Never been to NYC + seeking advice/tips/info/jokes

[Marc Manning]

[title edited to not sound like sexless creep]

Planning on making first ever trip to NYC this July. Never ever been. Traveling with fiance and 15 year old daughter.

I trust the opinions here more than most places. Where should we book lodging while there?

Please feel free to mock the nebulous and unending possibilities of a question this wide-ranging.

[Raziel]

Depends on how much money you want to spend.  Staying *in* the city is fucking expensive.  But it's easy to stay outside for cheaper and take a train in.

[blitzkrieg]

Boy did I interpret the thread's title in a completely different manner.

[Petey]

1 hour ago, blitzkrieg said:

Boy did I interpret the thread's title in a completely different manner.

Me too.

Also, Raz's suggestion is spot on. Unless you guys have a ton of $$ to blow, staying in the city itself is super expensive.

If you want the best slice of pizza in Manhattan, Joe's on Carmine Street is your friend.

[Bustronaut]

We found a hotel a block from Time's Sq. the week of Thanksgiving for about $150/night three years ago.  I wouldn't recommend the Roommate Grace (the bed is next to the window in most rooms, and the window is single pane, got pretty cold) but you can find a lot of nice-ish hotels for the same or less if you do a little searching.

Also, we bought a 2 day pass on the tourist buses and basically used them as shuttles, as they're a lot cheaper than taxis, and at that point we didn't have smartphones, so we were relying on the kindness of strangers for directions most of the time.

[The Natural]

9 hours ago, blitzkrieg said:

Boy did I interpret the thread's title in a completely different manner.

Likewise.

[J.T.]

As far as lodging goes, Stay in Jersey City or Hoboken and take the train in.  NJ / NY PATH is still super cheap as far as train travel goes and it will drop you off smack dab on Broadway / Journal Square.  If you can't find your way back and forth from Broadway, you don't deserve to vacation in the Apple.

Get yourself a copy of The Village Voice and keep the Entertainment section with you at all times.  IMO it still has the best listings of live entertainment from some of the better clubs in the city.

Eat at a proper eatery.  You did not come to NYC to live off of McDonalds.

Follow the NYC Rule of Restaurants.   If you don't see any people of the same ethnicity eating in an ethnic restaurant, you shouldn't eat there either.  This goes for Chinese restaurants whose rice isn't sticky enough to be eaten with chopsticks and South American restaurant menus that don't have ten thousand beef dishes available.

Try not to depend on your smartphones too much for navigation.  It is the new version of looking up at the skyline that immediately marks you as a tourist.

[Red is Dead]

would also recommend getting the tour bus bit. yes, it's a bit expensive, but if you're going for the full tourist holiday, it's a good way of seeing the majority of the big island in minimal time.

[supremebve]

5 hours ago, J.T. said:

As far as lodging goes, Stay in Jersey City or Hoboken and take the train in.  NJ / NY PATH is still super cheap as far as train travel goes and it will drop you off smack dab on Broadway / Journal Square.  If you can't find your way back and forth from Broadway, you don't deserve to vacation in the Apple.

Get yourself a copy of The Village Voice and keep the Entertainment section with you at all times.  IMO it still has the best listings of live entertainment from some of the better clubs in the city.

Eat at a proper eatery.  You did not come to NYC to live off of McDonalds.

Follow the NYC Rule of Restaurants.   If you don't see any people of the same ethnicity eating in an ethnic restaurant, you shouldn't eat there either.  This goes for Chinese restaurants whose rice isn't sticky enough to be eaten with chopsticks and South American restaurant menus that don't have ten thousand beef dishes available.

Try not to depend on your smartphones too much for navigation.  It is the new version of looking up at the skyline that immediately marks you as a tourist.

Yeah, this is essentially everything you need.  It is impossible to see everything in New York, so go with a plan but be flexible.  The last time I was in New York, we went to a nice dinner and Stand Up NY on Friday Night, The Statue of Liberty and tourist stuff Saturday morning, one of the best Italian meals I've ever had for lunch and a Broadway show on Saturday Night.  We felt like we had a great New York trip, and other than the Broadway show everything was relatively affordable.  The thing that surprised me the most was how friendly everyone was when you asked them for their lunch/entertainment recommendation.  It is a city where everyone has a favorite restaurant/club/etc. and are more than happy to give you a suggestion.  

[Petey]

Granted, I don't live in New York City but I've lived on Long Island my whole life and have frequented/commuted to Manhattan enough and yeah, the whole "New Yorkers are mean" is a little overblown. We don't go out of our way to wave/say hi to every stranger we encounter and sometimes the workers may not be overly outgoing or super duper nice, but most aren't mean either and have no issue helping someone out.

