What would you do on a weekend trip to NYC?

[Libster]

We are off to NYC next weekend just for fun and to enjoy the holiday madness. We are staying at the W Tuscany and I wondered if anyone had any good restaurant recommendations in the area? Also we think we may give the subway a go for transportation and I wondered what people''s thoughts are on this for two people that have never experinced it before, any advice? The last time we visited we stayed in Union Square and got a little taste of the city and now we are back for more. Suggestions...please?

 

[ame]

Spend all kinds of money on clothes, makeup, a great haircut and color, and maybe jewelry. Id love to see a show, and definitely eat out in the great restaurants.

 

[treysar]

Where is the W Tuscany? There are a few W''s. I''m not sure where that one is.

 

[valeria101]

Never had any free time in NYC... the more memorable free day meant a trip to the Met, the nice small restaurants in the area (one owned by Romanian friends!) and then a Broadway show I wanted to see for ages.

I curse myself every week or so for not knowing about Good Old Gold then !

 

[blueroses]

Oh, there is SO much to do and it''s so easy to get around. I just looked up that hotel--it''s on E. 39th btw. Lex and 3rd, so it''s very close to Grand Central.

The subway is so easy to use...Depending on how long you''ll be here for the weekend, you could get the "Unlimited" one-day pass for the subway each day so that you can go around town as much as you like in a day w/o paying $2 to each destination. They''re running $7 a day, so if you take 2 round trips it''s already paid for itself. Otherwise get one card w/ a declining dollar amount for you both.

Go see a show!! I''m biased b/c that''s my particular corner of the world, but there is a lot going on on Broadway these days....a lot of new shows starting up in previews, a few old classics winding down (42nd Street closes on Jan 2.)...my suggestion is to go to the TKTS Booth in Times Sq. (47th/Broadway) and get 1/2 price same-day tickets....there are a TON of shows that will be available, minus a few big sellers. (Wicked, Lion King, Ave. Q are sold out well in advance, and never sell for 1/2 off) I could go on and on about Broadway b/c I''m a theatre geek, so PM me for any suggestions and I''d be more than happy to help!

A few lesser known things--go check out the Public Library (42nd/6th) which is all decorated for the holidays. It''s free to get in and such a stunning historical building. It''s also 1/2 a block from Grand Central where you can check out the holiday laser light show on the ceiling of the main room and do some shopping with the craft booths that are there for this month....

There are also the Christmas displays at Macys (34th), Saks, Lord and Taylor, Barneys, Bergdorff''s......and of course the tree at Rockafeller Center. I wouldn''t bother waiting in line to iceskate, but that''s just me and crowds.

I''m also a rabid fan of the store H&M....it''s not in very many places in the US and it''s awesome. It''s at 51st/5th, 34th/7th among other locations.

And these are only the midtown options!! There''s tons to see downtown....eat cheap AMAZING pizza at Lombardi''s in Little Italy (on Mulberry, I think?) ride the Staten Island Ferry to cruise right by lady liberty, walk by the Stock Exchange to see it done up for Christmas......or head uptown and see the park, go skating at Wollman''s Rink....

As you can see, I love this city during the holidays!

Oh, and if you do see a show, don''t eat in Times Square.....walk West on 46th Street: 46th btw. 8th/9th is Restaurant Row, AND all along 9th Ave in the 40s-50s there are GREAT restaurants which are lesser-known and reasonable!

OH, and....hello, this is Pricescope, what am I thinking??? Walk 47th btw 5th/6th to see the diamonds!! And then go into Cartier on 5th to see the 13.65 carat 1.55MILLION dollar diamond that nearly blinded me when I saw it in its case the other day

The subway''s a snap. From where you''re staying, you''re closest to Grand Central--the 4/5/6 lexington lines, and the 7 and Shuttle across town. And bring Walking shoes!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 12/2/2004 3:10:52 PM
Author: ame
Spend all kinds of money on clothes, makeup, a great haircut and color, and maybe jewelry. Id love to see a show, and definitely eat out in the great restaurants.

ooooh, this is me too! Sounds like fun, Ame. We should fly out together and go crazy!!! lol Definetly include diamonds in the shopping spree as we''d need something to show off here on PS after our big adventure.

 

[Libster]

Thanks for all the ideas

Ame - If I could I''d spend an afternoon with Oscar Blandi getting my hair done, but then I''m not a celebrity with a celebrity budget

, I''ll have to settle with hopeful window shopping in the diamond district!

