NYC TRIP SUGGESTIONS

[justherehanging]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 8:58am

Normally when I am in NYC I only come for 2 days and its all about the shows, this time I got a great rate for airline and hotel, I decided to do 4 nights

I am looking for things to do other than Broadway.....any festivals or must do sights beyond the standard.   I never been to Brooklyn, has to admit I am bad at direcitons and afriad of the subway, but thought I would try.

I am going April 22-26

Any good hole in the walls places to eat.

Staying near Uniion Station

 

Regarding shows here is what I have:

 

Wednesday: Still TBD   

Thursday: Finding Neverland

Friday: 20th Centtury

Saturday:  TBD and Something Rotten

Sunday: Fun Home then rush to airport :)

 

Debating on: American in Paris and Hand to God     ** Curious Incident but I saw that before  but LOVED it

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 9:03am

Hand to God!

 

 

Don't be afraid of the subway.  Download the ap HOPSTOP.  You put in your starting position and where you wnat to go, and the ap tells you EXACTLY how to get there.  It's great.   

 

I can't get it on my android, but can go to hopstop.com to utilize.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 9:43am

Definitely HopStop. I'm also bad at directions and didn't even take the subway my first two trips to NYC, but I caught on very quickly.

[Lovinbroadway2]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 9:49am

Avoid the Empire State building like the plague. 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 9:55am

If you're coming here in late April and want to go to Brooklyn then it is a no-brainer to visit the BK Botanical Gardens. As you can see from the link below almost everything will be in bloom. 

 

http://www.bbg.org/bloom

[dtlajim]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 10:50am

Saw Hand to God and American In Paris yesterday. Loved them both, could not be more different. Hand to God is really something special and unique, if it sounds like something you would find interesting, I'd go with that.

[macnyc]

Posted: 4/2/15 at 10:56am

I'm seeing the 39 Steps tonight, and it's right near Union Square, where you're staying, right? (Not Union Station.) I'll report back and let you know if I recommend it.

Updated On: 4/5/15 at 10:56 AM

[justherehanging]

Posted: 4/5/15 at 10:02am

Thanks!!

Staying near Union Station off Lexington

[lotiloti]

Posted: 4/5/15 at 10:16am

Seriously, if you want good theatre. Skip Broadway, go to London.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 4/5/15 at 10:23am

Union Station? I recommend you to always know the exact address where you are going, don't assume that people know what "Union Station" is. Or the name of a theater, hotel or restaurant. If you ask someone: "where is the Lyric Theater?" and this is a regular person, not a BWW user, no one will know. If you tell them:"where is 213 W. 42nd street in New York, NY"- anyone can assist you.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/5/15 at 10:24am

Wow. So helpful.

[newenglandgal]

Posted: 4/6/15 at 12:24am

I'm downloading the HopStop app as I type this now.  Anything has to be better than google maps.  I've had good luck with for walking in the city , but public transit wise it's failed me.  The one time I tried the subway I realized it was in a "beta" mode for my account.

I know I'm planning on heading to Brooklyn for my first time to catch the Cherry Blossom Festival. It is April 25th and April 26th. 

I'm still looking for the elusive decent restaurant in the theatre district.  Right now I still highly recommend Shake Shack to my West Coast friends.

 

[dev101]

Posted: 4/7/15 at 9:41am

If you download the todaytix app you can get discounted tickets. Also use code RSDSI and get $20 off!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/7/15 at 9:50am

Google Maps didn't fail me when navigating the El in Chicago, but I've sometimes used it to explore alternate routes on the MTA as a second opinion after trying HopStop -- I can't say it's given me any huge revelations, but it's nice to have around.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 4/7/15 at 9:53am

Are the botanical gardens still free on Tuesdays?  How far are the gardens from the Brooklyn Promenade?

[bandit964]

Posted: 4/7/15 at 12:10pm

Skip Shake Shack this trip. (And all other trips.) Try any restaurant on 46th St. between 8th & 9th Ave, or walk up and down 9th Ave until you find something that looks good.

Also, it's a 3 mile walk from the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens to the Promenade.

Sakura Matsuri (the cherry blossom festival) gets EXTREMELY crowded.  Get to the Gardens in the morning when the festival begins.  The website says 10am.

Updated On: 4/7/15 at 12:10 PM

[bandit964]

Posted: 4/7/15 at 12:10pm

Oh, and choose Hand to God.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 4/7/15 at 1:09pm

To the OP, I live in the city and have for some time, and I have no idea what "Union Station off Lexington" is. Union Station is in Washington DC.

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 4/7/15 at 5:33pm

^ this. Make sure to know your names, streets, and addresses. In fact, when traveling, it's good to have several places' full names and addresses (hotels, theaters, restaurants you want to go to, etc.) pre-saved or on hand. Can you let us know your hotel address? Union SQUARE is a giant hub for the NQR456L trains, but it's not at Lexington Ave. If you were to follow Lexington Ave down toward Union Square, it dead-ends at Gramercy Park and on the other side of Gramercy Park it is called Irving Place.