*****Things to Do in NYC***** OFFICIAL THREAD

cybear52

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Dec 5, 2008
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Official thread of fun, musts, and or inexpensive things to do in New York City. Very Helpful for all the Cyclone faithful heading east to the big city.
 
If you are a baseball fan at all try to get to Cooperstown. It is awesome!!! It is a couple hour drive from NYC. Another tour I really liked was West Point.
 
Strawberry Fields. Also don't be afraid to go north of the Park. There's great Thai and other ethnic food there that you can actually afford. And a neat little neighborhood bar called 104. Corner of 104th and Amsterdam
 
Can we get some more ideas for this thread? I'm heading there and I'll have time to do the usual tourist things, but I'd really like to hear suggestions for things that aren't "touristy".
Thanks!
 
Eat in little Italy. Wander the Wall St. area. Visit Times Square at night. Hit some museums (can be pricey). New York is a truly fantastic city. I found north of the park on the west side to be a little sketchy. Travel by subway.
 
Eat at a food truck! (not the hot dog and pretzel variety)

Walk the High Line.

Walk the East River greenway.

The Museum of Sex and the UN are both fun to visit and not as crowded or hectic as the bigger tourist destinations.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is as touristy as it gets but still an absolute must.

The Grand Central station terminal is a nice space to walk through and grab something to eat if you are in the area.
 
Official thread of fun, musts, and or inexpensive things to do in New York City. Very Helpful for all the Cyclone faithful heading east to the big city.

The Carnegie Deli (CASH ONLY)
854 7th Avenue at 55th Street
New York, New York, 10019

KATZ’S DELI (Think When Harry Met Sally)
205 EAST HOUSTON STREET
NEW YORK CITY 10002

St. Pat's
Rockefeller Center skating rink

TKTS Discount Booths (Broadway tickets discounted)
 
There are a bunch of good shows playing Off Broadway...

Avenue Q (Hilarious musical, but very strong language and adult content)
Silence! The Musical (A musical version of 'Silence of the Lambs' it's a kind of tongue in cheek take on the movie, a must for fans of the original)
Sons of the Prophet (It's been called the funniest show about human suffering ever written)
The Cherry Orchard (If you're looking for something a little heavier, this play by Chekov is my favorite, but it's not for everyone. If you thought 'Driving Miss Daisy' dragged, don't see this one)
 
amateur night at the apollo is always cheap and fun, think its like 15 for upper deck seats, on Wednesday night. Hit a bar with a bunch of old dudes in it, most likely they are all locals, bored as hell and willing to tell you stories of what the neighborhood was like back in the good ole days and great spots to visit that you may have never thought of if u didn't meet said old fart.
 
Go to a taping of the today show. Don't hide out in some off broadway shows that no one will see.

Put on your ISU gear and get yourself on TV!!
 
There are lots of gems hiding inside our other Pinstripe Bowl threads.

I would start with the 9/11 Memorial link because you need tickets to get in to the actual memorial, even though there are things to see without a ticket.

Heck, they have even told us the best vantage point for getting pictures of the Empire State Building lit up with Iowa State colors.

At some point, I may try to go through all these threads and pull ideas. Or maybe the OP should do so. I love the idea of pulling all these ideas into one place.
 
There are lots of gems hiding inside our other Pinstripe Bowl threads.

I would start with the 9/11 Memorial link because you need tickets to get in to the actual memorial, even though there are things to see without a ticket.

Heck, they have even told us the best vantage point for getting pictures of the Empire State Building lit up with Iowa State colors.

At some point, I may try to go through all these threads and pull ideas. Or maybe the OP should do so. I love the idea of pulling all these ideas into one place.


I'll try to give you guys a detailed break-down at some point. As I noted early on in the "booked my trip" thread, I get kind of sad when I see all manner of tourist traps bandied about. I'm no different when I travel to various cities, really. Sometimes the appeal of being able to tell your friends that you went to places that they'll maybe have heard of trumps really getting to experience life in a strange place. But aside from the quality/authenticity issues, there's the fact that people who are trying to save money aren't exactly well served in New York by largely subjecting themselves to places that jack up their prices because of the tourist trade.
 
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I'll try to give you guys a detailed break-down at some point. As I noted early on in the "booked my trip" thread, I get kind of sad when I see all manner of tourist traps bandied about. I'm no different when I travel to various cities, really. Sometimes the appeal of being able to tell your friends that you went to places that they'll maybe have heard of trumps really getting to experience life in a strange place. But aside from the quality/authenticity issues, there's the fact that people who are trying to save money aren't exactly well served in New York by largely subjecting themselves to places that jack up their prices because of the tourist trade.


Frankly, the Rutgers party being thrown by AreYouNuts at Legends on Broadway sounds like a great time. We may need to try to put something like that together. Once we know when the official events are, we can make some plans. For instance, we may try to have a party somewhere on Thursday night, tailgate somewhere on Friday morning, then go to the pep rally at Yankee Stadium I read about from the ISU band member.
 
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Frankly, the Rutgers party being thrown by AreYouNuts at Legends on Broadway sounds like a great time. We may need to try to put something like that together. Once we know when the official events are, we can make some plans. For instance, we may try to have a party somewhere on Friday night, tailgate somewhere on Saturday morning, then go to the pep rally at Yankee Stadium I read about from the ISU band member.

From one Cyclone fan to another, check your calendar. Wouldn't want you to show up Saturday expecting to see a game :wideeyed:
 
My favorite restaurants in NYC:
- Norma's at Le Parker Meridien for Breakfast (NORMA'S at LE PARKER MERIDIEN New York). This is my favorite restaurant, period.

- Two Bobby Flay restaurants are outstanding: Mesa Grill - New York Restaurant - Las Vegas Restaurant - Bahamas Restaurant - Bobby Flay and Bar Americain - New York Restaurant - Mohegan Sun Restaurant - Bobby Flay

- FWIW, I'm not a big fan of the tourist-trap deli's like the Carnegie Deli.


Favorite things to do:

- Evening time harbor boat ride. I did this in summer, so don't know how it is when it gets dark so early or if the boat is heated. There are several operations that offer these though, here is one example: Twilight Cruise (90-min)

- Empire State Building at Night. Empire State Building lines are horrible. HORRIBLE!!! Only go at night. The view is better and the line is quasi-bearable. The later you go, the better.

- Broadway shows. My favorite ones have been Avenue Q (Avenue Q New York - Tickets, Cast, Reviews, Music, Soundtrack) and the Lion King. Avenue Q is absolutely NOT family friendly, despite the fact that it is puppet-based. Sometimes you can get same day discounted tickets from a booth in times square for most shows except the very most popular. I forget the details of this, should be easy to google.

- Museums. There are a ton to choose from based on personal preference. The biggies are the American History Museum, MET, and Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). I liked all three, didn't love any of them.

- I have not been to Ellis Island or Statue of Liberty, I'm sure that's fun. I did take the Staten Island ferry once as a suggestion. It sucked, don't do it. There is nothing to do once you get there but ride right back.
 
Go get a burger in a blanket and a drink from 7A in the lower east side Manhattan. This is especially good if you are out drinking late as 7A is open 24 hours a day.
 

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