Treysar - We love the W chain and stayed at the W-Union Square last year and wanted to try another this year. I see Blue Roses has listed the location, right around Grand Central Station so should make an easy jump on to the subway if I don''t freak out about it

Valeria - I really would love to get to the Met or the Guggenheim and think hubby will enjoy that as well. We are lucky that we have no obligations and just free time to explore. Is Good Old Gold in the diamond district?

Blue Roses - What wonderful ideas you have

I would love to see Wicked, but not at the prices I''d have to pay through a ticket broker!! Last year we were there and I saw that incredible line for the 1/2 price tickets and don''t know if I have the patience for it. The Public Library sounds great, I love old architecture and that would be something different.

Thanks for the subway ideas, I don''t know why I''m so intimidated by it...*sigh*

We have H&M here in Atlanta. What an amazing store, Karl Lagerfeld has done a wonderful thing for the budget minded!

I didn''t get to try the famous NY pizza last time so Lombardi''s sounds great. We did luck out on a cab driver steering us in the direction of Ferarras Bakery in Little Italy, I''m not sure about the spelling, but it was...amazing! Dreaming of their yummy cannolis right now! Oh, I also wrote away for tickets to that new morning show Life & Style and they arrived yesterday, so hubby is less than thrilled, but hey it''s a one time thing and he can drool over Jules Asner & Kimora Lee Simmons. So I guess there is one thing we have tentatively planned, as well as a must see.....THE DIAMOND DISTRICT!!! I''m going to lay down on the floor in Signed Pieces in protest til he purchases a Facets eternity band for me

Last year, since my hubby and I had never been to the city, we took one of the double decker tours and it gave us a quick view of a lot of the sights. We never really got to experience Central Park and I''d like to at least see Tavern on the Green and Wollman Rink. One other place I really enjoyed, and was a must do for me since I love to watch him on TV, was dining at Bobby Flay''s Mesa Grill. The choices...the choices...the city that never sleeps

Keep those ideas coming, I love to hear about what people enjoy doing in this fascinating city!

 

[Libster]

Michelle,
For me to do what I''d really like to do I''d need to be on a girl trip and have unlimted funds for shopping and pampering!!!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/2/2004 6:36:43 PM

Valeria - ... Is Good Old Gold in the diamond district?

I don''t think so. And it may be just false perspective from my side 18-flight-hours away

NYC didn''t seem the easiest place to go around, actually just about every other big city I know seems easier to drive through!

 

[abradabra]

If you find yourself around Washington Square Park (there''s another location, but I''m not exactly sure where) around lunchtime, check out Spice. It''s a Thai restaurant (not to be confused the fabulous Cafe Spice, an Indian restaurant several doors down) on the corner of University and 10th Street. It''s a great deal. For $6-$10, you get and entree and an appetizer. My favorite is what I think is called the Lemongrass chicken (Half a chicken! $7! Tasty!) and they have shrimp fritters that are tasty. Yum yum.

I''d also recommend Circus on the Upper East Side. It is a Brazilian restaurant that gets quite lively and has a really reasonably priced wine list because most of it is from South America. The food I had was great.

I was in NYC for New Year''s last year and went to the Mesa Grill, great eh? When you are planning your next trip, I would work hard to try to get reservations at Babbo, but it''s quite difficult.

What else can I recommend? I would stay far away from places like Times Square (except when/if you go to a show) and check out the parks and wander through places like Soho and the Diamond District and Greenwich Village. You''ll get much more of a feel of the city if you do that (vs. follow the tourists around).

Oh, you know, I may be in the minority here, but I''m not crazy about Tavern on the Green. It''s pretty, but SO crowded and the service leaves a lot to be desired (probably because it is so crowded). The food is good, but nothing special. If you want to splurge on a meal, one of my favorite places is Chanterelle in Tribeca. They do lunch too, which is a lot more economical, but still expensive. Such a luxurious experience though.

 

[blueroses]

Valeria, the trick is to never drive in NYC. EVER! If we''re talking about driving, it''s near impossible to get around. But a good 10 minutes studying the MTA subway map, and you can be an expert in public transportation!

It''s so frequently faster to hop on the train than to get a cab.

