Pistonheads Guide to New York
Discussion
Hi All,
After a fair bit of mulling over, soon to be Missus Whirly and I are off to New York/Washington for our honeymoon next April. Being a tolerant sort of girl, and in return for the Sex in the City tour, she is giving me permission to explore the automotive sights of the Big Apple. So my question is, where are the best places to see?
The Chrysler building is guaranteed, but otherwise I can't seem to find any references in the literature to any museums (or even streets/avenues with interesting showrooms of a Park Lane type style). Not wishing to waste this opportunity to make the most of my beloved's tolerance (for who can say how long it may last!!), any guidance on the best things to see would be most appreciated.
Ta
Whirly
After a fair bit of mulling over, soon to be Missus Whirly and I are off to New York/Washington for our honeymoon next April. Being a tolerant sort of girl, and in return for the Sex in the City tour, she is giving me permission to explore the automotive sights of the Big Apple. So my question is, where are the best places to see?
The Chrysler building is guaranteed, but otherwise I can't seem to find any references in the literature to any museums (or even streets/avenues with interesting showrooms of a Park Lane type style). Not wishing to waste this opportunity to make the most of my beloved's tolerance (for who can say how long it may last!!), any guidance on the best things to see would be most appreciated.
Ta
Whirly
Not automotive related, but I would recommend to anybody visiting the big apple to take a couple of open top bus tours, NY is such a massive place there is no way you will get around and see things on foot in a few days...
Highlights for me were..
The Dakota building where john Lennon was shot in 1980
Coney island (A run down atmospheric amusement park that has seen better days)
The Flat Iron building,
Central Park, (allow at least half a day)
Brooklyn bridge and Brooklyn
Statue of Liberty
Chrysler Building,
Empire State building, (Go early if you want to take the elevator to the top)
All imo of course....
Highlights for me were..
The Dakota building where john Lennon was shot in 1980
Coney island (A run down atmospheric amusement park that has seen better days)
The Flat Iron building,
Central Park, (allow at least half a day)
Brooklyn bridge and Brooklyn
Statue of Liberty
Chrysler Building,
Empire State building, (Go early if you want to take the elevator to the top)
All imo of course....
I would add to this the Staten Island ferry - used by many of the locals for commuting, it's a tourist attraction in its own right.
Of the 2 places you're going, DC is my fave - I could have spent my entire holiday there, I did so much and yet had so much left to see.
If you only get time to do 2 things whilst you're there, go to Arlington and take an hour to reflect upon things.
Then go to the museum of American history - amazing
I would also recommend:
Supreme court (if the justices are in session, you can sit in the observers gallery and listen)
Vietnam war memorial
lincoln's memorial
capitol building
white house (not sure if the tour has re-started, but worth a walk even if not)
Of the 2 places you're going, DC is my fave - I could have spent my entire holiday there, I did so much and yet had so much left to see.
If you only get time to do 2 things whilst you're there, go to Arlington and take an hour to reflect upon things.
Then go to the museum of American history - amazing
I would also recommend:
Supreme court (if the justices are in session, you can sit in the observers gallery and listen)
Vietnam war memorial
lincoln's memorial
capitol building
white house (not sure if the tour has re-started, but worth a walk even if not)
Wacky Racer said:
Not automotive related, but I would recommend to anybody visiting the big apple to take a couple of open top bus tours, NY is such a massive place there is no way you will get around and see things on foot in a few days...
Highlights for me were..
The Dakota building where john Lennon was shot in 1980
Coney island (A run down atmospheric amusement park that has seen better days)
The Flat Iron building,
Central Park, (allow at least half a day)
Brooklyn bridge and Brooklyn
Statue of Liberty
Chrysler Building,
Empire State building, (Go early if you want to take the elevator to the top)
All imo of course....
