Help me plan my trip to New York City

Follow up from my first post. Here is the website I was talking about. I found some pretty cool stuff to do/see/try on here and try to do at least one thing on the list every time I am in the city.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/manhattan-new-york

If you're at all squeamish about heights do NOT run over the RFK (aka Triboro) Bridge. There are segments of it (when you're still over land) where the railing is fairly high, but once you're out over water, the railing is about waist high. It's the only runable bridge in the city that I'd avoid. If you want to get a run in and see a good amount of the skyline, run over the QB bridge, follow the marathon course into Brooklyn and run along Kent to the Williamsburg and take that back over to the city. You can even double back over the Manhattan Br. and then come back over the Brooklyn Br. (although unless it's early morning, the path on the Brooklyn Br. is very full of tourists).

Also, Coogan's, unless you're going to the Armory for a meet, is not worth it. High Line also not worth it this time of year.

Enjoy your trip!

SirReggie wrote:

You gotta do a lap of Times Square, its a bucket list item.

Dude, I already have a lap of Times Square, the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, and the Rockefeller Center in the plans.

Where to run in Manhattan from midtown: 1) Central Park (several variations w/in the park that others are mentioning); 2) West Side path (down to Battery Park, or up to George Washington Bridge -- for a really long run, take this up to bridge and over, then run along the Palisades on NJ side); 3) East Side path -- you can take it South all the way down to the public track (John Lindsay E. River Park Track at 6th st.).

Good jazz club for low cost: Here's the one others have been missing in their recommendations (I'm a professional jazz musician): The Jazz Gallery. Frequent performances by great musicians, some of them young up-and-coming ones you may not have heard of yet, and very reasonable cover charge. More of a performance space than a "club" (i.e. there's not a bar, etc...)

Museum of Modern Art is a must-see if you like modern art -- it is simply amazing. I don't think you need a guided walking tour, it's easy to get around and see things on your own. Have a great trip!

RE: Empire State Building (ESB)

there's lineups for the lineups at the ESB - maybe about three sets of lineups before you get to the observation deck.

Google Maps has a graphic showing how busy/popular the ESB (just search for "Empire State Building" and select the obvious choice) is at a particular time of the day.

Looks like Sundays - Tuesdays are the relatively dead days of the week, 11AM-7PM are the really busy times every day.

tourister wrote:

RE: Empire State Building (ESB)

there's lineups for the lineups at the ESB - maybe about three sets of lineups before you get to the observation deck.

Google Maps has a graphic showing how busy/popular the ESB (just search for "Empire State Building" and select the obvious choice) is at a particular time of the day.

Looks like Sundays - Tuesdays are the relatively dead days of the week, 11AM-7PM are the really busy times every day.

Fyi, I don't plan on visiting the Empire State Building. I plan on keeping the obnoxious tourist traps to a minimum.

sub sub elite local hobby jogger wrote:

3) What art museums are worth a visit? I am also interested in more niche museums I have seen in New York (Mathematics, Transit, etc.)?

I've been to the Mathematics museum. It's ok. I was a math major and got a PhD in physics (and now I do genetics research...) so it felt like something I should check out. The day I went there were a lot of six year olds in Harvard tshirts with aspirational parents, so that was a little bit annoying. The exhibits were fun but nothing special. If you're in the mood then go for it, but it's not going to blow you away.

The Met is a great museum. I don't like modern art. The Museum of Natural History is fun. The Bronx zoo is big. I have a friend who works at the Cloisters but it's been a long time since I've been there. I've been meaning to go to the Noguchi museum, never have been. The Intrepid is cool if you're into jets and airplanes and want to see them up close.

Not A Therapist... wrote:

Follow up from my first post. Here is the website I was talking about. I found some pretty cool stuff to do/see/try on here and try to do at least one thing on the list every time I am in the city.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/manhattan-new-york

This list is cool, but it's one of those lists that makes you load a new page with every 10 items to increase page views. Aargh.

Came for the jazz though wrote:

Nyc runner.. wrote:

2. Blue Smoke,

8. No

Best wings I've ever had

McSorleys Pub anyone?

Chelsea Piers gotta quarter mile ba nked Mondo track for speed work

Looks like running is out of the question for this trip. My hip is still bothering me. Maybe it's time to finally see a doctor.

When are you going? Weather this upcoming weekend might be a little rough!

