Holidays Before the Wedding...

[stewby]

Well... I didn't really know what else to call it to be honest which is pretty naughty cause it means that it mentions weddings yet is still in the off-topic section where weddings are not supposed to be mentioned. Sorry if I have confused anyone else.


Basically, OH and I have decided to skip our usual music festival next year and instead put the money towards a holiday.
We are heading to New York for five days and I am very very very excited.

So... two questions for everyone here:

1) Does anyone have any suggestions, information, etc about New York??


2) Does anyone else have any holidays planned, not including that very special holiday that happens very rarely in a lifetime.


Hugs to everyone.

[stb]

Hi, my parents have lived there for over a decade so know it pretty well.

My main tourist pointers are:

Go up Rockafeller, not empire state as i you'll get the view of ES from RC.

DON'T do a horse and carriage ride around central park, it's cruel. Sorry, just my thoughts.

Get the staten island ferry for a view of Lady Liberty, unless you want to go to Ellis Island etc, it's a commuter ferry so very cheap.

Walk from Union Square down Broadway for good shopping trail, you'll get all the main stores like Victorias secret/sephora/lululemon etc.

Duane Reade for all your drugstore cheap make up needs - look out for coupons!

Bloomingdales over Macy's - Macy's is a bit mental.

A walk around downtown, west village etc is all about getting a little lost and exploring bars and cafes off the beaten track.

It's unlikely you'll be in our neighbourhood (upper east side) you'll probably only go as far up as E59th street to bloomingdales, Serendipity is around here on E60th street and it's where you get the famous frozen hot chocolate, always a huge line though but it's a hit with celebs and the waiter's are hilariously disinterested.

Don't eat out in Times Square, you're missing out on what NYC has to offer. Don't go to international chains and please don't go to bubba gump shrimp! If you are in the times square area, there's a great restaurant called Becco on W46th street, white linen and very elegant but they do a great meal. Basically it's $20 for a starter of either antipasti or ceaser salad and the waiters walk around serving pasta from silver platters, there are three varieties. Yum!

Canollis in little Italy are mandatory.

Deal with the queue for Soup buns at Joes Shanghai in Chinatown

A walk along the high line is really lovely and you'll see lots of great street art. Make sure you get lunch at Chelsea Piers right by it

Eat lots of pancakes but get yourself some crunchy french toast. So gooooood.

An afternoon at Cony Island in Brooklyn is a lot of fun, bit of a pain to get to but very kitsch and the hotdogs are famous

A rowboat around central park is always fun

If you get your nails done tip at least 20%, these women work long hours and the NY Times recently did a report on their poor wages and working conditions. A cheap manicure comes with a price.

So mainly, food ideas, sorry I haven't done the tourist trail since I went there for the first time but you'll love the shopping, food, the spirit of the city.

Enjoy!

[AFx]

I loved NYC Stewby and i'm dying to go back!! Was hoping to go back this winter but maybe next year i'll be lucky.
I've only visited as a tourist so maybe wont be as helpful as Stb...
I second the Rockefeller - much better than the Empire State. We went up at 9pm so we were able to see the ESB all lit up - just beautiful.
If your into your musicals/music go to Ellen's Stardust Diner - i LOVE musicals so this was my favourite! Singing waiters and cheesecake, what more could you want?!
Try and walk every where, we came across so much more by avoiding the subway.

I'm so jealous!! x

[MissGlou]

Hi Stewby

I am so jealous of your holiday, I am only recent back from honeymoon where we spent 3 days in New York, was my first time there and I absolutely loved it!

I will third the point on the Empire State Building we went up, and the views were good but there was a lot of faffing around to actually get to the top - we went to freedom tower which I preferred (although your not actually outside) but it's much more peaceful and less crazy than the Empire State Building!

We loved the high line, was so nice!

We also did the Staten Island ferry, and stayed over there for lunch which was a nice change of scenery!

A lot of our sight seeing was just walking around places and coming across other things which was fun!

We did plan out what were the key things we wanted to do most days so we would know what area of the city we were heading to, plus we wanted to make the most of the time we had there since it was so limited!

We also went to see a show on Broadway, which was amazing! Xx


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[abbieross]

Hope you have a fab time in NYC! Hope to go there soon! H2B and I were planning on going next year actually for 4 nights then onto Florida (our fave hol ever) but after the proposal we realised we couldn't afford it all! But I couldn't let go of going to Florida so we booked as soon as we got home from Lanza (where he proposed) and decided to wait just a bit longer for the wedding to give us time to save!! Xx


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[Travel Counsellors]

Hi
Don't know if you've been yet, I can't see your dates, but if you've not (or if you have and others see this and are still to Travel)
then hopefully you'll enjoy the following tips too

Take in a show or Musical on Broadway - Top tip for buying low prices tickets - Check out the TKTS booths in Times Square.

If you love Flea Markets head for Hells Kitchen on Fifth Avenue on a Sat or Sunday for fab bargains!

NBC Studios Tour - def a great tour to do if you like TV, production and a chance to get involved. You can also try and get free tickets for the Saturday Night Live show if you are there at the right time. Here is the link! http://www.nbc.com/tickets-and-nbc-studio-tour

Check out the Wine tasting or Craft Beer tours available.

You can take the usual Ferries cheaply but if you want something special there are Champagne Dinner Cruises and lots of different 'Foodie' sailing such as Chocolate and Whiskey, Cheese & Wine Tasting, Sushi and Sake to name a few!

Sex and the City Hotspots Tour if you are a fan, I hear it's great fun!

Niagara Falls Day Trip by Air (I have done a number of these for customers and they all loved it!). In some cases their guests contributed towards all their excursions using the Bridal registry I set up). But it's not just Honeymooners that book it! It's fun for all :-)

A Bicycle trip on the Brooklyn Bridge and around Lower Manhattan is also a great way to see the sights. The area is rich in architectural, historical and cultural beauty.

Visit Little Italy in the Bronx!! It's a really vibrant neighbourhood, home to an abundance of bakeries, butchers, fish markets and more.

You can also do Day Trips to Washington, Boston or Philadelphia and Amish Country.

Soo much to do!!! Much more too, hopefully this helps give some ideas!!!

I'd be more than happy to help arrange some too if you want to PM me!
Mx