Johnnyman7

My fiance and I (mid-20's and from So Cal) are going to NYC for the first...and probably only...time in our lives. We will be staying for 8 days/nights in October, and I'm currently working on our itinerary.

When we first did our itinerary, we had one day devoted to walking around and touring the sites of the Upper East and Upper West sides (not including Central Park - thats another day). However, now that I come to think of it...is the Upper East and Upper West sides worth a day of sightseeing? Are there any sights to see up there? I've never been, so I'm flying blind here. Maybe Harlem instead? What do you think?

Thanks for your input!

Johnnyman7

Sorry for the double-post, but I should say that my fiance is not a museum fan. If the museum is spectacular, she will go....but only for a few hours. So keep that in mind...

Thanks!

Sarah

Museum mile is on the upper east side check it out.

janie

The upper east side is known for great museums, fancy private schools, high end shopping (upper Madison avenue), houses of the rich and famous.
West Side has beautiful brownstone buildings, Columbia University, the Cathedral of St John the Divine, lots of stores, family friendly and cheap restaurants.
What are your interests? Just going to walk around?

mclaurie

How is it you think this is the only time in your lives you'll come to NYC???? How can you decide to spend a day touring areas you know nothing about??? There is NO way to advise you without your telling us what your interests are and what other areas you intend on seeing on the rest of your trip.

kealalani

Aloha Johnyman!

We once planned a once in a lifetime trip to Hawaii. Looking forward to planning our 10th return - that is if I havent lost count! With the right research, attitude and sense of adventure, you just may surprise yourself with this once in a lifetime trip to possibly the greatest, most ethnicly diverse city in the free world!

Happy trails, fun planning and safe journey!!!

Johnnyman7

Thanks everybody.

I hope I'll come back, but honestly...there are other place in the world I want to see also. Thanks for the concern though.

Museum Mile is up there? Cool...we're just looking to kind of walk around and see whatever "sites" that the section of the city has to offer.

I'm just wondering that (minus the museums...see my second post), is there enough interesting stuff to see (and/or walk to) in this neighborhood to warrant an entire day?

Thanks in advance.

Lolly100

I was in NYC last weekend for a short weekend trip and spent some time on the Upper East Side. Honestly, it just depends what you are looking to do. Do you just want to walk around and get a feel for the neighborhoods? Or are you looking for more "tourist sites"?

You said you're not museum fans, but I really would recommend the Met. I'm not a huge museum person, but I absolutely loved the Met. It is truly amazing. You don't have to spend all day there - just get a map & pick a couple interesting areas to you - and spend a couple hours in there.

kealalani

Well, I try to get to Manhattan at least 4 times a year for a night or two. I once had the priveldge of working and living in Hells Kitchen and Broadway for about a month. I have yet to see enough.

NYC to me is all about walking and exploring and taking it all in. I could spend a day visiting either side, taking a few hours for either museum and then just walk and get the true flavour of the neighborhood. Time it right and there could be a festival, craft fair or farmers market to take in.

I'd suggest planning a laxed itinerary that can be adjusted with the weather. And if the weather is lousy one day, please consider visiing my very favorite movie house - the Zeigfield. It is true new york to be cherished.

ellenem

We still need to know what interests you. We know that museums don't interest your fiance. NYC has many interesting sights in many different categories, but how "interesting" depends on what interests you.

Some might say "the Upper East Side has many blocks of boring sameness..why bother to visit it at all." Others might say "I love the museums, high-end shops, galleries, restaurants, and architecture on the Upper East Side."

It's very subjective.

Please provide a little more guidance on what interests you.

sobster

Well, you could always take in my block-80th betw 1st and 2nd. Nothing special on that block but what the hey-it's home. There are a pile of bars and restaurants on the avenues and many younger people.

elysag

You still have not said what you and your fiancee like to do. If you like shopping, Crafts on Columbus takes place in October (I think the first three weekends, although at the moment the sidewalk is completely torn up so I am not sure they are doing it this year). It's a crafts fair on Columbus behind the Natural History Museum. There's also the Sunday flea market in the school yard on Columbus at 77th Street. For the East Side, window shopping on Madison is always enjoyable. Just about every high end store you can think of has a shop there. One huge plus to the UWS and UES is that there are far fewer tourists around. I know that everyone likes to come here and see Times Square, and it is certainly something to see, but having to navigate through the ridiculous crowds becomes exhausting. I think you might enjoy coming uptown and just being able to walk leisurely without people bumping into you. NYC is beautiful in the fall -- the tree lined streets of both the UWS and UES are worth some time and just walking around and seeing the brownstones will give you more of a feel of what the real NY is like. And seeing the grand "Gold Coast" buildings on 5th and the buildings on CPW can be great too. The architecture around the park is incredible and you could easily have some good celebrity sightings, just act like a New Yorker and walk by without gawking.

