What to do in New York

[rainbowhays]

I appologise for this question in advance as it is not strictly a "cruising" question, but my wife and I are going on our first transatlantic cruise (also our first cruise with Celebrity) on Connie in April. We will be arriving in Newark from the UK approx 17:00 local and were wondering as it will be our first time in New York, what you experienced cruisers woulr advise us to do. Should we just go to our hotel and rest prior to the cruise or is there a " must do" for first timers in NY ?

Thank you in advance for your advice

[greeneg]

Eat, drink....other activities at your discretion....

 

Seriously, take in a show, if possible. You have a chance to contrast West End Performances with those on Broadway.

 

Museums, depends on what interests you have.

[LJJQ]

In New York & New Jersey you have everything but you must see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis island. Not too far a walk from the ferry from the Statue Of Liberty is Ground Zero.

There is also many plays on Broadway. The shopping is great and New York just dropped the Sales Tax on clothing and shoes under $110.

 

The main thing is just enjoy our great city!

[Irishwhiskey]

The port of Bayonne is right across the river from the city.You'll be able to get some nice photos from the ship as it leaves port of lower Manhatten and of the statue of liberty as the ship passes by it.Depending on how much time you have you may want to consider some kind of excursion through the cruiseline.Its not my first choice but with the short time that you have it may be the safe one.Do try to go to the city if its your first time.Visit the empire state building and go up to the top where you can view the entire city.If you have the time just walking the streets of mid town would be a good tour in itself and cost you nothing except for the transportation.

[rainbowhays]

We only have the one evening in New York as we arrive on 27th and set sail on 28th. The Empire State sounds good, is it open in the evening ?

[drfun48]

We only have the one evening in New York as we arrive on 27th and set sail on 28th. The Empire State sounds good, is it open in the evening ?

Take a walk up from the Empire State building to Times Sqare,the the lights are amazing...St Patrick's cathedral on 5th Ave is also impressive...People watching on a weekend in the spring is also great fun.

[MarkandStacie]

Whatever you do, do not stay over in NJ at a hotel! I would stay in Mid town if you can you change your plans. The New Yorker is a mid priced hotel near time square. From there you can walk to a broadway show, the Empire state building and one of my favorite places, Carnegie Deli. There are a million great places to eat in the Big Apple, but this one makes me think of NY the most.

[hdawson]

Oh yes. The Carnegi Deli. What a sandwich! ! ! ! ! ! ! If you want to see the sandwich, post your address. Unbelievable! You can get tickets to a show at the TKS booth in Times Square for half price for that date plus a small surcharge. Try a Krispy Kreme donut. A New York hot dog from a street vendor. If price is no object, a steak at The Homestead. Evening drinks in the Rainbow Room or Grill. Sixty-five floors high overlooking the city and the Empire State Bldg. For Value, I like the Edison Hotel, not new but excellent location.

[drfun48]

Whatever you do, do not stay over in NJ at a hotel! I would stay in Mid town if you can you change your plans. The New Yorker is a mid priced hotel near time square. From there you can walk to a broadway show, the Empire state building and one of my favorite places, Carnegie Deli. There are a million great places to eat in the Big Apple, but this one makes me think of NY the most.

I strongly disagree!The Hyatt Regency across the Hudson river, in Jersey City, is a fantastic hotel with a view that is impossible to get from the city itself.The Path rapid transit is right across the street giving access to Manhattan in mere minutes.I've stayed there and the view is breathtakingly spectacular.

As a second choice the Doubletree a few blocks down and lacking the view is more economical than comparable NYC hotels.

[rainbowhays]

We are already booked into the Hilton hotel Newark airport and from what you all say it looks like it is certainly worth making the effort and getting a cab into New York itself. We would like to see Times Square but had been told it might not be safe at night time, or I could be getting confused with Central Park. I had a romantic idea of my wife and I having a horse drawn carriage through the park as we have seen on many movies. Any more ideas would be appreciated. We have seen helicopter tours advertised. Any thoughts ?

