New York Advice?

You’re gonna love it, lil monkey. :)

Is this a school trip or a trip for school on your own time? If it’s a school trip, chances are you won’t have much of a chance to run around on your own. If you do, my favorite thing to do in NYC is wander around and window shop, walk into galleries, museums, find some street performers and shell out a few coins. It’s great fun to just wander. As long as you’re safe and don’t stay from a group or far from your hotel.

IF you do manage to have enough time to squeeze in a show, there are many shorter smaller matinee plays off Broadway that you can see in the late afternoon, you’ll get out before the sun goes down. And tickets can be as cheap as $10. A lot of them are written by unknown playwrights or small writing groups. There is a theater or two tucked away completely in the middle of Times Square. Virtually invisible. Those are a ton of fun. I buy tickets based on the title of the play and let the story unfold as a surprise. Unlike Broadway where just about everyone knows the plot and twists of every show.

And, if you have no solid plans my favorite move is saving all the fliers and announcements people on the street shove in your face. Actually look at them, like a tourist would and see what’s going on, don’t just chuck it like the natives. Every now and then you see something that fits right in your schedule and is something you normally wouldn’t see. Just do it. :)

And while I dunno if I should recommend you head down to Chelsea…. they have really good pizza on 23rd St. :)

And considering the drag queen and cross dresser populations… you might just get dinner and a show there.

Here are the Red Stairs in Times Square (I don’t recall seeing them and I’ve been there a couple times since last October).

It’s a school trip, but we’re leaving at 5:30 in the morning, and getting back around 11:00 PM, we’re divided into groups, and the trip is specifically to do what we want, it’s not educational at all.

I just thought I’d get some ideas to suggest to the group. : )

Yep, those are the ones I heard about @hearkat… thanks so much! :)

I hate to say this, but the current forecast is rain for Friday; so wear comfy, dry shoes and bring an umbrella!

;-;

In New York? No rain allowed! shoos icky-poo rain away

Aw boo, I love it when it rains in New York. The streets are made of puddles and the world is slate grey. There are dots and splashes of vibrant color pouring out from windows and on everyone’s clothes. The streets reflect the neon lights and make the ground sparkle like shiny skittles got tossed everywhere.

I’d live in NYC on rainy days.

Ok, I’d live there any day.

…And it no longer will smell like poo!

Mmm… skittles. Me like. :d

Ha! Proof!

It’s better in real life.

Ooh… pretty… but we won’t be there at night. D;

It’s still pretty!
But I highly suggest a trip in the future when it rains. :)

Chinatown is awesome if you’re looking for souvenirs, btw. And it’s like walking into another country. :P

In the day it just looks grey to me. D:

But I Do Love Skittles

Hehe. :D

I’ve heard Chinatown is amazing.

AND that they have Cantaloupe-flavored gum. This could just be a rumor, of course. But if there is any, it’s MINE. :K

Um, it is.

Do it.

And this is where I get my Asian yummies. :)
And yes, they have cantaloupe gum. I just haven’t found it again since I can’t read any Asian languages and all the store signs are NEVER in English.

But I thought Chinatown was in California. xD

You’ll actually have just as much fun in the rain. If it were sunny and humid, it would be oppressive. There’s so much to do and see, it’s tough to cram it in to one day!

@mangeons: There’s a bunch of Chinatowns. We have one in DC!

@asmonet Srsly? I could go there like, any time! :o

I know!
I do!

I need to go there. D: We should prolly PM now. xD

Aside from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this:
http://gonyc.about.com/od/sightseeingtours/fr/circleline3hour.htm

@mangeons: Great minds, kiddo.

@hungryhungryhortence Ooh, pretty. ^^

@asmonet Of course, I have a great mind. Thanks for pointing it out! ^^

New York? Lucky! Get a hot dog from Greys Papaya for me, k? :-)

Okay. Makes note

@mangeons – Aw, some things never change. Get a Metrocard! They’re $7 for the day.

Try to get to Central Park and the Empire State Building. Washington Square Park at the southern end of 5th Avenue will have a slew of street performers now that it’s warm out. The Museum of Natural History on 70th and Central Park West is wonderful. Harlem’s 125th Street is a mix of history and gentrification. The Apollo Theater is up there and lots of the big soul and jazz stars from today and back in the day have played there. Morrissey has had concerts there in the spring for two or three years in a row now.

