I wanted an interesting and impressive (albeit exhausting) first exposure for my son (age 15) for his first trip to New York and wanted to share what we did and our impressions. He was just back from Beijing several days ago so he was already a bit jet lagged.
We stayed at the Ramada in Long Island city after flying into La Guardia. It was a very quick cab ride which cost $13, plus a $4 tip. The hotel was $130/night which is cheaper than Manhattan in general but it is close by. The room was clean and quite adequate. We had a lower floor city view room and the view was nice; I would recommend asking for a highest possible floor to get a better view. It had free wifi which was great and it is about 6-7 blocks to the subway station at 39th street to catch the N train into the city. The surrounding neighborhood looks a bit sketchy although I think it is safe.
I decided to take him to Times Square as his first exposure to New York for the sheer in your face spectacle of it all. It was a gorgeous day and I thought it was fantastic. He actually thought it was going to be bigger and said Tiananmen square was really huge, in comparison. We walked from the Times Square subway station up Broadway and stopped at Lindy's for a slice of cheesecake which was good. We then continued up Broadway north to 60th where Central Park began. The walk was lovely. We turned right on 60th and walked to 6th ave and walked south to Rockefeller center. We stopped in to check out tickets for TOTR and NBC studios and also stopped at the Legos store and Metropolitan museum of art stores there. I could not justify paying 20-25$ for TOTR tickets so we skipped it. I had seen views before from the top of the World Trade center and Empire state building and it would not have been worth $20 to me.
Our next stop was Grand Central station at around 42nd and 5th ave. It was truly spectacular. We discovered the dining concourse at the bottom level and indulged in great pizzas ($4 per slice at Two Boots) and desserts from Magnolia bakery. I had a pistachio cupcake ($3.50 each) with the lightest buttercream frosting and a slice of lemon vanilla bundt cake (3.50 also). I thought it was very well priced and just delicious. I wanted to try one of everything! We didn't even make it to the Oyster bar or the Indian curry place. It is a must do on every NY trip from now on. We reveled in the majesty of the architecture and enjoyed the music of a cajun cellist on our way out.
We then walked south on 5th avenue and headed to Murray Hill turning left to Third ave and 33rd street to our next destination, Cask. This was one of the bars I read about in Murray hill that had craft beers and comfort food. We arrived just when it opened at 4 pm and the place was just charming and lit with candles. We indulged in their summer ale and a lager and I had a sangria as well. We weren't hungry but the food looked sooo good we ended up ordering their pot o'mussels with brown ale/blue cheese/bacon broth. It arrived in a good size pot which was a pleasant surprise and was just wonderful. I would highly recommend this place.
Next, we hopped on a bus on Madison avenue and rode up to 86th street and attacked the Metropolitan museum of art. It was 6 pm when we arrived but they were open till late (9 pm) that night. We saw the Egyptian exhibit, the American wing with period furniture which was fantastic, and then the European paintings/Impressionist art. It was all glorious but my feet had had it by then. I think we had walked well over 60 blocks by then and we had to leave anyway as the museum was closing. We did a final walk through the northeast corner of Central park which was magical as it was late twilight and fireflies were glowing. We caught a subway on 76th/Lexington and made it back to our hotel exhausted but having seen so much. From Times square to Carnegie Hall to/through the Upper East side, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central station, to Murray Hill and a fantastic drinking/dining experience and ending up with the Metropolitan museum of art and a dipping of the toes in Central Park, it was a grand day indeed.
When we return, we will do lower Manhattan with SOHO, the Village, Tribeca, Chelsea, 911 Memorial, Staten Island Ferry and maybe Chinatown/Little Italy.
My son's first day in New York
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What a wonderful and full day! When you say, 'when we return,' I assume you mean tomorrow?
If you ever revisit Grand Central, take the audio tour. The history and information about the restoration in the 80's is quite interesting.
Just a note for other visitors wanting to follow your plan: Central Park starts at 59th St, also known as Central Park South. The subway is on 77th St and Lex, slightly closer than the 86 & Lex station, but both near the Met. The northeast corner of the park is up past E 100th St. The park runs to 110th.
Looking forward to reading more!
Great report. Pretty funny you mentioned that Tianamen Square looked bigger; my husband just went to China last year so I'll have to see how he compares them.
I'm glad you liked Cask--I noticed it on either menupages or yelp and the reviews looked pretty good. It's really near our hotel.
Thanks! You really should try Cask; I wish we had more appetite to eat more. I wanted to try their proscuitto wrapped salmon (a big plate selection at $22) and their truffle mac and cheese and selection of meatballs. The chicken en croute looked appealing as well ($15, big plate). We found the decor very charming and candle lit.
cpk- we will try the audio tour next time. I think one of those freeze frame or dance numbers on you-tube was done at Grand Central station.... do you know about those? It is fantastic.
Our day 2 is in 14 days when we return from Europe. I decided to stay two nights in NY on the way out and on the way back to break up the lengthy journey from San Diego to Paris/London/Dublin. We have a couple of hours today before we leave and I think we will explore Vernon street of Long Island city. I read that this area is developing especially near the East river as there can be amazing views of Manhattan and it is so close by.
To anyone who hasn't been there Times Square (named for the NY Times) is not large at all - it;s very small - since the "Square" is just the triangle created by a couple of streets crossing. And it's nothing like a large european piazza - of gigantic tienamin square - its the center of a business theater district - and what people go to see are the incredible number of lighted signs and the ridiculous shops (an M & M store etc). It's certainly not a large and beautiful public space.
Now I get it. Have a great trip!
