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Definitely buy Passes for the Subway!

Suggested activities/sites ya'll might enjoy:

1)Staten Island Ferry( Free)/ lunch and Minor League Baseball Gamewith a view of Manhattan

2)Coney Island/ Hot Dog @ Nathans

3)Walk in Central Park with visit to the Zoo

4)Ellis Island

5)Various Museums ( many) all over town

6)Walk on the High Line

7)Grand Central Terminal

8)Window Shopping on Fifth Avenue

9)United Nations

10)City Tour on Double Decker Bus
 
I'd just buy a "pay-as-you-go" card for the subway, unless you're planning on being on it all day for the 2.5 days you're there (it takes 12-13 subway trips to make the week pass worth it.)

I'll second the Staten Island Ferry suggestion. The UN is cool, but you may prefer some other destination with that time. I also went to Rockaway Beach. Much of the beach area is under construction, but we were able to access it at Beach & 73rd without issue, and it felt like I was truly at the ocean there. I also really enjoyed the New York Transit Museum, but it's definitely geared a lot towards people who are interested in transit.

Free Tours By Foot also offers a lot of tours that are on a pay-what-you-wish system, which is handy when you're on a budget. I'd definitely recommend doing one or two of their tours.
 
Thanks Jim and Jeb. Those are some great ideas. The public transportation kind of confuses me, so any help with that is appreciated. I'm looking into buying fare cards preloaded with the amount I think we'll be needing. We might end up taking the bus more than the subway so we can get a better feel for where we are. Or is that a bad idea?
 
Patti: I'll let others that are more current on the bus situation in the Apple speak to that, but traffic can be really bad in Manhattan ( and at the Bridges and Tunnels) so allow for extra time when traveling.Buses are an excellent way to sight see for reasonable prices in Manhattan!

The subways are excellent and easy to use, if you know where you are going! I suggest you Goggle up info and plan your itinerary so you have a rough idea of your options before leaving home!( and try to avoid rush hours whenever you can!)

Cabs are expensive in New York and hard to get even though there seems like there are a million of them! I'd avoid relying on them if you can.
 
You guys gave me such great ideas for New Orleans, I would like to solicit your Great Brains for NYC in basically 2 days!

We are staying in Manhattan & on the List are: (of course) the Empire State Building, the One World Observatory, & taking the ferry to Staten Island for a short visit with distant relatives (my understanding is we will pass the Statue of Liberty on the ferry ride)...

Oh! I would also like to try some "authentic" NY pizza!

Please...what else should be on the Must Do & See list? Thanks in advance!
 
Be sure and buy a Pass for the Subway, the only way to roll in the Apple.

And another Free Gem is to walk around Central Park ( the Zoo and the Carriage Rides are Famous but Expensive).

Visit the site of the World Trade Center Disaster and take a ride out to Coney Island in Brooklyn for a Nathan's Hot Dog and a Beer!

There are Great Museums in the City of you like that and last but not least consider walking around in Midtown including Grand Central Terminal,the Main Public Library, Rockefeller Center, St. Patricks Cathedral and Park and Fifth Avenues. All Free!
 
Sadly the single day unlimited ride metrocard went the way of the dinosaur a couple years back or so. If anyone's looking for an unlimited ride option the best you can get is a 7 day metrocard for $31 ($30 for the rides and $1 for the new card.) Depending on how you use it this could still be a better deal than paying for individual rides ($2.75 cash per ride.)
 
Also just realized I posted this in SE & I should have used NE & there's a thread for NYC there! I'm going to go study it! Thanks again!
 
Assuming you're not pulling our collective legs, yes, the subways are generally safe. The routine muggings and rampant graffiti were left behind in the 1980s along with big hair and women's shoulder pads. :giggle:

Speaking of subways, another thing worth seeing is the New York Transit Museum. http://www.nytransitmuseum.org/ While it has a branch and store in must-see Grand Central Terminal, its main location is a former subway station :cool: in downtown Brooklyn.

Another NYC-centric museum not related to trains is the New York Fire Museum in a former lower-Manhattan fire station. http://www.nycfiremuseum.org/

There was an excellent New York Police Museum in a former police station* the last time I was there, but it's closed since. :(

*I'm noticing a pattern here. :) What makes a better museum for X than a former X station/facility, and the City already owns it. Cheap but effective.
 
That ALL sounds great! Thanks! It's a tough life trying to choose how many fun things you can stuff into a day!
 
I enjoyed the subway museum in downtown Brooklyn mentioned above when I went. If you don't have a context for it then it might not be as interesting. For example, some of those cars were still in use when I appeared on the NYC scene in 1967. Rockefeller Center is mind-blowing just to walk around and see all the public art. Lots of free stuff in Central Park including a garden dedicated to the the work of the Beatles [iiirc in the upper 60s on the West side]! I think Union Square is fun - there's a market there most every day I think [i'm sure you can google it and find out]. And Trader Joe's is nearby. Washington Square and Greenwich Village are fun and always interesting to walk around. 2 days is not very long - and at the same time plenty long enough for NYC which is very tiring. Just walking down the street is overstimulating.
 
The City Museum of New York is pretty cool - less crowded than the other big name museums and has NYC centered exhibits. Also walking up Broadway from the Financial District uptown is pretty cool if you're up for that.
 
I recently had a layover in New York, and stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites a half-block from Penn Station (and right across from the Farley Building...). It was clean and comfortable--the room did not feel overly cramped. Hot breakfast in the morning was good. My wife once stayed at the Hotel Pennsylvania near Penn Station, and was disappointed.

