NYC in December, Take Two
 

This must be the year of me resurrecting old threads ... ;)

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...light=New+York

So, in 2007 my husband and I were thinking of going to New York in December, but we didn't end up going. This year, however, one of my best girlfriends and I will be going the first weekend in December. :thumbsup:

She's flying into JFK. I could do JFK or LaGuardia, but am thinking if I also do JFK we could save some money by riding into town together. I think we're going to stay near the airport the first night perhaps, traveling into the city on Saturday morning. I'm toying with looking into a vacation rental by owner for our stay. I will leave either Tuesday or Wednesday (haven't decided which yet), and she's going to leave on Wednesday.

Any suggestions on good parts of town to stay in? Any must-dos that we might not come across? Neither of us have been before. She's already told me that she wants to go ice-skating at Rockefeller. That should be interesting ... :o

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

I have been to NYC 3 times. Twice in Spring and once in Winter (November). I went on a carriage ride through Central Park on a Spring trip and the winter trip. Didn't cost too much and it was wonderful. I also did ice skating at Rockerfeller. It was very embarrassing as I am really bad at it but I met loads of lovely people when I skated into them! We also went to FAO Schwartz and went on the keyboard thing that was in the movie BIG. I stayed in a cheap and cheerful hotel (The Wellington) as I wasn't planning on spending too much time indoors! I LOVE New York and would go again in a heartbeat. Fabulous city. :wub:

Only thing I would say is if you get a cab into the city make sure it a legit one as my friend got us a cab that turned out to be some random guy with a big car. We were very lucky that he dropped us where we wanted to go. We went in past Ground Zero and I had to look the other way. I couldn't believe there was a viewing platform there! To me that is NOT a tourist destination!

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

I had a quick look through you're old thread and it looks like you've already got some good info to look through.

If you stay in midtown you may find you're able to walk to some of the places you want to visit - I always enjoy that as I like the architecture in NY.

I sent you this link on fb, but I'll post it here too, but this is one of my fave museums in NY http://www.tenement.org/ really interesting stories of the lives of immigrants.

Don't know if you are thinking about the theatre while you are there? I would also guess you know about the half price ticket booths http://www.nytix.com/Broadway/Discou...yTickets/TKTS/ I've not actually used the ones in New York, but I have used the London one many, many times - if you're flexible about what you want to see it can be great.

What's your reason for thinking about staying by the airport for your first night? Is that to allow time to catch up with your friend? Or are you a bit concerned about heading into the city in the evening/later at night? One time travelling to NY with my sister we arrived a JFK quite late at night and we used one of the shuttle services into our hotel in the city - cheaper than a taxi but more expensive than the train/bus. We felt pretty safe doing that, and I remember there were a few women who were obviously travelling on their own so I guess it's a popular thing.

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

Thanks - we're definitely planning on going to the theater.

I think I may arrive about 7pm and she might arrive around 9:30pm. I was thinking of hanging around the airport so we could save on transport costs by riding in together. I think she was thinking that was late enough in the evening where maybe it made more sense just to save $$ by staying near the airport and going into the city in the morning?

I'm looking at Tripadvisor and it looks like B&Bs offer a pretty good value. That might be an option too.

I'm assuming we should allow a good 2 hours to get to JFK from Manhattan to be on the safe side for our flight home. Would you agree?

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

Very good tips! Yes, my friend and I haven't seen each other in a few years (we've been friends since we were about 8) and neither of us has ever been to New York, which is kind of ridiculous as we're both pretty well traveled.

We figured that was a good spot for a reunion! :)

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

If it was me, I would not want to waste good sightseeing time in the morning by switching hotels - so I would wait for your friend then head into the city that night - just me though :)

I would imagine that should be fine, - whenever I've been to NY, I've always been on international flights, so have to get to the airport with loads more time than that :rofl:

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

She's trying to see if we can stay with various friends of hers in the city. I'm kind of with you ... that seems like a lot of switching around!

