cindy1mac

I'm traveling to NYC this week with a friend, husbands and two 14 yr. old girls. We arrive Fri. evening at LaGuardia. What is the best way to get to hotel near Times Square?Our plans for Sat. include a lower Manhattan Walking Tour by NYCVp. Has anyone done this tour?It's own web site has great reviews but I did not see it in 2006 Fodors. Will be going to Blue Man group that night around Astor Place- recommendations for eating around that area? Next day looking for shopping areas that would appeal to our girl's age. I would like to see Soho but don't know if it would appeal to the girls.They might even like an area with familiar stores, Hollister, American Eagle, etc. We go to Lion King that night and wonder about eating at Becco or Virgil's Real BBQ-Mon. we'll go to Ellis Island and evening is free. Then Tues. Met Art Museum and Central Park. Where can we eat near Central Park? My friend wants to go to Tavern on the Green. I have not read great things about it. Do you recommend it or have other suggestions for dining around that area? Thanks for your help.

escargot

I am sure NYC experts will post answering some of your other questions, - but I will say regarding the 14 yr old girls & shopping - I know what you mean about the 'familiar' stores, but Soho is also so wonderful (and has some chain stores they will recognize) but it is so unique it would be nice for them to see and my experience with 14 yr olds is they have loved it -

It would be ideal if you could give them a taste of both - maybe the day you do Central park, you could walk back via 5th/Madison and they could see that and maybe take them to the H & M on Fifth, the girls usually like that one - or do one in the early day, lunch and then the other later in the day depending on your evening plans for the 'shopping day'

but in Soho I think they would also enjoy Kates Paperie and all the little boutique stores too - and if you end up walking around Soho, you might like to drop in to this market of young artists, I've often found some cute earrings, jewelry, bags, tops at this fair at very reasonable prices -
It is at St. Patrick Youth Center on Mulberry St @ Prince, from 11am till I think 5 or 7pm, every weekend. and the website gives you a map, etc and tells you about it:
http://www.themarketnyc.com/flashmain.html
Roaming in Soho, to me, is something for all ages.

Anonymous

SoHo has changed over the years, and now has plenty of stores that teens would love. In addition to Kate's (which is one of my favorites, too), there are two branches of H&M. Pearl River is a must-visit, as well as the store across from it that has "Rat" in the name, plus a word that would probably get censored it I put it here.

mclaurie

The easiest way from the airport to your hotel is a taxi. You will either need 2 taxis for your group or, they might have a minivan taxi. When you get out, one of you should go to the front of the line to the dispatcher and mention that while the others get in the line. If you wanted to order a car in advance, Crown limo has stretch limos for 6 and aren't too pricey. 1800mycrown.com

There are tons of fun restaurants around Astor Place. Here's a list of places from the Astor theater's website they recommend nearby, some with discount coupons offers if you print off the page and show your theater tickets.
http://www.blueman.com/ticketinfo/ny...estaurants.pdf

Acme (bar & grill), is a lot of fun and I think the girls would get a kick out of it. While it's billed as Cajun foodk they also have burgers and fried chicken if the girls aren't adventurous eaters. They've got a collection of every brand of tabasco sauce known to mankind.
http://www.acmebarandgrill.com/index.html

Serafina is a local chain of upscale pizza, also with salads, pasta etc.

Au Coin du Feu gets a good write up in both the Zagat guide and on menupages, but I haven't tried it.
http://menupages.com/restaurantdetai...=0&cuisineid=0

If none of these appeal to you, the Noho Star (American) and Indochine (Vietnamese/French) are also nearby.

I agree that Soho would be fun. There's an Urban Outfitters there, Anthropologie and an outpost of Bloomingdales plus all the small boutiques (many of which will appeal to you . Pearl River Mart is also popular with teens.

I'm not a big fan of either Becco or Virgil's but I know a lot of people are. Another option for Italian, closer to the theater is Trattoria Trecolori. Nothing fancy, but well priced and decent food. John's pizzeria is another good option nearby. If you just want burgers or something simple, Sam's, on 45 st b/w Broadway & 8th is dependable.
http://menupages.com/restaurantdetai...=0&cuisineid=0

For eating near Central Park, obviously it depends what part of Central Park. TOTG is not very good food and overpriced, but if you're going to go, a weekday lunch is much better than dinner or a weekend. The Boat House in Central Park is a very pretty setting and I think the food's pretty good although pricey. If you want to eat near the Met Museum, there's a Serafina (the upscale pizza place) on 79th st & Madison (the Met is on Fifth & 81 st). Cafe Sabarsky in the Neue Museum (you don't have to pay to go to the restaurant) is a very nice place on 86th & 5th ave. Reports have also been good on the cafe inside the museum.

At some point you should all go to the Time Warner building (southwest corner of the park at Columbus Circle). There's a Whole Foods market good for eat in or take out, shops and some wonderful views. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel starts on the 35 floor. Their lobby bar has great views. They serve an afternoon tea there.

