The NEW YORK Megathread (questions & answers..not chat)

cena

borderlinemeath wrote: »

If you have personal family history you will find it fascinating. There is a lot of memorobilia from many of the ships that landed, from the passenger lists to a selection of passports of the immigrants.
Definately one of the highlights of our trip.

Do you have family history in ellis island.

LizT

bob50 wrote: »

I was thinking of going to NY with Continantel i see they fly from Dublin to Newark

anyone else used what your experinces

I used them last summer. They're quite good. There is a touch screen tv on each seat with lots of movies, games, tv programmes etc. The food is good as airplane food goes. The leg room is the same as a normal plane but I'm 6 foot and I wasn't uncomfortable.

gar1234

heading to new york next week been there a good few times done all the normal tourist things anyone reccomend anyting new
also give a few good bars and places to eat
up for anything
cheers

Corruptedmorals

Recommended transport from Newark to the city...subway or train or taxi? Also, are the taxis actually cheapish enough or poor students should stick to the subway, even at night? Would like to get a look at Harlem and Queens, would that be fine during the day? Can you do Ellis Island and the SOL on the same boat trip? There's a free boat, we were going to go for that.

borderlinemeath

cena wrote: »

Do you have family history in ellis island.

Yep, my great great aunt (Margaret "Peg" Beatty) went to the states in 1922, she was a member of cumann na mban, (the women in the old IRA) but had to flee to escape imprisonment for membership of the IRA. She had already spent time in prison for membership and involvement of the 1916 rising but when the IRA was outlawed after the Anglo Irish Treaty she was either going to jail or had to emigrate.

She lived out there for over 50 years and came home to Ireland in the 70s, my older siblings remember the parcels she used to send from the states, sweets and trinkets and hankies and sometimes she used to post over bedsheets for my mother as there was a tribe of kids in my house and never enough sheets (let alone beds!)

She died in a nursing home when she was 101, still as sharp as a button. Her name is on a plaque in kilmainham as one of the women who fought in the war.Although she said she actually didn't do much fighting, she was a courier and hid arms and cooked in a safe house.

borderlinemeath

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

Recommended transport from Newark to the city...subway or train or taxi? Also, are the taxis actually cheapish enough or poor students should stick to the subway, even at night? Would like to get a look at Harlem and Queens, would that be fine during the day? Can you do Ellis Island and the SOL on the same boat trip? There's a free boat, we were going to go for that.

Stick to public transport! Taxis work out OK with a group but don't forget the tip, also traffic is insane so it could take you half an hour to move a few blocks.

Get the train in, the subways are fine, but we were never on them at night. Get a weekly pass for the subway and MTA buses for $29.50, unlimited use. We bought one between us and passed it between each other so it was less than $15 each.

If you're going to do lots of sightseeing then buy a New York Pass.
www.newyorkpass.com
BUT MAKE A PLAN, otherwise you won't get the value out of it. We went to Liberty Island, Ellis Island, Bodies Exhibition, Empire State Building, Rockerfeller centre, Madame Tussauds, Natural History Museum, Met Museum, Madison Sq gardens tour. The only thing we didn't do that we wanted was the NBC studios tour. The only thing with the pass is you don't get access to the crown in the statue of liberty, or to the higher (101st floor) observation deck in the Empire State Building.

Also with jet lag you'll be up at 6.30am so make the most of it! The boat to Liberty and Ellis Island is the same one, very easy to get to the other boroughs on the subway.

tommy21

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

Getting worried about the price of my holiday now..I know it's a package deal but it just seems crazily cheap compared to prices posted here? Vegas 5 nights, LA 6 nights, NY 4 nights...€1400 all in, all flights and accom (no hostels! All of the hotels are nice, one is 5star suite) 3 flights, 2 with stopovers- so, 5 flights really? Sounds like we'll be in the baggage hold at this rate, flying Continental.

Really excited about NY, can't believe I forgot about Ellis Island! Great thread, picking up lots of recommendations for food places etc.

