TheAuthority Posted September 30, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted September 30, 2018 (edited) On 27/09/2018 at 05:02, Stevo985 said: I'm heading there at the end of November with the OH plus my mom and sister. Loads of great info in this thread but the more the merrier if anyone else has further recommendations. They all want to see a broadway show. Not particularly fussed with what they see. Is it better to book that in advance? A friend of a friend said it's worth queuing when we get there and we'd get much better deals. Don't want to risk it though without some reassurance! @tonyh29 is correct there is a booth in Time Square called TKTS. I believe that tickets go on sale the day of at 8am for 2pm shows and 1pm for 8pm shows (that may be wholly inaccurate but it's something like that.) It's a way for theaters to get rid of seats last minute. However just remember that late November (especially after Thanksgiving) is prime NYC time for shopping and entertainment. This is the theaters busiest time of the year so getting last minute discount tickets will be tougher than say in September. My honest advice would be to buy ahead then you guarantee that you'll be sitting together and you won't have to stress. If you go and see "Wicked" (the prequel to Wizard of Oz) I can give you a backstage tour afterwards (my wife is in the orchestra.) If you go to Aladdin I can do the same (I'm there all the time.) Wicked is a great show - visually pretty stunning and it's cool how they tie it to the movie. Cast of singers is, as you'd expect, top drawer. Aladdin is Disney so it's family friendly but it has some great tunes, the band is awesome and at 2hr 20 it's shorter than Wicked you can get to the bar quicker Just pm me if you are interested. Edited September 30, 2018 by TheAuthority Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted October 1, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 1, 2018 9 hours ago, TheAuthority said: @tonyh29 is correct there is a booth in Time Square called TKTS. I believe that tickets go on sale the day of at 8am for 2pm shows and 1pm for 8pm shows (that may be wholly inaccurate but it's something like that.) It's a way for theaters to get rid of seats last minute. However just remember that late November (especially after Thanksgiving) is prime NYC time for shopping and entertainment. This is the theaters busiest time of the year so getting last minute discount tickets will be tougher than say in September. My honest advice would be to buy ahead then you guarantee that you'll be sitting together and you won't have to stress. If you go and see "Wicked" (the prequel to Wizard of Oz) I can give you a backstage tour afterwards (my wife is in the orchestra.) If you go to Aladdin I can do the same (I'm there all the time.) Wicked is a great show - visually pretty stunning and it's cool how they tie it to the movie. Cast of singers is, as you'd expect, top drawer. Aladdin is Disney so it's family friendly but it has some great tunes, the band is awesome and at 2hr 20 it's shorter than Wicked you can get to the bar quicker Just pm me if you are interested. Mate, that sounds amazing! I may very well take you up on that. Thanks for the advice ( @tonyh29 too. Can always rely on you in the travel forum! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted October 6, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 6, 2018 I've been looking at places to stay and it's pretty expensive! Anyone got any suggestions? Was looking at Upper West Side but hotels seem to start at around £350 a night for anything half decent! Seen a couple of decent air bnbs in that sort of area. How is Harlem next to Central Park? Or East Village? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuthority Posted October 6, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 6, 2018 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Stevo985 said: I've been looking at places to stay and it's pretty expensive! Anyone got any suggestions? Was looking at Upper West Side but hotels seem to start at around £350 a night for anything half decent! Seen a couple of decent air bnbs in that sort of area. How is Harlem next to Central Park? Or East Village? AirBnB is the way to go. How big of a place do you need? Anywhere on the West side south of 116th street (Columbia University) and west of Central Park West will be fine. You'll get into midtown in 15/20 mins. Harlem is block by block to be honest in terms of comfort/safety. Edited October 6, 2018 by TheAuthority Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted October 6, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 6, 2018 48 minutes ago, TheAuthority said: AirBnB is the way to go. How big of a place do you need? Anywhere on the West side south of 116th street (Columbia University) and west of Central Park West will be fine. You'll get into midtown in 15/20 mins. Harlem is block by block to be honest in terms of comfort/safety. We don’t need a big place. I’m going with the OH and my mom and sister are coming too. So two double rooms basically. Any kitchen or lounge area doesn’t really matter. We’ll only be sleeping and changing there. Thanks for the advice! what about staying in New Jersey just the other side of the Hudson? Is that too far to travel in every day? Much more reasonable prices there (understandably) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuthority Posted October 6, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 6, 2018 Just now, Stevo985 said: We don’t need a big place. I’m going with the OH and my mom and sister are coming too. So two double rooms basically. Any kitchen or lounge area doesn’t really matter. We’ll only be sleeping and changing there. Thanks for the advice! what about staying in New Jersey just the other side of the Hudson? Is that too far to travel in every day? Much more reasonable prices there (understandably) Re Jersey - As long as you don't look anyone in the eye you'll be fine Seriously I think staying in Jersey will get real old really fast. NJ Transit is similar to UK's railways but much dirtier and Penn Station is basically a homeless shelter. Staying in Manhattan is much more preferable. If you let me know you'r dates and budget I'll have a look on AirBnB and see what I can find. I know the area really well as I live on the UWS. