New York City

[bvanpeltsw]

My job is sending me to NYC for a week at the end of February for training. I am super excited because I have never been there before.

My mom and my friend are meeting me up there. When I am not in training we are going on adventures in the city.

What are your recommendations on places to visit? Is there somewhere we should eat? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!!!:D

[mom2fussbudgets]

Brandy, congratulations!

I've never been, but my sister went last year. I will ask her what she recommends. :)

[bvanpeltsw]

Brandy, congratulations!

I've never been, but my sister went last year. I will ask her what she recommends. :)

Thanks! Our headquarters is in New York and this is my new staff orientation even though I have been with MOD for almost a year lol.

I was about to bump this and say anyone help me??? Bueller???;)

[mom2fussbudgets]

Oh well, better late than never, LOL! I'll post when I hear from her. :)

[mom2fussbudgets]

Brandy, I just talked to my sister, and here's what she said:

Things she liked and recommended:

The Empire State Building. She recommends doing this first because at the top, they give you a scenic tour of New York, pointing out places, and giving you a brief history/description. She says that helped her know/understand New York a bit better.

Dean and Deluca's. This is a cafe. Gwen says the food here is delicious! The best food she had while in New York.

http://www.deandeluca.com/Aboutus/Default.aspx?id=190&selItemId=190&parentItemId=14

5th Avenue. Everything you want is right here, and Central Park is right across the street.

NBC Studio Tour.

Broadway Show at Times Square. They saw Mary Poppins.

Things she did not like:

The Rainbow Room. The view is nice, but the food is not very good, and it is very overpriced.

SoHo. A sprawling mess. No street signs, small storefronts, so it's hard to distinguish what each store is selling. They had to walk forever to get from once place to another. She says they tried to go to a restaurant here at 11:00 am, and were told they didn't open until 11:30. They went and walked around and came back at 11:30, but were told the restaurant wouldn't be ready for another 45 minutes! Weird!

Some other stuff she discovered and wanted me to tell you:

During the week, it's next to impossible to find a cab who will pick up a small group at 5:00 pm. They want large groups so that they can charge more. She found this out the hard way.

If you go to a Broadway show, hire a car to take you rather than a taxi. It'll save you a lot of grief, and it only costs $25 to hire a car.

Brandy, I have a friend who lives in Long Island and works in New York. I will e-mail her and ask her what restaurants she recommends. :)

I hope this helps!

[2550]

Try to get to the TKTS booth at Duffy Square. It's right in Times Square. You can get half priced theater tickets. We saw a number of shows that way and always got great seats. (front, center mezzanine)

[PVUgrad]

And don't forget to go to Macy's for shopping!
That place is unbelievable. Like a WHOLE floor just dedicated to shoes!

You can do a tour of the New York Stock exchange, if you are into that.

Or ride the ferry over to Staten Island and back, which crosses right in front of the Statue of Liberty.

Oh, and do eat a large piece of NY pizza..yum!

We went for Macy's Day Parade.

I am so glad you started this topic as I am taking hubby to see the Yankees in May/June and I know better than to stay in the Bronx. :eek:
But need a hotel, that allows on site parking, as we have a handicapped van that we will need to get to.

[breakaleg]

Brandy,

I am on Long Island and haven't been to the city in ages, but if you google New York City tourism, you will find lots of sites. Where are you going to be staying? I bet if you ask the employees there, they will also be able to give you suggestions for restaurants close by.

Other than pizza, you should also try the Chinese food and bagels. If you're really daring, try a hot dog from a street vendor. I can't eat them, but whenever we go to the city, my husband always has to have a "dirty water dog" :eek:

Post what you plan to do and have a great time.

Debbie

[wenclo]

if u in to shopping u should sign urself up at topbutton.com before u come to nyc, cuz they had some sample sale that dkny,lv,guess,polo.......... and more 60-80% off the org price, 3 months ago i got a LV bag that sell for $800 got it for 140+tx, so check it out and have fun in nyc. let us no if u got any good if u do go

[bvanpeltsw]

Thanks for the help EVERYONE! I GREATLY appreciate it.

I am staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains because our National Office is located there. The city is about 20 minutes away via the Metro.