Suspiciously cheap! What is the name of your booking agent (if you used one) so I can book too

G-unit10

Hi, just wondered if anyone has been to a yankees or mets game. Is it worth it or do you get bored pretty soon which I fear might be the case as not really inyo baseball like most of us Irish!
Also, any thoughts on the Intrepid Museum- i'm interested but have the same problem in so far as Im not sure if its worth my precious time in NYC. Have all the usual suspects on my list - the totr, ellis island, bike around central park, walk brooklyn bridge etc to fill the 4/5 days.
P.S. The hangover 2 is out the weekend im there so really want to find a super 'movie theater' around manhattan, please let me know if you've any advice! Thanks

Third_Echelon

G-unit10 wrote: »

Hi, just wondered if anyone has been to a yankees or mets game. Is it worth it or do you get bored pretty soon which I fear might be the case as not really inyo baseball like most of us Irish!
Also, any thoughts on the Intrepid Museum- i'm interested but have the same problem in so far as Im not sure if its worth my precious time in NYC. Have all the usual suspects on my list - the totr, ellis island, bike around central park, walk brooklyn bridge etc to fill the 4/5 days.
P.S. The hangover 2 is out the weekend im there so really want to find a super 'movie theater' around manhattan, please let me know if you've any advice! Thanks

Been to a few Mets games. A good day out if you are into sport. Have a few beers etc and its good craic.

If you love planes etc, the Intrepid has to be done. I love that stuff, so I was in my element :-)

Plenty of good cinemas just off Times Square.

johnfás

Was in New York 3 weeks ago for 5 nights. We flew over with Delta who I had never flown before but it worked out just fine. We flew over on the Thursday morning which got us to JFK at lunchtime on Thursday and we flew back at 9:30pm on Tuesday giving us most of Tuesday to tie up any loose ends and to do a bit of shopping. We went for sites rather than shopping. The flights were €360 each return booked on Lastminute.ie on Air France who codeshare with Delta.

Stayed at Tone on Lex hostel for the duration - 15 euro per night each and it was perfectly adequate.

Bought a New York Pass for 3 days for 90 euro and certainly got our money's worth. Managed to do the following in 3 days - bear in mind we were getting up at 8am and on the go until the evening. All of the following was included in our pass.

1) Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island - really well worth the visit. Get there early in the morning so that you can be one of the few granted access each day to the pedestal museum.
2) Bike rental in Central Park - a great way to see Central Park although we did have to wait around for a while for a bike to come free. Also it isn't entirely free because you have to pay $5 to cover insurance in case you break the bike.
3) Circle Line Sightseeing tour - the pass included a two hour tour around Manhattan Island. Unfortunately because it was winter we couldn't do a nighttime cruise but it was approaching dusk for the latter parts of the tour. Really great way of seeing up and down Manhattan under the Brooklyn Bridge etc.
4) Empire State Building and the New York Sky Ride (in the Empire State) - the Sky Ride is a bit naff but it is fun all the same. We went up the Empire State at night time which was fantastic.
5) Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum - the sheer scale of an aircraft carrier is mindblowing. You also have the opportunity to go into a Korean War submarine which is very interesting. I was really looking forward to going on Concorde but in the end it was a bit disappointing as the inside is largely coated in perspex which is grubby so you don't get a great idea as you wander through.
6) Madame Tussaud's New York - a bit of fun but not quite as good as its London counterpart. If you had the pass it is worth a quick wander through and is close to Times Square.
7) Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) - fantastic and really worth a visit particularly if you are into Art.
8) Museum of the City of New York - a very basic museum. Pretty small but worth a quick look about - they had a nice video detailing the history of the city.
9) Whitney Museum of American Art - again a fantastic gallery.
10) Solomon Guggenheim Museum - worth a visit as much for the architecture as the art on display. However, there was a fantastic exhibition of early cubism on display.
11) NBC Studio Tour - good fun getting to see behind the scenes at NBC. We didn't really know much about many of the shows that we saw the sets of (Dr Oz and others) but it was an interesting experience. This books out very early so you need to arrive in the morning, book tickets for the afternoon and come back later).
12) Top of the Rockefeller Centre - we did this first thing on a very windy morning. Really good view of the Empire State and Central Park from the roof. A better view than from the Empire State in some ways.
13) Metropolitan Museum of Art - a bit of a cross in a context like London between the National GAllery and the British Museum - a combination of art and historical artefacts. Absolutely vast but full of interesting stuff.