Libster, do PM me if you have any Broadway ??''s. Wicked is sold out through, like, February. However, there are a few things you can do w/o paying a broker (lottery, cancellation line, etc.). PLUS, there are ways to time your arrival at TKTS to not have to wait--the line there is pretty unpredictable. It''s DEAD a lot of the time and then the weekends can be bad. Also, if either of you have a student ID you can do Rush for several shows at the box office. But I agree: avoid Times Square except for seeing a show.

The Natural History Museum is great too (and in my very favorite hood in the whole city, the UWS).

Oh, from Grand Central down to Little Italy/Chinatown (if you go down there to shop/eat/etc.) it''s REALLY easy....you can take the 6 train straight downtown to Spring St. (Lombardi''s info: http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?neighborhoodid=22&restaurantid=2086 ) or to Canal for Chinatown. Now I''m hungry. Seriously, this pizza is amazing. I love their "white pizza"--fresh mozz, ricotta, garlic. MMMMM.

 

[hoorray]

Hi Libster,

We love weekends in NY, and stay at the W''s also. The Tuscany is a little quieter than the Union Square, but it is good and central for mid-town adventures. One place we ate at last time was Payard''s Patisseri and Bistro on the upper east side (1032 Lexington). It is probably a great lunch spot on a Central Park day. It is smallish and crowded -- tables right next to each other, but indulgent and delicious food. We had a delightful lunch there -- recommended by the consierge at the W Times Square

, and totally worth it. Not quite as typical as just the normal trendy restaurant in NYC. The China Grill is a tasty trendy Asian/fusion type of place -- I think it is in the CBS building, which is midtown.

We like Zulu''s in Soho for lunch also. We like to explore the different neighborhoods when we are in the City. Little Italy is fun for an afternoon stroll, taking a break to sit at an outside cafe and have a glass of Chianti. There is a great design design district over towards the 59th street bridge. We like the Terence Conran Shop -- modern, fun things, fun to browse. There is a great restaurant right there, whose name I can''t remember, but any consierge would know it if you told them it is under/at the bridge there.

Have lots of fun!

 

[blueroses]

mmmm, Payard''s is great!! (My bf''s parents live across the street.)

A fun trivia tidbit about it: it''s been featured both on Sex and the City and in the film Tadpole with Bebe Neuwirth. (On the former, Carrie''s character lived a block away at 73rd and 3rd )

 

[fire&ice]

Jazz Friday afternoon at MOMA. They just reopened - but to see the exhibits -it''s $20.00! NYC is expensive.

Hubby does the 1/2 price matinee thing. You have more availablity. He saw the new Billy Crystal show (700 Sundays) and loved it.

Drink at the Alguonquin (sp?)

 

[alexah]

I lived at 37th/Lex for 7 yrs before I moved last year... there''s so many great & inexpensive places to eat and it''s a great area, as I used to walk all around the city from that central location... and that W is fairly new

if you have any specific questions, pls feel free to pm me & have a terrific weekend libster!!

ps, FAO Schwartz just re-opened a wk ago

 

[Libster]

I''m getting excited about next week thanks to all of you

!!!!!!

abradabra - I''ve heard that Tavern on the Green doesn''t have the greatest food so we may just walk by to see it. We love Thai so I''ve jotted down Spice to check out! I really enjoyed Mesa Grill, wonder if the Hotel Concierge can get us reservations at Babbo? hmmmmmm

blueroses - You''re making the subway look more appealing

I think for lunch one day we will venture down to Little Italy for a yummy slice of pizza pie!!

Lop- I went to Payard''s website and all I can say is WOW! I know this will be a must do! I love anything french and this place just looks like a little bit of Paris...Ouuu La La! We love the W chain and last year had stayed at the Union Square location and decided to give the Tuscany a go this time around. The whole atmosphere is just funky/laid back all at the same time and we feel at home.

Fire & Ice - Friday afternoon jazz.....I like that idea. We have a martini/jazz night here in Atlanta at the High Museum of Arts and we really enjoy that, so I can only imagine something like that at MOMA.

Thank you all again for your super suggestions! You''ve really helped me get some general idea of what we should do. What about Serendipity? Never been there and have seen so much publicity of late about their frozen hot chocolate. What do you think? Also any suggestions about seeing the window displays at Macy''s, etc...without crowds of people? Go in the wee hours of the morning?

 

[blueroses]

The crowds for the Christmas windows won''t be too terrible--I mean, they''ll be bad, but honestly, it might be more crowded at Serendipity 3!! Seriously, the wait for that place is usually at least an hour. It''s cute though--I prefer the massive Broadway Sunday to the frozen hot chocoloate.....just be prepared to wait a bit.