I will look through all your suggestions! And thank you to everyone who PM'ed me with info! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!:D

[bvanpeltsw]

if u in to shopping u should sign urself up at topbutton.com before u come to nyc, cuz they had some sample sale that dkny,lv,guess,polo.......... and more 60-80% off the org price, 3 months ago i got a LV bag that sell for $800 got it for 140+tx, so check it out and have fun in nyc. let us no if u got any good if u do go

Thanks for the info! I am excited to buy some purses!;)

[leopat1010]

Hi,

I travel to NYC often for business myself and can suggest a couple of places to eat.
1) Bubba Gumps in Times Square if you like character and fried seafood. It's a definite tourist place but it's fun. Ask for a window seat and watch the action in Times Square. http://www.bubbagump.com/
2) Pigalle (French) 790 8th Ave. @ 48th St. This place is very casual. Jeans are more than ok. They have the very BEST scallops I have ever eaten. I believe the scallops were $19.00 which is reasonable for NYC. The Creme Brulee for dessert - oo la la! http://www.pigallenyc.com/
3) Dongiovanni (Italian) I went to the Downtown Location at 358 W 44th St.
Btwn 8th & 9th Ave. Very casual. It's historic because I believe it was the 1st Comedy Club in NYC many years ago. Very good food and reasonable prices. http://www.dongiovanni-ny.com/downtown_location.htm.
4)John Barry's (American) Great Crab Cake Sandwiches. Can you tell I love seafood??? Their steaks looked great though and they had a very nice bar. 38 W 39th St. http://johnbarrys.com/

If you stay off the main streets you can find really good places for reasonable prices. If you stop in any of the delis be prepared because some of those places serve the biggest sandwiches I have ever seen. I've never been able to finish one.

If you want to know about more expensive places let me know. I've been to those as well but I prefer to leave a restaurant full, not hungrey! Ambience is nice but I'd rather eat. :D

[mkrebecca]

That is cool that you are going to NY. I am going to talk my husband into going there for out 10 year ann. My brother went to a Yankees game and loved it in NY!! Have fun!!

[bvanpeltsw]

You know I am not interested in eating at the fancy places, but more at the touristy places. Everyone's suggestions have been awesome and I greatly appreciate it!:)

[mom2fussbudgets]

Here are some suggestions from my friend:

If you are doing some planning, www.hopstop.com is a great resource (anyone who travels in a big city where it's available will find it very useful. It's extremely accurate. I use it all the time!)

I suggest you order some of the free guides from this site:
http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=11 (http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=11)

As for restaurants, I went out to dinner with my friend Karen to Westside Sushi on 49th and 9th last Thursday night. It was the best I’ve ever had! It was her suggestion as she lives really close, but it’s one of the few places she’ll go. It was pretty inexpensive. They also use real crab, which is sometimes sadly hard to find. Yuck to sea legs…

There is also another neat restaurant close to there called Churrascaria Plataforma. It’s a very highly rated Brazilian BBQ, also very original. You can check it out here:
http://churrascariaplataforma.com/ (http://churrascariaplataforma.com/)

Hope that helps!

[bvanpeltsw]

Here are some suggestions from my friend:

If you are doing some planning, www.hopstop.com is a great resource (anyone who travels in a big city where it's available will find it very useful. It's extremely accurate. I use it all the time!)

I suggest you order some of the free guides from this site:
http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=11 (http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=11)

As for restaurants, I went out to dinner with my friend Karen to Westside Sushi on 49th and 9th last Thursday night. It was the best I’ve ever had! It was her suggestion as she lives really close, but it’s one of the few places she’ll go. It was pretty inexpensive. They also use real crab, which is sometimes sadly hard to find. Yuck to sea legs…

There is also another neat restaurant close to there called Churrascaria Plataforma. It’s a very highly rated Brazilian BBQ, also very original. You can check it out here:
http://churrascariaplataforma.com/ (http://churrascariaplataforma.com/)

Hope that helps!


Thanks for all the help Chris! All of you have great ideas!;)

[bvanpeltsw]

I leave for my trip Sunday! I am pumped!

[Cpogie]

I leave for my trip Sunday! I am pumped!

All packed and ready for fun!! Have a great time!

[bvanpeltsw]

My parents are coming to NY on Tuesday and leaving on Friday.

So far we are going to take a double decker bus tour at night. And there is a 130 store mall across the street from the hotel. I will do that on Sunday night when I get there!

And I am still deciding on how to spend my time....

[bvanpeltsw]

All packed and ready for fun!! Have a great time!