AOL Time Warner Center
Grand Central Station/MetLife Building (they're actually connected)
Rockefeller Center
United Nations (though I'm not sure what's still open)
I'd also check to see if there are any good conventions going on. The 15th-23rd is the New York International Auto Show (www.autoshowny.com/) at the Jacob Javits center. Utterly amazing. I was there two years ago with a friend of mine, and just taking a quick walk through, without spending much time at any one place, we spent a good 3 hours there.
As for places to eat that I've been to:
Sapori d'Ischia
55-15 37th Ave. (Queens)
between 55th and 56th Sts.
718-446-1500
Great Italian food. It's actually an Italian food store until about 4-5 in the afternoon, and then it gets converted into a restaurant.
Angels
1135 1st Ave, New York 10021
Btwn 62nd & 63rd St
212-371-8484
I've been there twice, and both times great (once again) Italian food. IIRC the portions are pretty big, especailly taking into account appetizers and so on.
The Stage Deli & Restaurant
(212) 245-7850
834 7th Ave
New York, NY 10019
Carnegie Delicatessen & Restaurant
(800) 334-5606
854 7th Ave
New York, NY 10019
The menus for both are relatively the same. Pretty much the most informal sit-down restaurants in NYC. Great sandwiches, burgers, and other deli stuff. A little pricy for sandwiches (compared to here in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania...), but overall good food if you're not looking to go somewhere too formal.
2nd Avenue Deli
156 Second Avenue at 10th Street
New York, NY 10003
212-677-0606
It's actually a kosher deli. Food's great, and once again very informal. The have everything from burgers and sandwiches to tradtional Jewish foods.
Shelly's New York
104 W. 57th St. (Midtown West)
between Sixth and Seventh Aves.
212-245-2422
Mainly a steakhouse, but they also specialize in seafood. For steaks, they're great, for seafood, I've heard mixed reactions, though mostly good.
Papaya King
Southwest Corner of 7th Avenue and 14th Street
(212) 367-8090
179 East 86th Street
Corner of Third Avenue Between Third and Lexington
(212) 369-0648
121 West 125th Street
Between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell
(212) 665-5732
Hot dogs. Cheap, old-fashioned hot dogs. Each location is essentially a hot dog stand, but in a building. They also have good shakes and smoothies. I think I had 4 or 5 of those hot dogs on a cold November day last year... Probably knocked a few weeks off my life, but oh well.
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
65 Bayard St
New York, NY 10013
212-608-4170
Good for dessert. While traditional ice cream flavors are great, the unique thing about this place is the selection of flavors. IIRC they had ginger, green tea, red bean (?), avocado, and others.
Well, those are all the restaurants I can think of off the top of my head.
Great French restaurant in the Meatpacking district - www.paradounyc.com/
The best coffee shop in town - www.irvingfarm.com/index.cfm?c=3&pg=ourcafe.cfm ('everything that Starbuck's isn't', according to Zagat)
Edit to add: you should have breakfast at Norma's (at the Parker Meridien hotel, 118 West 57th St) - www.parkermeridien.com/normas.htm (the hotel isn't bad either).
>> Edited by polar_ben on Thursday 17th November 09:14
The best coffee shop in town - www.irvingfarm.com/index.cfm?c=3&pg=ourcafe.cfm ('everything that Starbuck's isn't', according to Zagat)
Edit to add: you should have breakfast at Norma's (at the Parker Meridien hotel, 118 West 57th St) - www.parkermeridien.com/normas.htm (the hotel isn't bad either).
>> Edited by polar_ben on Thursday 17th November 09:14
whilst your're in the meat packing district, you have to go here. I was there a fortnight ago - it was my favourite bar. Very chilled, very cool - just a great place to spend too many hours!
www.aptwebsite.com
>> Edited by SpencerO on Thursday 17th November 07:20
www.aptwebsite.com
>> Edited by SpencerO on Thursday 17th November 07:20
I'd recommend:
Central Park
Times Square
Empire State Building
Helicopter Flight over Manhatten
Natural History Museum
Statue of Liberty
Shopping on and around 5th Avenue
Lastly, book a decent hotel, with a good view. We had to upgrade to a suite because the original hotel room was a little naff.
