Help with U.S Itinerary

Just starting to work on an itinerary for a planned trip to the States around April next year. Hoping to spend 7-10 days in New York and then head across to L.A to raid Alan Weinberg and Jerry Hey’s cellars, then fly up to Vancouver to make sure Blair Curtis is behaving himself. I have a few questions:

Where should we base ourselves in New York? Will be travelling with two children and my Cousin who helps look after them and would like to rent a 3 bedroom apartment somewhere.

What are the must visit places in N.Y (everything from Street food right up to fancy pants dining)?

What web sites do you recommend to book domestic air travel?

What is the alarm code on Alan Weinberg’s cellar?

Many thanks in Advance.

Jeremy

La Tache on Alans cellar and Virgin America is hard to beat. I would think Per Se would qualify as fancy pants but be sure to bring plenty of $$$. I like Babbo a lot but I am sure the NY contingent will chime in.

Jeremy,

There really is a ton of NYC info if you search prior threads and so much can change between now and next April, but here are a few quick thoughts.

No trip to America is complete without a proper burger so consider Shake Shack & Minetta Tavern in NYC & Father’s office in LA along with any other suggestions that pop up between now & then.

The first timeless classic that comes to mind in NYC is Peter Luger’s.

I would suggest a trip to Arthur Ave in the Bronx for the Italian-American experience.

For ‘street food’ perhaps Middle Eastern, there are some great falafel spots all around lower Manhattan through midtown.

I’m sure you will end up with more than enough info.

Jeremy, whatever you do, check this site for prices / connections, etc. http://matrix.itasoftware.com

Happy travels!

Jeremy, I certainly hope you’ll consider a stop in DC before you head to California. Washington’s easy to get to from NYC on the train, there’s plenty to do here from a sightseeing standpoint, and the DC winos would be delighted to organize a fine OL for you!

You can use the sites like T-bone posted above or www.kayak.com to find less expensive fare but always book directly with the airlines via their website.

You could always stop in Chicago on your way to LA plenty of great places to eat here.

George

George’s airline advice is absolutely correct. I use Kayak to get a sense of cost and availability, but very, very rarely book through that site these days–usually find something better or just as good on the airline’s own website.

I agree that the major flaw I saw in the itinerary was missing DC. Esp. with kids. But, also the winos in DC are a much friendlier group than those in NY or LA.

In NYC, you might stay around Time Square. Great area to walk around at night, but very crowded. Not sure about renting apartments around there, however.

Some interesting things to see in NYC that you might not be thinking about are (1) Ellis Island, where immigrants to the US first went, and (2) Immigration Museum NYC | Tenement Museum

Also, depending on when you are in NYC, you probably should go to a baseball game and see the NY Yankees.

Or, if you change your trip to late February, you can go to this: http://www.lapaulee.com/index.php

You cannot see these in NY or LA:

https://www.google.com/search?q=washington+dc+capitol&tbm=isch&imgil=-w2XWErLlrKxLM%253A%253BQH86V3alWF9V0M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fdcparking.org%25252F&source=iu&usg=__sn8V4ncz34N1Ry1DJw4ZXmJ2rnI%3D&sa=X&ei=BEL7U7zqD5eAygSxyoHwBg&sqi=2&ved=0CDoQ9QEwAg&biw=1920&bih=931#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=-w2XWErLlrKxLM%253A%3BQH86V3alWF9V0M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fdcparking.org%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2012%252F12%252Fwashington-dc-monthly-parking1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fdcparking.org%252F%3B1600%3B1200

https://www.google.com/search?q=washington+DC+white+house&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=PkL7U57QNMf2yQTiioKADw&ved=0CEsQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=931

https://www.google.com/search?q=washington+dc+lincoln+memorial&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=XkL7U7TVCI6vyASxh4GIAw&sqi=2&ved=0CCYQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=931

You should think about flying through Tampa at some point in the trip to hit Bern’s.
I have a feeling you could have an epic night there …

In NYC, it’s very easy to get around by subway, particularly in Manhattan. I recommend you get a subway map – I have an app for my phone called NYSV Pro, which was very helpful.

NYC has a lot of fantastic museums. I highly recommend the Frick Collection (http://www.frick.org/). Frick was an American industrialist who donated his home, furniture and art collection to the city and it’s preserved as a museum. A really interesting look at how the top 1% of the 1% of the 1% lived.

Other museums to visit: The Metropolitan and MoMA (although museum this gets VERY crowded). Skip the Guggenheim.

Schedule a Berserker Fest in NYC, meet of the locals that are on WB.

Jeremy, as Brent mentioned, there are tons of threads about where to eat on WB.

As for places to stay, I would stay AWAY from Times Square. It’s a tourist trap nightmare, loud, and with no redeeming qualities that I am aware of. I say this as a native New Yorker. If you really must, walk quickly through it, throw up, then go somewhere and take a shower.

You are coming with family, so stay in family-friendly areas and use the subway/buses/taxis to get around. Don’t forget those two flat things at the bottom of your legs: your feet. This is a walking town, so bring good shoes. The best way to experience the city is to walk it. Upper East/West Sides come to mind, as there are tons of cheaper apartments to rent in those areas (all relative of course, this is NYC after all), and you’re right by Central Park and the Hudson Riverpark. There are also good food/wine stores there should you want to stay in and cook. Tribeca is still pretty good, but avoid the Meatpacking District (very drunkenly loud on weekends), and parts of the East Village might be a bit much at night for kids (good for us, however). The Financial District and Battery Park might be tempting but again can be a bit of a hike depending on where you end up.

