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Post by lola on Nov 22, 2011 16:10:43 GMT
So my City Girl younger daughter and I plan a NYC week's trip together in early January, while still trying to retain a shred of economic caution. It turns out that lodging is way cheaper just after they've swept the debris from Times Sq.
I'm thinking 4 days in Midtown and 3 Downtown/Soho per hotwire.com categories. Right now we can get 4* midtown hotels for ~$150/night including taxes etc, a relative steal. I spoke to a woman with an attractive VRBO.com townhouse in Clinton area, but she started off telling me short term rentals are now illegal in NY, and I wasn't a policewoman was I?
My chiquita would like to get up to Harlem. Any thoughts on Amateur Night at the Apollo? Or live music in general?
I was briefly a mother's helper in Westchester back when Hector was a pup, and got to wander around the city one day a week, so I know the basic layout, but nothing recent at all.
I plan to get a Time Out when we get there, maybe see what we can get at TKTS for drama, catch some dance somewhere. See what MOMA and the Met look like these days. Check out the High Line. Duplicate Casimira's walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and see if we can find that pizza place.
More questions later.
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Post by mickthecactus on Nov 22, 2011 16:17:01 GMT
I've been in midwinter Lola and want to go again. It will be interesting to see how this develops.
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Post by lola on Nov 22, 2011 16:37:30 GMT
Thanks, Mick.
I've just been looking over the TKTS offerings and remain discouraged by lack of original drama. One exception is Relatively Speaking, a set of one-acts by Elaine May, Ethan Coen, and Woody Allen. The critics were consistently underwhelmed, but spread their disdain by choosing different plays as the worst of the lot. We'll go farther afield. And I'm surely not going to pay big bucks to see a TV star in a play, since I can't be troubled to turn my own TV on at home.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2011 18:49:29 GMT
Oh, how exciting for you two!!! As you are accustomed to a relatively cold climate coming from St. Louis,you are well aware I'm sure to dress accordingly,with warm woolens,coat,hat,gloves and most importantly good sensible warm walking shoes/boots. The best time to be had in NYC anytime of year is to walk,walk,walk around. Try to strategize which areas of the city you want to see and save yourself alot of time by taking in areas that are close to one another. For instance,you can take in a great deal of downtown,including both the East and West Village,Soho and Tribeca,Chinatown,etc. easily in one day. Areas further Uptown both on the East and West side can also be conquered if indeed you have a plan of where you're going. This would include a number of the fabulous museums, MOMA,the Met,Guggenheim,and some smaller ones such as the Jewish Museum, Cooper Hewitt. All of this of course depends on what is being exhibited at that particular time. You could spend half a day waiting in lines at both the Met and MOMA easily if the exhibits are big time ones. Grab yourself a copy of either New York Magazine,The Village Voice and or The New Yorker the week before you're going for guidance. Try to take in the Frick Collection if you can while on the Upper East side,it's along that stretch of the bigger museums in and around the Guggenheim and the Met. NYC transit is one of the best and most efficient of anywhere I've ever been in the U.S. And,contrary to what you may have heard otherwise,the people in NYC are super friendly and almost always willing to help out with directions etc.