 

[Libster]

Blueroses,
Thanks for the heads up on Serendipity 3! I''ll just have to order the frozen hot chocolate packets on line and make them at home. I''ve promised my better half that I won''t drag him through the masses....unless it''s the diamond district, then he has NO CHOICE

I''m getting excited about the trip, it''s really going to get me in the holiday spirit

How long have you lived in NYC?

 

[Mara]

a haircut? Not unless you want to spend $500-700!! my girlfriend went a few weeks back and found that the prices for the few stylists she called were all around that price AND then a week later i saw an article in either the NY Times or SF Chronicle (we get both, I don't remember which!) that said the same thing about how prices for haircuts in NYC are off the charts right now! and here i thought my $160 for cut and highlight was a ripoff, this makes it alot easier to justify it to hubby. hehee.

on the subway...we take it when we are in NYC most of the time and it's pretty easy...Greg used to work in NY so he knows his way around but i found the subway kind of fun. we cabbed it the rest of the time. driving is a big no no, parking was horrible the one time we did have to drive.

when we go, we stayed at Greg's brother's place in Gramercy Park while he was out of town (and once we stayed at Le Parker Meridien which has the #1 breakfast place in NYC but it's always packed!!), and we decided to do things that we would do if we lived there, aka subway and not too many tourist places. we asked Greg's brother for his fave restaurants and frequented those, great breakfast somewhere around there too, I want to say When Pigs Fly? anyhow, we had to do 5th avenue though as our tourist token nod...but for the most part just did whatever tickled our fancy. Oh and shopping in Soho, and also on Bleecker Street. It's the same area as the Magnolia Bakery is in..where all the stars get their cupcakes. Cute boutiques there.

I found in NY it was best not to be too strictly scheduled because things would pop up as you were walking around that you wanted to check out. have fun!

 

[blueroses]

Haven''t been on here in a couple days....

Libster, I''ve been in the city about 3 1/2 years, but my bf of 8 years is from here so I''ve spent a lot of time here before I moved.

Mara''s Magnolia bakery (which is YYUUUUMMMYYY!!!) reminded me of one other place.

There''s a bakery on W. 74th Street btw Columbus and Amsterdam called Levain and they have what may well be the best cookie in the world. This is a $3 dollar cookie that almost weighs a pound, looks more like a scone than a cookie, and is out of this world. My fave is the dark chocolate w/ peanut butter chips. Anyway, if you end up in that neigborhood (like at the Natural History Museum, the Historical Society, that side of Central Park near Strawberry Fields and the Dakota) you should definitely check it out

 

[MerKaBa]

I HIGHLY recommend going over to DUMBO just over the brooklyn bridge to eat at River Cafe. The view of the city is absolutely phenomenal and the food is simply devine. It is a little spendy but soooooo nice. I took my mom there for brunch and it was around $100 total. I have heard they have a weekend lunch special for $20.00 which is a great deal consider the food is amazing. It is a really nice place and I recommend it to anyone in the city. You most likely need a reservation. I would go for breakfast or lunch.

Aqua Grill in SoHo is also good.
Le Colonial - French Vietnamese is awesome as well - in Mid-town
Shung Lee Palace - Amazing Chinese in mid-town

Have a great trip.

 

[Libster]

I want to thank all of you for all the ideas! I''m really disappointed because we have had to cancel our trip due to my husband''s job. They have had a crisis situation and he can''t leave his employees hanging right now. Soooooooo needless to say I''m sad, but understand....this is life..

I''ll definitely be printing all these TERRIFIC IDEAS to save for a future trip

 

[sevens one]

Oh Libster I''m so sorry your trip got cancelled. I''m sure you were looking forward to it.

 

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

I am sorry to hear that your trip was postponed, you will go some day

funny thing happened to four guys from England... 12am, walking back to the Bowery (about 14 blocks I think) after getting the Staten Island ferry, we saw this bus with something like "help! this bus has been hijacked. dial 911" scrolling across the front and "dial 911" flashing at the back... the people looked normal... tired, bored, exactly what you''d expect, but we had no idea what to do! we saw these workmen guys digging or something, so we asked them what to do. they said "oh, don''t worry, happens all the time. driver prolly knocked it with his knee or something" lol!!! that was a funny night!

so I highly recommend that!