LGA to Manhattan

So they have options other than helicopters now? Good for them!

Just wanted to give him the option in case $$ was real tight. I did it a few times back in college. But again, a cab is what I ride and would recommend. Enjoy the big city. Great weather past few days. Hope its nice for you.

virginCFAhooker Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Don’t take a subway in August, especially with > luggage. I’m assuming once we’re in the city and seeing the sights, you obviously would recommend the subway (to NYSE and Yankee Stadium)? I think a 3-day (or maybe it was 7-day) unlimited subway pass was like $21/person…

Yeah, it can just be really hot & stinky in August. Those all-day passes are GREAT, tho’. That i highly recommend. Also, don’t forget to use them on the busses. I used to like to catch a bus around Central Park, ride it down 5th avenue and then get off at the end of the route (around 12th street in the village, near Washington Square park). The ride is nice (rockefellor center, etc.) and it’s got A/C. Don’t do it if the bus is too full of people.

So the “Metro Pass” is good on the subway AND the buses?

Yes you can, but riding the bus really sucks most of the time (slow). The one ride I used to like is the one down 5th ave. Since you can see a lot of cool stuff and it ends in a good place. I would never use a bus to “get somewhere”. I would never ride the bus around midtown or on any of the other crappy avenues. Walk, cab or take a train!

Depends on the cash situation. If you’re just trying to get from point A to point B and have money to spend then take taxis. If you really want to enjoy public transportation and/or save cash then go for the subways and buses. Don’t know when’s the last time you’ve been in NYC but the subways and buses have gotten more and more crowded with every passing year. I don’t really enjoy taking them but I don’t feel like forking out $10,000 a year to take taxis to and from work either.

I’ve never been to NYC–next week will be the first time. We’ll definitely take the subway to the NYSE and Yankee Stadium. Other than that, most of the other stuff we want to do is around our hotel…

Hey, I don’t know what it is you like to do but imho, midtown area isn’t a great place. Visitors who come to NYC and spend all their time in midtown are the ones that end up not liking/understanding NYC so much. Get the weeklong metropass and go to some of the cooler places…here are some unusual things that you might like that won’t take long to do and they’re cheap cheap cheap: 1. eat greek food in Astoria queens 2. go to the coffee shops & artsy bookstores in williamsburg brooklyn 3. go to an exotic cabaret show in the lower east side at the slipper room 4. rent bicycles in tribeca and ride up the hudson river.

The subway is definitely the fastest route, though it indeed not the most comfortable–especially on hot days. You can get a 7 day pass or a daily pass (all you can ride). If you want to see the Statue of Liberty and also those waterfalls that are around lower manhattan I would suggest the Staten Island Ferry. Free ride back and forth from SI. 25 mins each way. I’d also suggest walking over the Brooklyn Bridge if its not too hot. The subway takes you right to the foot. South STreet Seaport is another non-midtown spot worth walking around. Also do the row boats ride at the Central Park boathouse…especially if you are going with a girl. Girls eat that sh*t up. We can go on and on but hopefully you will have a great time. Oh and train is the only way to go to get to Yankee Stadium these days.

virginCFAhooker Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hey, I don’t know what it is you like to do but > imho, midtown area isn’t a great place. Visitors > who come to NYC and spend all their time in > midtown are the ones that end up not > liking/understanding NYC so much. > > Get the weeklong metropass and go to some of the > cooler places…here are some unusual things that > you might like that won’t take long to do and > they’re cheap cheap cheap: > > 1. eat greek food in Astoria queens > 2. go to the coffee shops & artsy bookstores in > williamsburg brooklyn > 3. go to an exotic cabaret show in the lower east > side at the slipper room > 4. rent bicycles in tribeca and ride up the > hudson river. I am not sure I agree with this. This is a good idea if you’re in NYC for a month, not for a weekend. There is plenty to see and do in Midtown Manhattan to keep a tourist occupied for several days; when I have friends and family who come to New York for the first time I generally do not recommend them going to the outer boroughs (except for sporting events). We made the mistake one time of taking some first-time-in-NY relatives to Long Island, Flushing, and Staten Island and they were bored out of their minds and only got excited when they went to Times Square, Broadway, and all the other tourist sites in Midtown. I can understand where they’re coming from; if I went to Paris I would want to see the Louvre, climb the Eiffel Tower, and eat in the famous restaurants in the city, not hit up some artsy cafes on the fringes of town.