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Post by nycgirl on Nov 22, 2011 19:30:01 GMT
There are a couple of plays I've had my eye on. One is The Mountaintop, set on the final night of Martin Luther King's life, starring Samuel L. Jackson as MLK and Angela Bassett as a maid he strikes up a conversation with. Bassett, in addition to being a film star, is an acclaimed Broadway veteran. Jackson is a relative novice to the stage, but I heard he gives an appealingly down-to-earth (and surprisingly funny) portrayal. The play is a bit flimsier than it sounds (it's only an hour and a half). I believe it has appeared on the TKTS list. For half price, I'd give it a shot. www.broadway.com/shows/mountaintop/For something weightier, there's Kevin Spacey, reprising his role as Richard III that won raves in London. It's playing at BAM in Brooklyn, so if you were so inclined, you could combine it with your walk on the bridge. Tickets start from $30. www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=3692As for dance, I wish I could recommend the magical Alvin Ailey troupe, but they finish their NYC performances on Jan 1. I'll let you know if I hear of something else. The Met, always wonderful, just opened their spectacular galeries of Art of the Arab Lands. They've been restoring and renovating for 8 years and it's a labor of love that really paid off. I'm going to start a thread on it, but my photos don't do it justice. MoMA is currently showing some Diego Rivera murals that have been in storage for 80 years. I'm eager to see them and can't imagine what took MoMA so long to trot them out. Oh, if you don't already know, the Met's $25 admission is suggested but you can pay whatever you wish. MoMA's $25 admission is mandatory, but it's free on Fridays from 4-8 pm. The Apollo can be good, but it largely depends on the luck of the draw. There were no stellar performers the time I visited, but I still had fun. I just moved to Harlem and am still getting to know it. There's a jazz place on E. 120th that looks nice. I'll tell you about it after I pay a visit. Red Rooster is a popular soul food spot that has live music on certain days. I haven't been on a live music day yet. For food, my husband the carnivore says he prefers Dinosaur (also in Harlem). redroosterharlem.com/events/www.dinosaurbarbque.com/Love the Highline! And near one of the entrances is a great comfort food place called Half King. thehalfking.com/Whew, I'm doing a lot of rambling! It just so happens that you seem to be interested in the same things I always like to do. When my friends ask me to find trendy scene-ster places, I'm like "Duuuuuhhh, I don't know." And they in turn say, "How come you don't know anything about your city?"
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2011 20:14:15 GMT
The last time I was in NYC in midwinter was... let's see... January 2009, because I saw the Obama inauguration on a big screen at Times Square as I passed through. I just about froze my ass off in the ice and snow during that trip and I swore that I would never go to NYC again at that time of year.
However, since I haven't had a chance to return since then, now I am ready to gladly return in midwinter if I don't get a chance to go during another season.
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Post by sojoh on Nov 22, 2011 21:11:33 GMT
I didn't know that there is a Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem! After being skeptical that any place in NY could have good barbecue, I was really impressed when I went to their restaurant (the original one, I think) in Syracuse a couple of years ago. The atmosphere was good too.
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Post by lola on Nov 22, 2011 23:01:10 GMT
Thank you, Casimira. Good ones! We'll buy a week transit pass I think, and I'm assessing my boot situation now. I've never been to the Frick; thanks for the reminder!
NYCgirl, thank you. After reading above I jumped right on a couple of cheap seats for Richard III. I'd read the NYT review when they were in London. Here I'm acting all too cool to be starstruck, but I'd love to see Spacey on stage in anything, and RIII's one of my favorite Shakespeare trag. We're going opening night, up in the balcony. Come sit with us! (you, too, Kerouac) Seats are selling briskly, so I'm glad I spoke up now.
Both of my daughters got to study with Antonio Douthit and Kirvin Boyd of Alvin Ailey, during various one week residencies here. Antonio got his start at our local COCA where my girls danced with the company, and sometimes he comes back for fundraiser concerts. He's a sweet guy, and they are both great to watch. He did the solo for "I Wanna Be Ready", very powerful.
I'll note the restaurant recs, and ask again later for possible music ideas.
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Post by nycgirl on Nov 23, 2011 16:06:36 GMT
Thanks for the invite, you're so sweet. I'm not able to go on a weekday, though.
So you're daughters are dancers? They must be very talented. I've always admired dancers, they really show what the human body is capable of.
I love that solo piece. It's funny, at one performance, a female audience member was apparently quite impressed with the shirtless dancer and gave a very audible sound of approval. The whole theater must have heard her.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2011 12:42:46 GMT
Lola,if you're going to trek all the way up to Harlem,try the pizza at Patsy'swww.yelp.com/biz/patsys-pizzeria-new-york-7 rather than standing in long.long lines in Brooklyn at the other joint. Patsy's has the best pizza in the world and you are unlikely to encounter the wait you would in Brooklyn. Also,have you entertained going to The Cloister's at the Northern tip of Manhattan? Well well worth the trip. If you're going up to Harlem,please consider going there too. It is so, so 'up your alley.' You will positively swoon at the tapestries on display. www.metmuseum.org/visit/visit-the-cloisters/
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Post by lola on Dec 1, 2011 15:36:21 GMT
Thank you so much, Casimira and NYCgirl.
