Activities and tips for New York in mid February?

What are your interests? NYC is a nice city, but I’m of the opinion the weather sucks most of the year, so I don’t know what to tell you except avoid the beach. Food, arts, nightlife are pretty much all year-round activities.

Me too. I’ll be there the week before; first time in forty years. We have reservations to see Ground Zero. And I hope to tour a broadcast station at Rockefeller Center. Because of our schedule responsibilities, it’s been hard to commit to touristy jaunts.

I could possibly do dinner on that Friday if I don’t take the opportunity to go to Disney for winter break.

@zensky Are you just going to be in NYC or in other areas of the state?

All the museums will be open, along with the regular tourist haunts. Plan on MoMA, The Metropolitan, the Guggenheim, and the Whitney.

Ground Zero is open everyday, Statue of Liberty is open everyday, also Empire State Building. And if you are interested in plays on Broadways, get tickets now.

Be ready to dress for really cold weather. One time I went in mid February and the temps were in the low teens Fahrenheit, with a brisk breeze off the harbor downtown.

@Adirondackwannabe I’ll be in the area and coming into Manhattan. Anybody wanna catch the Knicks/Raptors on the 13th?

All this still must be confirmed. It still isn’t 100%. I would like to visit ground zero. Maybe take in a play/show.

Yes it definitely will be cold!

Go ice skating at the Rink at Rockefeller Center, visit The Cloisters, spend an afternoon in a quiet little Italian restaurant (there must be a million of them).

The American Museum of Natural History and The Frick. I’d choose these over the Whitney or the
Guggenheim.

Cloisters are good, however, they’re not a hop skip and a jump from downtown. They’re way way uptown if you’re taking public transportation, which you probably will be.

If you’re into museums, another good one is the Cooper Hewitt, which is not far from the Met. It’s a smallish museum, do-able in a few hours, whereas the Met could take a week (literally).

If you’re into walking around, hanging out, SoHo is fun, as is the Village.

Behl. Too many things everyone does.

If you want to go a little off the beaten path, take the 7 Train to Main Street-Flushing for Chinese food. It might be the biggest Chinatown in North America now. Tip: the 7 is elevated and if you go during the day and you can probably get a good view out of the front car. Stepping off the train in Flushing seems like being in another country.

If there is still enough daylight, take the Q58 bus to Ridgewood – you’ll pass through some odd neighborhoods, so you get good sightseeing from the bus (the ride is about an hour). This area has a few old school German bars and restaurants, though unfortunately they aren’t too convenient to the subway. If it were summer, I’d suggest walking Myrtle Avenue or something. It’s a really odd boulevard running from downtown Brooklyn deep into Queens. Either way, from here you can take the L either to Williamsburg or back to Manhattan.

Too bad you won’t be in Philly. I could meet you for lunch or something. Have fun in the big apple.

John’s of Bleecker Street or Grimaldi’s.

@zensky – “In the area”? Which part of the New York area? I’m in NJ, about an hour from Manhattan.
I work late on Wednesdays, so I can’t meet you for the Knicks game.
I am off on the 14th, but for an afternoon Dr’s appointment.
As far as I know, the weekend is free.

@wundayatta – Philly’s just a couple of hours away – could we lure you if we get a few of us together?

With whom will you be traveling? That might alter people’s recommendations. Are there any budget limitations or is there a special occasion being commemorated by this trip?

I get overwhelmed by the city, so I let my fiancé and friends who live there make the plans, and I just tag along for the fun, so I can’t give recommendations.

I’ll add more details as soon as I finalize it.

It’s around a wedding on the 17th – so I will be coming in for a few days before and leaving the following day. I have been to NY and NJ and even Philly in the past so I am familiar with most of the touristy stuff. It will be mostly about family plus how I feel after the flight. Let’s say that I would prefer coffee with @hearkat and @wundayatta over anything else. I’d even accompany you to the doctor lol.

But first things first: I am not sure yet this is happening – I’ll keep you all posted.

Thanks!

PS – The off the beaten track tips are better as I know Manhattan quite well.

Crif Dogs/Please Don’t Tell – best hot dogs ever (including a kosher dog)/old speakeasy
Pommes Frites – best fries ever
Lombardi’s Pizza – great pizza; very early restaurant; clam pie.
Cones – great ice cream; corn flavor available!
Lima’s Taste – awesome Peruvian food, ceviche, Pisco sours, and run by a relative of mine.
Fat Cat – my favorite place for a cheap beer, great jazz, table shuffleboard, pool, table tennis, Scrabble, chess…
The Comedy Cellar – terrific, reasonably priced comedy club in the Village. If you’ve ever seen Louie, it’s the place he walks down into in the opening credits. The restaurant above, the Olive Tree, is very nice too, and laid back.
Spain – my grad department’s secret bar. They have Estrella Galicia on the cheap, and give you tapas as long as you are drinking. Cafe Loup next door is nice for a shot.

The Frick is my favorite museum.

So… what are your plans?

Not happening, sorry.

:-(

@zensky – Bummer. I hope everything’s OK.

Thanks!