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part of the reason I wanted to find some type of guided tour: so that we would be in the hands of seasoned experts of the area, you know?
Well, calling them "seasoned experts" might be giving them all a little too much credit. Tour guides do have to pass a test in NYC, but anyone can study for it and be able to do it. The sheer volume of sights in that tour means seeing a little, hearing a little, but not really experiencing the city well enough.
You want to see NYC with real Noo Yawkas? Check out Big Apple Greeters. Their tours are personalized to what you want and conducted by knowledgeable volunteers. Being a group of volunteers, they are struggling with expenses right now and really need the support -- but their tour guides can't be beat!
Edit: Oh, just read the post where you nixed that suggestion.
For a museum, you might want to check out the Met, where you can give any amount as a donation. and it's in Central Park. There are also tons of interesting smaller museums in the city, like the New York Historical Society, the NYC Police Museum near the Seaport, and the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Don't limit yourself to all the big touristy places. Since you plan to be in lower Manhattan, why not check out the Skyscraper Museum, which is small but pretty cool if you like architecture. This one isn't a small museum, but Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian is down in lower Manhattan, too. I'd much rather go there than Ground Zero (I hate that the old WTC is a tourist site now, with people selling pictures of the twin towers on the sidewalks).
I have a private tour guide for the NYC trip scheduled for Monday August 2nd. Below is a summarized itinerary which we are considering. Let me know if there are any glaring abnormalities or issues with our plan thus far:
Board the Seastreak ferry in Atlantic Highlands, NJ at 7am and arrive at East 35th St. in Manhattan at 8am.
Bus or cab to Central Park and see some of the south end landmarks since not everything is open yet. Maybe take a carriage ride!
Take a short walk to the Plaza Hotel, the Apple store and FAO Schwartz.
Continue down Fifth Ave. and pass all the famous high end stores like Saks, Bendel's, Tiffany's, Cartier & Bergdorf.
Pass by Trump Tower, St. Patricks Cathedral then Rockefeller Center to see NBC's the Today Show studios.
Short walk to the NY Public Library/Bryant Park where fashion week is held.
Tour Empire State building (purchasing tickets in advance).
Lunch break before heading to Times Square, or have lunch in Times Square.
Consider taking a boat tour (up to 2hrs) on The Circle Line.
Take a subway downtown and visit Wall Street and Ground Zero.
Go further south and see the Statue of Liberty if the Seastreak doesn't make a good pass of it on our original arrival.
We can then head back uptown toward the Bowery Ballroom and Lomabardi's pizza is nearby.
The last Seastreak leaves Pier 11 which is closer to downtown leaves at 10:00pm, we take this back to Atlantic Highlands for a 10:50pm arrival.
Here's a map we can use which I pulled from a comparable tour companies' itinerary online:
From Ocean Grove, drive to the ferry in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. The ferry is enjoyable (especially in nice weather), not crowded, and it will cruise directly past the Statue of Liberty up close, so you'll be able to cross that off your list. Approaching NYC by water, especially if this is your first time, will be dramatic and quite honestly something that you'll always remember.
I have a private tour guide for the NYC trip scheduled for Monday August 2nd. Below is a summarized itinerary which we are considering. Let me know if there are any glaring abnormalities or issues with our plan thus far:
Board the Seastreak ferry in Atlantic Highlands, NJ at 7am and arrive at East 35th St. in Manhattan at 8am.
Bus or cab to Central Park and see some of the south end landmarks since not everything is open yet. Maybe take a carriage ride!
Take a short walk to the Plaza Hotel, the Apple store and FAO Schwartz.
Continue down Fifth Ave. and pass all the famous high end stores like Saks, Bendel's, Tiffany's, Cartier & Bergdorf.
Pass by Trump Tower, St. Patricks Cathedral then Rockefeller Center to see NBC's the Today Show studios.
Short walk to the NY Public Library/Bryant Park where fashion week is held.
Tour Empire State building (purchasing tickets in advance).
Lunch break before heading to Times Square, or have lunch in Times Square.
Consider taking a boat tour (up to 2hrs) on The Circle Line.
Take a subway downtown and visit Wall Street and Ground Zero.
Go further south and see the Statue of Liberty if the Seastreak doesn't make a good pass of it on our original arrival.