Love to see a pic of this famouse sandwich. Our email is ACrainbowhays@aol.com

[marblemel]

First of all, you do not want to stay at Newark airport if you can avoid it. It is not convenient to the port and the location for seeing any of NYC is terrible. If you stay in the city itself you will have alot more opportunity to see it. A carriage ride in Central Park would be wonderful. The city is safe, don't let a long held reputation scare you. I grew up right outside of the city and never once had a problem taking subways in the middle of the night and everything.

[hdawson]

Yes, a the previous poster said, NYC is very safe. NYC doesn't even rank in the top 25 most dangerous cities of the US.

http://www.governmentguide.com/community_and_home/morganmostdangerouscities.adp

[hdawson]

Rainbow. For a very good movie and many, many laughs, rent the movie

"The Out of Towners" with Jack Lemon. It's a hilarious story of first time visitors to NYC.

[janetz]

Carmine's in the theater district for lunch or dinner..You never know who you will see there..Excellent!:p

[Sky Sweet]

I would recommend staying at the Millennium Hilton, which is across the street from the World Trade Center Site. It is a beautiful hotel that was completely rebuilt after 9/11 is and is located within walking distance of the ferry to Ellis Island, restaurants, and a subway station that will take you wherever you want to go within the city.

[dkjretired]

First of all, you do not want to stay at Newark airport if you can avoid it. It is not convenient to the port and the location for seeing any of NYC is terrible. If you stay in the city itself you will have alot more opportunity to see it. A carriage ride in Central Park would be wonderful. The city is safe, don't let a long held reputation scare you. I grew up right outside of the city and never once had a problem taking subways in the middle of the night and everything.

 

What, Newark Airport inconvienent to the port, its ten minutes away, you couldn't be more centrally located to the port than staying at the airport. You can take a train now or take other forms of transport right into NYC and then come back at night into your hotel. The following day a ten minute ride to the Port of Bayonne. They are not going to have a lot of time for major sightseeing and most of the things they would see will be closed.

[hdawson]

Also consider the Grayline tours of Manhatten. That way you can see the top sites with a minimum loss of time.

[Irishwhiskey]

The obsrervetory level is open from 8 am to midnight 365 days. The last elevator up is at 11:15.You can but tickets in advance at the website http://www.esbnyc.com

[Texasannie]

We were in NY in January for four days and loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, not cruising that trip. Our hotel was the Crowne Plaza at Times Square, right in the heart of Broadway and within three blocks of Rockefeller Center. All shows, tons of places to eat, easy access to subways and taxis were everywhere!

 

Tickets to shows were easy to obtain except for the most recent ones opening. You can also order tickets online. We walked across the street to see Mamma Mia (done to the music of Abba.) Great music! Look for this one at http://www.jerseyboysbroadway.com/ We were pleasantly surprised to find food was inexpensive, and so were the taxis. We did travel the subway some, and felt safe at all times. There is an abundance of police around.

 

The Empire State Building took an hour to get up to the observation deck. Lines, lines, lines. It was great, but at night the lights of the city were just about all we could see. We did take a grayline tour which helped us get a better feel for the area. The ride through Central Park sounds wonderful. Don't miss Times Square....it's truly amazing. Good luck to you and enjoy the Big Apple. We'll be back.

[janetz]

Yoy can go to the "top of the rock" 70th floor of the Rockefeller Plaza, for less hassle then the Empire..I will be there on Saturday! Love the city! :D

[darrencantwait]

Times Square is plenty safe at night. I live just a few blocks away.

[njhh]

My post was just eaten by cyberspace...URRGGHH

 

The short and sweet was...do Rockefeller Center - a newly re-opened observatory - MUCH BETTER THAN THE EMPIRE. Great location, fabulous views, and you can book a pass time (so no crowds). We waited at least one hour to get up the Empire and the atmosphere was unpleasant - very commercial.

 

Also, you can do the Statue and Ellis Island from the New Jersey side - Liberty Park - much closer and easier to get to (check your map) and very near the cruise port. Book an early morning ferry.

 

NYC is looking better than ever these days - no worries there. Food is fantastic - doesn't matter where you go.

 

Have fun.

 

Nancy