...and yes, go see a doctor!

MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:

When are you going? Weather this upcoming weekend might be a little rough!

...and yes, go see a doctor!

Not this weekend, so I will miss that weather.

The trouble with visiting doctors is that I never know which one to visit and the ones I do visit just rush through everything and don't seem to fully understand my situation. So I usually put it off for too long.

sub sub elite local hobby jogger wrote:

MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:

When are you going? Weather this upcoming weekend might be a little rough!

...and yes, go see a doctor!

Not this weekend, so I will miss that weather.

The trouble with visiting doctors is that I never know which one to visit and the ones I do visit just rush through everything and don't seem to fully understand my situation. So I usually put it off for too long.

Pa

Now you tell us.

Man up, get a shot of cortisone or a RX for painkiller s.

CallMeDoctor wrote:

sub sub elite local hobby jogger wrote:

Not this weekend, so I will miss that weather.

The trouble with visiting doctors is that I never know which one to visit and the ones I do visit just rush through everything and don't seem to fully understand my situation. So I usually put it off for too long.

Pa

Now you tell us.

Man up, get a shot of cortisone or a RX for painkiller s.

I actually can run through the pain, but every time I run, it gets a little worse. Gets better if I don't run for awhile. But doesn't completely disappear. It's very mysterious.

Few things to note:

Just wanted to clarify something... the 9/11 memorial is the outdoor area with the fountains, I think that's what you meant by super crowded with people peddling stuff? The 9/11 museum is underground below it, and is a must-see.

MoMA is free admission Fridays from 4-8pm . There's a museum called Spyscape in the 50's and 8th ave that opened up semi-recently that I thought would be a total sham but has been getting pretty rave reviews, if you're into that sort of thing.

Sounds like you're not running anymore but for Central Park, walk around the rambles and north woods. Heavily wooded, more trail-y walking that most tourists don't know about. But go during a normal daytime as there are sometimes sketch characters.

High Line is worth a walk, but recommend visiting earlier in the morning to avoid the crowds.

Would recommend doing the top of the Freedom Tower if you're looking for an observation tower type of activity. Honestly probably one of the best touristy things I've done in New York. Reserve a spot earlier in the day if possible and you'll zip in and out quickly. Can pair this with the 9/11 memorial/museum visit and Statue of Liberty since you'll be downtown.

Well, boys, thanks for the help in trip planning. The advice on jazz clubs was especially useful and I kept some in mind for a future trip to New York. Bad news, though, I did not meet up with wejo because I wanted to focus on time with my travel mate.

We went to the Jazz Gallery one night and that place is the bomb and the music was exquisite. Almost went back for a 2nd night. Another night we went to Fat Cat mostly because the showtime was a better fit than the 7 pm/10 pm set up of some other venues, and can't beat a $3 cover charge. I would like to visit Smalls and/or Mezzrow for a future trip.

The only art museum we visited was the MoMA, and I did not realize how many historically renown artists and works were on display. I was expecting more modern art, but it mostly was paintings from the 20th century. Which is fine. The only other museum we visited was the Museum of the City of New York. The photo exhibits were the highlight and I also liked the historical exhibits of the city, but the museum as a whole was different than I expected. Somehow, I already know a lot about the history of New York.

My travel mate had never been to New York, so she insisted that we visit the Statue of Liberty. I almost got hustled by the express tour BS and felt like an idiot for letting that happen because I never let myself get hustled. We ended up just taking the Staten Island ferry, and happy that we did because, for whatever reason, it was nice to simply take a leisurely ferry ride and wander around Staten Island for a bit.

Other touristy adventures were a stroll through Central Park and got up to the northerly parts with a lot fewer people. I love how you can stumble upon so many historical buildings in New York, like the library, Empire State Building, a gorgeous old church, etc. We visited Chinatown to buy some cheap gifts for her friends/family back home and then get some clichéd coffee and pastries in Little Italy. Wasn't crazy about either, but I just told her to take the lead there and I will follow along for the ride.

I was not able to go for a run because my hip is still bothering me, but we did walk along the East River trail for a bit starting at 37th St. Probably would not have known about the 37 St. entrance to that trail without this thread. So thanks for that tip, y'all.

But anyways, thanks for the help, definitely got some good recommendations for this trip and future ones. This thread made planning easier for me and helped us fully enjoy our time together rather than worry too much about the details.