Time to Share Your Wealth of Knowledge
A few weeks ago, Bart and I started discussing Thanksgiving in great detail.
For the last two years, we’ve spent it with friends in Austin. It required a total of five minutes of travel, practically no cost, and allowed me to volunteer for the fun parts (dessert, sweet potatoes, turkey), and then lay around on Ralphie‘s living room floor. I am a little heartbroken not to be repeating the festivities this year.
Sadly, plane tickets to Austin for Thanksgiving would have cost $1200. Sorry, Texas friends, we don’t love you quite that much. Or at least our savings account doesn’t.
Instead, we’ve decided to go to New York City for Thanksgiving. We can get there for a fraction (and I mean FRACTION) of the cost it would be to fly somewhere, we can priceline a hotel, and basically just live it up.
This is the part where you come in. I know that lots of you have visited New York numerous times or have even lived there. Tell me what we should see, where we should go, where we should eat, what areas to stay in (or avoid at all costs), etc. If it’s about NYC, I want to know it.
(Also, for the last three years, Bart has spent the morning of Thanksgiving raking the leaves in our front yard (we had two enormous trees), stacking up a dozen bags or more for the garbage man. I have a feeling he won’t miss that bit of the festivities at all).
This is awesome. I always used to have to rake leaves on Thanksgiving and it sucked.
OK, an NYC tip: if you want to go to the Empire State Building, the best time to go is literally midnight (it's open until, I believe, 2 a.m.). Virtually no line and a gorgeous view of the city lights.
Surely you must know how jealous I am of this. Ah. I'll put that aside.
Go to Serendipity and get the frozen hot chocolate. Split one between the two of you. It is soooo worth it. But the line is long, so while you're waiting for your names to be called, go check out Dylan's Candy Store just west of Serendpity.
Walk around Central Park and revel in the trees. Breathe in and out, think of me, let your nose get cold, wear the cutest scarf/mitten combo you have and of course your cutest pea coat. Drink hot chocolate or caramel apple cider from Starbucks and just sit on a bench and people watch. There is nothing like Central Park.
Buy a scarf or a purse from a street vendor. Of course they are cheap, but it's so much fun to have one.
Gawk at the Rockefeller Tree and learn the history of it. It's usually a Norway Spruce from like Ohio or Connecticut every year. It's so beautiful. And take pictures of the ice skaters just beneath it.
Walk up and down 5th Avenue and just admire the window displays. They are SO MUCH FUN. They are seriously works of art. And they're free to look at. 🙂
I'd say brave the cold and go to the Macy's Parade. It's the sort of thing you might never do again so why not? Just wear like 1,000 layers and go do it. Walk inside Macy's sometime during the week and just look at the beautiful Christmas decorations. They made me cry last year when I went up for my birthday.
Wicked is, of course, fabulous.
Walk around 'The Village' (Greenwich Village). Just walk around. The neighborhood is sooo beautiful and quaint and what? am I really on Manhattan Island? Magnolias is overrated, but it's fun to have gone there anyway.
Go to the temple. It's so beautiful (the rooms are fabulous!!), and it's right across the street from The Lincoln Center and Julliard (and Zara!) and a HUGE Barnes and Noble. There's also usually a farmer's market on the island in the middle of the street right in front of the temple that sells amazing apple cider donuts that are SO worth it. Yum. Around the corner is also a little French place called Le Pain Quotidien. This is worth the trip in and of itself. The food (esp the quiche) is incredible.
Ah… whatever you do, just keep an imaginary miniature Becca perched on your shoulder throughout the whole thing because there is basically nothing I love more than New York City during that time of year.
I've done the touristy things a few times. I think they are allowing people back up to the top of the Statue of Liberty now and that is really cool…when I went as a kid we went up into the crown. When I went most recently, we just got to walk to the top of the stand the statue is on. Lame.
I love Ellis Island. I am a history nerd. We had a funny tour guide the last time I went, which helped. If any of your relatives came to the US via Ellis Island (a third of the US population can trace their roots to the island [not me though]), you can actually do some family history research there for free (the really detailed stuff you have to pay for though).
I don't have any secrets other than to tell you it's not a fun thing to drive through Times Square in your car – but that's not really a secret. (I did this – unintentionally – when I was picking up my sister at Barnard. It was harrowing. Example: a cop car is in the right hand lane, stopped at a red light, and he decides to take a LEFT, when the light is STILL RED. Another example: I was driving into the tunnel, where about four lanes go down to two, and a big pseudo-semi scratches along another tiny little car right next to my tiny little car and doesn't slow or stop.)
When I visited my sister we saw Spamalot, which was a lot of fun. We left really early and were still late because 2 of the three major subway lines were down for some reason (they went down AFTER we got on them, so then we had to transfer, and accidentally transferred to the other one that was also down…). So having a backup to the subway is probably a good idea. We ended up spending a wad on a taxi and then running in dresses and heels, good times.
I also really enjoyed the Museum of Natural History.
i have never gone to NYC besides the church history trip….but reading all these comments makes me want to go to with you =). That sounds like SO much fun!
We stayed in Brooklyn. For fairly cheap. At a Holiday Inn. Close to the Subway.
Definitely utilize the subway-day ticket for unlimited use is $7.25. Comes in quite handy!
Go to Central Park. Look around and realize just how many movies are filmed there.
Eat at The Atlantic Chip Shop in Brooklyn. To die for English food including some of the yummiest desserts EVER.
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. At night. It's AMAZING and you can do that after you see Ground Zero. It's very close.
Just explore. That's all we did was wander from place to place. Times Square is fun, too! But don't eat IN Times Square. 2 burgers at TGI Friday's (we were starving and settled) cost us $50!!
HAVE SO MUCH FUN!!
Okay, I'm stealing ideas from people because my hubby and I leave for NYC 3 weeks from today. We're staying on the Upper West Side (lower cost). Our plans include
Central Park
Empire State Building
Rockefeller Center
Times Square
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (history geeks)- if you want to go in the crown, you have to book it early
Lion King on Broadway
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge and eating at Grimaldis
New York Public Library
Grand Central Station
lots of walking. My hubby, who previously lived there, says just enjoying the feel of the city.
Maybe you hate it, maybe your readers hate it…but I like Letterman. Quite a bit. I don't know why, okay? I just do.
And when I was in NYC, I was in the audience one night. It's free, and it's awesome…even if you're NOT a fan, I reckon…just because you get to see the show being made, and whoever's guest-ing it up. My visit saw Martha Stewart (pre-prison) and George Clooney.
To get on, you just turn up at the street address, approach the guy with the clipboard, and answer his trivia question about the show….something basic that shows you've watched it before, in my (uber-limited) experience.
Hate the show? Hate the idea? That's okay.
/rubbing toe in the dirt
I love it.
– The impressed by FOUR-storeyed buildings kiwi.
Well I'm just not even going to comment at all cause I'm mad that you get to go to NY in the first place.
Oops- did I just comment??