LMAO who said I was packed? I HAVE NOT EVEN STARTED!!!:eek:

[Cpogie]

My parents are coming to NY on Tuesday and leaving on Friday.

So far we are going to take a double decker bus tour at night. And there is a 130 store mall across the street from the hotel. I will do that on Sunday night when I get there!

And I am still deciding on how to spend my time....

Now here is almost every womans dream, a mall within walking distance with 130 stores...........needless to say BUY, BUY, BUY girl!!

Have fun with your parents too, thats going to be a great trip!!

[bvanpeltsw]

I am almost packed and ready to go.

Albert and I have to leave for the airport at 6am and my flight leaves at 8:00am.

I have decided that I am going into the city tomorrow night and eat at Bubba Gump's!:D

I am also going shopping for a knock-off designer purse and a I <3 New York shirt!;)

[Cpogie]

I am almost packed and ready to go.

Albert and I have to leave for the airport at 6am and my flight leaves at 8:00am.

I have decided that I am going into the city tomorrow night and eat at Bubba Gump's!:D

I am also going shopping for a knock-off designer purse and a I <3 New York shirt!;)

I have a Bubba Gump's Shrimp Cookbook.......everything in it looks sooo good, have fun there, and shop till ya drop!!

[bvanpeltsw]

I have a Bubba Gump's Shrimp Cookbook.......everything in it looks sooo good, have fun there, and shop till ya drop!!

Thanks Carol! I am sad about leaving Albert and the animals, but I am excited to see my parents and have a mini vacation!:D

[Cpogie]

Thanks Carol! I am sad about leaving Albert and the animals, but I am excited to see my parents and have a mini vacation!:D

Remember, absence makes the heart grow fonder, Albert will be thrilled to see you when you get home!

[wenclo]

I am almost packed and ready to go.

Albert and I have to leave for the airport at 6am and my flight leaves at 8:00am.

I have decided that I am going into the city tomorrow night and eat at Bubba Gump's!:D

I am also going shopping for a knock-off designer purse and a I <3 New York shirt!;)

knock-off purse chinatown canal street

[mom2fussbudgets]

I am almost packed and ready to go.

Albert and I have to leave for the airport at 6am and my flight leaves at 8:00am.

I have decided that I am going into the city tomorrow night and eat at Bubba Gump's!:D

I am also going shopping for a knock-off designer purse and a I <3 New York shirt!;)

Brandy, I've eaten at the Bubba Gump's in Monterey, CA! It was very good; I do not think you'll be disappointed. :)

Speaking as a former Marine Corps wife, I have to agree with Carol--absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

I'm excited for you! Have fun!

[bvanpeltsw]

Thanks Chris! I was excited to go to the mall across the street from the hotel when I arrive tomorrow. They close at 6pm. BOOOO!!!!:(

I do feel bad about leaving Albert. We have never been apart for more than a night.

[bvanpeltsw]

knock-off purse chinatown canal street

Absolutely! I will definitely be going there!:)

[bvanpeltsw]

Have a great week everyone! I will be back Friday night!:D

[mkrebecca]

So Brandy when are you goin to give us the details of your trip? Glad you are back!!

[mom2fussbudgets]

I would like to hear details as well. :)

[Cpogie]

BRANDY....Details Please...we want to know what you bought, what you ate (so we can drool) in other words we want to know the who, what, where, and when of the trip. I know you have been busy since you came home, so we will wait patiently..1198

[mkrebecca]

well, you might be patient, but I don't know if I can be

[mkrebecca]

Brandy, we are waiting!!!

[bvanpeltsw]

LMAO you guys crack me up!

Ok here it goes....

My flight out of Albuquerque was CANCELLED on Sunday so I had to wait until the next flight at 4pm. I was at the airport from 6am to 4pm. I live an hour away so it would not make sense for Albert to take me home.

I FINALLY get into Chicago and they cannot find a flight for me into NY until Monday. My training starts on Monday so I am PI SSED! Around 7pm, I hear my name on the loudspeaker and I finally have a flight into White Plains.

I get into NY around midnight and catch the shuttle to the hotel. I am exhausted and upset that I did not get to explore the town that night. I was originally scheduled to get into White Plains at 4:30 that day.

I go to training all day Monday and we go to the Melting Pot for dinner that night. There was 32 of us so it took about 3 hours to eat. Another LATE night. Awesome, awesome food though!