[Ace]

If you're intending to see a Broadway show, hit up TKTS in Time Square to get tickets.

 

[Phantom Lord]

Yeah basically what everyone has said so far. Don't stay in any hotel in Manhattan. Brooklyn is filling up with hotels especially with in a mile-mile and a half from the Barclays Center all along the R train line Line (you know Days Inn, Comfort, stuff like that). You can drive in. Park, and be in walking distance to the subway and be in the city in twenty minutes depending on what part you want to go to.

For dining, avoid the chain restaurants in Times Square like the plague unless you don't mind waiting for a long time and food that's over priced. The Hard Rock isn't bad. Everything is overpriced in Manhattan, but if you want better food hit up the local diners.

[Bustronaut]

I mean, what's thr price difference between Manhattan and Brooklyn?

 

If I were to ever go back, I'd probably do more in Brooklyn than Manhattan (I found it disappointingly homogenized)

[Raziel]

Right now,  Brooklyn is slightly cheager then Manhattan,  but not much.  Price of gentrification and all that.

[Dolfan in NYC]

For suggestions for places to go, look at Thrillist and Time Out NY before you get here.   

Also, hotels, look at Long Island City/Astoria, it's a fuckload cheaper than Manhattan.  You *might* be able to snag something affordable in Manhattan (in NYC this means under $200/night), but it's going to be tiny/completely inconvenient to get to, and possibly very dirty.  

Restaurants, follow exactly what JT said, however, every restaurant in NYC has an inspection grade on it. A, B, or C.  If you see a C, run, that usually means the place is a violation or two from being shut down.   

Also, use the subway.  It's by far the easiest, most efficient, and cheapest way to get around.  If you're going to use cabs, then just do Uber or Lyft, both tend to be cheaper than taxis.  Also, UberPool will take you anywhere below 125th Street in Manhattan for $5 on Weekdays in the day. 

[Dolfan in NYC]

And watch these. 

 

 

[RIPPA]

God - I so fucking love that Marc's first post on the new board and he has to edit the creepiness

Ace hinted at it already - but I can't recommend seeing a Broadway show enough.

I mean you will never get a ticket to Hamilton but there are a ton of other amazing ones to see (Granted if said daughter was younger Aladdin or Shrek would have been easy calls)

I would say Book of Mormon is good.

Or depending on folks interest - Waitress which is based on the movie and all the music is done by Sara  Bareilles

Shuffle Along would be a recommendation but they are closing at the end of July so that might not work time wise

[RIPPA]

Also - while not the cheeriest of topics - if you are planning on visiting the Ground Zero Memorial make sure you are aware of the difference

The Memorial is free - that is the outside part that has all the names of the victims etc.

The Museum requires tickets ($24 per adult/$15 17 & Under) (the Museum has exhibits, etc)

I just wanted to mention that in case that this was something that felt important to you to do

[J.T.]

Not to make this any more depressing, but.....

GZM is actually a pretty awesome point of interest.  It is probably the only place in the Apple where you can expect total strangers to be halfway civil and a smidge polite.

I used to work at a law firm in Tower 2 so it was hard to visit the GZM and see the names of all of my former co-workers inscribed.  One of the former board members in good standing, Sven Mascarenhas, lost his father during the attack.

After you fucking fall into a malaise of sadness, at least you will be near the Financial District so you can go to the Pier A Harbor House, The Dead Rabbit, or Hudson Eats for some culinary therapy.

You will NEVER get tickets to see Hamilton, but if you prefer your daytrips to be educational, there are a shit ton of options like the Guggenheim, MoMA NYC, and The Met.  Most museums will charge you a fee for tickets though and they can be on the expensive side so check the internets for online discounts.

If music is your thing then look into the NYC Original Rock & Roll Walking Tour and visit the mecha that used to be CBGBs.  Just mind your wallet and remember that we don't stare at anyone in Greenwich Village no matter how loudly they yell at the sky.

I think the most fascinating tour I went on when I went back to visit NYC was the fucking United Nations tour, but I am an egghead like that.

Oh, and there is some arena or something called Madison Square Garden that you can visit or something.  To your sadness it is WNBA season, but mother fucking Radiohead is playing there at the end of July.

 

[Brian Fowler]

I went to Ground Zero in 2003, and it's impossible to describe the way it felt.

Granted, 13 more years later might dull the impact some.