Have fun~

Lois_L

For some reason, there is no area in Manhattan with the familiar nation-wide chains of teen stores. I guess you have to go to the suburban malls for those. However, with all the great, unique shopping opportunities, they'll never miss the familiar brands. Soho is a must to give the girls a sense of cutting-edge retail, though it will probably be out of their budget. My girls like to walk south along 5th Ave. in Chelsea, from about 20th Street (the Lucky store), to NYU at the start of Greenwich village. On the way you pass Anthropologie, Coach, Bebe, and so on. MAC Cosmetics is on the corner of 22nd. On 6th Ave. and 14th St. is a huge Urban Outfitters. If you're going to Central Park, do not consider wasting your money (and lots of it) at Tavern on the Green. Walk along Columbus Ave., stop in at Olive & Bette's, Betsey Johnson (gorgeous dressy fashions) and other cool boutiques, grab a great sandwich for a few bucks at Lenny's or take a break at one of the economical restaurants in the area. All of your Manhattan meals need not be expensive!

ekscrunchy

I would pass on both Acme (mediocre food) and Serafina (horrible service) and instead, check out Great Jones Cafe (Cajun) or Five Points for your pre-Blue Man meal.

Gekko

Lion King evening -- the adults and teens would enjoy dining at Havana Central. Excellent, accessible Cuban food (with non-Cuban options). The atmosphere is very Hemingway-old-Havana.

www.havanacentral.com

Central Park dining -- Behind the American Museum of Natural, on Columbus Ave, you'll find two great restaurants -- Isabella's and Jacques Imo's (cajun food).

Astor Place -- You'll find an incredible Italian restaurant on E. 5th Street. Lavagna. It's reasonably priced and in a very cool area. Be sure to have the rigatoni - it's simply one of the best dishes in all of New York City.

www.lavagnanyc.com

Transportation from LGA -- Call a car service and tell them you have 6 people. 212-777-7777

Shopping -- Your teens would enjoy Canal Street (Chinatown) and Broadway in SoHo. Walk down Mulberry Street from Spring to Canal, then turn right (west). Shop along Canal until you hit Broadway, and turn right (north). Walk up Broadway through SoHo - you'll find just about everything. You could start with lunch at Lombardi's, the oldest pizzaria in NY and arguably the best.

www.lombardispizza.com

DownSouth

We're going to Lion King Easter evening at 6:30. Havana Central looks great!

What time will Lion King end? Trying to decide if we should eat before or after. Thanks.

kflodin

According to playbill.com, Lion king runs 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission.

And to cindy1mac: Pearl River is great (bdway in Soho about 2 blocks north of Canal) for teens and check out Daffy's on 5th avenue -- it's around 20th street -- if you're in that part of town. And DO NOT go to Tavern on the Green. Total tourist rip-off.

cindy1mac

I am so appreciative for all of your help.With a short trip of 4 days to a great city, you don't want to waste a minute . The stores, H & M, (We've never heard of this in Ohio), Kates, Pearl River Mart,Daffy's, etc) along with Urban Outfitters sound like they'll fit the bill! For us girls, (old and young) good shopping makes for a good trip! Thanks also for all of the restaurant advice! Your help is even better than the Fodor's book. Especially appreciated are the links! More questions. Our husbands do not like to shop, but do like a good bar. Any suggestions for them for Soho shopping day? Also, have any of you rented bikes in Central Park? Seems like a good way to see alot. Would the Empire State Building be packed on Friday evening? Seems like many people like the Rock (sp?) better. Is it open late on Friday nights? Or would it be better on a week night. We are coming in late 9:30ish and it seemed like a night thing to do.Last, in Country Living, they always mention Laura Fisher Antique Quilts and Americana. There are however, two addresses on two different web sites. Most places list address as 2nd Ave. but one web site said they had moved to E. 61st St. Have any of you been there? Again, thanks for your help!

escargot

You could encourage the guys to accompany you to Soho - a group of couples did it this year, - while we ladies went in and out of every shop, the men went in and out of every restaurant, bar, the Dean /DeLuca, etc, even a store here or there- just tasting and drinking and if we lost track well, thank goodness for cell phones.

The guys are usually in the city on business and don't get down to the Soho area, so they enjoyed it.

Or, they could check out famous bars and do their own day - my husband likes McSorley's remembering it from his college days...full name is McSoreley's Old Ale House - still has sawdust floors, saloon doors, it's not an "upscale" bar, but it is to those who love it !

They can check that and other bars out on
www.worldsbestbars.com - and map their day that way too !

mclaurie

ESB will be packed at most times but I'd guess at 10pm it wouldn't be. Have you already bought your tickets online? If not, do. The last elevator goes up at about 11:15pm I think. I think you could try going there after you check in at the hotel. Top of the Rock is really best in daylight b/c there's a great view of the park and you don't see the park at all at night (it's not lit so all you'll see is a big black hole).

Laura Fisher....Here's the proper information. I phoned to check.
http://www.laurafisherquilts.com/ser....QUserNewsPage

Bikes in the park...I'm not sure. You really can only bike on the roads or paths. If you want to take a bike tour with a guide, that's a good idea, but for just seeing the park on your own, I think you might be somewhat hampered if you're not familiar with the park. You'll be worrying about where to go and other traffic, rather than enjoying the park.

Bars in Soho. Well, Balthazar is the "it" restaurant. They have a bar and good people watching. For something more "local" with good beer selections, the Broome St. Bar at the corner of Broome & West Broadway. Fanelli's is an old time Irish pub on Prince st. at Mercer. http://www.newyorkmetro.com/listings/bar/fanellis/
Bar 89 is known for their bathrooms.
http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/n...9-new-york.htm
Dos Caminos for margaritas http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/n...o-new-york.htm
And there's always the bar at the Soho Grand Hotel.

If they're interested in a glass of champagne and a new shirt, send them to Lord Willy's
http://nymag.com/listings/stores/lord-willys/index.html

Here's a good website for Soho with a fun map etc.
http://artseensoho.com/

kflodin

cindy1mac. Would love to hear how your trip goes to our fair city! Do check in with us upon your return.