2 or 3 days in NYC- A Tutorial

Having just spent 4 days in New Orleans, I know a short-term trip in a totally unfamiliar city (especially one was complicated as NYC) can be daunting, because there is so much to see, and it's hard to A: Decide what to prioritize and B: figure out how to get everywhere quickly, when public transportation is the only way of getting around that makes sense (yes, you can take taxis/ Uber if you have the $, but for longer distances or crosstown during daytime, cars can take forever. Even rich people take the subway when in a rush!).

Therefore, below are some of my hints on what might make a short visit easier and help you hit the highlights without having a panic attack!

Fifth Avenue walks-- and basic orientation to NYC

Some basic orientation with midtown, Fifth Avenue starting point: 
Fifth Avenue is a great starting point for many NYC landmarks. It is the "marking point" for the division between East and West addresses in NYC. For example. Sixth Avenue (aka Ave. of the Americas) is one block west of Fifth, and the numbers between Fifth and Sixth will range, generally, from 1West to 99 West (50th or 60th or whatever). Any "east" address (such as East 52nd St) will be east of Fifth Avenue. 1-99 East  52nd for example,  will be in the general vicinity of 52nd between Fifth and Madison (the first street east of Fifth).
Streets EAST of Fifth go in this order: Fifth Avenue, Madison, PRak, Lexington, Third, Second, First, and York. For a short visit to NYC, you will not really need to go east of Park for anything of real interest.
Streets WEST of Fifth go in this order: Sixth Ave (kaka Avenue of the Americas); Seventh, Broadway; Eighth, Ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th. Most theatres in the Times Square area are on the numbered Streets between 7th and 9th.

NYC neighborhoods: 
East Village: this is the "hip" area and known as sort of where punk rock started in the NY area, it is still a fun area, lots of cute cafes and ethnic restaurants and such-- but a bit out of the way.St. Mark's Place is probably the most famous location here to start from. On Sixth Street here they have a bunch of crazy Indian restaurants that are a must visit if you like Indian food.
Lower East Side, Chinatown, Little Italy: Honestly not really worth a visit unless you are here for a long time and looking for something to do. Little Italy has shrunk significantly. Chinatown is dirty and noisy. Lower east side has a lot of "hip" places to eat and hear music along the Rivington are, though.
Greenwich Village area: Worth a visit if you can make it. Some of my favorite cafes and small restaurants are here. Lots of music history in the Bleeker Street area. Lots of old homes even from 19th century on the far West Side. Charming but hard to navigate as the streets are not in the same configuration as they are in Midtown. Still very cute area if you know where to go.
Upper West Side: 60th -86th, from Central Park West (CPW) and west to Hudson River
Upper East Side: 60th to 86th or so, from Fifth Avenue to East River



Places to see with a Fifth Avenue starting point (all walkable depending on your stamina--FYI, 20 blocks north to south (these are shorter blocks than east to west) equals one mile).
From 34th St, going North:

• Empire State Building-34th and Fifth- ((SW side). Just take photos--don't go up! It is hot and you have to walk and wait --frequently for hours. (other places of note on 34th St: Macys is at 34th and Seventh, 2 blocks west. Not really worth it though  Also: lots of clothing stores along 34th Street. But mostly this is a really busy street without a lot of appeal).
• Grand Central Station: 42nd and Park-. Worth it to walk in just to look at this famous building--don't miss the ceiling! Or the awesome food court! 

• St. Patricks Cathedral -51st and Fifth
• Rockefeller Center area -50th and Fifth: Top of the Rock Observation Deck lovely view (timed tickets really the only way to go-$27) 
• Rockefeller Plaza ( and Today Show taping): 48th bet 5 and 6th: This is where the famous skating rink is and this is where they hold the outdoor Today Show concerts when they have musical acts during the show
• Fifth Avenue window shopping: Lots of famous shops with much histroy along fifth Avenue including: Saks, Tiffany: 57th and Fifth, and Bergdorf's (57th-58th and Fifth)--famous for its windows and featured in a  new documentary "Scatter my Ashes at Bergdorf's" 
• Paris Cinema: 58th off Fifth A gorgeous old cinema with eclectic offerings--
• Plaza Hotel:  right off Fifth at 59th (AKA Central Park South): home of Eloise, famous tea room, and more. Worth just going in and walking through the lobby or going to to the restroom. Downstairs they have an interesting food hall and a yuummy cafe with chocolate cakes etc. \
• Central Park: Entrance on 59th (aka Central Park South) and Fifth. The ONE PLACE to NOT MISS! Some things of interest: Central Park Zoo esp. penguin room, polar bears, and bird house. Or just watch the seals from outside. Really not worth it for short visit. More to come on Central Park as there is much to see. You can also take a carriage ride and see a lot more without having to walk the entire way.  
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: 82nd and Fifth: Do NOT pay their "suggested price." Give them no more than five bucks for two...just hand it to them and say "two please". Still this is really a must see even if you just walk in and get the elevator to go to the top of the building. This is awonderful view and not to be missed. 

