Help with NYC itinerary

will be in NYC for 8 days in September with the boyfriend and would like some advice about the itinerary I have come up with.

We are from Australia and this will be the first time in NYC for both of us. We will be traveling to Hawaii and Vegas before heading to NYC.

Day 1

-Arrive at 8 in the morning at JFK

-Plan to take a taxi to St Marks Hotel, East Village

-Walk around East Village in the afternoon, slowly moving towards Greenwich Village

-Dinner at The Little Owl

-Go to Top of the Rock after dinner for night view of NYC

Day 2

-Head to Ellis Island and do SOL in the morning

-In the afternoon, take the subway to Brooklyn and then do the Brooklyn Bridge Walk

-Quick dinner before going to Phantom of the Opera

-Drinks after broadway (any recommendations of where we can go)

Day 3

- Shopping around 5th Avenue, Macy%26#39;s, Bloomingdales, Sacs, etc

- Lunch at Gordon Ramsay%26#39;s Maze

- Shopping in Soho

- Maybe a Jazz bar at night or any other recommendations would be welcome

Day 4

- Start the day with a museum, MET or MOMA (can%26#39;t decided)

- Lunch either at Moderne or Rooftop Garden at MET depending on where we go.

- Walk around Central Park.

- Head to Museum of Natural History

Day 5

- In the morning, visit Grand Central Station and Financial District, Wall St.

- More shopping in the afternoon (or should we check out Harlem?)

Day 6

- Day at Woodburry Common

Day 7

- There is supposed to be the Broadway on Broadway Concert in the morning/afternoon.

- Not sure what to do with the rest of the day.

There still appears to be a fair bit of open spots in my itinerary. I am open to suggestions. Also we are in our mid 20s and would like recommendations on bars and nightspots which are easy to get into in NYC.

Help with NYC itinerary

Sounds like a good start.

Keep in mind New York City is alot more than just Manhattan so if you don%26#39;t visit any of the other boroughs you are really missing out.

The Village (East Village, Greenwich Village, West Village) isn%26#39;t that large. The Village is really about the energy, the activity, the restaurants. The Village is also a great residential area and home to New York University (NYU). You don%26#39;t really need to spend an entire day (morning, noon and evening) exploring the Village. You might enjoy a couple evenings in the Village, it is fantastic that you%26#39;re staying in the Village. I live in the Village and I can tell you that the morning hours in the Village are quiet (students going to classes, little old ladies going grocery shopping, restaurants receiving deliveries, people going to work)

I%26#39;d try to add some variety to Day One and plan to have a couple more dinners in the Village. Check out newyork.citysearch.com, menupages.com and yelp.com for more information about restaurants. Sevilla is great for Spanish food, Mary%26#39;s Fish Camp is awesome for fresh seafood. Blue Water Grill is good for a splurge. Union Sq. has a ton of great restaurants.

Why not plan a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and stroll into Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill. Check out Park Slope in Brooklyn. You should plan to purchase a $25.00 7 day unlimited ride MetroCard good for unlimited rides (for one person each) on the subway and buses.

You may want to check out Amy Ruth%26#39;s in Harlem for the best breakfast you may ever have. Clinton St. Baking Company is widely regarded as having the best pancakes in New York City (opens at 10:00AM, no reservations, no credit cards, the line forms at 9:00AM)

I hope this is a helpful start.

Help with NYC itinerary

You may already know this but just in case - the location of your hotel is in the middle of a happening block (esp in the evening). You guys should enjoy it. It%26#39;s like a little Japantown there, with a lot of little Japanese nooks/restaurants and other stuff (should try the cheap falafel at Mamoun%26#39;s - it%26#39;s located at the end of the block).

As far as taking the train to Brooklyn and walking over the bridge - since u will already be in the Downtown area (for SOL and Ellis), if you enjoy walking, maybe you should consider walking along the Brooklyn Bridge starting from the Manhattan side instead (rather than taking the train to Brooklyn and starting from there).

Walking to the bridge (starting point on the Manhattan side is located near City Hall - near a big electronic/music store called ';J%26amp;R';) will allow you to spend time in the Financial District area (which you listed to do for your Day 5). This would be a more efficient use of your time this way - because Grand Central and Financial District are kinda on opposite ends, a waste of travel time).

If you plan to walk the bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn, just be careful and not get lost when u get off the bridge on the Brooklyn side!

Thanks for the tips!!

I think I will change the Brooklyn Bridge walk to Day 5 instead.

It%26#39;s great to hear that the hotel is in a good location. I just hope it%26#39;s clean and not too shabby. There have been very mixed reviews about the place.

We have also decided to go to Morimoto for dinner one night to check out the iron chef.

Re: day 4...after the Met or MoMa are you planning just to walk to the Natural History Museum or actually visit it? The Met and the History Museum are both so big you need a day unless you run which is really difficult if they are busy. They offer different experiences so consider what might be more interesting for you - you can visit their websites and get a good idea.

Also have some flexibility as Day 2 won%26#39;t be so much fun if the weather isn%26#39;t great. September usually is good weather but soaking rain isn%26#39;t unheard of (especially if hurricane remnants head up the coast!).

Btw - with regards to the hotel, I can understand why it has mixed reviews. Never been inside, but exterior-wise:

The entrance into the hotel is very narrow (just one door-size, nothing grand/lavish). There is a dark-green canopy on top of the door front which has the name of the hotel, so u should be able to find it, if u look carefully amid the other canopies surrounding it).

Additionally, at the corner of the block on the side of the building, if you look up, you can see the name of the hotel lit in green lights too.

Just so that you are prepared, when you step foot into the hotel (literally, just a few footsteps in), the first thing you will be faced with are stairs leading up (I didn%26#39;t see any elevators - though, hope I%26#39;m wrong). Entryway and stairs is very narrow, so, if u have heavy luggage, brace yourself.