Where sould I stay, eat, shop and see on a visit to New York?

Question

I may also travel from New York to Niagara Falls. Anything to recommend I stop off to see on the way? Also, is Cape Cod near to New York, and is it worth a visit?

Answer 1

I agree that you shouldn't stay in Times Square. The Thirty/Thirty om 30 East 30th street is reasonable and you can get a quiet room if you ask for one that does not face the street. There are several other hotels in this area including Roger Williams and Carlton which are a little more expensive than the first one.

This area is much cleaner and quiter than Times Square especially at night and on weekends. There are a lot of restaurants nearby. It is convenient to the 6 Lexington Avenue Subway and the Madison Avenue bus. Very close to Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building. There are free concerts there (park) every Wed. at 7:00 PM in the summer and you can picnic on the beautiful lawn. Some of the best restaurants are on Park Avenue South and the side street between 23rd and 14th St. If you like Indian Food there is a Little India on Lexington between 29th and 27th and other restaurants too. I Trulli on 27th between Lex and Park is one of the best Italian in New York -- It is expensive. Also Third Ave. from 38th all the way down to the East village has dozens and dozens of reasonably priced restaurants with almost every single kind of food. All this and the Empire State Building, Macy's, Lord and Taylor, Madison Square Garden is within walking distance form the area I suggested you stay in, and you will be in a real New York neighborhood instead of a tourist center.

I also have been to Cape Cod and really like it...its a 4/5 drive from City. Cooperstown is a very quaint little town on a beatiful Lake and there is more to do there than the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Be different, go to a Mets game, the are really good this year.

Answer 2

NYC has thousands of Hotels from stars all the way down to 1, there is 2 YMCS that rents rooms with or without private bathrooms, they are very well located in midtown. For eating, you have a meriad of styles/cuisines from all around the globe. Don't miss a hot dog from a street vendor with mustard/ketchup/sourkraut and/or onios for about US$ 1.50. To Niagara fall is better to go by bus, you'll see the landscape and return by train so you can catch a nap. Cape Cod is off the coast of the state of Massachussets, you can go there before or after the falls as the are all the way up north the state of New York

Answer 3

Do not stay in or near Times Square.

If you want to go high end & spend a lot of money -- stay at The Plaza. Otherwise, look through some of the Web Sites like Expedia to find a more reasonable hotel in one of these areas: Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Greenwich Village, Grammercy Park, Chelsea.

Spend at least one evening wandering around Greenwich Village. There are lots of great little restaurants on Hudson between 8th and 14th.

If you want to do some touristy things, you can get great views from the top of Rockerfeller Center or the Empire State Building.

The best museums are The Metropolitan (upper east side), The Museum of Modern Art (worth it just to see Monet's Water Lilies and Van Gogh's Starry Night). Then there is the Natural History Museum on the Upper West Side. But there are other great useums there, too.

You should probably walk through the lobby of Trump Tower just to see how gaudy it is.

The Statue of Liberty is worth seeing -- but it takes up a lot of time. An alternative to going there is to take a round trip on the Staten Island Ferry. It is one of the best deals in NYC -- and gives you a great view of the Statue as well as Manhattan.

The whole where the Trade Center used to be is about six blocks from the Ferry terminal. Battery Park, Trinity Church and Wall Street are other sites in the area.

Cape Cod is about 250 miles from NYC. If you like sitting on the beach -- then it is worth going to. There are other things to do there (Provincetown is a cute little town -- which is worth seeing even if you are not gay). A closer alternative would be to take a day trip from NYC to either Atlantic City in NJ or to The Hamptons on Long Island.

If you are driving from NYC to Niagara Falls you might want to stop off in Cooperstown on the way to see the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Answer 4

In New York, you should go to a Yankees game. Most people visit the Statue of Liberty. Also, you can visit the Empire State Building. I'm not sure of your shopping style, but I'll recommend some places. Go to Times Square; there are tons of shops around there.

Popular hotels include the Marriott Marquis, Hilton, Affinia, Westin New York at Times Square, and the Four Seasons, but those are very expensive. I'm not sure of your price budget, but check http://www.expedia.com/ or http://www.travelocity.com/ for cheaper hotels.

Go to "Maid of the Mist" at Niagara Falls. It's a boat that goes really close to the waterfall, and it's really safe, although it's wet.

Answer 5

I just moved from NYC to Cape Cod, and no- they're definitely not close. It will take about 4.5 hours without traffic to get from Manhattan to the Cape, and once you're on the Cape, you'll only find beaches, and quaint little boutiques. If this sounds appealing, it might be worth the trip for you.

In Manhattan, some of my facorite places to go are Bar89 in Soho. The food is relatively cheap, and the decor is exceptionally trendy. If you're into family-style italian food, try La Mela in Little Italy (Mulberry Street) for dinner. The atmosphere is like nothing you'll ever find anywhere else. It's a really friendly, fun environment.

If you're looking to spend some hardcore cash, there's also Union Pacific and Tabla. I've been to and had a great time at both.

Soho and Greenwich Village and Tribeca are also places where you can find some hip, trendy bars and lounges. But be prepared to pay some hefty cash for the drinks. Soho323 is a cool lounge that I've been to a few times, and the last night I went they had a 2 bottle minimum if you wished to sit at a table.

In general, there are a lot of great restaurants and bars in the city- As long as you stay away from the tourist traps, you're bound to find one. If you want a more authentic NYC experience, I would recommend staying away from Rockefeller, Times Square, and all those stereotypical NYC areas. They're overpiced and full of tourists - not locals.

If you want to shop at some trendier stores, I recommend going to Soho. You can take a stroll up 5th avenue to see LV, Tiffany's and Henri Bendel - but again, you'll be among a slow-moving, obnoxious horde of out-of-towners and, unless youre loaded, you're probably not going to be buying anything anyway. It might be worth it for you to take a peak, though, if you've never been to a big city before.... but if you're been to London or Paris, NYC's 5th Ave is more of the same.

NYC is a city for everyone, but your itinerary really depends on who you are and what you like to do. I recommend getting a guide book before you go so you can find places and activities that might appeal to your particular taste.

Answer 6

I alway's stay on 7th Ave becouse it's within easy reach of all attraction's the Bronx Zoo is worth a visit also the Staten Island Ferry is free and South Street Sea Port is a good day out if the weather is fine, I think all the other attraction's have been named by other people but where ever you go or stay I am sure you will have a great time if you are on a budget you can still eat well, or if you have load's of money you can eat very well OH WHAT A CITY ENJOY YOU'R SELF

Answer 7

I drove from NYC to Niagara Falls and there's nothing worthwhile seeing in between the two (imo). I'd recommend that you stay on the Canadian side. The view is better and they have a nice boardwalk, shops and cafes and you can do a little boatride at the bottom of the falls. The american side is a bit desolate. Nothing there, but a viewing platform.

Answer 8

you should visit the statue of liberty, Rockefeller center, nbc studios and the radio music hall (concert center)