MASSTENN

WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND DOING IN NYC IF YOU ONLY HAD 12HRS. TO DO IT? 2 LADIES ..1ST. TIME

missjanna

Depends on the situation, but your posts also confuse me. Here you say it's 2 Ladies, and your other post you ask about a room for 4 people?

I am guessing you have a long layover between flights, thus the question. Now if it's an international flight, you will have even less time, as
1) It takes at least a half hour to get from any of the airports to NYC
2) for International flights you should be there at least 2 hours before takeoff. This is not including the time it will take you to get back to the airport from the city (again, another half hour at best.)

If this is a domestic flight, you will have a little more time, but not much. I would stay in midtown if I only had so much time, doing Central Park down to Times Square and maybe squeezing in the Empire State Building if time allows along with a meal at Gramercy Tavern.

The day and time frame of the 12 hours will also affect how much you can get done and your accessibility to cabs. During the weekends and rush hour, NYC would be more crowded.

Also, please stay off the caps, as in internet speak this is equivalent to yelling! Just a tip.

If you can give more information as to your interests, we might be able to help you more.

mclaurie

I'll add to missjanna's post that not only does it depend on day of week, but also season/weather, age of travelers, whether or not they plan to ever be back etc. The Greyline hop on hop off bus tour may be the best overall answer (most people suggest the "downtown" loop). You get an overview of most everything by just sitting in the bus OR choose to get out where you want.

MASSTENN

We will be in nyc on a Sunday in May. arrive at 8:00am..leave the following day..so we have a whole day. staying at the wellington in midtown. 2 of us have never been to nyc.. would like to experience times square, rockefeller center, 5th ave. central park...should we walk or take taxi? we are in our 40's..capable of walking, but wonder how much time it would take..maybe do more if we took taxi..also want to see aida that night..should we get tickets ahead of time? thanks

Margie

I would look into the bus tour, it's a great way to see a lot of NYC without worry about where is it/how do I get there/am I lost. You can get off the bus where you want, walk around and then get back on to continue. See http://www.graylinenewyork.com/sightseeing.cfm for more information. Also if you a member of AAA you can get a 10%discount on the tour cost.

HowardR

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Aida, like most if not all Broadway shows, does not perform on Sunday evening. Only a matinee at 3.

MASSTENN

We will go to matinee of Aida..Can we wait and get tickets the day of performance?

dan_woodlief

I a sure Howard or other more frequent NY visitors can tell you better, but I would think you could easily get same day tickets for Aida. Personally, if I opted for the matinee and wanted to maximize my time, I would get discount tickets before the trip. You save and don't have to stand in line at the TKTS booth. You can do this through Playbill, Broadwaybox, or a few other online services. You generally have to sign up. All you are giving up is your e-mail address so that they can send you ads, but you get a discount code to use when you call Ticketmaster that will enable you to get a great deal. Right now, Playbill has Aida for $65 on Sunday afternoon. You can commonly buy tickets for $55 to $65 that would normally cost $100 by using the discount codes and generally end up with fabulous seats. Alternatively, you could take the discount code printout with you to the theater box office after arriving in NY and get tickets, if you want to save the Ticketmaster charge. You will probably have to wait until closer to your date of departure to find discounts for May.

missjanna

Should probably also let you know, that outside of Christmas time, there isn't much to see in the Rockefeller Center area except for maybe Radio City Music Hall.

On a Sunday in May the city will be CROWDED especially around 34th Street (Macy's, Manhattan Mall, Madison Square Garden, etc.) when everyone comes in to shop. Let's not even get into how bad Canal Street will be....I was there 2 weeks ago driving through on a Sunday and it took 25 minutes to go one block by car!

The Grayline tour may be your best bet, and in May you shold be able to ride on top. Go see Aida, along with an early dinner after in the theatre district. The fastest way around town is the subway, if you don't find a cab ready, which is possible in the theatre area. You can get a daily unlimited Metropass good for the buses or subway for about $4.

dkb

***Pls note that buses do not take bills. Your fare can only be paid with metrocard or coins. Easiest way to get your metrocard is by using the vending machine in the subway which accepts bills and credit cards.

HowardR

missjanna, what do you mean there's not much to see in the Rockefeller Center area besides the Music Hall. There's lots to see--the buildings themselves and the Art Deco decor, St. Patrick's Cathedral, 5th Avenue stores, etc., etc., etc.