Things to see are all the museums of course, the Highline Park (do NOT miss this or I will warn Alan that you are going to sneak into his cellar), walking the Brooklyn Bridge (heck apparently anyone can also climb it, but you might want to avoid that), and exploring parts of Brooklyn. Don’t miss the other boroughs like Queens (great Greek food, some awesome Thai) and Staten Island for, of all things, Sri Lankan food. Do the free ferry to Staten Island even if you don’t explore the island, you will literally be looking up the Statue of Liberty’s skirt. Central Park, the Hudson Riverpark, the East Village, the West Village, the Meatpacking District on a weekday, Chelsea Market, Union Square Greenmarket, the list goes on and on. It really depends on what you and the family want to see and have time to do.

BTW, what airport are you landing at? This is important, as we shamefully do not have a direct public transportation system to them. You’ll be stuck taking cabs from JFK/Laguardia, and rail if they fix the train to Newark or shuttle bus.

Lastly, please reach out directly via PM if you want a New Yorker’s views of areas you are thinking of staying in. I’d be happy to help out. And please reach out should you wish to meet up for a Burgundy or three.
Cheers!

Amen, Brother!!!

But if you stay away from Times Square, how are you going to take a picture with a superhero?

Corey’s app is good for beginners but if you want total trip times and estimated arrival times on all lines I suggest Embark NYC. Michel is correct, I’m not sure how much you’re used to walking but expect to do quite a bit of it when you’re in town. Out of town friends & family affectionately call my daylong walking tours of NYC or Boston ‘the death march.’

I know nothing about short term rentals but I would suggest anything below 59th street just to maximize your ease to/from multiple subway lines and proximity to the highest concentration of dining & shopping. Also, make sure to check any ‘deals’ for potential glitches. For example, I was going to suggest the east side, say 2nd Ave to Park Ave from the 20’s to the 50’s, but the big glitch there is you don’t want to be around 2nd Ave from 32nd to 44th because you have the midtown tunnel at 34th which is noisy and traffic, and the UN in the low 40’s, which is not bustling with activity in April but can be congested if something is happening.

Since I didn’t mention any museums, let me toss in the NYHS museum http://www.nyhistory.org/ which is right next to the Museum of Natural History on the west side for a unique local take.

Also The Cloisters is not to be missed, great views of the Hudson and the cliffs on the Jersey side.

My shop is in Washington Heights some 20 blocks and 3-4 subway stops south, it’s not as scary/dangerous to get to/from there as some folks might think.

I didn’t mention Asian food because I figured you probably get plenty of that in Oz, but perhaps something different might be the broad options for Korean food we have here both in Manhattan and Queens.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. We are certainly avid walkers and probably clock up 6-10 miles a day when in Paris so hitting the pavement is not a problem for us. Also we generally embrace the metro/train system in any major city we visit.

Definitely agree on avoiding Times Square. I’m not sure I’d recommend the Upper East and West Sides for tourists, as except for a handful of museums it’s farther away from most of what tourists will want to do, and going cross-town from either side is a PITA involving multiple subway transfers. I think somewhere around the Union Square area would be ideal.

It’s not quite correct that there is no public transit to the airports. JFK has the airtrain which links up with the subway system and EWR has an airtrain that links to PATH and NJ Transit. LGA has no direct train links but does have bus connections. It is true that all of them require schlepping luggage through multiple annoying transfers and up and down stairs in train stations. For five people with two weeks worth of luggage, you’re probably best off taking a cab. I highly recommend downloading and using the Uber app instead of taxis for airport pickups.

As far as museums go, the obvious two are the Met and the Museum of Natural History. The Met is kind of New York’s answer to the Louvre or the British Museum – it’s the obvious one to go to, so everyone does and it’s almost a cliche, but there’s a reason it’s the obvious one. It can’t be fully experienced in a single afternoon, so it’s better to pick two or three exhibits and fully take them in than to try to see everything. In addition to the more traditional art collections, the Arms and Armor exhibit and the Musical Instruments exhibit are particularly good. Crowds shouldn’t be too bad during the weekdays since it’s not high tourist season. The Museum of National History is a lot of fun for kids. They have a famous collection of dinosaur skeletons, I think maybe the largest in the world.

Restaurants have been well covered in other threads. For non-restaurant food things to do, there are a few things not to miss, of which the most important are probably pizza, pastrami, and bagels.

For pizza, there are now two main “schools” that you have to consider: the traditional New York pie (a large pie with a very thin crust, often sold by the slice) and the Neapolitan style (smaller pie with a thicker, chewier crust, usually made with imported Italian ingredients, never sold by the slice). Both can be excellent. Here are a couple good guides to NYC pizza:
http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2014/02/how-to-find-and-order-great-pizza-in-new-york.html

For pastrami, I think Katz’s deli on East Houston St. is the best, but not everyone agrees with me.

Good bagels are sadly a dying art form, and there are more mediocre bagels than genuinely good ones these days. Murray’s is very good. A good bagel should be accompanied by various kinds of smoked fish, for which Russ and Daughters (conveniently down the street from Katz’s Deli) is the most famous source.

FIFY

The MoMA has phenomenal art work, but it is extremely crowded, which makes a visit a bit less pleasurable.

If you’re going with your family to MoMA, you might consider getting a membership (not that much more than buying tickets, IIRC) ahead of your visit, which gets you in an hour before the masses.