A Trip to NYC- Page 2

[Marianne2]

Posted: 2/17/12 at 4:57pm

I don't know when you are planning to come in or how much you are willing to spend, but it is possible to get cheaper hotels. Definitely do not stay at the Carter though, that's a dump. The Pod Hotel was good when I stayed there once. It's more towards east side of midtown Manhattan, but it is in a decent area.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 2/17/12 at 6:15pm

Sent a PM.


Updated On: 2/20/12 at 06:15 PM

[Jersey Girl2]

Posted: 2/17/12 at 9:35pm

Try The Ride.
http://www.experiencetheride.com/

[canmark]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 10:08pm

I was just reading about The OUT NYC, a "straight-friendly" gay hotel on W42nd St. It apparently opened today, March 1st. Anybody know anything about this place?

http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/01/10541161-gay-hotel-the-out-nyc-open-for-business-in-new-york-city

[mikey2573]

Posted: 3/2/12 at 9:21pm

You might consider staying in Stamford, CT. Lots of nice cheap hotels and a big Metro North transportation center that brings your right into Grand Central. Even with the price of a round trip Metro North ticket each day for a week (about $200), you'll still be saving lots of money.
The Hampton Inn in Stamford is about $90 a night and has a really nice breakfast each morning --no charge.

http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=BDRSMHX

They also provide transportation to the Metro North station via their van---though I am not sure about late at night. Taxis are always available and its only about a 6 minute drive.
If you MUST stay in the city, try the Hotel St. James. They are usually reasonable (though still more than double what you'll pay in Stamford) and one block from Times Square.

[uncageg]

Posted: 3/3/12 at 1:15am

Do at least one or two off-Broadway shows. When I was flying in from Denver I would just look through all of the off-Broadway listings and pick one or two that I thought were interesting. In 2006 I picked 'Spring Awakening" at the Atlantic and "Stuff Happens" at The Public. Loved them both. You gotta do something off-Broadway. JMO

Also, go to the discount sites. I got my discount for Fuerzabruta on Theatermania 2 hours before the show.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 3/3/12 at 1:35am

Ride the Staten Island Ferry for free, walk the Brooklyn Bridge and visit and ride the new carousel in Dumbo, grab a Pizza at Grimaldis.

[BroadwayFan12]

Posted: 3/3/12 at 4:03am

A few tips for Times Square:

-Do not stop in the middle of the street to take pictures.
-Walk fast and don't stop except for traffic.
-Don't be afraid to gently squeeze past people who are in your way.
-Be aware of your surroundings and try not to bump into anyone.

These points may seem obvious, but it's amazing how many tourists are totally oblivious.

[Contributor]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 12:08am

To the person who started this thread and anyone else coming to New York this year: THE STATUE OF LIBERTY IS CLOSED TILL LATE OCTOBER. Liberty Island is open, but you can't go in the statue. She's undergoing a major interior renovation for her 125th birthday. (Details on Nat'l Park Service website.)

And if you are looking for lower-priced hotel alternatives, the answer is not Brooklyn or Connecticut or the kooky possibilities in Manhattan where you have to share a room or at least a bathroom w/a stranger...it's in Queens. Specifically, Long Island City, which is the first neighborhood in Queens when you leave Manhattan. (The 7 train goes: Times Sq, Bryant Park, Grand Central, then several stops in LIC.) There's a Days Inn, a La Quinta and other properties. Those two ARE very close to the subway. You have to be careful because most hotels in Queens, Brooklyn, suburbs claim they're super-convenient. THESE ARE. You are within a few blocks' walk from a subway, and it TRULY is a 10 or 15 minute ride max to midtown. That is not the case with many Brooklyn hotels. Remember, if you stay in Conn. or Jersey you're subject to train & bus schedules -- which are probably just once an hour at night. Best if you can get around by subway. Oh, and LIC is a safe neighborhood too. If you see "Sunnyside" as a hotel location, that's fine too (it's right next to LIC and on subway line). Just check exact location relative to subway -- don't trust what the hotel says. Gmap-pedometer.com is helpful.