Ok, Farley. But for the record: midtown sucks. Sorry if you like it.

I don’t think your opinion or my opinion of Midtown matters. It’s what the tourists come to see. If you deny them that then they will feel like they didn’t get to see what they came for. When I went to Mardi Gras for the first time I stayed at a friend’s house near Tulane and he kept wanting to hit up the local bars and parks, etc. while I wanted to go to Bourbon Street. I’m sure he knew more about what was cool in New Orleans but I wanted to experience what I saw on tv.

I have to agree with Farley. I’m going to NYC for 4 days for a stop by before i head to Toronto. and he’s right. Although the food or atmosphere will be great to visit those off the beaten path style things. I’m not going to burn time going out of the way there and back. I’m not even considering SI because i doubt i want to waste a day there. Time Square would be cool, I intend to do a Hiro Pose from Hero’s and pretend that i teleported there. Although if was there for a couple months, lead me to all these cafe :P. But on the other hand. Popular restaurants and clubs suggestions are definitely still welcome :).

As a native new yorker living on the upper west side for over 40 years I gotta go with Farley. When I played tour guide in the past for visiting friends there were times I’d start central park south and fifth avenue and just walk down to the empire state building, stopping at various stores/sites along theway. Plaza Hotel, Tiffany’s, Rock Center (by the way, I haven’t done it yet but I’m told that view from the roof is spectacular), St Patricks Cathedral, The library at 42nd street, (not much then until the empire stte building. you get lots of volume and quality in that mile and a quarter stretch (essentially 25-30 minutes of walking without stops.

Super I Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > When I played tour guide in the past for visiting > friends there were times I’d start central park > south and fifth avenue and just walk down to the > empire state building, stopping at various > stores/sites along theway. Plaza Hotel, > Tiffany’s, Rock Center (by the way, I haven’t > done it yet but I’m told that view from the roof > is spectacular), St Patricks Cathedral, The > library at 42nd street, (not much then until the > empire stte building. > > you get lots of volume and quality in that mile > and a quarter stretch (essentially 25-30 minutes > of walking without stops. This is pretty much the same route I’ve taken people as well. I took my girlfriend (at the time) on this route during her first winter in New York, and she loved it. It took closer to two hours though, with all the picture taking and whatnot. Definitely go inside St. Patrick Cathedral too, and don’t forget to see some of Central Park – at a minimum, it’s worth walking along Central Park South and from there you can see the south end of the park as well as all the buildings between the Time Warner Center all the way to Fifth Avenue (including the Plaza Hotel and a number of very nice high-rises). If you really want to be a great host, let her swing by some of the stores on Fifth Avenue as well. The girlfriend practically beamed when we arrived at Tiffany & Co.

I agree about 5th avenue. That being said, the stuff I suggested wouldn’t take long. I would NEVER suggest a long trip to long island, unless they wanted to spend a day on the beach? That would really break things up and Fire Island has great beaches that aren’t far & are really nice in August. The Staten Island ferry isn’t too bad. Just don’t get off on Staten Island, unless you’re a guitar collector, then you might want to stop by one of the best guitar stores on the planet.

Once you’re sick of touristy stuff and want to see why NYC is a great place to live take a walk through the Village/Soho areas.

Definitive airport transportation guide: From LGA; take a cab to anywhere in Manhattan. If you really dont have the cash take the M60 (picks up at every terminal) to Astoria BLVD and get off transfer on to the Yellow line (NW) to Manhattan. Total cost = $2/person. This will bring you to 49th st and 7th ave. From JFK; take the airtrain to Jamaica. You can take either the E train or the LIRR. Total cost: $7/person From Newark; take the Airtrain and transfer onto the LIRR to Penn Station. Cost = $15/person.