More Sample Tours

For visitors it's hard to know where the highlights of each place are. Here are a few "sample tours" I created with some of my favorite places:
CENTRAL PARK AND METROPOLITAN MUSEUM: Number 1 to 72nd Street. Central Park is huge and runs from 59th to 11oth Street. All areas are safe except you must be more careful in upper reaches (say 96th to 110). Nice tour-- 72nd Street to Central Park (http://www.centralparknyc.org) , past Dakota, 55 CPW ; through Strawberry Fields, fountain at 72nd, up to Great Lawn at 81st St, “near Belvedere Castle/ Turtle Pond, down through Ramble (don’t get lost) or go across 81st lower end of Great Lawn to Metropolitan Museum. DON’T PAY the 20 RECOMMENDED PRICE! Give them $5 and just say “2 please” and they will give you two metal buttons …At Met. Museum take elevator to Roof Garden for great view of Central Park (esp fun on Fri and Sat night—open until 9PM). IN CP take a rowboat on lake, or go to CP Zoo (near 65th on east side) or all the way up to Conservatory Garden (5th and 103).

5th AVENUE: Number 1 to 59th Street—walk west to 5th Avenue along bottom part of park. Walk down 5th. St. Patrick’s Cathedral (51st); Rockefeller Center, Radio City (Sixth and 50th), across (east) to Grand Central Station (42nd), United Nations (east River bet 42nd and 48th entrance First and 46th) www.un.org) 9:30AM-4:45PM. Tour is 45minutes if you want one-212-963-TOUR); Empire State Building (34th St), Gramercy Park (23rd St), down to East Village--Sunshine Cinema.

34th STREET—Number 1 to 34th Street. Macys and LOTS of clothing stores—H and M, Forever 21, Sephora are all on 34th Street from Macys then going EAST (not west which is mostly trashy stores) etc. Mostly commercial and pretty crazy.

SOHO—Number 1 to Houston—walk east and then south. Soho is THE hip/celebrity laden shopping area, mostly bounded from Prince Street (one block I think below Houston Street) on the North to Broome on the South but you can go more south than that. Mosty it is a lot of expensive stores but Broadway starting from Prince and going down (South) is a good place to start--has some good, inexpensive clothing stores—very cute stuff. H&M but also smaller stores not too expensive for clothes shopping this area is good.

CHINATOWN (Canal Street)—Number 1 to Canal Street. This area is all around Canal Street. It is pretty insanely busy and crowded so only go when you are in a good mood. Cheap cheap cheap t shirts though for souvenirs. (like 5 for ten dollars). Pearl River Mart is on Broadway two blocks north of canal (past Grand and then past Broome). You can walk to Soho and even the West Village from Chinatown or vice versa).

LINCOLN CENTER (60th St area near Amsterdam): Number 1 to 66th Street. Lincoln Center (Met. Opera, NYC Opera, et al) walkthrough down to

TIMES SQUARE: Number 1 2 or 3 to Times Square—42nd Street. has become pretty crazy and touristy but still a “must” if just for the scene with the electronic bulletin boards everyone is used to seeing in movies. TRL Live – MTV Studio is somewhere down here but mostly it is places like chain restaurants –(eg Bubba Gumps) and this is where the theatres (Broadway shows) are. TKTS booth here where you can get reduced price tickets for shows the same day of the show. Broadway, Off-Broadway, Dance and Music events. Tickets are available at 25%, 35%, and 50% off full-price (plus a $3.00 per ticket service charge) and are available on the day of Window 6 is a separate PLAY ONLY line. Same-day discount ticket buyers may queue to purchase tickets for Broadway and Off Broadway dramatic plays. These productions will be indicated on the electronic boards with a letter P.

DOWNTOWN (Statue of Liberty area/Financial District, Battery Park, Castle Clinton, World Financial Center, WTC ): Number 1 to end of line –Ferry stop (Stay in front four cars if you get off this stop)--or 2 or 3 to Park Place…this is where you can reach the Battery Park Promenade (gorgeous green promenade walk by the Hudson River—a MUST to do while you are here), can see the Statue of Liberty, can take the Staten Island Ferry (cute trip back and forth), WTC area (you can see the WTC area which is west of Broadway, at Church—surrounded by fence, hard to miss), South Street Seaport (on the other side—East River--Pier 15 16 and 17-shops, restaurants…. Pioneer-90 minute tours). Also some stores but not a lot –best is Century 21 (outlet store-Cortlandt b. Bway and Church). Wall Street is down here. Pretty quiet on weekends as mostly these are financial services businesses down here.

