Last night i managed to write down an Itinerary just to get an idea of what we%26#39;d like to do on set days and to give us a chance to see the sights we REALLY want to see!! So here it is tell me if it sounds feasiable (sp?)
Monday 14th March - Arrive in NYC, drop our stuff at hotel and have a look around Times Square before returning to the hotel for some sleep.
Tuesday 15th March - Buy a city travel pass, go down to Battery Park, get the Staten Island Ferry over to the other end to get a quick look at Liberty, come back and go up to pay respects at Ground Zero, have a walk around the surrounding area and then back up to Times Square where we can think about dinner and such.
Wednesday 16th March - Walk up to Central Park main entrance and take the carriage ride around the place, once this is done come out on Fifth Avenue and go to the New York Public Library for a look, then venture down to Grand Central Station, take some obligatory pictures, then onwards to the Empire State Building where it will hopefully be somewhere between sunset/night sky and we can get a view of the city from both ways.
Thursday 17th March - Up to St Patrick%26#39;s cathedral to have a look around, then go out to Fifth Avenue where hopefully many of the St Patrick%26#39;s day parade%26#39;s will have started, see all the parade%26#39;s then we%26#39;re looking to have a relaxed kinda day just taking in random parts of the city.
Friday 18th March - Go down to see Liberty after this head up towards the Brooklyn Bridge and maybe cross it if i don%26#39;t get scared LOL. Come back and get a bus up to Greenwich Village/Soho where we can think of going to a trendy restaurant or whatever, head back up to hotel.
Saturday 19th March - Go down to China Town, get bus up to Fifth Avenue and have a look around Rockafellar Centre, after which we hope to catch one of the lovely art galleries/museums most likely the Guggenheim.
Sunday 20th - This is our %26#39;wing it%26#39; day we%26#39;ll just decide what to do on this particular day. Probably spend most of today picking up odd bits of shopping and gifts that we might not have got during the week. We plan on picking up odds and ends during the week too though..so of course shopping is included on the itinerary!
Monday 21st - Home..bye bye NYC :(
My Itinerary....thoughts anyone??
Thank goodness someone has mentioned being scared to cross the Brooklyn Bridge! I thought I was in a minority of one. I was unable to cross one time as it was during the day and I am TERRIFIED of water. I got to the end of the cement path, the wooden slats appeared, and that was it..no further. The next visit, I decided to be brave, and I did cross it, from the Brooklyn side, but at night, when I couldn%26#39;t see the slats, and the water was not so visible. I sandwiched myself between my husband and son and set off looking ahead at all times! It was definitely worth it, but when my husband and son wanted to stop at the seats and take pictures, I was in shock. We have a great picture of me clutching onto the seat with terror!
That said, I am going to try and do it in daylight next time. Vodka might help.....
My Itinerary....thoughts anyone??
On Tuesday, instead of taking the Staten Island Ferry for a look at the Statue, why not take the State-Ellis island tour? You get the Statue, for as much (if any) time you want to stay there, plus Ellis Island is one of the mostfascinating places in all of NYC.
On Wednesday, while you%26#39;re walking down 5th after leaving Central Park, stop off at St. Patrick%26#39;s then. You%26#39;ll be passing right by it anyway and you%26#39;ll never get near the place on St. Patrick%26#39;s Day. Same thing with Rockefeller Center. Instead of visiting on Saturday, include it here. It%26#39;s only a block away from St. Pat%26#39;s. Move Grand Central Station to Thursday.
This is a light day what with the parade and all. After the parade, wander down to Grand Central Station. Easy to spend an hour or two there. Have cheesecake at Junior%26#39;s.
Forget the Statue on Friday, you%26#39;ll already have seen it on Tuesday and it ain%26#39;t gonna change. Head right for the Brooklyn Bridge. Walk over it and continue on into Brooklyn Heights and the Promenade. Then hop the subway back to SoHo and then walk over into Greenwich Village. For lunch in Soho, there are great burgers and fries at Fanelli%26#39;s on Prince Street.
On Saturday, include Little Italy in your Chinatown stop. They%26#39;re together. You can grab lunch (Chinese) at New Green Bo, 10 Pell, Joe%26#39;s Shanghai or Big Wong%26#39;s...all good. If you prefer Italian, try Il Palazzo or Pellegrino%26#39;s on Mulberry or Lombardi%26#39;s for pizza on Spring Street.
Since you%26#39;re fairly free on Sunday, consider trying the Jazz Brunch at BB King%26#39;s or the Gospel Brunch at Sylvia%26#39;s in Harlem.