My daughters have studied dance since pre pre pre ballet class, but never intended to go pro. They take classes here and there in college ( but nothing like our hometown Center of Creative Arts that brings in dancers/choreographers from around the country for residencies with advanced students.) But they love to go tango, salsa, and swing dancing for fun.
I'm going to call the Joyce this morning and see about $10 tickets for their Focus series; this daughter got to study with Jason Samuels Smith who'll be at the Joyce the week we're there, along with some other great sounding companies.
Casimira, Patsy's it is then! We'll go to Chinatown during our downtown 2 nights then. We're staying at three different hotels to get an overview. I went with Hotwire.com 4* and up, got what look like some fun places for $120-142/night plus taxes. Since one of them's right across from Lincoln Center I got us nosebleed seats for Enchanted Island at the Met Opera.
I'd love to go to the Cloisters. Admission prices of $25 always seem steep compared to the FREE (taxpayer sponsored) St. Louis museums. I see you can go to the Met and the Cloisters the same day on the same ticket, though.
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Post by nycgirl on Dec 2, 2011 3:42:45 GMT
Just want to reiterate, the $25 admission to the Met and the Cloisters is their suggested price, but you can actually pay what you wish. I'm not going to tell you what you should give, but I can tell you I've given $3 and they didn't sneer at me or anything. I've been through some terribly broke times here, but that never stopped me from making multiple trips to the Met.
I checked out the Joyce's site, looks like a really good line-up. And bargain prices, too! Thanks for mentioning it.
Oh, and my husband told me to point out that there's a beer garden on one end of the High Line. It's a nice one, if the cold doesn't bother you (but I'm a wuss, I only drink outside during perfect conditions).
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Post by nycgirl on Dec 19, 2011 14:35:48 GMT
Got a couple of music recs. Cafe Wha in Greenwich Village is a fun place. The house band plays Wednesday through Sunday and they cover hits from several genres, spanning the 60s til today, and they often take requests. They're very talented and always give a high-energy performance. You can check out the videos posted on the site to see if you'd like it. There's a food and drink minimum and the food is nothing to write home about, but you come for the entertainment. Blue Note, also in Greenwich Village, is a reputable jazz club that features big names. I saw Cassandra Wilson there and she was amazing. She happens to be playing in early January. I can't tell you anything about the food because when I visited the tables were sold out, so I bought a ticket for the bar. I paid $35 and it was worth every penny. I could probably think of some pretentious hipster places that my husband has gotten us thrown out of, but I don't think that's what you want.
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Post by lola on Dec 19, 2011 19:41:42 GMT
Oh, thank you, NYCg! That is excellent.
Suddenly, getting thrown out of a pretentious hipster place is what I want most in the world, but maybe it'd be just as fun getting thrown out of somewhere less pricey. We will definitely check out Cafe Wha and Blue Note.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2011 21:21:23 GMT
Oh, I ache to return to New York, even after promising myself "never again in the dead of winter!"
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Post by lola on Dec 24, 2011 4:25:23 GMT
We'd buy you a cup of coffee and maybe even a bagel, Kerouac.
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Post by lola on Jan 7, 2012 4:53:14 GMT
NYCgirl, you'd like the dance matinee at the Joyce Sunday: Trey McIntyre and Jason Samuels Smith. We just got back from seeing them, and they were terrific. Choreography was witty and inventive, excellent dancers. We're seeing 2 other companies there Sunday evening.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2012 15:21:41 GMT
NYCgirl, you'd like the dance matinee at the Joyce Sunday: Trey McIntyre and Jason Samuels Smith. We just got back from seeing them, and they were terrific. Choreography was witty and inventive, excellent dancers. We're seeing 2 other companies there Sunday evening. Ah!!!! You're there!!!!( Pine, pine pine,envy,envy.....) Oh,I can't wait to hear (and hopefully see pics!!!!) all about this trip dear!!! Have fun!!!!!!