Central Park
Times Square
Empire State Building
Helicopter Flight over Manhatten
Natural History Museum
Statue of Liberty
Shopping on and around 5th Avenue
Lastly, book a decent hotel, with a good view. We had to upgrade to a suite because the original hotel room was a little naff.
I did the Sex & The City tour with the missus back in June and quite enjoyed it actually 
Would second Grand Central Station as worth a look, and the food-hall on the lower floor is handy for a quick lunch.
I would also recommend booking a hotel in a central location (Times Square, Union Square etc) to make the most of the city that never sleeps
For travelling up and down the island we used cabs rather than the subway. They're pretty cheap, less hassle, and you get to see a bit more of the city. Having said that, you can walk to most places relatively quickly.
Would second Grand Central Station as worth a look, and the food-hall on the lower floor is handy for a quick lunch.
I would also recommend booking a hotel in a central location (Times Square, Union Square etc) to make the most of the city that never sleeps
For travelling up and down the island we used cabs rather than the subway. They're pretty cheap, less hassle, and you get to see a bit more of the city. Having said that, you can walk to most places relatively quickly.
srebbe64 said:
Lastly, book a decent hotel, with a good view. We had to upgrade to a suite because the original hotel room was a little naff.
Definately make sure you get a good room. View is nice but not facing the street is equally important (or get very high up!).
Stayed in a really nice 4* just off Times Square a few weeks ago (good price too) and it was great except for the street noise (particualrly bin emptying at 3am). For our next visit (we're seriously considering a move there at some point) we'd stay in the SOHO area as it's much better for evening eateries and bars than the tourist trap around Times Sq.
Definately do the Bus tour (there's 2 main companies), the one we used does a ticket for ~$49 that gets you on their main 5 tours (uptown, downtown, Brooklyn + others) - hop on/off and good fun.
'Ground Zero' is worth a visit. We were there in 1999 and going back was really very moving and emotional (a suprise to me as I'm not normally given to such sentimentalism!).
If you're buying electronics go to J&R - it's in the guidebooks. Managed to save about £350 on various toys (camera and 3 mp3 players!).
Didn't see anything particularly car-related in our visit and get the impression that the administration there feel similar to Londons about them.
Enjoy!
srebbe64 said:
Lastly, book a decent hotel, with a good view. We had to upgrade to a suite because the original hotel room was a little naff.
One time I was there we booked into the (then) uber trendy Paramount (Ian Schrager place, designed by Starck, or some of it was). Was an arm and a leg and the room was about the size of a walk-in wardrobe. Didn't even bother unpacking, went to the front desk, got a refund and went around the corner (ish) to Time Hotel where we got a suite for the same price as the pokey little room at the Paramount.
Have a drink in Harrys Bars at the Waldorf, the Grand Old Lady of New York which also has a nice restaurant downstairs BUT....
http://maloneyandporcelli.com/
go on, spoil yourself!
One of the best meals I have ever eaten. Surf and Turf consisted of an 18ox aged ribeye (which was stunning!) and a lobster!!!
Have a great time, brilliant place.
http://maloneyandporcelli.com/
go on, spoil yourself!
One of the best meals I have ever eaten. Surf and Turf consisted of an 18ox aged ribeye (which was stunning!) and a lobster!!!
Have a great time, brilliant place.
Another handy hint - if you want to avoid the 90 mins to 2 hr wait to get to the top tof the Empire State, try the Top of the Rock observation gallery at the Rockefeller centre instead - only reopened recently and a lot of people dont know about it yet.
www.topoftherocknyc.com/
>> Edited by SpencerO on Thursday 17th November 09:55
www.topoftherocknyc.com/
>> Edited by SpencerO on Thursday 17th November 09:55
Empire State obviously - allow about four hours to do this.
Ground Zero and the church beside it - very interesting and moving. A must do.
