New York Travel Tips: Some Advice and Recommendations for Visitors

I love New York.  That’s no secret.  I have been there more times than I can count and I never get tired of the City.  If I ever win the lottery, the first thing I will do is purchase us a little pied a terre there.  I recently did some quick math and realized I’ve seen close to, if not more than, 100 shows in New York-both on and off-Broadway.  Not too bad for a little boy from Danville, Va.

I also want to point out that it is a myth that New Yorkers or rude and surly.  I find them some of the warmest, nicest people I’ve ever encountered.  They know, from living in the City, that we are all in this together and are usually more than willing to help out.  It’s the tourists who can be rude and obnoxious.

Since everyone knows I love New York and go there frequently- and summer travel season is upon us- I’m going to make some comments and recommendations for those of you who may be traveling there soon.  I’m purposely going to focus on mainstream things as I figure anyone who wants to read this isn’t as seasoned a New York traveler as I/we are.  There is nothing too gay or too edgy here.  I’m also focusing mainly on Mid-Town Manhattan and the Theatre District.  You may also want to go back on my Blog to December and read the day by day recap of our adventures on that trip for some additional ideas.

Restaurants:

First of all, we try to do New York like a New Yorker.  We do not eat at chain restaurants-in New York or any where else- or expensive designer or “hot” restaurants.  We eat at good, reasonable locally owned restaurants.  We are not pretentious “foodies.”

WARNING:  Do not eat anywhere near Times Square!  I can’t stress this enough.  The goal in that area is to soak the tourists.  The food is not good and is horribly over priced.  If you go over to 8th, or even better, 9th Avenue, you will find much better food at much better prices at the local restaurants.

Here are some of our favorites:

1. La Bonne Soupe– Great French place for lunch and very affordable.  On west 55th Street.  (http://www.labonnesoupe.com)
2. Trattoria Trecolori- One of my favorite Italian places.  Wonderful black linguini with seafood.  We will eat there next week.  254 West 47th Street. (http://www.trattoriatrecolori.com).  Reservations are a must here.
3. Puttanesca- Another great Italian place.  Address is 859 9th Avenue at the corner of  56th.  (http://puttanescanyc.com)
4. Angus McIndoe- I love this restaurant and it’s in the heart of the Theatre District right next to the St James Theatre.  Angus used to be the Maitre d at Joe Allen’s before going out on his own.  Lots of celebrities eat here and the food is great and very affordable.   258 W 44th St. (http://www.angusmcindoe.com)
5. Pergola Des Artistes- this is an old New York Restaurant in the Theatre District.  Wonderful country French food at very affordable prices.  Pre-theatre specials are great.  252 W 46th Street.  (http://www.pergoladesartistes.com)
6. Turkish Cuisine-This is one of our all time favorites.  We eat here almost every time we go to New York.  9th Avenue between 44th and 45th St.  Excellent food at great prices.  Another old New York Restaurant.
7. Patsy’s- This was Frank Sinatra’s favorite Italian Restaurant.  It’s good, but not great.  236 W 56th St.  (http://www.patsys.com).
8. Saigon- 620 Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side.  Great Vietnamese food at very good prices.
9. Cafe Espanol-In the West Village.  Another real bargain with great Spanish food.  172 Bleeker St (http://cafeespanol.com)
10. Smith’s- This is kind of a dive on 8th Avenue at the corner of 44th St.  It’s also a real deal for Breakfast or lunch if you want to get a decent meal for a really cheap price in Mid-town.
11. Zuni-598 9th Ave at 43rd St. Another great Mid-town place.  Open late.  Great New American Cuisine.  (http://www.zuniny.com)
12. Joe Allen’s- A Theatre District tradition.  I’ve seen more celebrities here than anywhere else in New York.  Classic American Food.  Great grilled calves liver and a great burger.  326 W 46th St.  (http://joeallenrestaurant.com/NY_home.html)
13. The Oyster Bar- 7th Avenue at 53rd Street.  Right across from the Sheraton.  The food is good, not great, but it’s really an old New York Restaurant.  And the prices are great.
14. Philip Marie- Great New American Cuisine in the West Village.  569 Hudson at 11th St.  (http://philipmarie.com)

Hotels:

We don’t normally do fancy Hotels, either.  Unless we are staying there for free on my Frequent Guest Points.  If that’s the case, then we love the Hilton Times Square.  Otherwise, here are some recommendations:

1. The Hotel Newton- On the Upper West side.  258 Broadway at 95th St.  Subway is right outside the door and you can be in Mid-town in less than 10 minutes.  This is one of our favorites.  Warning:  Towels are very thin and pillows can be a little too firm, but it’s a great deal.  Lot’s of restaurants close by with great food at great prices.  Very nice, very clean.  We’ve stayed here countless times over the last 14 years.  (http://www.thehotelnewton.com)
2. The Wellington- The best deal in Mid-town.  They have lot’s of specials on their website and it’s a great old hotel.  On 7th Avenue  close to Carnegie Hall. Around W 55th St, I think.  (http://www.wellingtonhotel.com)
3. The Washington Square Hotel- A lovely little hotel in the West Village.  We stayed there again last Christmas, during the snow,  and loved it.  103 Waverly Place.  (http://www.washingtonsquarehotel.com)

Please note:  It is our view that hotels should be safe, clean and comfortable.  These are.  They may be a little more basic than some others, but if you plan to spend a lot of time in your hotel, you should not be traveling-especially to New York.  Hotels are only places to shower, change clothes and sleep.  You should be out in the Streets the rest of the time.