The pass also got us $10 off in Planet Hollywood, which we just spent in the store for some souvenirs, a free drink in a bar which we enjoyed as we rested on a long sightseeing day and discount at the Cold Stone Creamery ice cream parlour - all much appreciated!

There are alot of other things outside Manhattan which you could do on the NY Pass, particularly if you splashed out on the 5 day one giving yourself more time - such as free trip to atlantic city, outlet stores, zoos in brooklyn etc. However, we managed to squeeze everything we wanted to see into the 3 day pass saving ourselves a bit of money.

There are plenty of discount cards that you can pick up around New York but based on full prices for entry we reckon for our $130 pass we got into about $390 of attractions.

We also did a few things which were not included on the pass, some free some costing!
1) Tour of the United Nations - the UN is currently undergoing renovation so the tour is not as extensive as it once was but it is still worth a visit if you have an interest in it. John Kerry was speaking to the General Assembly when we were there which was an experience in itself.
2) Take a photo outside the Friends Apartment Building in Greenwich Village - completely free and a nice trip for anybody who was a follower of the programme - one of us was!
3) Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at night - a great way to round off the trip on our final night - fantastic views back over Manhattan but freezing cold! Also was pretty difficult to locate the subway station on the Brooklyn side to get back to Manhattan.
4) Ground Zero Museum - there isn't as much to see at Ground Zero as there once was because the new buildings are beginning to take shape. However, there is a small museum close by which had an interesting exhibition and array of artefacts.
5) Broadway Show - we bought our tickets at TKTS at Times Square and went to Billy Elliot the Musical which was very well produced. Was about $65 per ticket.
6) Music at the Lincoln Centre - we went to the New York Philharmonic playing Richard Strauss as well as a Jazz Quartet. The cost of going to the Phil when they visit Dublin would set you back about €100, we got into the stalls on the night we arrived for a mere $15.
7) Wander into the New York Public Library - interesting building also had a small exhibition on the Abrahamic religions in the lobby which was good.
8) St Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Avenue - bit of a let down to be honest, not nearly as impressive as cathedrals across Europe.

I would recommend people to buy a MetroCard when they arrive. $29 gets you a 7 day pass. We weren't there 7 days but certainly got our money's worth on it. Don't get the subway everywhere as the MetroCard also works on the buses which means you can see the city as you travel. We walked alot but staying up on 96th street it is handy to get up and down on the bus.

The total cost for our Flights, New York Pass, MetroCard, MetroCard surcharge to and from JFK and Accommodation for 5 nights was approx €555. We added to that about another €75 for our NY Phil and Broadway tickets alongside our UN Tour bringing a total cost of everything except food and shopping of around €630 each.

fendigal

Hi there,
Looking for bit of advice please..want to head out to woodbury common when we're in nyc and want to know the best way to travel out there from manhatten? I know the bus is one option but how would anybody know much about the option of gettin a taxi or car out and how much that might cost? Would like the option of comin and goin as we please without queing for buses etc but not sure how much extra it would be to the bus..thanks in advance

LizT

fendigal wrote: »

Hi there,
Looking for bit of advice please..want to head out to woodbury common when we're in nyc and want to know the best way to travel out there from manhatten? I know the bus is one option but how would anybody know much about the option of gettin a taxi or car out and how much that might cost? Would like the option of comin and goin as we please without queing for buses etc but not sure how much extra it would be to the bus..thanks in advance

Woodbury common is a good bit out, a taxi would be seriously expensive! The buses are fairly regular so I would just go with that!

borderlinemeath

fendigal wrote: »