Just a note on the food court that you enjoyed at GCT. When it was added as part of the major restoration project in the 80s, it was decided that it would not include any national chains (McDonalds, etc.), but only have merchants who were local and I think it is still true to that today. Just a little trivia about this gorgeous landmark: It's a terminal, not a station because trains (not the subway) only begin and end there.
Amen, nytraveler! But Times Square is unique and iconic, worth a walk through for visitors although I never suggest staying in Times Square for long.
Iconic is the word. I wanted to start with iconic NY and continue from there.... Central Park, the Met, Rockefeller center, there is so much.
No wonder I was so charmed by GCT's dining, cpg! All the local eateries really make it distinctive.
I actually love the sensory overstimulation of Times Square; for some reason, the term polyglot comes to mind, in an abstract, not literal way.
Great TR, ncounty! And 5alive, I was thinking of you with the dip into Murray Hill; glad you found this thread.
Tienanmen and Times squares could not be more different. It made me giggle to think of your son mentally comparing the two! Tienanmen is VAST, surrounded by blank-looking government buildings (and the famous, Mao-bedecked gate to the Forbidden City) and virtually unpopulated most of the year. Times Square is a paean to all that is New York: fast-paced, open all night, crowded with shops and advertising and cool effects and people. I think it's the perfect place to start a whirlwind tour of the city.
For your next foray into the dining concourse at GCT, try the fresh-made guacamole and yummy margaritas in the sit-down section at Zocalo, and the justifiably famous cheesecake at Juniors (but don't bother with their sit-down restaurant in Times Square). As Centralparkgirl said, all the eateries and most of the shops in the terminal are outposts of local companies. On the main level, try the coffee at Joe (I prefer it to Financier, though the latter has amazing French pastries). And I just discovered that a Brooklyn favorite has opened a take-away beer place in GCT! If you want something different from the Bud tallboy for your Metro North train ride, check out Beer Table.
http://www.grandcentralterminal.com/
I am LOL at your comparison of the two squares, ggreen.... I have not been to T square. The contrast that you depicted is so funny.
Thanks for the tips on other eateries in GCT! I look forward to making my way through all of them in future trips to the city.
Today, I asked my son what the highlights were for him from yesterday.... his choices were: 1) Cask, 2) Times square, and 3) twilight walk through Central Park with fireflies.
SO's choices for highlights were (it was also essentially his first time in NY): 1) GCT 2) Central Park, and 3) cask.
Thanks for sharing your day, esp. regarding Cask. It says a lot that that was your son's favorite thing of the day! On your recommendation an dlooking at their website and reviews, I am definitely going there on my next NYC trip, which will likely be the August GTG. I often stay at the Eastgate Tower in Murray Hill also, and cask is close to that hotel.
Well, I've read here how much Times Square has changed and am looking forward to seeing it. I went back in the late 80s and a New York native drove us through the area at night to see the lights. Since we didn't get out, it wasn't even clear to me exactly where the square itself was.
5alive, you will be surprised. Think lounge chairs on Broadway in Times Square. Really.
I hope you enjoy it, emd3. For perspective though, my son is a teenage foodie. His favorites of any trip tend to be the food. When I mention Paris, it isn't the Eiffel Tower or Sacre Coeur of Musee d'Orsay that comes to his mind, it is the parmesan rissotto at Sorza, lol.
ncounty, your son sounds like a great kid. And it's so cool he went to China as a teen! There is some *great* food in Beijing; I hope he got to partake in some of it.
Of course, NYC is a great city for great food, too. I'm sure you're all busy enjoying the sights and tastes of your Europe leg, but to whet his (and your!) appetite for your return on this or any trip, you might be interested in a few local foodie blogs:
- Serious Eats NY covers everything from food trucks to fancy restaurants: newyork.seriouseats.com
- Midtown Lunch is a great resource for that area: midtownlunch.com
- Grub Street is the food blog of New York Magazine: nymag.com/daily/food
- Eater, for high-living aspirations: eater.com
- NYC Food Guy for the budget-minded foodie: nycfoodguy.com
...Is it time for lunch yet??
lol, ggreen, as I just finished off my second crepe au beurre et sucre! Thanks, I will check those out for our return trip; we will have a full day and two nights in NY .... that is at least two dinners and a lunch, but who's counting, eh?
Crepe au beurre et sucre? La deuxieme?? Oh, my mouth is watering... We have decent crepes here, but not with the plenitude nor price-point of a Parisian stand. The city's newest creperie is just south of Union Square, and it's eight dollars for a crepe-fromage!
With a full day and two nights, I'm sure you can fit in some yummy snacks and breakfasts too.
Some more good suggestions here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/nyc-10-days-of-unique-shops-stores-snacks-share-your-favorites-please.cfm
And here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/nyc-5-days-5-adventures-excursions.cfm
We have some great restaurants in Murray Hill. Cask isn't one of my favorites, but it is a very attractive place. I"m more partial to Ethos for Greek food and the little bistro Le Parisien on 33rd. Of course, I like Second Avenue Deli, but it's a tad expensive. And the pastas at La Giara are really great (the rest of the food just ok). Those restaurants are all within a block of each other.
Thanks, Doug. Have you been to Aquamarine on 2nd Ave. in Murray Hill? I've been going there for awhile whenever I stay at Eastgate Towers. It is around the corner, a nice neighborhood place, and food and drinks are both good at a very decent price.
And btw, Doug, any chance you might join us at the August 11 NYC GTG? Or if you can't come, maybe provide us w/some fodors trinkets? We should be a nice crowd...
No, Second Avenue just isn't on my restaurant radar. I've had take-out from some of the Chinese places, and there's a restaurant Benjamin that I like on 33rd, but I rarely if ever head up 2nd Ave for food.
I'll try to make the GTG if I can, but I may be busy that day. Otherwise, I'll speak to Amy D. about what we might have on hand.