Visiting NYC for a day, any suggestions?

[Judaeus Apella]

My family is traveling New Jersey for my cousin's wedding, and since New York City is so close and I've always wanted to visit it, we're all going to visit NYC on the 31st. Unfortunately, we only have one day to tour the city so we have to plan ahead of time what we want to do, but none of us have a clue what we'd like to do there. We don't really know that much about the city, other than what’s commonly known.

So, has anyone here lived in New York City, or visited there with someone who knew the place well?

To be honest, we're really not interested in the usual historical tours. We always do that in places we've visited in the past, and we all end up being bored stiff and completely worn out the next day with very little to show for it. Yeah, there’s the knowledge we take with us... but this is NYC, one of the most famous cities in the world! We want something really fun to do for once.

I was wondering if there’s anything like a technological exhibit or something, kind of like the one in Vegas. You know, where they show off new technology and you get a taste of what’s to come in the future. I also remember something about a giant Warner Brothers building in NYC with a huge store, but I’m not sure if that’s something that we'd all want to do.

Can someone please help us out? We only have a few days to figure out what we want to do. There’s way too much information on the net to sift through and we don't know anyone who lives there.

[Pisu87]

If I was to go in NYC for a day I'd be likely to go around walking all the time with this face > :eek:

[cky2k6]

i live in the city so i can tell you a little bit about it. for tech, there is a sony lab in midtown, and there is a television history museum in brooklyn. theres not much tech exhibits per se in the city, only once a year there is some tech convention at the jacob javitz center.

as for fun stuff, theres always the hard rock cafe which is in every big city, there is times square with all the billboards and the occasional windows error messages on them, central park zoo, bronx zoo which is huge so you need like half a day for that alone, theres horse carriage rides in central park, theres a big arcade somewhere midtown, theres gray's papaya which has arguably the best hot dogs in the city, theres battery park city with a nice park on the river, and ground zero, theres espn zone midtown, rockefeller center and maybe theres a tour around there of some studio, either nbc or abc or whatever, theres also a bunch of ethnical neighborhoods like little italy and china town, and im too lazy to think of much else, but that my list.

[Movieman]

Two places I'd see in NYC: The Empire State Building and the site of the World Trade Center..Something I think we all should see and stick in our memories forever.

[illmatik]

I guess it all comes down to what time of day you're there, how much time you have to spend, and what yer into. I guess after being in the city so long I'm just kind of numb to everything. Recently I got back into the museum thing, as theres always something cool to see. I love the natural history museum, but that will easily eat a whole day to enjoy it all @ leisure place. If art is your thing, theres a lot of good works coming into town over the next couple weeks. I'm kind of lucky my company is one of the largest art contributors in the world and our personal gallery is quite impressive and always changing. Its cool to walk the halls and see picaso or buckminster fuller sketches or gaudi design blueprints. If you have an evening there and dig electronic music, there are also a lot of big name artists booked for the next 2 months in various clubs.

[Judaeus Apella]

Thanks guys! Really, thanks. :) But only 4 responses? Isn't there anything in NYC that anyone here has always wanted to go see? I dunno... I guess I always expected something a lot more exciting from NYC. Is there anything really unique that's no where else, that you guys can think of? Even a store?

[illmatik]

Might help to know a little more about what your interests are. There are big tech exhibits, but none that fall on the 31st as far as I know.

Your best bet is citysearch

http://newyork.citysearch.com/search?type=evloc&event_type=11+13+14+15+16+17+25&context=events&exactDate=on&exactDateText=3-31-2006&constrained=on&

[gr8golf]

Ok - the very FIRST thing you want to do is find out what time they open up the Empire State building observation deck line. Be there half an hour before that, and make sure you go up there. You will be able to get the 360 deg view of the island and surrounding boroughs. It will put everything else in perspective.