Hi there,
Looking for bit of advice please..want to head out to woodbury common when we're in nyc and want to know the best way to travel out there from manhatten? I know the bus is one option but how would anybody know much about the option of gettin a taxi or car out and how much that might cost? Would like the option of comin and goin as we please without queing for buses etc but not sure how much extra it would be to the bus..thanks in advance

The bus is about $42 each. If you are in a group of 4/5 people it may be more economical to hire a minivan, but not a taxi, the rate would be astronomical.
The buses are fairly regular though.

fendigal

Thanks for the replies guys..thought that alrite! My only worry with the bus is if we're carrying a good bit of shopping back would it be ackward..also if your shopping is stored underneath bus, how safe is it if other people are gettin out at different stops? Would it be possible to bring ur purchases onto the bus?
Sorry for all the questions..

borderlinemeath

There's overhead compartments for bags, or some people either bring or buy suitcases there (there's a samsonite outlet among others)

I bought a case there before and put it in the storage under the bus - there was no problems.

If you intend to do a lot of shopping it might be worth your while bringing a case - the bags of shopping do get heavy after a while!!

The bus driver also portions your ticket and tells you to bring part of it to the information centre for your discount booklet. About 90% off the stores participate in it and the discount is usually 5-10%. Some of them also give the discount off already reduced items, some don't.
Have a look at the map and make a plan before you go - I spent 11hrs there and still missed out on some stores.

Log onto www.premiumoutlets.com/woodburycommon/

fendigal

borderlinemeath, thanks a million for all that info thats so helpful! i had thought of that alrite bringing a roller suitcase with me to save the hubbys arms sounds safe enough and seems to be the cheapest option.
Cheers again for the reply

Starburst85

Hello,

I am organising a surprise trip for my parents to New York however they've never been to America before and knowing that all holidays they've been on before they like to go with groups (tours already booked, etc).

Just wondered, if anyone knew of any good travel companies that provide group packages??? :pac: I've googled this but have found nothing helpful

Thanks you

Phoenix Park

Would a package be any better than booking them flights and finding a decent hotel deal online?. All taxis are a flat fare into New York city from airport, flights are pretty cheap now considering fuel, maybe have a look around online for a bargain hotel and let them figure the city out for themselves?. Pro's and con's of each i guess, i understand any people prefer the package-group aspect of trips away. Nice prezzie all the same!

detergez

Hi we are looking to book a budget hotel or apartment near Central park or there abouts for myself and my wife in November. Can anyone point me in the direction of any good sites to browse budget accomodation?

What area is the best to stay in?

borderlinemeath

Central Park aint that central! And it can be pricey up that way too. Plenty of museums up there though.

What do you want to do? Sightseeing? Shopping?

Look for accomodation near Times Square or surrounding areas, or even a little bit further down near Herald Square which is beside Macys/Empire State Building.

Check ebookers/expedia for flight & hotel offers but also check hotel reputations on the likes of Trip Advisor as well.

I stayed at the New Yorker Hotel on 34th/8th Ave a couple of years ago, it didn't blow the budget, was beside everything as well. It's a grand hotel with a lovely diner attached to it, which meant you could eat reasonably without blowing the bank.

This year I stayed in the Walcott Hotel, very cheap, but quite old, but again really central to everything, free coffee and muffins in the morning for breakfast. We didn't spend any time in the hotel except to sleep so we didn't really care what the room looked like.

LizT

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Central Park aint that central! And it can be pricey up that way too. Plenty of museums up there though.

What do you want to do? Sightseeing? Shopping?

Look for accomodation near Times Square or surrounding areas, or even a little bit further down near Herald Square which is beside Macys/Empire State Building.

Check ebookers/expedia for flight & hotel offers but also check hotel reputations on the likes of Trip Advisor as well.

I stayed at the New Yorker Hotel on 34th/8th Ave a couple of years ago, it didn't blow the budget, was beside everything as well. It's a grand hotel with a lovely diner attached to it, which meant you could eat reasonably without blowing the bank.

