Staff Favorites: New York City
One of the running jokes around here is that our goal is to discover cool places around the globe, then ruin them by writing about them. Well, there is some truth to that -- there's always that twinge of guilt when we're about to publicize some little-known hotel or unsung neighborhood, and possibly change the character of the place forever when we tell the world about it. No worries, the guilt hasn't stopped us yet. Which brings us to our very first Staff Favorites Week on the blog.
From time to time, we'll be sharing our hard-won travel tips, tricks and innermost secrets about some of our favorite places on Earth -- but it won't stop there. The idea is that you guys will add to the mix by sharing your own insider tips in the Comments section. Hey, if this thing works out, together we can ruin the world!
This week the theme is our favorite U.S. cities. Here's the schedule:
Today: New York
Tuesday: San Francisco
Wednesday: Las Vegas
Thursday: L.A.
Friday: Chicago.
I get to kick things off with NYC, one of my favorite towns. In one sense, it's such an easy place to visit -- so many options, so much to do and see. But the sheer volume of stuff to do also means that the city can be overwhelming and difficult for visitors to manage, especially if you've only got a couple of days. So here's my first tip: Think small. I'm not saying don't go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Empire State Building -- far from it. Those are fundamental New York experiences that everyone should have. But once you take care of the basics, narrow down your scope. Some examples:
* Choose a neighborhood and make that your base. The Chelsea/Union Square/Gramercy Park area is my current favorite, although I can also get into pretending I'm an Upper West Sider. Wherever you pick, settle in, then start walking. Get to know the markets, eateries, parks, coffee shops, flea markets and subway stations in your own little corner of the city. It's the best and easiest way to get a feel for the real New York. In Chelsea/Union Square, that means going to the Union Square Greenmarket (Broadway at 17th Street), as much for the people-watching as for the fresh produce, baked goods, flowers and other treats. It means checking out the Chelsea art galleries and prowling the flea market on West 25th Street. It means stumbling on a funky antiques shop tucked in a tiny little alley between tall buildings on West 17th Street (can't remember the name, but it's between 7th and 6th avenues) and wishing you had a truck so you could take half the stuff home with you.
Chrysler Building (AP)
* Museums. Of course, don't miss the Met and the Guggenheim. But have you been to the Rubin Museum of Art on West 17th Street? It opened a couple of years ago in the old Barney's store, the first museum in the Western World dedicated to the art of the Himalayas and surrounding regions. Watch gifted mural painters in action, have lunch and go nuts in the museum shop. My other small museum favorites: the Museum of the City of New York on Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street, which really helps you understand the origins of the city; the American Folk Art Museum on West 53rd, with an absolutely dazzling collection of outsider art, crafts, quilts and more (the building itself is a work of art); the Cooper Hewitt at 91st and Fifth, devoted to design; and the Barrio Museum at 104th and Fifth Avenue, the only museum in New York City dedicated to Latino cultures, and with a fabulous gift shop (it's where I got my prized Cuban travel poster).
* Dining. You're probably not going to have the best dining experience in or around Times Square. Walk over to Ninth Avenue/Hell's Kitchen for a wealth of lesser-known choices. Le Madeleine, a little bistro on West 43rd Street, is a longtime favorite of mine. One of my favorite dinners recently was at The Modern, Danny Meyer's uber-hip restaurant in the Museum of Modern Art. The dining room overlooks the museum's sculpture garden; you can also eat in a more casual bar area, and the innovative French-American cuisine is equal to the surroundings. Second favorite meal: Having dinner and a glass of wine while listening to a string quartet in the atrium of the Morgan Library. Hmm, I sense a theme emerging. Museums rule!
* Theater. Nowadays, it's all about trolling for bargains online. Discounts and special offers abound, although keep in mind that for hot shows, you're probably going to have to pay retail. BroadwayBox.com seems to have the most offers, and you can see them for free. As my colleague Sharon Isch reported in our pages recently, If you're interested in an off-Broadway show and can't find what you're looking for at BroadwayBox.com, try the free online membership clubs at TheaterMania.com and Playbill.com. TheaterMania.com, which specializes in off- and off-off-Broadway, frequently has discounts for those venues that can be found nowhere else. Playbill's discount club has a smaller selection of discounts but will usually have a few off-Broadway offers that are unavailable elsewhere. Both BroadwayBox.com and TheaterMania.com offer e-mail alerts about new discounts.