Staten Island Ferry - don't get off at te Statue of Liberty unless you really want to - stay on to go to the immigration museum.
Bloomingdales - don't bother with Macey's - it's crap.
NBC Studio Tours - Brilliant! It's at the Rockefeller Centre.
Sony Wonderworks is free and good fun for an hour - lots of tech and toys.
F W Schwarz, the toy store. Have a go on the floor piano in the film Big.
The Met, The Guggenheim, The Natural History Museum.
Greenwich Village - nice places to eat and interesting shops. Play Chess outdoors.
Times Square.
Central Park - visit Strawberry Fields (See the Lennon memorial) and The Dakota Building just adjacent (where Lennon was shot).
I'll post up some more as I remember them.
Ground Zero and the church beside it - very interesting and moving. A must do.
Staten Island Ferry - don't get off at te Statue of Liberty unless you really want to - stay on to go to the immigration museum.
Bloomingdales - don't bother with Macey's - it's crap.
NBC Studio Tours - Brilliant! It's at the Rockefeller Centre.
Sony Wonderworks is free and good fun for an hour - lots of tech and toys.
F W Schwarz, the toy store. Have a go on the floor piano in the film Big.
The Met, The Guggenheim, The Natural History Museum.
Greenwich Village - nice places to eat and interesting shops. Play Chess outdoors.
Times Square.
Central Park - visit Strawberry Fields (See the Lennon memorial) and The Dakota Building just adjacent (where Lennon was shot).
I'll post up some more as I remember them.
Really nothing much automotive to do in NY in my opinion (though if you can get the motor show it's a good 'un) so maybe hire a Corvette for the day and drive up the banks of the Hudson to Bear Mountain. Great views for the missus, great roads for you.
I think there was/is a Ferrari showroom opening on Park Avenue and there's a few dealerships up there (Audi, Mercedes, nothing to get excited about really) but if you're sticking to NY just concentrate on the many other sights mentioned above and try to forget about cars for a few days! You really won't get bored!
I think there was/is a Ferrari showroom opening on Park Avenue and there's a few dealerships up there (Audi, Mercedes, nothing to get excited about really) but if you're sticking to NY just concentrate on the many other sights mentioned above and try to forget about cars for a few days! You really won't get bored!
srebbe64 said:
I'd recommend:
Central Park
Times Square
Empire State Building
Helicopter Flight over Manhatten
Natural History Museum
Statue of Liberty
Shopping on and around 5th Avenue
Lastly, book a decent hotel, with a good view. We had to upgrade to a suite because the original hotel room was a little naff.
I'd agree with that.Along with find a good Hotel in Times Square area so as to be central.
The immigration Centre at Ellis Island is well worth a visit,as is ,Ground zero,Bloomingdales.Maceys is certainly more down market,but worth a visit because of its sheer size
>> Edited by sb-1 on Thursday 17th November 14:32
>> Edited by sb-1 on Thursday 17th November 14:33
>> Edited by sb-1 on Thursday 17th November 14:34
), the parking is even worse... I can't recommend cabs highly enough.The stage deli, yum, the best $18 sandwich ever!
Me and the boys went there last year and we got a New york greeter from Big apple greeters. They are free and they take you where you want to go and do what you want to do. They don't expect anything in return and they'll let you know whats worth doing for you, ours gave us passes to view a house on park lane that was worth about $45million! It was awesome!
There is just so much to see and do in New York.
If you and the missus haven't been before then make sure the first time you see Times Square is at night.
If I think of anything else I'll let you know.
Me and the boys went there last year and we got a New york greeter from Big apple greeters. They are free and they take you where you want to go and do what you want to do. They don't expect anything in return and they'll let you know whats worth doing for you, ours gave us passes to view a house on park lane that was worth about $45million! It was awesome!
There is just so much to see and do in New York.
If you and the missus haven't been before then make sure the first time you see Times Square is at night.
If I think of anything else I'll let you know.
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