Shows:

Some of the best theatre in New York is off-Broadway or off-off Broadway.  There is not a lot running right now that I’ve seen that is really good.  My advice is to avoid the long running shows.  I took a colleague to see “Phantom of the Opera” when we were there on business a few years ago.  It’s been running so long, the cast is sleep-walking through it.  Same with “Chicago”, which I’ve seen several times.  I won’t recommend “Mamma Mia” because I hated it, but most people really enjoy it- especially women.

You should never have to buy full price tickets to a show in New York unless it is a big, big hit or a limited run.  My advice is to always go to Playbill.com or TheatreMania.com and use the discounts on those websites. You can purchase tickets over the web, phone or take them to the box office.  You usually get the best seats available.  The TKTS booths, in Times Square, has discounted tickets for shows the same day.  The last few times I’ve gone there, the seats were horrible.  Rear balcony, obstructed view, etc.  I think the shows dump their worst seats there, so avoid them if you can.

Here are some current shows I do recommend:

1. “Promises, Promises”- With Kristin Chenowith and Sean Hayes.  I really enjoyed this show.  It is a flawed show and Ms Chenowith is miscast, but still quite good.  It was a very enjoyable night at the theatre.  Sean Hayes, of “Will and Grace” fame much deserves his Tony Award nomination.  The show has great dancing and a lot of heart.  See it.  This is one I would like to see again.  
2. “Jersey Boys”- Again, not a great show, but lots of fun.  I saw the originial cast right after it opened and saw it again on tour.  Great fun both times.  Not sure how the current Broadway cast is holding up since it’s been running a long time since I saw it in NY.  The lead in the Tour was actually better than the guy who won the Tony in New York.  
3. “Our Town”- this is an off-Broadway play at the Barrow Street Theatre down in the Village.  The theatre is right at the Christopher Street subway stop, so it’s easy to find.  This is an old show that has been beautifully re-imagined.  I only saw this because Steve wanted to see it and ended up loving it.  Highly recommended.
4. “Hair”- the revival of the 1960’s hippie musical.  I loved it.  
5. “A Little Night Music”- with Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta Jones.  This is a magical production and is only this low on the list because it closes June 20th.  It’s also hard to get into and you will probably have to pay full price.  Even we paid full price and we can usually find a way around that.  

Some other shows to consider that have been running a while are:

1. “Mary Poppins”- we saw this in London and were pleasantly surprised to find we loved it.  Amazing dancing and special effects.
2. “Billy Elliott”- again, we saw this in London, not New York and liked, but didn’t love it.
3. “South Pacific”- I hesitate to recommend this because it’s closing soon, will be taped for PBS, and the entire cast is different from the one we saw.  It was magical when we saw it with Kelly O’Hara.  You will probably never have a chance to see a production this good or this big of this show again.

We are heading up there again shortly and I will hopefully have some more current shows to recommend.  Also, many of these shows have clips on YouTube if you want to check them out.

Nightspots:

1. Birdland- This is a great music venue in  mid-town.  We saw Phoebe Snow there a couple of years ago and it was fabulous.  A lot of Broadway people perform there on Mondays when their shows are dark. (http://www.birdlandjazz.com)
2. The Metropolitan Room- This is the most affordable Cabaret spot in town.  We’ve been several times and it’s always been great fun.  Lot’s of Broadway and Cabaret stars perform their one person shows here. (http://www.metropolitanroom.com)
3. Don’t Tell Mama’s- This is located on Restaurant Row and can be fun.  It’s gotten a little touristy and “bridge and tunnel”, but it can be lot’s of fun after a show. (http://www.donttellmamanyc.com/)
4. The Oak Room- At the Algonquin Hotel.  This is a little pricy, but still affordable for Cabaret.  It’s a historic spot and a taste of old New York.

Some Tourist Stuff That Is Fun:

1. The Metropolitan Museum- I’ve been countless times and almost always go once each trip to New York.  It’s a great place to spend a hot or rainy day.  The Egyptian Collection is amazing.  The art is incredible.  They always have interesting, temporary exhibits also.  Check their website for current shows.
2. Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty:  I’ve gone to Ellis Island 3 or 4 times.  You go to Battery Park and buy a ticket for the boats to take you there and the Statue of Liberty.  There is not much to see at the Statue of Liberty.  I was really bored there.  But Ellis Island is wonderful.  But then, I was a history major.  It’s also great just to ride around New York Harbor on the boat.
3. Macy’s Herald Square- Not as much fun as it used to be, but you have to do it at least once.  If you go to Visitor’s Office, they will give you a special discount for an extra 15% off on all your purchases if you show them an out of town driver’s license.  I’ve done that several times.
4. Walk down 5th Avenue.
5. Visit Rockefeller Center and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.
6. Eat a hot dog from a street vendor.
7. Take the Subway.  We always do.  It’s very safe and the fastest, cheapest way to get around the City.  It will save you a fortune on cabs.  It is also very safe, simple and people are always willing to help you out if you have questions.  Warning:  In the summer it is very hot and smelly.
8. The Jewish Museum- On Fifth Avenue north of the Met.  We always love going there and seeing their changing exhibits.
9. The Guggenheim Museum- one of the world’s great modern art collections and an architecturally stunning building.  Right above the Met.  You can do the Met, the Jewish Museum and the Guggenheim in one day if you just want a taste…
10. Ground Zero- it’s mainly a construction site now, but everyone should go at least once to pay one’s respects.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten some stuff, so I will probably revise this as I go along.  Feel free to add your comments on things I’ve missed or things you disagree with.

Most importantly:  Go to New York!!!  It’s a wonderful town.  Explore it on your own so you can give me your recommendations.