BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi, I'm going back to NY with my Mom in June...staying in Carlstadt at a cheap Hampton Inn. Fortunately there's a bus that can get you into downtown for about 3 smackers.

Just looking for ideas for "off-the-beaten-path" things to do. My mom loves shopping...I love touristy joints.

Thanks!

Ok- here are a few things to see.

1. Soho. It has great art galleries, lots of trendy things.

2. Liberty Island, Ellis Island. I'd go for Ellis Island myself. Everyone I've talked to has found it fascinating, as I did. You can see the statue of Liberty from the ferry to Ellis Island, and having been inside it when one was allowed to walk to the crown, I can tell you this:

The outside is more impressive than the inside.

The best part about the inside is the view one USED to get from the crown, but can now only get from the observation platform. One sees how the copper plates were formed and put onto the scaffold. Its very interesting if you like construction details.

You can do both on the same day, but leave a lot more time for Ellis Island. If you decide to go, you need to get a Time pass either on the internet before you leave, or at the booth. If you go to the booth, go very early, because when I arrived at 1pm, they were out of time passes for Liberty Island, which actually let you INSIDE the statue and to the observation deck. Otherwise you stand outside the statue without a way in.

The ferry ride itself is worth the price.

3. The American Museum of Natural Science. It's incredible. One city blocks worth of exhibits, including an exhibit of scale of largeness. It's an eye-opener to say the least.

4. The Museum of Modern Art. Its worth the 20 dollars if you like Modern art.

5. The Met> That's nearly free, since its by suggested donation, and its collections can dazzle me for days.

6. Theres great pizza in NYC. Not sure where the best is. A little internet search can help.

7. Chinatown. If you haven't been to one, its fascinating. if you have, its bigger than most. Bring a map, that area is a maze of streets, and 3/4 of the people there don't or won't speak English.

8. Fifth Avenue. It's pretty impressive.

9. Movies. They have a huge selection, more than pretty much anywhere else in the world.

10. 42nd street at night. Pretty cool, and free to see.

11. Broadway shows. If you go to the TKTS booth on the same day as the show, and are flexible, you can get half price tickets. theres a booth on 42nd street, and there used to be one by Wall street. Not sure if its still there.

12. The 9/11 hole. Well, some people are impressed by the negativity of its presence, and some people think its just a big basement without a building attached to it. I guess it depends on perspective. Its free so far, so enjoy. When they put in the real 9/11 memorial, they'll probably charge you to see a model of the hole.

13. By what used to be the Fulton Fish Market, and what is now a shopping mall, you can get a killer view of the Brooklyn Bridge. Its near Chinatown, if you feel like walking to it. There are some nice restaurants there too, if you feel like eating on the Hudson river. No idea on their quality.

On TV theres a show called 9.99, and they have a show on how to see New York for 9.99 a day. It has great tips.

Is that enough?

All over Chinatown is great for shopping (and eating). Check out Pearl River (the Chinatown department store that's really in Soho, but still cheap):

Pearl River
477 Broadway
Betw Grand and Broome Sts.
http://www.pearlriver.com/v2/index.html

Also around Soho, up and down Broadway has become like a mall. Slightly obnoxious, but good for shoppers -- H&M, Banana Republic, Steve Madden, etc. Lots of shoe stores. There's also a flea market a couple blocks south of Pearl River on Broadway.

I love the MoMA Design Store, some cool stuff there. Some of it is reasonably priced.

MoMA Design Store, Soho
81 Spring Street (off Crosby?)
(646) 613-1367
Monday–Saturday 11:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.

Visit the Soho location for a diverse selection of design objects and gifts from classic twentieth-century designers and today's brightest design talent. On the lower level, browse an extensive collection of architecture and design books and discover MUJI@MoMA, New York's only source for MUJI's simple, inventive, and well-designed daily objects.


The Housing Works Book Store is also in the area and great for bargains (used books & cds), or a place to sit down and have coffee. Pretty space. And all their proceeds go to fight homelessness and AIDS.

http://www.housingworksbookstore.org/


For bargain books, it's hard to top the famous Strand Bookstore , towards Union Square. They have used and new books, calendars, all sorts of things. Great for bargains on art books. They're worth a visit just because the store is so big.

http://www.strandbooks.com/home/


There's a chocolatier in Soho I like a lot, a young woman named Kee runs her own place and she's doing a lot of business in her tiny store. Her items are divine (creme brulee, lemon-basil, cappuccino, green tea, passion fruit, droool), and compared to the other high end chocolatiers in NY, she's cheaper:

Kee's Chocolate Garden
Thompson Street
(I don't know the number but it's across the street from 79 Thompson)
betw Spring and Prince

I also recommend Jacque Torres on Hudson St. Delicious.
http://www.mrchocolate.com/default.aspx



The East Village has some great young clothing designers. 9th Street between 1st Ave and Ave B has some nice shops, and some of the blocks in that vicinity too. Back towards Soho/Chinatown, Nolita also has some nice clothing/jewelry designers too, walk Mulberry, Mott, Elizabeth for a couple blocks below Houston. Not cheap at all, but fun to see the styles.


I'm not good at picking touristy hangouts. I gave HNISC a list of places to eat & some tourist stuff, if this is helpful:
http://boards.bootsnall.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/940098755/m/17700882316


Have fun!

WOW! Thanks a bunch...I am keeping these tips.

I almost forgot....

You should go have bubble tea with your mom in Chinatown. It's milky tea with big chewey pearl tapiocas in it, hot or cold. If you get it cold, you get to suck up the pearl tapiocas through a big colorful straw.

Not everyone likes it at first, but go for the experience! The Hong Kong pop music and the teenage Asian hipsters and the fried cuttlefish ball snacks!

I like the Green Tea Cafe best:
45 Mott Street (a few blocks south of Canal, between Bayard and Pell).

My favorite flavors are sesame, almond, & coconut. And you have to try the condensed milk toast, it rocks.

I just thought of this:

12: The Cloisters. It used to be in a really bad part of Central park, but I hear they cleaned it up. Ask around. it may still be best to take a cab there. its a Medieval monastery building brought to the USA by the Hearsts, or the Rockefellers. It was given to the City of New York as an adjuct to the Met.It is incredible.

13: Central park. Its really great, and free to see! it means walking a bit, but its like a nature reserve in the middle of a huge city, and the atmosphere is fantastic. You can even see some great sculptures, including an Homage to Lois carrolls Alice in Wonderland, and the Imagine memorial to John lennon. The memorial space is a lot more moving than I thought it would be. It moved me.

It has a lake, and one can row about for a fee. naturally, theres a half-ritzy restaurant BY the lake, and a castle like structure that is now used as a weather station.

Its a great place to unwind from running around seeing things. Make sure you exit the place before it gets dark for safety.