Lodging is probably the biggest issue for visitors to New York. It's just about impossible to find a bargain these days. Last year we prowled the city and found 15 hotels under $200 a night. Readers then weighed in with their own bargain finds. Now those same places are going for $300 to $400 and up. Still, I'm linking to these lists because the rates will still be comparatively cheap. A few other tips on lodging:
* Don't be a snob about staying in Manhattan. The last couple of times I went to NYC, I stayed in Brooklyn B&Bs to save money, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience -- not just the spacious, elegant lodgings, but also getting to know this very cool borough. At Dekoven Suite, for example, rooms go for $140-$150 a night. You feel like you're in a suburb, but you're just three blocks from the subway (five miles to Manhattan). Here's a roundup of a few Brooklyn lodgings. Also, check out the prices in nearby Jersey City and Weehawken.
* Check out reverse auction sites like Hotwire and Priceline. These can be real money-savers if you don't mind knowing exactly where you'll end up -- although you can still exercise some control by choosing the neighborhood, number of stars, etc. Just remember that when you click, you're locked in, so read the fine print carefully.
* Check hotel booking sites like www.quikbook.com and Hotels.com, as well as the big booking sites like Expediaand Travelocity -- they can be especially good for package deals. But remember to comparison shop and check the rates against those offered by the hotel itself.
* Don't forget Craigslist.
This is just the beginning and I haven't even gotten to restaurants yet. But I want to give you guys a turn. So spill it awready: Got any NYC hints and survival tips of your own to share?
By K.C. Summers |
November 5, 2007; 9:45 AM ET
| Category:
K.C. Summers
,
Mid-Atlantic Destinations
Previous: Ten Favorite Hotels |
Next: Staff Favorites: San Francisco
View or post comments
Posted by: Alex1 | November 5, 2007 12:02 PM
Definitely recommend the Riverside Tower Hotel that I found on the Post site (I believe it was a reader suggestion). Cheap for the area (Upper West Side) with friendly service and very close to a subway stop with an amazing view of Jersey as well. Who knew that even existed!! Don't recommend taking the elevator though, it's slow and creaky and very terrifying.
Posted by: DC | November 5, 2007 1:23 PM
If you work for a large corporation, make sure to see if they have corporate apartments available. My brother works for a large corporation and for his occasional NYC trips, he books one of the apartments at what he assures me is a really convenient mid-town location for a really reasonable rate.
Posted by: Chasmosaur | November 5, 2007 2:03 PM
Ever since my little brother moved to Brooklyn, I've opted to stay there rather than Manhattan when visiting NY. I've tried out a few B&Bs in the Park Slope neighborhood -- my favorite was The Park at Sixth (http://www.parkat6.com/), on a tree-lined street that feels safe but is only a couple of blocks up from the funky restaurants and shops. I love the neighborhood, there's plenty of street parking, it's a fairly quick subway ride into the city, and you get so much more space and character for your money. I was totally skeptical when my brother moved to Brooklyn, but it has a ton to offer - Brooklyn museum, Prospect Park (like Central Park without the homeless people), the botanical gardens, shopping, people-watching (saw Spike Lee trying on sneakers on Sixth Avenue!)... I really prefer it to staying in Manhattan.
The Park at Sixth is large enough to sleep four, but really would be perfect for a couple - we never saw the hosts (though we did hear them walking above from time to time), but they set out plenty of breakfast food and kept the place quite clean. The kitchen is big and nice to cook in, there's a washer and dryer, a sitting room with a television -- I would definitely recommend.
Posted by: Ms. Winters | November 5, 2007 2:24 PM
How much would dinner at the Modern run you?
Posted by: Arlington, VA | November 6, 2007 11:59 AM
The Modern's expensive -- easily over $100 per person. Entrees are in the $30-$40 range, appetizers in the $20s. The three-course prix fixe dinner is $85. There's an autumn tasting menu for $138 (suggested wine pairing, $105). But what an experience -- definitely a great choice for a special weekend or splurge.
Posted by: KC | November 6, 2007 12:13 PM
Since moving to Washington, I've been exploring New York City one weekend at a time. I love that, because it's such an overwhelming city, and not trying to cover everything makes it so much more enjoyable.
broadwaybox.com is the best website ever.
Posted by: Julia | November 7, 2007 9:19 AM
Yay for recommending Brooklyn, I live in the neighborhood with all the Victoria houses and always recommend the area B&B's to visitors, it's a nice to experience another part of New York.
Other museum recs: Neue Gallerie in Manhattan is gorgeous and has a great restaurant, and the Transit Museum in Brooklyn is lots of fun for kids.
Posted by: Meg | November 9, 2007 4:05 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
One of my favorite spots in NYC is the Onassis Cultural Center, off Fifth Avenue in mid-town. Its a great little museum (free!), a peaceful place to sit and take a breather, never crowded, and great bathrooms! http://www.onassisusa.org/occ.htm