Lots of people seem to want to get a photo with the bull on at the end of Broadway near Wall St. and rub it for good luck. You can take the Staten Island Ferry for free and sail past the Statue of Liberty. Trinity Church is beautiful inside, as is St. Patrick’s Cathedral snd St. John’s Cathedral.

Oh, there’s too much to do. If you have time to walk across a bridge, make it the Brooklyn Bridge. There’s an A train station a block away so you can get back to the city quickly once you get to the other side. Aw, I’ll stop now.

Only one day in New York! That’s like getting only one lick of Grandma’s homemade peach ice cream on a July afternoon! But you’ll have a good time. We can’t wait to see you!

I currently live in NY and work retail, so here are my broke girl options for you:

Touristy:
– MoMA is free from 4–8 Fridays
– Guggenheim is free 6–8 Fridays
– The Staten Island Ferry is included in your purchase of any unlimited metro card and is the best way to see the Statue of Liberty
– Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and then eat pizza at Grimaldi’s
– The Museum of Natural History and The Metropolitan Museum of Art both have suggested donations. I usually give a dollar or two when I go.
– The Cathedrals are lovely and St. Patrick’s is a few short blocks from MoMA and Rockefeller Center. Also close by is the Air Tram which is included in the price of an unlimited metro card as well.
– While it is a long way, walking from from the 30s up to Central Park is fun because you get to see lots of landmarks.
– A little less touristy, and if you don’t mind heading to Brooklyn, is Pete’s Candy Store which has free shows every night. Although, you might have to be a certain age to get in.
– Strawberry Fields and The Castle are pretty cool to visit in Central Park.

Shopping:
– While Chinatown is a hassle it is pretty fun to haggle. Also Pearl River Mart is in the area and they have two floors of goodness.
– If you don’t have an H&M in your area, everyone who comes to visit me shops there.
– Lots of people like Century 21, but I’ve never been there.
– The Strand is a local book store close to Union Square that boasts over 18 miles of books.
– AC Gears is a small electronics store that has fun little gadgets (the boys may like it).

Food:
– If you don’t want to eat out for every meal stop into Trader Joe’s (14th St. and 3rd Ave.) to pick up some food.
– Pukk is a super affordable vegetarian Thai restaurant in the Village.
– You can hit up Grey’s Papaya and get two hot dogs and soft drink for $2.50.
– The Shake Shack in Madison Square Park (in view of the Empire State Building) is always fun, but the lines can be quite formidable on weekends.
– French Roast is also affordable and is in the Upper West Side and the East Village.

Hopefully you have longer than a day in NY, because it is fantastic!

Momma says: You are going to love New York City baby! Have fun. Stay safe ;)

If your into Museums, go see MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art) http://moma.org/

If you like Justin Timberlake, he has a resteraunt, Southern Hospitality http://www.southernhospitalitybbq.com/
He also has a bathroom themed after him at Vynl: http://www.vynl-nyc.com/

If the weather report changes, check out Central Park, there is always something going on, maybe you could see a free show

You could go see the Today Show filmed live, see a free performance there (but get there early if you do want to go)

Wander around the village for awhile, there are a ton of interesting stores, people, and places to eat.

If you like books, cheap books, check out Strand: http://www.strandbooks.com/

Just a few ideas, I lived in NYC for a year and a half, and it is an amazing place. You’ll never see everything in a day, so just relax and have fun!

@veronasgirl Thanks for the tip about Strand, I’m very interested! : )

Well, I’m back. It was a freaking blast. I don’t have any pictures, because my digital camera got stolen ;-;

We just shopped the whole time. It was so fun. :D

I’m glad that you enjoyed it! Come back sometime when the weathers cool and clear. And I think everyone should see New York in the snow at Christmastime… but it’s rare for it to snow before Christmas anymore.

By the way, they climbed the red steps!

What did you end up doing besides the stairs?!

@mangeons: I walked past the red steps today and thought of you!

@hearkat – aw!

@mangeons – So glad you enjoyed yourself, even with the camera, sorry ‘bout that! You have to come back soon!

We went shopping EVERYWHERE. For about 6–8 straight hours. Macy’s, Toys R Us, M&M’s World, Hershey Store, and a zillion other places. It was so fun.

And when we were on the red steps, we were singing really loudly and these two Russian guys wanted to get their picture taken with us. So we let them. xD

Awesome.

They also rode the carousel inside the Toys R Us store.

Yes, mother. That is so a carousel.xD

Haha! Obviously, I meant the Ferris Wheel. The funny thing is, that pic came up in a google search. I’m not alone in my stupidity here.