Sounds like loads of fun, although I am really chuckling at your plan for 3/17...';where many of the parades will have started';
HEE HEE....there is only 1 parade and it is HUGE! Your socks will be knocked off if you%26#39;ve never see this before. Don%26#39;t plan on it being a ';relaxed sortof day'; the city is gonna be PACKED.
Be sure you have a dinner reservation now if you have a particular place in mind for that day, especially if it falls anywhere on 5th Ave where the parade goes. Be ready to see thousands of cops and firemen in uniform and remember to say ';thank you'; when you do!
Daisiegee. Solved your problem. Instead of walking across the Brooklyn Bridge which obviously terrifies you...next visit try one of the tunnels. You%26#39;d already be under water so there%26#39;s no concern about toppling into it. The exhaust fumes from the cars are a bit bothersome, though. When are you returning?
Daisiegee, you want to know about terror? Jennifer THINKS she%26#39;s going to get me on ice skates tonight. (O.k., stop laughing). This will most assuredly require vodka. The reward is Carmine%26#39;s though!
Slavervixen, my first suggestion is for you to pick up a map of Manhattan and plot out what you want to see. Seems like you%26#39;re backtracking a lot.
On Tuesday, since you%26#39;ll be downtown, why not eat in Chinatown, or TriBeCa, or the Village? You%26#39;ll already be downtown and there%26#39;s so much to explore. Also, please take a few minutes after you%26#39;ve been to the World Trade Center site to visit St. Paul%26#39;s Chapel. It%26#39;s just a block away, and they have an exhibit that%26#39;s quite worthwhile. This historic church was used as a refuge by the rescue and recovery workers.
You might want to combine your Wednesday and Thursday. When you come out of the park, stroll down 5th Avenue and stop by St. Patrick%26#39;s Cathedral.... it probably will not be possible for you to go inside on the 17th. And Rockefeller Center is just across the street, so you can check that off your list as well. Then, Times Square is only a few short blocks away. By the way, the carriage rides may be romantic, but they don%26#39;t go all through the park, just a bit of the way in and only along the roadway. The only really good way to see the park is to explore it on your own. And I highly recommend you take the time... this is the ';real'; New York. Maybe have lunch at the Boathouse Restaurant, enjoy the view and then walk off your lunch. You can stroll around the Lake, see Bethesda Terrace, and then walk west to see Strawberry Fields and exit the park on Central Park West to see some of the wonderful upper west side.
The Public Library is not right outside Central Park, it%26#39;s on 42nd Street. So you can combine this with a look at Grand Central Station, and then walk down 5th Ave. to the Empire State Building.
On Thursday, definitely stick with the parade, it%26#39;s one of our best. The parade goes up 5th Ave. and ends on 86th St. around 3rd Ave., then everyone hits the pubs along 2nd Ave. That%26#39;s always lots of fun, if a bit raucous! There are also lots of pubs along 2nd Ave. in the 40s and 50s.
Then Saturday can be your museum day. Or, check the weather forecast and switch things around in case you%26#39;ve got some rainy days.
sorry to be a little thick, but are you saying the brooklyn bridge is not concrete?
Am not %26#39;fond%26#39; of bridges generally but normally ok with big solid ones where you can%26#39;t see the water!
Am now picturing UK seaside piers rather than stonking great bridge! Does the bridge not take traffic / trains??
had not even occured to me it wouldn%26#39;t thought it was like london bridges but bigger!
That doesn%26#39;t work Ruff...we have a tunnel close to home and I hate going through it...I look for water dripping! The view is worth the terror! I%26#39;m back at the end of December for New Year, hopefully BA will keep their prices manageable this week so we can book.
flutterby...the walkway on the bridge is elevated above the traffic, and is made mostly of wooden slats, apart from the very beginning and end. You are quite high up above the traffic...I just don%26#39;t like bridges in general, and water,and flying, and clowns..............the list is endless!!!!!!!!! But I do like cocktails!
Daisee. You don%26#39;t like clowns?? Who doesn%26#39;t like clowns??
By the way, two cannibals were dining on a clown. On looks up at the other and says, ';Does this taste funny to you?';
Flutterby. The Brooklyn Bridge has been standing quite successfully in its current spot for about a century and a half. The wooden slats are probably more for foot comfort than anything else. Nobody%26#39;s fallen through yet.
Ruff...they scare the living daylights out of me. Maybe some experience as a kid, who knows...masks as well, they do it too.