Stop at Katz's deli on Houston street for a pastrami sandwich.
Go to Wall street and check out the financial district.
Plan on at least an hour wandering around the Times Square area
Go to Grand Central station during rush hour (seeing is understanding)
Eat at Carnegie Deli
Blow off all the museums - museums are everywhere. NYC street life is not
Plan on wandering around Greenwich village and SoHo for an hour
Plan on checking out Rockefeller center for an hour

Don't spend much time at all inside any particular buildings. NYC is all about the street and the storefronts and *feel*. Just get out there and walk around until your feet are ready to fall off. You CANNOT get bored doing that, and you will not regret it.

Most important - get a Subway map online and study it. Learn how to get around before you ever get there and you'll be happy you did. You can cover a lot of ground quickly if you know what you are doing. You can take taxi's around, but the Subway IS NYC.

Go online and find the Time Out magazine. It will list the hottest new events / attractions.

[thunderstruck!]

Stop at Katz's deli on Houston street for a pastrami sandwich.

Most important - get a Subway map online and study it. Learn how to get around before you ever get there and you'll be happy you did. You can cover a lot of ground quickly if you know what you are doing. You can take taxi's around, but the Subway IS NYC.

I was born and lived in NYC all my life, and you must go to Katz. Best sandwiches I've ever had. And learn to use the subway if you are traveling by foot. Maybe go clubbin'? There a lot of nice places to walk around in like Chinatown, Soho, etc. There is a time warner building in midtown, but it's nothing special.

[`schr0et]

I used to live in NYC... Bronx zoo is one of the few things that I remember very well. It's a great place to go during nice weather.

[gr8golf]

I was born and lived in NYC all my life, and you must go to Katz. Best sandwiches I've ever had. And learn to use the subway if you are traveling by foot. Maybe go clubbin'? There a lot of nice places to walk around in like Chinatown, Soho, etc. There is a time warner building in midtown, but it's nothing special.


Yep - I had an apt on the corner of 1st Ave and 2nd Street. It was a 5 minute walk to Katz's. I wore the place out. Will be going back there in May.

[ixtapalapaquetl]

Stop at Katz's deli on Houston street for a pastrami sandwich.Word. Best pastrami sandwich I've ever had in my life.

I agree with some of the above posters. Get out on the streets and wander. You see the craziest :banana::banana::banana::banana: here every day. Go out and stay out late. Meet people. And if you're feeling adventurous, head up to the ghetto. You'll be stunned by the changes you see as you cross 96th St. heading uptown.

[gr8golf]

Meet people. And if you're feeling adventurous, head up to the ghetto. You'll be stunned by the changes you see as you cross 96th St. heading uptown.

NEGATIVE! The key to enjoying NYC is staying in the well populated areas and playing it safe. Watch some documentaries on inner city struggles - don't give some moron an opportunity to take advantage of you.

Just walking the streets in Chinatown, Little Italy, St. Mark's Place is good enough to see some diversity in the city. Good luck - have fun - be safe...

[cky2k6]

another fun thing is going out late, 1 am or later, and still seeing tons of people outside in the midtown area, its quite amusing.

[illmatik]

Ok - the very FIRST thing you want to do is find out what time they open up the Empire State building observation deck line. Be there half an hour before that, and make sure you go up there. You will be able to get the 360 deg view of the island and surrounding boroughs. It will put everything else in perspective.

Stop at Katz's deli on Houston street for a pastrami sandwich.
Go to Wall street and check out the financial district.
Plan on at least an hour wandering around the Times Square area
Go to Grand Central station during rush hour (seeing is understanding)
Eat at Carnegie Deli
Blow off all the museums - museums are everywhere. NYC street life is not
Plan on wandering around Greenwich village and SoHo for an hour
Plan on checking out Rockefeller center for an hour

Don't spend much time at all inside any particular buildings. NYC is all about the street and the storefronts and *feel*. Just get out there and walk around until your feet are ready to fall off. You CANNOT get bored doing that, and you will not regret it.

Most important - get a Subway map online and study it. Learn how to get around before you ever get there and you'll be happy you did. You can cover a lot of ground quickly if you know what you are doing. You can take taxi's around, but the Subway IS NYC.

Go online and find the Time Out magazine. It will list the hottest new events / attractions.

