By request, and hurriedly pasted from conversations with friends lately, all seeking planning help for a visit to my favorite city.
Quick list: NY Transit museum, Cable car to Roosevelt Island to see the FDR Memorial and the ruins of the typhoid hospital where Typhoid Mary was sent, Hungarian pastry shop across from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (stunning church) The Cloisters, and Ft. Tryon Park (it was Ft. Washington during the revolution), the Frick Museum (beautiful glimpse of the Gilded Age), observatory at One World Trade, The big Dean and Deluca on the south end (buy a loaf of chocolate babka, some butter made in Taunton England, some aged white cheese, and a jar of jam….instant picnic!), John’s pizza in the west village (beautiful to wander and window shop after dinner in that area, Fraunces Tavern (Washington bid farewell to his troops there after the war) make a late reservation, like 8:30, so you are one of the last tables there, the atmosphere totally changes, Noodles at midnight at NY Noodletown in Chinatown (there is an awesome slightly sketchy but totally safe foot massage place down the next block), A drag show anywhere but there is a supper club type place that is so much fun on the upper east side, the NY fire museum (they were the first unit to respond to the World Trade Center and lost the most of their crew (exquisite museum), the firehouse in Ghostbusters is still a working firehouse but they have a bunch of Ghostbusters memorabilia and if they aren’t busy they will show you, Tarralucci e Vino in the east village (if you call ahead and tell the chef you know the lady from Alabama he will make you traditional polenta even if it is off menu but they do it as a regular thing on Wednesday night in October and March, any church that doesn’t have their doors locked, go in, they are all beautiful, there are free concerts at lunch is many churches, Julliard has free performance nights, and the jazz center at Lincoln center has free concert nights as well that used to be Thursdays. The Irish Hunger Memorial is amazing, and near One World Trade. Go see the 9/11 memorials, go up to the observation deck at One World Trade, then skirt over to Battery Park late in the day to see the Irish Hunger Memorial, then walk south along the river to see the best sunset view in Manhattan!
My favorite thing is just walking, and seeing how the neighborhoods change, ducking into fun little quirky shops, and just soaking in the city. Get an unlimited metro pass for each of you for the week. and be aware that some trains change stops on weekends or after late night hours. If in Brooklyn…. The transit museum is on that side. Prospect park is pretty, and definitely go see Jane’s Carousel and walk along Brooklyn Bridge Park, before walking across the bridge toward Manhattan! Skip Garabaldi’s pizza under the bridge. Too many tourists and not the best pizza. John’s is way better! If you see a waffle cart, have a waffle!! They smell heavenly!
The big thing is to have at least a vague plan each day, with maybe one attraction in the morning, one in the afternoon, etc. with a restaurant or two that you’ve researched in that neighborhood and know is good and economical, just in case you don’t stumble on one. The city is a little overwhelming and you can literally walk right by awesome places and not even realize they are there. The Natural History Museum is a snooze but I love the Metropolitan Museum of Art, especially on days they stay open late and the galleries start to empty out. The Cloisters will make you feel like you are somewhere in Europe.
Oh, you need a public bathroom app, too. They are hard to come by and there is nearly always a line, so plan ahead and make everyone go when there is an opportunity. Buying snacks and water gets expensive in a hurry, so I always carry a city backpack. I throw in a medium tupperware container, too, for sandwich leftovers, etc, so we can have it later without it getting squished. Take the Staten Island Ferry, just over and back, especially at sunset. It is free, a good sit down break, and a great view of the city and the Statue of Liberty. Actually going to Ellis Island or Liberty Island pretty much takes up a whole day. I LOVE the Russian Tea Room, for big, over the top, old New York! The Fashion Institute of Technology has a small but beautiful and free museum, with rotating exhibits. A walk through the Chelsea Flower Market nearby is nice, too.
Time completely evaporates. Just getting from one place to another will take more time than you expect, with the trains, especially if you have to cross the park. You may have to go south, change trains to go east or west, and change again to go north. Oh, pack earplugs. They are always in my travel bag but the city is noisy. Garbage trucks and delivery trucks start about 4:00 am, and you’ll want to murder someone if you are awake that early, especially considering it is eastern time…If you can make an evensong service at the Cathedral of St John the Divine, it is beautiful.
I have a New York subway app on my phone. Now your GPS, if you hit transit, will tell you which trains to take to get where you want to go. The Flame diner is an excellent breakfast spot. It is cheap and reliable and they have several locations. I’ve had waffles there at 3:00 am, after endless flight delays that meant landing at 2:00 am, instead of 10:30pm like it supposed to. The lower east side tenement museum requires a reservation in advance, but it’s amazing.
Are you tired and out of breath just from reading that?? Apparently it is time to pack a bag and hop on a plane, because I miss Manhattan.
Vagabond.Belle 