground Zero before dinner in Little Italy and shopping in Chinatown - this will give you a great mix of touristy stuff, a great dinner and desert and even a Gucci / Katie Spade knockoff and some pearls for the wife.

Battery Park area has great view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and it also has what remains of the globe fountain from the WTC. You can then walk up the West shore line to the World Financial Center and Ground Zero - for me this is shockingly powerful. After Ground Zero, it's time for Little Italy.

From Ground Zero, take Courtland St substop (R train, corner of Courtland and Church) north to the Prince Street station. This puts you a nice short walk from Little Italy and China Town. Take Prince Street east about 5 blocks to Mott and hang a right. You're now in Little Italy. If you decide to go for pizza, Lombardi's is the ticket (right around Mott & Spring). While they're known as the home of pizza, it's still a small place with the absolutely best meat-ball pizza you'll ever find. Their white pizza is also great. If you're not sold on pizza, you can stroll down Mott and stop in any of the dozens of fabulous Italian places along the street. Definitely grab a Gelato or cannoli at one of the street side shops after dinner.

Now that you're full, finish your walk down Mott (south) to Canal St. At the corner of Mott & Canal, you're basically in Chinatown. You can start shopping there or hang a right on Canal and take in the shops in the area. In the recent past you could find knock-offs right on the street. You'll definitely want to negotiate quite a bit for both the bags and the pearls if you decide to buy anything. Canal is busy, but has lots of shops. There are also a bunch of small side streets in the area that are a fun walk. This part of town feels shockingly similar to Hong Kong and is a lot of fun (think sights & smells - fresh seafood and baby turtles).

In my opinion, you've now seen a great part of NYC (we did this route with visitors pretty regularly and they always loved it). Enjoy the day.

PS - If you're there on the weekend, I'd definitely skip Wall Street. Visitors often want to go, but the place is dead on the weekend - the restaurants aren't even open. Nothing really to see expect the bull.

Cap'n Jack said:
Statue of Liberty- you'll want to get there early or you'll spend a portion of your one day waiting in line.

Get some good NYC pizza, made the way pizza is supposed to be made.
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I have no fascination with ground zero. Yes, its hallowed ground, but it also gives the terrorists attention. They killed 3,000 people there. I would rather spend my time seeing real sites than a whole in the ground caused by terrorists. Sorry, just the way I feel.
 
I wouldn't bother with the Statue of Liberty. It's really not all that impressive, and the lines are way too long, especially on a nice day.

Central Park is great, and worth seeing. If you like animals, you can hit two birds with one stone (figuratively) and do the Central Park Zoo at the same time. Central Park South area hsa the most interesting shops. Grand Central Station is also still neat, especially at the busy times (morning rush/lunch/evening rush), since you never know what you'll see. If you were there on election day back in 2000, you would have seen some high school students performing a wedding, which I... umm... may or may not have been involved with. ;)

Times Square is probably good to see at some point in your life, although really the main thing to do there is spend money.

Go and see the site where the World Trade Center used to be. I always take friends and do my best to explain what was there that we all lost.

ABSOLUTELY do a tour by air if you can. I think perhaps the most spectacular thing is to see NYC by air. Plus, then you can see the Statue of Liberty from a much better angle and get better pictures. Give Danos a hollar on this, I seem to recall he does this frequently, and is a great guy to hang out with anyway. I've done it with a friend before, but never as PIC. I also flew the Aztec over the NY Bravo at 7500 a few weeks back, which was great fun, but would've been much better to be at a lower altitude.

If you can, make it to Brooklyn for food (and cheesecake!) at Junior's.

The subway is efficient (and gives you a real taste of NYC), but really the best way to get around NYC is motorcycle, and what I try to do. If you're going to use public transit, the bus is slower, but then you can look out the window and see much more of what there is. A "Fun Pass" MetroCard gives you unlimited on and off the bus/subway for one day. You'll need one for each of you, but definitely worthwhile.

If I happen to be around, let me know and I'd be glad to give you a tour, and even provide the vehicular transport. Just let me know when you're coming in. :)
 
Anthony said:
I have no fascination with ground zero. Yes, its hallowed ground, but it also gives the terrorists attention. They killed 3,000 people there. I would rather spend my time seeing real sites than a whole in the ground caused by terrorists. Sorry, just the way I feel.
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Understand - everyone reacts in their own way. I spent a lot of time in and out of the WTC until immediately before 9/11, so the place has a very personal impact on me. Personal impact aside, I think calling the place where the towers stood and where 3,000 people died a "hole in the ground" is a bit abrasive. It may be descriptive, just not terribly respectful. To each his own and I don't see a lot of value in arguing over semantics.

The Battery Park are is still a nice place to view Ellis and the big lady and that puts you a single short ride from some of the best food and deserts in NYC.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I wouldn't bother with the Statue of Liberty. It's really not all that impressive, and the lines are way too long, especially on a nice day.

Central Park is great, and worth seeing. If you like animals, you can hit two birds with one stone (figuratively) and do the Central Park Zoo at the same time. Central Park South area hsa the most interesting shops. Grand Central Station is also still neat, especially at the busy times (morning rush/lunch/evening rush), since you never know what you'll see. If you were there on election day back in 2000, you would have seen some high school students performing a wedding, which I... umm... may or may not have been involved with. ;)

Times Square is probably good to see at some point in your life, although really the main thing to do there is spend money.