BROOKLYN BRIDGE (entrance on Park Row-walk across to Brooklyn. Great walk about 45 minutes, ice cream at the end of it, can take water taxi back across to Manhattan—this is very fun to do!!!! )—or walk halfway across then back. You can walk to Brooklyn Heights and the promenade which has a great view of Manhattan, and some nice little shops, then take the 2 or 3 train back home from Brooklyn Heights.

A sample Mom Upper West Side-Based Tour -6 days

When my mother was here we had a whirlwind trip with barely a moment to breathe. Doesn't sound terribly appealing does it? But I've found that while I often need a vacation-from-my-vacations--and this time was no exception--I never regret packing in the "extras". It is important to have balance. Sitting in a cafe for 2 hours reading a book trumps a second museum in one day almost all the time. With proper planning, you can fit a lot into a day and still have time for an afternoon rest (essential, especially when dealing with jet lag).
Herewith, an itinerary especially suited to moms and grandmas; tho a lot of these activities are universal and can be enjoyed by all ages, this is a great trip for that age group.
Most important however: taking cabs. I cannot emphasize enough how draining taking the subway is unless you are young, and how much it cuts into your time. So taking taxis is essential for this itinerary as there is a lot packed into each day. But it does add up quickly so it only makes sense if you are willing to pay $8-20 for each trip:
Day 1 (arrival)-Dinner at an outdoor cafe (in our case, French Roast at Bway and 84th). Outdoor cafes are a great way to get into the cosmopolitan flavor of NYC, quickly. Dessert at another cafe (on the upper west side, Edgar's for example). Or grab a Tasti-d-Lite at one of its many location (such as Bway and 85th)--a frequent sitcom co-star (Seinfeld and Sex and the City to name 2 off the bat).
Day 2-Boat tour (in our case the yacht brunch with Sail NYC). Evening: Broadway show (in our case the magnificent, moving Billy Elliot...as good as they say, but with far more depth, and relevance, than it's given credit for). Late dinner at one of the many restaurants in the Theater District (try Joe Allen's for a real B'way experience...but there are tons of places to go).
Day 3- Metropolitan Museum. Don't try to do everything. Choose a few special exhibits, then focus on the 19th century Europeans and the well-known pieces--they have a magnificent collection of Rembrandts and Dutch paintings, and the Impressionist collection, with some signifcant Pissaros. Van Goghs, Gaugins, and more, is a must see. Lunch at the absic American Wing Cafe, the pedestrian cafeteria downstairs, or at the lovely Petrie Court Cafe, which faces Central Park (they also serve an afternoon tea here).
Movie at the Paris Cinema on 58th and Fifth. Light dinner at the Plaza Oak Room Bar ( do NOT miss the wonderful paintings!). Grab a babka for the next morning at Hot and Crusty (many locations--Bway and 83rdish being one of them).
Day 4: South Street Seaport. Clipper tall ship ride. Late lunch in the Seaport. Dessert at a cafe such as Cafe Lalo (83rd bet. Amsterdam and B'way--AKA the "You've Got Mail" cafe).
Day 5: Another museum--in our case an eclectic one--the Mt. Vernon Hotel Museum (or try the Frick museum at 70th and Fifth). Dylan's Candy Bar on 60th and 3rd for fun. Serendipity on 60th between 2nd and 3rd for ice cream if you can get in (we couldn't). Or try a "real" NYC diner just for the experience ("real" means at least 2 people have to be speaking Greek--loudly--behind the counter). I love City Diner on 90th and Broadway for the quality of food and friendly service. It is not ancient like a lot of classic NYC diners but it is cleaner and has better food than most...so you give up a little atmosphere for the promise of no food poisoning. Then another Broadway show (in our case "Blithe Spirit" with Angela Lansbury and Rupert Everett-- no longer playing). Dessert in the gracious, old world Algonquin Hotel lobby.
Day 6: Visit Central Park--the Conservatory Garden at 105th and Fifth is always a gentle surprise (don't miss the "Secret Garden" statue) . Tea with finger sandwiches and sweets at Alice's Tea Cup ( a few locaitons--one at 73rd and Columbus). Movie at Lincoln Plaza Cienemas on 62nd and Broadway (for the typical NY independent film experieince). And--in our case--a visit to Midsummer Night's Swing--gone at the end of July but not to be missed if you are here in July. It was tango night when we went. Seeing the mix of dancers, the sheer breadth of "types", is truly enlightening.
Day 7: (leaving-day). Last breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien....in our case the 91st and Broadway location. While it has a lost a bit of its charm as it expands, the baguettes are still to die for as our the croissants and other pastries.
Things I wanted to do in this time but didn't: prepared foods at Zabar's at Bway and 80th (not to be missed...but we did); a grocery trip to Fairway at 74th and Bway (just for the experience of having old ladies crash their carts into you...everyone is actually so nice in NYC lately, that a trip to Fairway will reassure you the NY spirit of "me first" still lives on!). More to come...