trekkie

hi all,

m planning to visit new york in a transit. i won't be carrying any checked-in baggage and my flight arrives at 9 am and leaves at 8.30pm. AA flights.
im meeting a friend in town and was wondering if bearing in mind congestion and crowds where Fters could consider visiting in a matter of few hours. this would be on 5 jan.

thank you

tom911

Sure it's possible, and if you're that close well worth the trip in. I've done a number of one day visits, in at 7a.m., and flying back out at 5pm. If you check previous threads in the NYC forum they will cover the various transit options and costs (subway, Long Island RR, AirTrain).

If you go in by AirTrain and subway (that's how I go in), allow about an hour to get into Manhattan. If you go by AirTrain and LIRR, less. You can get an all-day subway pass and really pack a lot of things in, from Battery Park up through Central Park. I'd start working on a list of places you want to see.

BearX220

If youe flight is on time and you hit the AirTrain right you'll be in midtown, if that's where you want to go, by 1030a. You'll have about seven hours from that point before you have to think about returning to JFK. You can:

** Visiit a museum
** See Ground Zero
** Ride the Staten Island Ferry
** Visit the Statue of Liberty
** Have lunch in Greenwich VIllage, Chinatown or Little Italy
** Walk Fifth Avenue and pay your respects to Donald Trump
** Have a spin through Central Park
** See a Broadway matinee, if there on the right day
** Take the Circle Line boat around Manhattan if it's a nice day
** Go to some art galleries
** Hit South Street Seaport

Just don't acquire more than 3.4 ounces of fluids or gels to take with you!

dhammer53

New York City is a big place. I'll start with the following...

Start in lower Manhattan (the Wall St area) and head north. Get a good map.

1. Take a free ride on the Staten Island ferry (with an immediate return). Spectacular views of NYC (and Brooklyn)

2. On arrival back in NYC, walk north along the Hudson River (on your left) and head to the Wall Trade center site.

3. Walk east on Wall Street (just ask anyone) to the East River.

4. Make a left (north) and head to South Street. Some shopping, views, and an old ship or 2.

5. Continue north to Chinatown. Explore Canal Street, Mott St etc.

6. Walk north on Mott St into Little Italy. Explore. EAT! Have italian pastries at Ferrara's on Grand Street, corner Mott.

Wear comfortable shoes.

7. On Grand St, make a left to Broadway. Make a right on Broadway and walk to Prince Street. Make a left as you head into SOHO. Head to West Broadway. You can make lefts and rights and explore.

8. Go right on W. Broadway to Bleecker Street. Make a left as you head into the heart of Greenwich Village.

Continue along Bleecker St crossing 6th Ave. It gets better as you walk this way (west). There's a very over-rated and snooty bakeshop called Magnolia's towards the end. Greta cupcakes and old fashioned layer cake.

9. After lunch... just kidding

Don't forget the usual places such as:

Empire State Building 5th ave/34th street.
Rockefeller Center 49th Street between 5/6 Ave. The XMAS TREE is here.
Window shopping on 5th Ave.

Walk north to Central Park.

Walk on Broadway between 72 and 96 street for a real NYC feel.

Have fun.
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pbiflyer

I will have a 7 hour layover at JFK (From 1:15pm to 8:25pm). I have been to Manhattan several times. Is there some place else interesting, easy, and cheap to get to? I have to admit, I am pretty ignorant of NYC outside of Manhattan.
Coney Island? Long Island? other suggestions?

Blumie

GREAT walking tour (although I would skip shopping at South Street Seaport, as it's got the same stores as any suburban mall; consider walking by it and then walking to Brooklyn and back over the Brooklyn Bridge).

Let me correct a couple of typos for the sake of clarity:


dhammer meant to say World Trade Center.


dhammer wants you to take a right on Broadway to get to Prince Street.

Blumie

Take the AirTrain to the E train to the Lexington Avenue stop (1st stop in Manhattan). Walk to the very front of the platform (i.e., the very end of the platform if you walk in the same direction your train was heading). Go up the escalator and, without going through the turnstyles, follow the signs to the downtown 6 train. Go one stop, to 42nd Street, cross the platform, and take the downtown 5 or 6 train to Borough Hall, the first stop in Brooklyn and adjacent to the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. Cross over the main street (Court Street), take a right on Court Street and then a left on Montague Street, and then walk to the very end of Montague Street to the Brooklyn Heights promenade for spectacular views of Manhattan. You can then spend a good amount of time walking around the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights, which features Civil War-era architecture in NYC's first neighborhood to be designated an historic landmark. There are books available (including this one) that include self-guided walking tours of Brooklyn Heights.

When you are done, walk to the Brooklyn Bridge, walk over the bridge to Manhattan, and then head back to JFK from there.

swag

Can you look around NYC in a day? Sure. Can you see all of it? Not even in a week. But that's what some suggestions here seem to be trying. The ferry, the WTC site, Wall St, the Seaport, Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho and the Village in 7 hours? Yikes.

I'd pick just a couple of the things you want to see most, and play the rest by ear. If you're stressed over time and hustling to the next destination on your list, you won't enjoy where you are at. Take the time not just to see it, but to experience it.

ssoul

I second dhammer's recommendations. Great post!

the_happiness_store

I went to NYC on the 30th. Went to Kat's (overrated), walked through the Lower East Side, Chinatown, Little Italy (where can I find a good gelato? - Ferrara's was packed) and to ground zero. The weather was perfect, the people were nice and it filled a day.

I have seen most of the major sites before so this was just a perfect day.

NickW

If budget isn't much of an issue, you might consider the US Helicopter service that flies directly from the AA terminals to the Downtown Manhattan Heliport.

anonplz

If you have never been to New York, my suggestion would be the Statue of Liberty, because you get to take the ferry and see the skyline from the harbor. That won't leave you with tons of time for other things, but would be one of the most memorable tourist things to do. Additionally, go to a nice restaurant for lunch. If the weather is too cold (and it's been rather warm), then go to a play or a museum. Enjoy.

Calcifer

I recommend this place for gelato (I'm a Little Italy avoider, other than DiPalo's):
http://www.laboratoriodelgelato.com/contact.php
Unfortunately they close rather early in the evening--much of their business is wholesale.

Blumie, if you were going to do this, wouldn't it be easier to take the AirTrain to Howard Beach and then the A train to High St. or somewhere in the vicinity? I don't know the exact walking instructions from there to the promenade but you wouldn't have to make the detour through Manhattan.

the_happiness_store

Thanks very much. Wish I had known before I went. But I can find it now. I went to Cafe Roma and it was just ho hum ice cream.

I would agree with Statue of Liberty. As a non American living here but not always agreeing with its politics, it is absolutely awe inspiring as a symbol of this country. And there is also the benefit of the skyline view.

Blumie

Yes, you're right. It also avoids the PITA transfer from the E to the 6 at Lexington Avenue.