Go and see the site where the World Trade Center used to be. I always take friends and do my best to explain what was there that we all lost.

ABSOLUTELY do a tour by air if you can. I think perhaps the most spectacular thing is to see NYC by air. Plus, then you can see the Statue of Liberty from a much better angle and get better pictures. Give Danos a hollar on this, I seem to recall he does this frequently, and is a great guy to hang out with anyway. I've done it with a friend before, but never as PIC. I also flew the Aztec over the NY Bravo at 7500 a few weeks back, which was great fun, but would've been much better to be at a lower altitude.

If you can, make it to Brooklyn for food (and cheesecake!) at Junior's.

The subway is efficient (and gives you a real taste of NYC), but really the best way to get around NYC is motorcycle, and what I try to do. If you're going to use public transit, the bus is slower, but then you can look out the window and see much more of what there is. A "Fun Pass" MetroCard gives you unlimited on and off the bus/subway for one day. You'll need one for each of you, but definitely worthwhile.

If I happen to be around, let me know and I'd be glad to give you a tour, and even provide the vehicular transport. Just let me know when you're coming in. :)
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Spot on!

Take Ted up on his offer!

(You know someone knows NYC when he suggest not doing the Statue of Liberty tour!)

I would add a plug for Circle Line boat tour. I've done them by day and by night -- an amazing sight and well worth the few hours.
 
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Wow. Thanks for all the info, folks!!! I'm seeing quite a bit of overlap in some of the recommendations which makes me feel better about choosing what to do.

Ted, we're thinking around May 12 for our NYC day. That's on a Tuesday I think, so I don't know if it would work for you. If so, that would be awesome! If not, FINE, we didn't want to see you anyway. ;) ha.. j/k.. We'll keep in touch between now and then.
 
Anthony said:
I have no fascination with ground zero.
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There isn't much there anyway except a subway and train station. At least that was the case last time I saw it about a year ago.
 
CJones said:
Ted, we're thinking around May 12 for our NYC day. That's on a Tuesday I think, so I don't know if it would work for you. If so, that would be awesome! If not, FINE, we didn't want to see you anyway. ;) ha.. j/k.. We'll keep in touch between now and then.
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Tuesdays... I never could get the hang of Tuesdays. Or was it Thursdays? ;)

Yeah, a Tuesday is not likely to work out. Too bad, otherwise I'd be able to offer you a place to stay, too. But keep me posted! Yeah, it'd be an embarassment to be in a bar with you - you can't drink crown to ATP standards worth a crap. :D
 
Chris are you NUTS? First off there is not much to see in NYC! Seriously

1) Doing one Day in NYC is like drinking from a fire hose.
2) Taking a bus from Boston to NYC for one day then driving back in the Bus to Boston is like 3.5 hrs each way. Your not gonna leave yourself any time and will be zonked to boot.
3) If your gonna do NY spend a weekend.
4) Not trying to be a wet blanket but Boston and New England has tons of things to keep a flat lander like you occupied for the time you will be east.

5) If you do decide to do NYC I suggest more time there and that you fly to either Linden and take the Path train in to the city or fly to HPN and take the train I think its the LIRR.

6) Another option is fly from Boston to Philly for the FLYBQ :D and do the Hudson river flight on the way down. That is and AWESOME way to see NYC.

7) Stay in New England this year and come to the FLYBQ:D Next year and take a side trip to NYC for a few days by train from Philly and have some more time to enjoy Manhatten for a few days.
 
AdamZ said:
2) Taking a bus from Boston to NYC for one day then driving back in the Bus to Boston is like 3.5 hrs each way. Your not gonna leave yourself any time and will be zonked to boot.
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That's what I was thinking! A bus trip from Boston to NYC is going to eat up half of your one day to begin with. Don't you have an airplane? ;)

4) Not trying to be a wet blanket but Boston and New England has tons of things to keep a flat lander like you occupied for the time you will be east.
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Agreed. I found Boston to be a VERY interesting place. It gave me a much better appreciation for history than I'd had before.

6) Another option is fly from Boston to Philly for the FLYBQ :D and do the Hudson river flight on the way down. That is and AWESOME way to see NYC.
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Even better. :yes:
 
Oh, I missed the part about the bus trip from Boston to NYC and back. No way, don't do it. NYC in one day only works if you come down, say, the night before, spend the night at my place, and then we get started on the day. After dinner, come back for a nice evening and head to your next destination the next morning. Boston to NYC is a 4 hour trip each way, and that's without the inevitable delays that you'll have as that route is pretty awful. That will eat more than half your day, and not be very restful.

If you can't do it right, plan another trip when you can come and spend a weekend, and have me be a proper tour guide. Hard to beat my location, too, right in the middle of Manhattan. :)
 
I didn't realize the OP was talking about making that RT by bus on the same day as the 1-day visit to NYC... forget it!!! The trains are marginally quicker, but still... that's a big chunk out of your day. Why not fly in, to Republic (fairly close, on LI), or Linden (even closer, just south of Newark)?
 
Anthony said:
I have no fascination with ground zero. Yes, its hallowed ground, but it also gives the terrorists attention. They killed 3,000 people there. I would rather spend my time seeing real sites than a whole in the ground caused by terrorists. Sorry, just the way I feel.
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I agree- Please note how I described it in my post
 
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