On Tuesday my parents arrive while I am in training. There was a HUGE 130 store mall right next door to our hotel and my parents wasted time there until I got back to the hotel. The mall had high end stores such as Louie Vuitton, Coach, etc. They also had a Sephora and an Apple Store which I spent a lot of time in.

That night we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. IT WAS LOVELY! I had steak Diane and salmon. I also had chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake for dessert! Good stuff! We went back to the hotel and I decided to order Juno on TV. Such a great movie!

On Wednesday my parents went into the city while I was at work. I was let out early at 3 so I went on the train to meet them in the city. When I got to the city, I bought a ticket for a double decker bus tour at night. I had a couple hours to waste so we all decided to go to China Town.

China Town was ransacked by the police earlier that week and arrests were made and all the fake purses were taken. There were still vendors though in very shady places, but we still got our knock off purses. I was happy! We also bought a ton of perfume and cologne since it was soooo cheap. I think we had about 5 shopping bags full when we left there.

We made our way over to Times Square (WHiCH I ABSOLUTELY LOVE!!!!) and ate at Bubba Gump's! The food was AWESOME! I had the shrimper's heaven and the tempura shrimp was the best! I also ordered a fancy frozen drink that came in a glass that lights up. I brought the glass home.:)

On the double decker tour, I saw everything. It was such a great experience. I think the absence of the World Trade Center had the biggest effect on me. It was just weird to see an empty spot in the middle of all these huge skyscrapers. I was just saddened and a part of me felt like I was there when the whole thing happened.

I saw the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Trump Towers, where John Lennon was shot, Heath Ledger's old apartment....a ton of very interesting stuff. We even made our way over to Manhattan. Reminds me of something straight from the movie King King. Everything looked so huge and the streets were sooo small. I also saw the place where the Ghostbusters film was made... SO FreaKING COOL!

After the tour we went back to Times Square so I could go to ESPN Zone and buy something for Albert. We also ventured into Planet Hollywood. I think we got home around 2am, lol.:eek:

Thursday was my last day of training and we were done at 3. I hopped on the train and went to the city again. This time we went to Little Italy and looked around. I bought more knock off purses. Man they look like the real thing. I spent about $300 on purses alone.

I wanted to go to the Toys R Us in Times Square so we went back there. That store has a freaking ferris wheel inside of it. It was such a cool store and a kids heaven. Heck I had a great time in there and I am 28.

We also went to Michael Jordan's restaurant which I was NOT impressed with at all. The good was OK, but definitely NOT worth the price.

He ll I was still hungry after we left there and I stopped at a mom and pop pizza place......BEST PIZZA EVER! It is called Two Boots.....GREAT PLACE!

We walked a TON and went to 5th Ave. There was a store there called Espirit that I really wanted to go to. Now I know why I never went to 5th Ave.... TOO EXPENSIVE! I also visited the Bath and Body Works store there just to check it out.

I was sooo impressed with Grand Central Station. There were soo many little shops like a mall and soo much to look it. The ceiling of Grand Central station is beautiful. It is such a busy place and tons of people everywhere.

I LOOOOOVE New York honestly! Everything there is soo expensive though. I even saw an ad on TV for a website that features nothing but jobs that pay $100,000 or more. I have never seen anything like that in my life.

I am going back to visit soon. I am sure I am leaving stuff out, but it was a very enjoyable trip. I could see how someone would want to go to NYC and visit for at least 2 weeks. It would probably take that long just to see everything.:)

[2550]

New York, New York...so nice, they named it twice!!! Glad you enjoyed our city, come back soon!

[mom2fussbudgets]

Brandy, thanks so much for taking the time to tell us about your trip! I enjoyed hearing about immensely.

Isn't The Melting Pot the best? We went there in August, and it took us three hours to eat there as well (five of us). It's not just a meal, it's an experience! :)

[Cpogie]

Brandy, thanks for the update on your trip, I'm so glad you had a great time!

[mood4amelody]

I didn't post anything before you went because I was only in NY once when I was about 7, so .... no help here. I so enjoyed reading your travelogue though! I kind of got a little "visual tour" when I read it! Awesome! It sounds like a great trip, except the delay. Blechh! lol

[mom2fussbudgets]

Yeah, I hate it when that happens! A few years ago, I flew to VA to attend my niece's high school graduation. My plane was delayed here in Tulsa, so I missed my flight out of Memphis. I had to spend the night in Memphis alone! I hated it! My niece's graduation was the next day. My BIL met me outside the airport with the car running. We made it to the graduation right when the graduates started walking in!