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted October 6, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 6, 2018 Thanks mate. We’re arriving Thurs 29th November and leaving The following Monday. So 4 nights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuthority Posted October 6, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 6, 2018 35 minutes ago, Stevo985 said: Thanks mate. We’re arriving Thurs 29th November and leaving The following Monday. So 4 nights PM sent 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NurembergVillan Posted October 6, 2018 Moderator Share Posted October 6, 2018 I've stayed at The Soho Grand, The Ace, and The Hudson (mostly here). No idea on pricing as it's always been paid for by my employers. The Hudson is a good location, though, as the subway from Columbus Circle can get you anywhere pretty fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuthority Posted October 6, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 6, 2018 10 minutes ago, NurembergVillan said: I've stayed at The Soho Grand, The Ace, and The Hudson (mostly here). No idea on pricing as it's always been paid for by my employers. The Hudson is a good location, though, as the subway from Columbus Circle can get you anywhere pretty fast. Very fancy shmancy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NurembergVillan Posted October 6, 2018 Moderator Share Posted October 6, 2018 1 minute ago, TheAuthority said: Very fancy shmancy I've always wanted to stay at The Bowery - I think I may have once, can't remember - but I usually pop in there for a drink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuthority Posted October 6, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 6, 2018 1 minute ago, NurembergVillan said: I've always wanted to stay at The Bowery - I think I may have once, can't remember - but I usually pop in there for a drink. I used to hotel hop when I lived in Miami but never really done it in NYC - I guess I'm too old now Tend to go across the street to my local. It's called Dive Bar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NurembergVillan Posted October 6, 2018 Moderator Share Posted October 6, 2018 33 minutes ago, TheAuthority said: I used to hotel hop when I lived in Miami but never really done it in NYC - I guess I'm too old now Tend to go across the street to my local. It's called Dive Bar Just Googled that to see where it was, and found I'd been very close to it a few years ago. Headed uptown to visit Upper 90, and went into Pio Pio for lunch. Shame I didn't know you back then. Could've met up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAuthority Posted October 6, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 6, 2018 1 hour ago, NurembergVillan said: Just Googled that to see where it was, and found I'd been very close to it a few years ago. Headed uptown to visit Upper 90, and went into Pio Pio for lunch. Shame I didn't know you back then. Could've met up! That's very close - we're on 96th & Amsterdam - Pio Pio has great Pisco Sours! Next time we'll grab some 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted October 15, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 15, 2018 I stopped in lower Manhattan, the Beekman, stunning hotel and a short walk to the towers museum, the Staten Island ferry and Brooklyn via the bridge . Looked at the ticket outlet but the ques were huge and not moving that quickly either ,could easy waste a couple of hours there imo . Get your head around the metro and I wouldn't worry to much about where your located , in Manhattan. Have a great trip . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted October 15, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 15, 2018 Our trip is taking shape now. We've booked an Air BnB in Weehawken, just over the river from Manhattan. Not as convenient as being in the city but we've got a much nicer apartment for much less than what we were looking at in the city. We won't be spending too much time there but my 65 year old mother is coming so i don't want anywhere too uncomfortable. So we'll have to contend with a bus trip in and out of the city every day but I think we're ok with that. Just need to avoid the rush hour. We'll be doing typical touristy stuff. First day we're doing a full day tour of statue of liberty, ellis island, lower manhattan, ground zero, 9/11 museum and the One World Trade observatory. Second day we're still figuring out. Probably central park and a couple of museums during the day. Then we'll have dinner and a show in the evening. Third day we're doing empire state and then a lot of walking and metro around 5th avenue and Brooklyn bridge and surrounding areas. Just seeing the little sights like times square and radio city and places that we won't be spending a whole lot of time at. Rockefeller centre once it gets dark I imagine. Then the final day we have to leave around lunchtime so we'll find something to do in the morning, even if it's just brunch somewhere and then head off around 2pm. Looking forward to it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted October 15, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 15, 2018 Any restaurant recommendations in Hell's Kitchen? We're thinking of eating there before our show on the Saturday (or doesn't have to be Hells Kitchen if there are any better suggestions ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 We're off tomorrow, and I'm as excited as a little kid at Christmas. Stevo, on your itinerary above, you can fit the Brooklyn Bridge bit in while you're doing Downtown stuff (Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero etc) It's less than a mile from Battery Park, where you get the boat for the Statue of Liberty tour. Well worth walking over, as you get a brilliant view of the entire Manhattan skyline, but especially the Lower area. In between you've got Wall Street, Federal Hall and loads of really nice places to eat and drink. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted October 15, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 15, 2018 1 hour ago, Risso said: We're off tomorrow, and I'm as excited as a little kid at Christmas. Stevo, on your itinerary above, you can fit the Brooklyn Bridge bit in while you're doing Downtown stuff (Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero etc) It's less than a mile from Battery Park, where you get the boat for the Statue of Liberty tour. Well worth walking over, as you get a brilliant view of the entire Manhattan skyline, but especially the Lower area. In between you've got Wall Street, Federal Hall and loads of really nice places to eat and drink. Thanks! We may do that then. That day is a set tour but I think we get some free time so I'll see if we can squeeze it in. The one advantage of staying in Weehawken is the view of the skyline from our apartment window looks absolutely amazing. Just hoping the weather isn't too shit and spoils it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted October 15, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 15, 2018 I definitely underestimated how expensive broadway tickets are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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