Forget Empire State.. Rockefeller Center Observation Deck is so much better!! Plus you can get a drink to help soak in the views. PM me and I'll see if I can get you employee discounted passes to go up there. I work in the Rockefeller complex.

Hat's off to anyone who can do a double mitzvah: Katz's and Carnegie in the same day?!?!?!?

I work by Carnegie, but I'm more the Katz's fanboy. Pomme frite from any of their locations around the village and midtown on the walkabout will do you rightly!!

As for subway, The yellow line (R & W are local , if you take the N, get off at canal unless brooklyn is part of your plans) The yellow line swirls from lex&59th at Diesel Store and Bloomingdales on the east side just a hop up from Citicorp Center (Houstons Restuarant and Barnes/Noble kickasssssss) to 5th ave near the central park, Plaza Co-"Hotel"ndo and the by Designers Row (some by appointment, others not, bring a couple grand if you wanna even think of doin something there unless you need some faccionable shirts tailored that day)

From there it'll take you right into Times Square, Macy's / Madison Square Garden Area (34), Flower District (28th) Madison Sq Park aka Flatiron district (23rd) Union Square (14th) From 14th or the next stop (8th), youre at the crossroads of the village and can aimlessly wander throughout. It will continue to take you to[Prince Street] NOHO/SOHO shopping spots followed by Canal St (LAST STOP ON N) and chinatown little italy, [City Hall, *Cordtlandt Closed Ground Zero*, Rector (Open) and Whitehall which sets you deep in my playground wall street/WTC.. Good deals can be had in good weather. Ulysses!!! grab a trough of beer and sit in the courtyard and enjoy youselves... Brooklyn next stop from here!!!

Drop me a pm and I can put you on a train that'll get you to everything you'd like to see without a manhattan exiting express train taking you quickly into brooklyn (which isnt dangerous, the real estate at these first stops in Brooklyn rivals many manhattan spots when money's on the table i.e its depressing when you consider your own home's value)
.

[wdrzal]

here the nyc site you can find everything in the city from there. buy a day pass for the subway and study the map,you probably just ride back and forth in manhatten,to see most things, broadway shows are great if you can get tickets.

http://www.nyc.gov/portal/index.jsp?front_door=true

[illmatik]

here the nyc site you can find everything in the city from there. buy a day pass for the subway and study the map,you probably just ride back and forth in manhatten,to see most things, broadway shows are great if you can get tickets.

http://www.nyc.gov/portal/index.jsp?front_door=true

Can always hit the TKTS lines right where Army Recruitment office was in middle of times square for heavily discounted day rates!

[OmegaMerc]

Go to time square, for visitors, there is so much to see and do its extremely overwhelming.

[Northwood]

if i was going to nyc for the day i'd make sure i had a tattoo saying "Death to yankee war mongers" in arabic or something and parade through the airport.

[del_fuego]

if i was going to nyc for the day i'd make sure i had a tattoo saying "Death to yankee war mongers" in arabic or something and parade through the airport.

Grow up buddy.

[thunderstruck!]

Where's all this animosity coming from? Either way, it's not the 19th century anymore, so we're not called yankees. Instead we're referred to as infidels.

[Geforce4ti4200]

ask to see vacent high rise condos. Seriously. You would get high off the amazing views and the interiors are fit for a king! Perhaps give the guide or realtor a tip(as your just wasting their time anyway and dont want them to get mad) I saw pictures of all those skyscapers and id love to go inside a few and look at the room(s) and look out the window.

Dont forget to go to the mega malls and other luxury shopping attractions as well. Visit the empire state building(wont be cheap) and take lots of pictures!

[illmatik]

Dude Geforce, your head really is in the clouds. No realtor of that type of property will give you the time of day not to mention a peek into any of these places unless you're dead serious which means being pre approved and background checked prior to consideration which is easily $200+ and as long as a 5 day wait unless you reek of cash upon entry. Hardly worth the damage to your credit history over the $18 to visit the ESB or the $15 for the FAR SUPERIOR Views from Top of The Rock @ Rockefeller Center