This year I stayed in the Walcott Hotel, very cheap, but quite old, but again really central to everything, free coffee and muffins in the morning for breakfast. We didn't spend any time in the hotel except to sleep so we didn't really care what the room looked like.

I stayed in the New Yorker as well a few years ago, it's a good hotel and not too expensive! The diner is nice too for breakfast, their choc chip pancakes are to die for! It's only a block away from Macy's and within walkable distance of times square.

detergez

Would you believe i just booked the New York hotel a few minutes ago before i logged in. Delighted now that you have both said it was alright.

Got it for €346 for 4 nights so got good deal really compared to most hotel prices. We will be there for Thanksgiving also,so was expecting prices to be sky high!

So it is not far at all for shopping then? The wife is a shopper so it is more for shopping we are going over.

Want to do a few sight seeing tours also if you have any tips? And can you tell me where good Irish pubs are?:D

LizT

detergez wrote: »

Would you believe i just booked the New York hotel a few minutes ago before i logged in. Delighted now that you have both said it was alright.

Got it for €346 for 4 nights so got good deal really compared to most hotel prices. We will be there for Thanksgiving also,so was expecting prices to be sky high!

So it is not far at all for shopping then? The wife is a shopper so it is more for shopping we are going over.

Want to do a few sight seeing tours also if you have any tips? And can you tell me where good Irish pubs are?:D

It's right beside Macy's and it's easy enough to get a taxi/subway or walk to most places.
It's also about 2 blocks away from the main bus terminal where you can get buses to Woodbury Common and Jersey Gardens.

detergez

Execellent thanks lizt.;)

Another question, maybe someone who has done it before can help? I read somewhere that it is possible to post some stuff you buy home to Ireland from NY whilst there? Is this possible?

Just wondering as we would like to buy a few christmas presents etc. and would be afraid we would be over our luggage allowance. So thought we could post a bit home.

timeforachange

hmmmm I'd like to hear others' opinions on this but I'm fairly sure that you would just get done by customs when the items arrive into Ireland anyways.

I think your best bet is to just bring them in your baggage and hope for the best!

borderlinemeath

For the shopping -
Macys - Herald Square - 9 floors of shopping. On your first day go to the customer information desk on the mezzanine balcony on the ground floor with your passport. You will get a 10% traveller/taxback discount card - applicable on everything - even if it's reduced by 70% or more.

Century 21 - Cortland St, beside the World Trade Centre site. Like a TKMaxx but designer labels. Go early in the morning as it become overbearingly packed later in the day. Trying stuff on is torture though, the fitting rooms are awful and they have military style assistants stationed on them.

Woodbury common - outlet centre about an hour outside NYC - if you go it will take a full day out of your trip but if you want designer goods at fantastic prices then this is the place to go. Have a look at the premium outlets link in my above post.

Jersey Gardens - an outlet mall in jersey - more of a regular mall - less designer labels more Gap/Tommy Hilfiger type stores.

Saks 5th Ave - georgeous but expensive.

Bloomingdales - Same as above.

Also if you go downtown to SoHo there's a whole other shopping area, much smaller stores and more boutique style stores.

Sightseeing - get a new york pass - entitles you to discounts and free entry into a lot of the citys best sights. Bear in mind that everything takes a long time to get through as the security since 9/11 has been hugely stepped up so most of the major sights have scanners and security checks and the queues are huge.

Boysie

Hey people,

Im going to New York around September sometime (hopefully) at the start of September. I was just wondering where would be the best places to visit? Could you gove me some places outta the way like The Bronx or Englewood.

Thanks in advance...

Clare Bear

We'll be in New York for the 4th of July. Any tips on the best thing to do there that night? Best place to watch the fireworks etc?

Batesy

Heading over in 6 weeks. Anyone any recomendations for the new york cruises?

copeyhagen

heading friday afternoon with the GF till following wed.

staying in park central hotel in manhattan.

first time outside of europe, cant wait!!

gonna do a good bit of sightseeing and gonna head woodbury commons on sat i think.