That was the trip from hell, LOL! When I got to my hotel room that night, I discovered my face powder had busted open all over my clothes. The next morning, I sat down in a chair at the airport, caught my slacks on the armrest (missing pad), and ripped my pants open from butt to knee. Fortunately, I didn't check my luggage, so I was able to change. I had to wear jeans to the graduation though!

[mkrebecca]

Brandy, thanks for sharing, sounds like you had a great time! I would love to go to NY! One day I will make the trip, I sure it will be after my kids are grown, but I will go there one day!! I am glad you had fun.

[shopsforsix]

Thanks for sharing the experience! I haven't been since I was about 10! I'm going back this summer, now 42, to visit my niece and I get to go alone!!! No children! I can't wait to check out some of the things you did. Let me know if there's something that you didn't get to do but wanted to!! Maybe I'll have a chance!!! Glad you made it home safely!!

[bvanpeltsw]

Brandy, thanks so much for taking the time to tell us about your trip! I enjoyed hearing about immensely.

Isn't The Melting Pot the best? We went there in August, and it took us three hours to eat there as well (five of us). It's not just a meal, it's an experience! :)

I loooove the Melting Pot! I ate sooo much and probably could've ate more!:eek:

[bvanpeltsw]

I didn't post anything before you went because I was only in NY once when I was about 7, so .... no help here. I so enjoyed reading your travelogue though! I kind of got a little "visual tour" when I read it! Awesome! It sounds like a great trip, except the delay. Blechh! lol

I had a WONDERFUL time, but my mom nagged me A LOT. She was always like BUTTON UP YOUR JACKET OR PUT YOUR HAT ON....

lol my mom still thinks I am 9.:o

[mood4amelody]

I had a WONDERFUL time, but my mom nagged me A LOT. She was always like BUTTON UP YOUR JACKET OR PUT YOUR HAT ON....

lol my mom still thinks I am 9.:o

You poor thing! That is just too cute! lol You're mom still wants to take care of "her little girl". :o

[leopat1010]

If you ever have the chance go to NYC during the Christmas holidays. It's wonderful. The 1st time I ever went during the holidays was in 2006 and I was like a kid in a candy store. I loved the lights and the window displays. My husband got a kick out of how I was entralled with Macy's windows. I couldn't help it. Bryant Park had all kinds of people selling super stuff in little booths, the Christmas tree was HUGE. The hotels are very expensive during the holiday season but if you plan it right it's affordable and well worth the experience.

Glad you liked Bubba Gump!

[bvanpeltsw]

If you ever have the chance go to NYC during the Christmas holidays. It's wonderful. The 1st time I ever went during the holidays was in 2006 and I was like a kid in a candy store. I loved the lights and the window displays. My husband got a kick out of how I was entralled with Macy's windows. I couldn't help it. Bryant Park had all kinds of people selling super stuff in little booths, the Christmas tree was HUGE. The hotels are very expensive during the holiday season but if you plan it right it's affordable and well worth the experience.

Glad you liked Bubba Gump!

I had a great time, thanks! I would love to visit NC during the holidays. I cannot even imagine how much the hotel rooms cost during that time.:eek:

[rebate queen]

I've been a lurker on this thread-loved reading about New York and hearing about your trip Brandy.:) Not sure if I'll ever go to the city--this is where my "new man" is from. Unfortunately, he's got a lot of bad memories of the city:( He grew up in the projects and was the victim of more than a couple crimes. He finally got away from there in his teens and swore he'd never go back.

[sugarlamb]

I wish I saw this before your trip. I live about 35 minutes away from the city, but I don't get there often. But for the future for you or anyone else:
- backstage tour of Radio City Music Hall
- backstage tour of Madison Square Garden
- Madame Taussaud's Wax Museum
- Museum of Natural History & the Planetarium
- Plan ahead and try to get tickets for a studio audience for something like Martha Stewart
- Central Park - go to Central Park Zoo
- Mariott Marquis - go to the restaurant on the top that moves in a circle so you can see all the views. I did this years ago. Pretty cool!
I'm sure I can think of more!