We can then head back uptown toward the Bowery Ballroom and Lomabardi's pizza is nearby.
The last Seastreak leaves Pier 11 which is closer to downtown leaves at 10:00pm, we take this back to Atlantic Highlands for a 10:50pm arrival.
Here's a map we can use which I pulled from a comparable tour companies' itinerary online:
Thanks for your input all, looks like we're going to have a great time!
idk if this is your first time but Times Square is best experienced at night for the first time
idk if this is your first time but Times Square is best experienced at night for the first time
It is; and agreed! I will definitely try to go back at night and see Times Square. We may not end up going to the Bowdry to end the night, so a stop in Times Square may be possible, as long as we make it back to Pier 11 by 10:00pm to catch the ferry home we'll be set!
reako your enthusiam is so nice to hear! I just want to add that the itinerary is very good but time wise I can't imagine it!
For example,when I went to The Empire State Building's observation deck last year just waiting for the elevator,both up and down,took maybe about 20 minutes each way.
So right there that's 40 minutes of the time in NY you have. Completely worth it! But just as a small example that it may be good to have a plan that doesn't include,say,2 things you thought you'd be able to see. Maybe you can know what 1 or 2 sights that would be ahead of time so it's not overwhelming while you're here.
I'm born,bred and live here for 52 years and it still can overwhelm me at times depending on where I need to be-- and cannot for the life of me get there in time,even if it's just crosstown--ha!
From Ocean Grove, drive to the ferry in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. The ferry is enjoyable (especially in nice weather), not crowded, and it will cruise directly past the Statue of Liberty up close, so you'll be able to cross that off your list. Approaching NYC by water, especially if this is your first time, will be dramatic and quite honestly something that you'll always remember.
That's exactly what we're doing! I was wonder how close it would get to the Statue of Liberty, thanks! Depending on exactly how much we get to see from the ferry comming in, we were going to debate whether or not to take an addition 2 hour cruise through the area.
reako your enthusiam is so nice to hear! I just want to add that the itinerary is very good but time wise I can't imagine it!
For example,when I went to The Empire State Building's observation deck last year just waiting for the elevator,both up and down,took maybe about 20 minutes each way.
So right there that's 40 minutes of the time in NY you have. Completely worth it! But just as a small example that it may be good to have a plan that doesn't include,say,2 things you thought you'd be able to see. Maybe you can know what 1 or 2 sights that would be ahead of time so it's not overwhelming while you're here.
I'm born,bred and live here for 52 years and it still can overwhelm me at times depending on where I need to be-- and cannot for the life of me get there in time,even if it's just crosstown--ha!
All good! Actually 40 minutes is not that bad! I made a slight change to the itinerary where the first thing we do is go to the Empire State Building at around 9am. This time is supposed to have the least wait; earlier the better.
I may even consider the Top of The Rock instead of the Empire State Building, depending on our time constraints.
Gotta' say I'd chose The Empire State Building because -well- it's The Empire State Building!!!
The Seabreeze will be great and I think you'll be seeing the beautiful suspension bridge,The Verrazano,Brooklyn's shoreline,cyclists riding along Shore Road. Heading to Manhattan the wonderful Statue of Liberty! Wow,have a great time!
Plus we don't want to get all sweaty and have to change in the middle of our day trip.
You're planning on walking around NYC for a day in August and don't want to get sweaty? Good luck! I hope we're not having typical NYC heat/humidity or -- worse -- the kind of weather we've had for most of this past near-record hot July.
Your itinerary makes logistical sense, but I still feel like you're jamming so much in that you won't be able to enjoy what you're seeing while you're there. If you find yourself pressed to get to the next attraction, I'd suggest you knock something off your agenda.
If you want to enjoy a meal in Chinatown (where it IS easy to get lost), don't plan to go there before theater. It's a schlep from midtown and back. I'd recommend Joe Allen's for a good, standard American meal near the theater district. Chinatown is in lower Manhattan, about a half mile (maybe less) north of City Hall, so if you want a meal there, make it lunch before heading up to midtown.
Make sure you check NJ Transit schedules, because the late trains are few and far between. Depending on where you're staying in Ocean Grove, you'll use either the Asbury Park or Bradley Beach station. The trip is about 1 3/4 hours on an spartan commuter train.
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