For dinner, I went to Stella 34 Trattoria at Macy*s Herald Square flagship store, also very near Penn Station. The food and service was good, and I was able to do a little shopping after dinner.
 
Now that the State of New York has taken Maryland off the quarantine list, I thought I might go up for the day and see how the NEC service is faring. How full are the coach sections of the trains, or is it better to just spring for Business class and get a seat row to myself?

Once I get there, I'd like some suggestions as to what to do in the age of corona. I see that the Strand bookstore has reopened, which is good, and I might want to try a pastrami sandwich at Katz's Deli, where they have outdoor tables. For joyriding, I'm thinking of doing the Staten Island Ferry and ride the Staten Island RR. I've done the ferry, but never been on the RR. Anything worth seeing in Staten Island? I also thought about the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, I'll need to see if they're open. Another possibility is taking the PATH train to Hoboken and checking out the old E-L terminal, now used by NJT, then taking a ferry back to Manhattan. Also, any other suggestions for eating under the current rules? I heard something that NYC banned pizza by the slice (!), but maybe that's no longer true.
 
June the Coach Rider said:
Where is a safe hotel within walking distance of Penn Station in NY for a single older lady. Hopefully not too far away.
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There are many hotels near Penn Station... with pricing fluctuating wildly. January does offer some relatively good deals... anything between $125 and $150 per night is rare ... especially if they have facilities in the room. I did stay at the Leo House which is about 8 blocks away [you may want to grab an Uber or a cab]; affiliated with the Catholic church but available to all; great restaurants steps away. No tax charged; and incredible breakfast... but they don't permit taking any food from the cafeteria.

https://leohousenyc.com/Penn Station to Leo House.png
 
I'm pretty sure pizza by the slice is ok, but not indoors (there is no indoor dining legal in NYC at present) Obviously that will need to change as the weather gets cold. SIRR is repurposed R-44 subway cars, not sure if it is much different than parts of the regular subway system than run above ground. On a nice day, the ferry is awesome, winter can sometimes be tough. WTC Memorial is open, Museum will open next week with timed ticketing (online rev) and limited capacity. If you are downtown for the ferry, that is not far, as well as the other Path line to NJ. Path 33rd st Station is not far from Penn Station, I'm pretty sure it goes to Hoboken.
 
If it's open there was a really good HotDog joint right by the Ferry Dock on Staten Island,nice place to have a Snack while enjoying the Southern View of Manhattan Joe..

And although theres no Minor Leauge Basebsll this year, the Yankees SI Farm Team plays in a nice Stadium next to the Ferry Dock with a Great View of the Water and Southern Manhattan.

Staten Island is basically a Suburb with the aforementioned SIRR running through it.

Its pretty quiet since so many NYPD Cops live there.

I find Brooklyn and Coney Island a much more interesting Day Trip,( even if its Gentrified alot in the past 15 years). Hop on the Subway and explore to your hearts content.
 
The Minor league ballpark near the ferry is pretty nice, but they don't draw that well. If the MLB contraction plan takes place, the team is toast. Coney Island has a really nice minor league ballpark also, right next to the rink I'm usually at, they draw quite a bit better. Of course, with all the amusement stuff closed CI is pretty dreary. I think the aquarium just reopened but I'm not sure.
 
PVD said:
The Minor league ballpark near the ferry is pretty nice, but they don't draw that well. If the MLB contraction plan takes place, the team is toast. Coney Island has a really nice minor league ballpark also, right next to the rink I'm usually at, they draw quite a bit better. Of course, with all the amusement stuff closed CI is pretty dreary. I think the aquarium just reopened but I'm not sure.
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Thanks for the update from someone "on the ground" in the Apple!
 
The Aquarium has really taken its lumps, first the damage from Sandy, which took years to really straighten out, and when they finally got it "looking good" this hits. The minor league ballpark in CI is really nice, unfortunately, it went empty this year. There was quite a bit of investment set to go in the amusement strip, none of that happened, lots of new construction of residential buildings, and Surf Ave and many of the side streets were torn up for major work. I was down there 3 nights a week, but my last visit was early March when the CHSHL ended. The beach and boardwalk has been open for a while now, but not the amusements. Since it is now labor day weekend, looks like they are dead for the year.
 
Getting flooded with offers for "activities" while visiting in New York City Next week, including a " Skip the Line Pass" to go up to the top of the Empire State Building for $76!!!!😱

I think it was $22 last time I did it which was probably 20 years ago!🤯
 
Good offer from the Mets and Yankees- show up at their stadiums on a game day, get vaccinated at the vaccination centers at the stadium, get a free ticket for an upcoming game.....CitiField (home of the Mets) Soon, they will also have J&J for one shot dosing in addition to the current 2 shot regimens. So far, CitiField has done over 100K doses.
 
Bob Dylan said:
Getting flooded with offers for "activities" while visiting in New York City Next week, including a " Skip the Line Pass" to go up to the top of the Empire State Building for $76!!!!😱

I think it was $22 last time I did it which was probably 20 years ago!🤯
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Hey there Jim... you have a good time at the big building! I remember as a child riding down to the Big Apple from Schenectady meeting my grandmother there... as a special treat she did take me and my mom to the very very tippy tippy top of that great building for a whopping 35 cents... but mind you... that was as a 'special treat.' After that we went to Horn & Hardart where food would magically appear in these little boxes, and when you inserted 25c you could open the door and the food was yours! And then we would go to Choc full o nuts for nut and date bread smeared with cream cheese. Now... that's a stellar dream!



https://classicnewyorkhistory.com/history-of-chock-full-onuts-coffee-shops-and-lunch-counters/
 

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