Two and a half days - what to see?

Hello all!

I%26#39;m usually a pretty good researcher with queries that are more specific but time constraints force me, for the first time, to ask a %26#39;what should I see, where should I go?%26#39; type of question.

I%26#39;m sure I%26#39;ll get alot of helpful feedback from NYC locals and recent visitors.

Our 2 + 2 (11 yo girls) family will be stopping over in NYC for only two and a half days at the tailend of a month-long stay in Florida. My wife and I have been to NY before (even though our last visit was in 1996!) but this will be the first visit for our girls.

As a %26#39;tip of the iceberg%26#39; NY experience I%26#39;d like to take them to the following:

A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

Ground Zero

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Staten Island ferry

Empire state Building

Rockefeller Centre Tour + Top of the Rock (+ Today Show)

Fifth Ave. shops, Trump Tower lobby etc.

Central Park (Strawberry Field and across to Central Park East)

The UN - (though I think public access will be closed for general debate while we are there)

Eating at Katz%26#39;s deli and other %26#39;typical%26#39; -relatively inexpensive! - NY establishments.

Grand Central Station

Bodies Exhibition

Along the way we%26#39;ll stop by or view things such as Wall St, the %26#39;charging bull%26#39; statue, the NY Public Library building and of course the gorgeous Chrysler building.

Can anyone add any other noteable landmarks that I%26#39;ve overlooked that are worth touching on during our walks?

Since our time is severely limited we don%26#39;t really have any time for museums. I want their stay in NY to be a %26#39;cultural reference%26#39; experience so that they know basically what%26#39;s what and where next time they hear about this great city.

Alot will depend on the weather and we will have to be flexible to account for transportation hickups and greater interest and lingering in certain places but does this %26#39;programmme%26#39; appear too ambitious?

Any input appreciated.

Cheers,

CP

Two and a half days - what to see?

Just a note - the SOL and Ellis Island will take up most of a day, 6+ hours I reckon.

Just saying!

Two and a half days - what to see?

Your itinerary looks amazing but I%26#39;m not sure that it is going to be possible with the time you have. Walking across the bridge takes a while in itself.

Going to the Statue of Liberty takes quite a long time due to the security and I think you get an amazing view from the Staten Island ferry anyway.

Have a look at booking your Empire State tickets online before you go - just saves a bit of time.

No time for shopping and you are away with three girls!

This seems awfully ambitious for 2-1/2 days and I%26#39;d pare it down if I were you.

If you want the time in NY to be a %26#39;cultural%26#39; experience, which I assume means they%26#39;ll get a taste of what the city is like, I%26#39;d skip a lot of the touristy things - for example and in partcular, the Empire State Building. That takes a long time, even with pre-purchased tickets, from what I understand. Most would recommend the Top of the Rock, which you have on your itinerary anyway, over the ESB.

As for lunch at Katz%26#39;s - fyi, it%26#39;s not going to be inexpensive! You might want to go to a local place in whatever neighborhood you find yourself in at the time.

In fact, I would pick a couple of %26#39;must-dos%26#39; and just stick with those, walking around the neighborhoods, soaking it in, rather than what you have here. This will give your daughters a much better idea of NY than a death march around Manhattan.

Good luck and have fun with whatever you end up doing!

Having just done it a couple of weeks ago, I%26#39;d agree with the recommendation to skip the ESB and go to Top of the Rock instead. Not that I didn%26#39;t enjoy the ESB, but in terms of making the best use of limited time, the ratio of time spent waiting in queues (even with advance tickets and ';line-jumper'; tickets) to time spent enjoying the activity itself is very high -- we went late on a Friday night (~11 pm) and probably spent twice as much time waiting in the queues as we did enjoying the view from the top.

Yes, Statue of Lib. and Ellis took me 8:30-4pm both times.

I would take subway to Brooklyn Bridge; do walk across (40 min if you read historic plaques). You land near City Hall, on your right, and if you walk towards left is Woolworth Building and WTC site area. Chapel has a memorial to 9/11 which I found very moving. You will also be in the area (check with TA experts) of the Staten Island Ferry which would be fun for kids and will at least sail by the SOL for pics. You will also not be far away from Wall Street and the BULL etc.

Now Central Park/strawberry fields (just a lovely inground circle that says ';imagine'; done in tiles on the West entrance of Park (look up what park has on Central park.com). You are not then far away and a nice walk down 5th Avenue to TOTR, great view if great day. Rockefeller centre courtyard there too.

TODAY SHOW is just you getting there very very early (smart thing to do with 11 yearolds???) and lining up around police barriers to see the hosts in courtyard sometimes do show etc. 6 a.m. at least. Grand Central subway or walk to, had a nice lunch there and Chrysler building right there too to check out but you cant go in.

Have fun

Thanks very much for your remarks!

Will probably skip the ESB. Just pop into the lobby on our way past and appreciate it from a distance I suppose.

No problem with the 11 yo girls getting an early start and returning late. Both are extremely fit athletes used to this kind of traveling. Also, a mini %26#39;death march%26#39; criscrossing mid- and lower-Manhatten is not such a bad thing after nearly a month of - relative - relaxation in Orlando and the Gulf Coast of FL. And I dare say they%26#39;ll be all shopped out after over 3 weeks access to the Orlando shopping outlets!

Considered skipping the SOL but decided it was too major a symbol of NY not to take them up close. Depending on how we feel about it at the time, may have to %26#39;do%26#39; Ellis Island rather quickly (though last time I was there my wife and I easily spent the entire operating hours of the museum wandering amongst the displays).

I feel that if the weather and crowds of Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 cooperate, we%26#39;ll get to see most if not all of the things I listed above. Will be flexible.

Thanks again for your input,

CP