I also got to attend several shows (it was a spring term theatre and dance class, so naturally) and I can't recommend it enough. Hit something on Broadway.

[Rev_Dr_Super_Fantastic]

A few things. NYC is an extremely walkable city. Don't be afraid to just walk around. And if you get lost & you want to confer with your fellow travelers, don't stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Just move off to the side. Depending on your schedule/plans, go to Central park, go to the 9/11 Memorial, walk around the Financial District, where all the early history of the city is. If you want to see the Statue of Liberty but don't want to spend a lot of time actually going to Liberty Island, just hop on the Staten Island Ferry. It's free and if you stand on the Starboard (right) side of the Ferry as it heads towards Staten Island, you'll see the Statue, then turn right back around & catch the Ferry back to Manhattan. Walk around inside Grand Central. If you go to museums & you see that the admission price is "suggested", then pay what you like, not the posted price. If you want to eat authentic ethnic food, you'll have to go to the outer boros (There are spots in Manhattan, but they aren't nearly as plentiful as they are in the outer boros). Little Italy & parts of Chinatown cater to tourists, and may not be as authentic as you'd like. Flushing for Chinese/Korean, Arthur Ave in the Bronx for Italian, Jackson Heights for Indian & Central/South American, Astoria for Greek. 

NYC is loud & crowded. It's also fast, since everyone has somewhere to be, even if they really don't. Depending on where you're from, it may be overwhelming. But you adjust right away. And the myth that New Yorkers are rude is just that, a myth. Chances are that if you run into someone who's a complete asshole, that person is most likely from somewhere else. Moving to NYC lets them be the asshole they couldn't be in their hometown. Will everyone smile & say hi? No. But you just don't have the time to do so. Common courtesy still works here. Thank You & Please go a long way. That said, enjoy your trip. Oh, and carry an umbrella. Summer thunderstorms happen quick & hard here.

 

[evilwaldo]

If you are looking for a reasonable hotel but do not mind a communal bathroom and a tiny room The Jane is the last reasonably priced hotel when compared with others in Manhattan.  A bit out of the way at the base of the High Line and a bit of a walk to the subways but still a solid deal if you do not want to spend hundreds on a mediocre room in Manhattan.

If you love heritage and history this hotel has tons of it.  When immigrants came to the US over 100 years ago this is where they stayed until they got started.

[supremebve]

38 minutes ago, Rev_Dr_Super_Fantastic said:

And the myth that New Yorkers are rude is just that, a myth. Chances are that if you run into someone who's a complete asshole, that person is most likely from somewhere else. Moving to NYC lets them be the asshole they couldn't be in their hometown. Will everyone smile & say hi? No. But you just don't have the time to do so. Common courtesy still works here. Thank You & Please go a long way. 

This is exactly my experience.  I've done a pretty decent amount of travelling and people in New York are generally the most tourist friendly people I've encountered.  They may not smile and say hello to everyone walking by, but that is because there are too many people to acknowledge everyone.  I remember when I had a family reunion in Mississippi, and I asked the girl at the gas station where I could get something to eat.  She looked at me like I had 3 heads and said, "I don't know."  In a place that is known for its hospitality, I was blown off and treated like a nuisance.  In New York, where everyone is supposed to be rude, I got multiple restaurant recommendations from almost everyone I asked.  I even had a waitress sit down at our table, write out a list, and even drew a map to a Cuban restaurant that was kind of hidden(It was hard to find, but it was SO FUCKING GOOD).  New Yorkers don't really acknowledge everyone walking down the street, but tend to be really engaging with everyone they interact with.  It is a city you could go to with no plans at all, and eat like a king and party like a rock star, just from talking to the lady at the front desk of the hotel or the waitress at the place on the corner.  Honestly the people in the service industry in New York actually provide you with service(I'm sure the people at T.G.I.Friday's are just as useless as the people at your local T.G.I.Fridays, but you aren't going to go all the way to New York to eat at T.G.I.Friday's are you?  NO YOU ARE NOT.).  

[J.T.]

New Yorkers are not rude, they are just keen to mind their own business and they don't suffer unnecessary delay all that well.  "Fucking move it, buddy!" was the same as "Good morning!" when I took the subway down to WTC.

If you look like you are lost or something, there will be no end of random people asking you if you need directions and the magical question, "Is there anyplace decent to eat around here?" will invite numerous responses and vigorous debate. 

New Yorkers love their city and are a proud lot and are eager to share the local nuances with the curious.

[Red is Dead]

^^^^^ especially about the directions part.

Guy who helped me and Mrs Red was extremely helpful.