And, as others have noted, DO NOT BUY BOTTLED WATER. In New York or anywhere. Yes, NYC has great tapwater so there's really no reason. But plastic water bottles are one of the worst environmental problems. Total waste of money.

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 12:14am

SNAFU- didn't Grimaldi's unfortunately just close down?

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 4/24/12 at 10:49pm

Did this trip ever happen?

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 4/30/12 at 8:25pm

My trip got pushed ahead to May 6th to the 13th.
I will be leaving this coming Sunday.

I have a question about TKTS. This may sound like a stupid question, but I have nothing really to compare this to in my experience.

What main stream shows are available? I would guess that Evita and Superstar are probably selling well enough that they dont need TKTS?

Does anyone know?

Also, what would you suggest as an Off-Broadway show?

I just bought a ticket today to The Best Man.
Thanks to everyone for their great ideas.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 4/30/12 at 10:57pm

don't assume anything with TKTS. You never know, day to day, hour by hour. They get new unsold tickets all time, even up to show time. You CAN get lucky, but be flexible with your options. Btw, what hotel did you decide on?

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 5/1/12 at 6:35am

^ Agree with the poster above.

But use this link below and use weekly grosses to predict what will be on grosses.
http://www.entertainment-link.com/tkts.asp

You see Evita is listed for 40% off for two performances and looking at grosses you can see it is sold out for 95% of the time, so you would be well advised to buy a full price ticket, but other shows that are selling below 90% it is worth taking a punt on TKT's

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/1/12 at 7:05am

Superstar is likiely there every day. NOT a hit at all.

You have about a 50/50 chance at Evita -- you will have better chances if you keep you options open each time you go.

(Also...in case you didn't kknow....you have to stand in line for each show you want tkts tix for...you can only buy tix for the current show at any time...ie. Saturday morning you can onlly buy for Sat matinee...then after the matinees begin, you can start buying for the evening show, etc.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 5/3/12 at 11:55pm

hi RUkiddingme,

I tried messaging you put you're not set up to except private messages.

I am on a budget, but I like to see any of these shows: Rent, Phantom, Evita, Rock of Ages, Ghost, Once, War Horse, actually, almost anything. I just really want to have an awesome NY theater experience.

So the TKTS booth, I was hoping, would be my saving grace to help me see some great shows.

[BroadwayMan5]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 10:02am

I have the same problem since i am visiting NY this week. The hotel prices are ridiculous. If you must stay in a very central hotel the cheapest i have found is Milford Plaza that costs around $200 a night (taxes included).

Also for the productions of Lincoln center (War Horse, Other Desert Cities, Clybourne Park) you can sign up to the Linctix programme on their website and get tickets for $30 if you are under 35. I got such tickets for Other Desert Cities and Clybourne Park and they are both in 2nd row.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 5/7/12 at 7:51am

I stopped in at Times Square last night around 11pm...it blew my mind! I got a little teary eyed. I had waited so long to see this for myself.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 5/25/12 at 12:44pm

Hello everyone,

I am thankful for all the advise I was given. Unfortunately, as soon as I came back from my trip I got sick for several days and was pretty much out of commission. Afterwards, I had about two weeks of work piled up to get through and have had no time to report on my vacation, until now.

My trip was from May 6 - 13th.

Unfortunately, I was unable to stay in Manhattan like I thought I was going to. Instead, (it's a long story) I ended up in Nanuet, about 25 minutes north of the city. Every day, I would leave around 10am and drive to Jersey City and take the PATH train towards the WTC.

WTC - Oh, My, Gosh. I could not believe I was there. Having never been to New York, my only experience with Ground Zero was from the images seen on TV. Like the Challenger explosion, I will always remember where I was when I heard the news of the attacks. I think this might sound sappy, but I felt drawn to the location, and spent many mornings hanging out in the St. Peter's garden or at the store front memorial, and at the actual fountain memorial just taking in the moment. It was very sobering. I can't image what it would have been like to have experience the horror in front of me. It was surreal to see 11 years later business were back, people were walking about and the construction of the center nearly complete. I felt happy. I felt sad. I felt proud. God bless NY.