I'm not sure which dates you will be here but if you will be in NY the weekend of October 6th, you might want to check out some of the Open House New York sites:
http://www.ohny.org/weekend/

skatedancer

personally, I'm always surprised that more people don't consider just walking around these prominent residential areas as a major tourist attraction. If you like to shop or just browse, both areas are great. I don't think you have to look for "sites" per se, particularly if you're not interested in museums.

Well, I guess the food stores of Zabar's and Fairway on the UWS might be considered tourist sites!

You can walk up and down the avenues for the stores and restaurants, and along the numbered side streets for a look at the brownstones.

If you're picking one over the other, I'd guess I'd pick the UWS.

mclaurie

While you said originally, not including Central Park, it seems to me you can't really see all of Central Park in one day. I'd see the south end of the park on one day and consider combining the north end of the park with some snooping around uptown. The Conservatory Gardens (entrance on Fifth Ave. & 104 st) are beautiful. Across from the entrance is the Museum of the City of NY where there's currently an exhibit on the Glory days of NY baseball
http://www.mcny.org/
There are a number of smaller museums on the UES that are in beautiful mansions so even your fiance doesn't like art museums, just seeing these buildings, imo, is worth a look. The Frick (Fifth ave & 70th st) would be at the top of that list. The Neue Gallery at Fifth & 86th st. has a beautiful cafe inside that serves nice Viennese pastries. The Jewish Museum at Fifth & 92 st. has a show of Pissaro now.

The UWS has Riverside Park, a place many first time tourists don't visit. I'd say these areas are not necessarily for everyone and can't get a feel for your tastes. You could also combine visiting Harlem with either area.

ggreen

Ditto what mclaurie said!

One of the really nice things about the Met museum is that a lot of it doesn't feel like you're Looking At Art - especially on the ground floor. The sculpture galleries are spacious, there are recreations of period rooms, and the Tiffany glass and Temple of Dendur are some of the things not to be missed. There are cafes dotted about the museum, so you can grab a coffee, sandwich or glass of wine and absorb art at the same time! Also, the museum is open late on Friday and Saturday nights; sometimes there is live music in some of the areas. metmuseum.org (Also, the museum has a recommended entrance fee, but it's pay what you wish. So if you don't think you'll stay for long, price yourselves accordingly. Just tell the ticket seller "XX dollars for two, please".)

Myer

We are not really museum goers. However, we do devote a few hours on some visits to museums.

We were in NY last week (and Philadelphia for the first time). We've been to NY several times in the past 6 years.

In the past we've visited the Met (worth a few hours) and the Frick (very definitely worth the vist) located just several block below the Met.

As far as I'm concerned (with my interest) the Upper east & West sides are worth a couple of hours each of walking around excluding the museums.

Just to give you an idea, I took the subway to Brooklyn (Clarke St), walked around Brooklyn Heights for a half hour, then the Promenade and across the Brooklyn Bridge. I highly recommend it.

We took the subway down to the Seaport and took the Staten Island ferry there and back (you have to get off). Great views of the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan.

On each visit we always make it a point to spend some time almost every day walking in Central Park. Each area has its own personality.

I also walk in the Park early in the morning before breakfast. Great scenery!!

Myer

Oh, I forgot to mention.

Last June I went went on a once-in-a-later to Southwestern Utah and Arizona.

Now I'm planning another once-in-a-lifetime trip to Eastern Utah.

You're too young for once-in-a-lifetime anythings.

Myer

Sorry. In English this time. Should be:

"Last June I went on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Southwestern Utah and Arizona."

nytraveler

Most of the city's museums are on the upper east and west side, along with a bunch of other sights.

East - the Met, Guggenehim, Whitney, Frick , Museum of the City of New York, Asia Society and a bunch of others. Plus Gracie Mansion (Mayor's official residence) and a bunch of upscale residential areas.

West - Lincoln Center with it's libraries and museums, Museum of Natural History, New York Historical Society, Columbia, Cathedral of St John the Divine, the Cloisters

But- I would not try to do all those - or even most of them together - but would intersperse them with the bits of Central Park you want to see. You can;t see the whole Park, but need to pick specific sights. Check out the web site of the Central Park Conservancy - and perhaps consider one of the Ranger talks. (What most people don;t realize is that Central Park is not mostly a park - as with big lawns and flower beds etc. Some parts are - but a lot is very heavily wooded - and not of much interest except for dog walkers, joggers etc. Pick out the 5/6 sights you want to see (zoo, Belvedere Castle, Strawberry Fields, Conservancy Garden etc) and just stroll through some of the rest at random.

Elizabeth

I don't think there is any real sightseeing to do on the Upper East and Upper West sides. They're nice places to walk around and see the river (west side), central park, and fancy shops and fancy people (Madison Avenue).

But they're not tourist destinations apart from the museums. The various downtown neighborhoods are more fun to walk around in - Greenwich Village, East Village, NoLita, Little Italy, Chinatown -- more diversity, character, street energy, surprising little shops and restaurants.

I would recommend a little visit to the Metropolitan Museum though - go see the Temple of Dendur and the Armor, then go reward yourself with a glass of wine in the cafe and take a walk through Central Park.