Oh, I meant how long it took to get to the airport. :) I would probably want to get there 1.5 hours before my flight left ... and I'm reading estimates of 45-60 minutes to travel with the airport. I was figuring if I allowed 2 hours to get there, that should be safe. :)

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

I've read it can take up to 90 minutes at peak times, if traffic is bad so take into account what time of day you'll be travelling.

I guess it's the usual dilemma of getting the right balance of saving money vs convenience/time..... always worth looking at all the options though - part of the fun of planning...

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

i would stay in manhattan,pricey but you can walk to places of interest or a cab is reasonable....ellis island is a great day out boat trip..very reasonable can't remember price, but also get the headset for a narrated tour....coffee shop on island...tenement museum v.g...great bookstore as well...rockafeller centre you can ice-skate then go to top of the centre..incredible view..central-park strawberry fields monument,walk thru park...you can get a new york bus from jfk that will drop you and collect you at hotel...can't remember price i think $17 each way with internet booking.2008..memory foggy...Hip dinner spot "schillers"..131 rivington street.n.y.10002...trendy nice experience..book ahead..falafel/hot dog..street vendor's..tasty...subway to the bronx..yankee stadium....9/11 area for reflection, see the little chapel that remained intact..irish famine memorial in that area too.....enjoy

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

I'd stay in Midtown, just north of Times Square. You're close to TS to see all the lights and whatnot, and just a few blocks from the theaters where you know you are going. Rockafeller Center is not far either. I think there are a few good spots on 7th Avenue or Broadway, around the 50s (i.e. 50th-60th Street). You can also walk to the Upper West Side or into Central Park, and hop on a number of subways to other parts of the city (Chinatown, Ground Zero, Wall Street). I'd also recommend, if around Christmas time, taking a walk on 5th Avenue. Not quite Oxford or Regent street as far as decorations but a few nice window displays to look at.

I think cabs from LGA and JFK are a flat rate of $45 to the city, plus tolls and tips. Not sure (I usually come in by train). A shuttle is something like $20 and there is a hotel shuttle that might even be cheaper.

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

There is a much better way to get to and from the New York area airports (JFK, Newark, LaGuardia) than taxis and shuttle buses.

All the airports have car services which have a fixed price to anywhere in Manhatten and from Manhatten back to the airport (ie. no meters). You do have to pay the toll fees and tip of course(!) but you would have to if going by taxi. The cars are nice, unlike most of the yellow taxi cabs - they're usually Lincoln Town cars, but you can also book minivans if there are more than four passengers in your party or lots of luggage. You can also book stretch limos too.

The two 'big' operators are Carmel Limo - I've used them and they're v. reliable, and Dial 7. You can book online and the driver will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall (they usually check for delayed incoming flights), or you can just go to the Ground Transportation desk at arrivals and use the courtesy phones to make an immediate booking (but in very busy periods there may not be a car available!). There are usually discount coupons in the arrivals hall but you can also get a discount online too:

http://carmelcarservice.com/

http://www.dial7.com/

PS; Osgood....can't imagine why two girlies on a NY weekend would want to go and see Yankee Stadium lol!:D

Now....if KF likes chocolate, a good place to go is to Serendipity near Bloomingdales (always busy and often has celebs calling in)

http://www.serendipity3.com/history.htm

for some amazing frozen hot chocolate (they do meals too, desserts are the best bet) in a quirky little eatery which was prominent in the romcom movie 'Serendipity' with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale (it's worth seeing this movie before visiting NYC as it features New York at Christmastime and they're ice-skating in Central Park):

http://www.amazon.com/Serendipity-Jo...5352862&sr=1-1

(PS: another great place to do open air ice-skating in a lovely setting is at Bryant Park, one block from Times Square and behind the NY public library)

Also recommend Balthazar's in SoHo (always crowded, fantastic for a weekend brunch and was featured in 'Sex and the City') but go there even if only for a glass of wine. I adore the Spice Market in the trendy Meatpacking District (divine SE Asian food in a gorgeous 2-storey setting) and also the sister restaurant to Balthazar, Pastis (although I personally prefer Balthazar's!)