Times Square - I was absolutely amazed. It was like classy Vegas. The night I flew in to JFK we drove through the city and got to step out and look around for a short 30 minutes. Of course, I got teary eyed. The anticipation after so many years was overwhelming.

Shows - Everyday I saw a show.

Phantom - I've seen this show all over. I even saw it in Los Angeles with Michael Crawford (twice) & Dale Kristen. I saw it with Robert Guillaume. However, seeing it this city felt "official". I know, it's all in my head. I enjoyed the show, although, I felt I've seen better interpretations of the Phantom. Hugh was good, but then again, I've seen the show so many times.

Evita - Loved it. Michael C was great. Elena Roger was brilliant. I thought she did a fantastic job. Ricky Martin, uh, well, he was Ricky Martin. I felt the audience was confused. Were they expecting to see the revival of Evita, or a Ricky Martin concert? It was obnoxious with all the screaming girls and camera flashes. Hal Prince's staging is my favorite, but didnt have a problem with this production. I like the inclusion of You Must Love Me.

A Streetcar Named Desire - I had a great seat to this show and even made a friend. I had no prior experience to the piece and was able to go into it without any expectations. I liked it. I didn't quite understand the show and walked away with more questions, which was good for me. It caused me to meditate on the themes and think through what I just saw. I will be looking for the movie soon so I can see another take on it.

Memphis - Adam, Montego and Nancy rock. The music was gimmicky, but catchy. I enjoyed it for what it was. What I didn't like was one particular usher. What the heck?! One usher had it in for me. I dont know why but she was picking on me from jump. I was the last to find my seat which was in the back. "Turn off your phone!" , she barked. "I did", I said. Strange, as my phone was not even out. "Let me see it." "Uh, no. It's off", I replied. "There is no recording of this show." I just ignored her. And then during intermission, "Do you want to move down a few rows?", she asked sweetly. It was like Jekyll and Hyde.

Rock of Ages - How could I not like a show where they sell Jell-O Shots in the actual theater? It's hotdog on a stick. And you know what? Sometimes I like a hotdog on a stick (with some lemonade). John Elway sat in front of me.

Rent - So sad. What happened to the iconic staging and direction? Why was everyone in the cast so hyper? Why did Angel moon us when he was so sick?

The Best Man - I loved this show! Angela L was in it for all of 30 seconds, but you know what? Loved her. James Earl Jones had some stuttering issues in the 1st 5 minutes of the show, but recovered and great. Everyone was on their game.

*JCS was playing, but I didnt see it because I saw when it was in La Jolla. Jeremy K was Judas and was incredible.

Food - Yes, the pizza was the best I've had, and there was plenty of it, along with the Hot Dogs. I couldn't see taste the difference in the bagels.

Sites- I'm a big fan of SNL, so it was a treat to see Will Farrell rehearse with the cast when it went on the NBC experience. Top of the Rock was beautiful. I found Chelsea Market and had some munchies. Central Park is bigger than I ever thought it was going to be. Waved at the statue of liberty, she waved back. Got mad-dogged by a 9 year old boy on the subway. I stared back. Got lost in China Town at 1am (where were the damn taxi's???). Went to Coney Island. Ah, Coney Island. I was waiting at the ticket booth to buy for the "freak show". I heard a voice from down below. Are you trying to buy a ticket? There was a little person all tattooed up with a long goatee and no arms, but with hands were his shoulders were. "Yes", I said. "The freak show is not on tonight", he replied. Oh no, my boy, the freak show is on!

Oh yeah, saw the Naked Cowboy. He was dry humping an old lady.
I saw Tim Gunn at JFK. He wasn't dry humping anything.

Why I waited this long to get to this part of the east coast is beyond me. I have no idea why I waited but I love this city and I love the people.
I can't wait to go back.
Adam Chris

[Rainbowhigh23]

Posted: 5/25/12 at 1:17pm

Thank you for the fun review! You sound like you had a good time. I really enjoyed "The Best Man" as well! Theater royalty all in a row at curtain call and I had a front row seat.

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 5/26/12 at 9:49pm

you make NY sound so wonderful! Ah the things we NYers take for granted!