http://www.balthazarny.com/

http://www.spicemarketnewyork.com/

http://www.pastisny.com/

Last week I had a (long) lunch with a girlfriend at L'Ecole, the restaurant of the French Culinary Restaurant in SoHo.....it's the cooking school for high quality fine French dining and I highly recommend it; there is a prix-fix 3 course lunch at just $28 or the hoice of 4 or 5 course dinner at incredibly cheap prices for NYC:

http://www.frenchculinary.com/lecole/index.html (then we went to Balthazar's afterwards for more wine lol!) ;)

Top tip: it's now the 'season' for Broadway shows and many tourists visiting for long weekends. Wherever you go there will be crowds...might be a good idea to even take an early or late lunch for example, same for dinner if you haven't booked ahead. Almost all the popular/best NYC restaurants are booked well ahead with bookings opening 1 month beforehand. If there is a particular place you want to go to, make a booking ASAP otherwise you will have little to no chance if you just turn up for phone a day or two ahead. You can always cancel if you change your mind (ask for their cancellation policy when booking). You can book online with many (not all) restaurants here (most NYC residents use this site to make restaurant bookings - but you do need to register first:

http://www.opentable.com/start.aspx?m=8&mn=16

Just thought of a couple of other places worth checking out:

http://www.thinknoodles.com/ (casual very cheap SE Asian food - seated at long tables - in Union Square)

http://www.maxbrenner.com/ (chocolate everything! Even chocolate pizza (also other entrees but I'd only go for their chocolate items....their spicy Mexican hot chocolate is wonderful on a cold day, plus chocolate fondue with different kinds of chocolate and fruit...yum! Also located in Union Square....there is also a Trader Joe's if you want snacks to take to your hotel room and a Farmers market near the subway entrance....

City Bakery is also v. popular (was on 'Sex and the City'....I'd only go for their shots of hot chocolate...pure liquid chocolate, very sickly but v. good! I haven't been though since Max Brenner's opened nearby...

http://thecitybakery.com/

If you're in Times Square, a good place to go for a pizza is John's Pizzeria:

http://www.johnspizzerianyc.com

Go for cocktails at the W Hotel Times Square.....(v. trendy...)

Brunch: as already mentioned, Balthazar's....but another really nice place to go to is Sarabeth's Central Park South as the food is v. good. It's directly opposite Central Park, a few steps away from the former Plaza Hotel. Tony Bennett is a regular there (we were at a table across from him recently....he is also an artist and was sketching away whilst we were there).

http://www.sarabethscps.com/ (ask for a table at the back, the photo here doesn't do the place justice!). Their main site is http://www.sarabeth.com/ and you may have seen their preserves at your local gourmet deli/supermarket


Hope this helps!
EM :)

Also if you're in the West Village (a really good place to wander around, lots of interesting little shops) you might like to go to the award winning British gastro-pub "The Spotted Pig" with an English chef, April Bloomfield...it's very popular...

http://thespottedpig.com/info.php

nearby is the famous Magnolia Bakery (if you're into cupcakes)

http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com/

On the other hand, if you're missing a genuine English fish and chip shop, there is one downtown in Greenwich Village!

http://www.asaltandbattery.com/ (they also have a tea shop and cafe-restaurant next door, "Tea & Sympathy")

http://www.teaandsympathynewyork.com/home.php

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

FWIW- the Wellington is used by two different companies that I dealt with for lodging in NYC. One of those companies ONLY does NYC.

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

This is exactly the area we stayed in earlier this year. Perfect location for Times Square, Broadway, Empire State Building and Central Park.

I'd recommend a boat tour around the island - you see plenty of stuff (including sailing right up to the Statue of Liberty).

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

I'll second that - but bearing in mind you need half decent weather and she'll be there in December.....

http://www.circleline42.com/site/default.aspx

Re: NYC in December, Take Two
 

Ah, but you didn't know I was cutting pictures of the Statue of Liberty out of the newspaper when I was 4 years old! (True, I still have one.) That's pretty much top on my list. :)