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Post by nycgirl on Jan 8, 2012 13:39:55 GMT
Me, too! Have a wonderful time, can't wait to hear all about it. And thanks for the rec.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Jan 8, 2012 18:32:19 GMT
Have a great time lola. New York has always been on my list ;D altho your country has soooo many wonderful places that I'd love to see.... ;D
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Post by lola on Feb 20, 2012 14:16:41 GMT
It turns out that New York City is just perfect in midwinter.
This is a defining clip of our trip, since H (my college sophomore daughter) and I watched a DVD of Manhattan the week before we left.
Walking down a random street or avenue, H would periodically burst out with: "Chapter One. He uh-DOH-ud New York City. He idealized it out OH-ul out of proportion. No..uh, make that: he romanticized it Oh-ul out of proportion. He thrived on the hustle-bustle of the crowds and the traffic. For him it was a metaphor for the decay of contemporary culture."
That Gershwin clarinet glissando kept ringing through my mind. We uh DOH uh New York City.
If H has a fault, it's that she inherited my dawdling in uploading photos from cameras. We ended up taking a few photos, but mostly dashed around just soaking it in. I'll jot down a few of my impressions before they've aged much more than a month.
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Post by lola on Feb 20, 2012 14:41:05 GMT
We flew in January 4 and out the 11th. I used Hotwire for 4* hotels, and paid between $123 - $145/night before taxes. Since this was our big mother-daughter trip, I wanted the places to be nice but less than a king's ransom. The time period after they sweep up the New Year's confetti turns out to be a hotel bargain. Things we didn't do or buy despite my first post: -- Never bought a Time Out. We tried the first night, but the news stand was sold out. That turned out to be a pleasant purchase attempt, since the Indian-accented newsman was a sweet guy who hummed a cheerful tune as we browsed his shop. -- We got to the front of the TKTS line our first and one of only two unscheduled nights, and learned that our two choices would cost $75 each. A quick huddle and we decided we could live without the Broadway experience. It was fun being in TKTS line, though, and it moves quickly. -- The Apollo Theater was closed the month of January. -- We got to the High Line minutes after the gates were locked for the evening. -- And, most to my regret, by the time late in the week I suggested a stroll over the Brooklyn Bridge, H rebelled at yet another long walk. Weather: we lucked out. Record high on the Saturday, sunshine pouring down as we lounged on the benches overlooking the East River at 59th St Bridge. I'm sorry if Kerouac missed out on a free cup of coffee and bagel based on potential icy weather. I only wore my long coat once, and could've done without it entirely.
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Post by onlymark on Feb 20, 2012 15:32:59 GMT
I used to have that poster.
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Post by nycgirl on Feb 20, 2012 15:39:58 GMT
Nice clip and movie still. Woody Allen sure created a stirring love letter to NYC.
That's too bad about the High Line, but I was there recently, and to be honest, it looks better during any other season. The views are always good but the plants are all dead now.
You sure lucked out with the weather. Despite a freakish day of snow in October, this has been the mildest winter I can remember. Although I felt bad for some Brazilian tourists I met who really wanted to see snow for the first time and didn't get their wish.
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Post by lola on Feb 20, 2012 15:45:03 GMT
Transport: We flew into Newark, my first time using that airport. Based on a fodor's tip, we got a car service to our hotel. An extravagance at $75 including $15 tip, but kind of nice being dropped at the door. Going back, we took the subway to Penn Station and caught a NJ Transit train to a tram to the airport for only $25 altogether. By that time we were subway savvy. We got week MetroCards for $29 each, a bargain that we used the heck out of. Unlimited subway and bus travel. By the time we left I was starting to get a feel for express vs local and that fine M66 bus that cuts across the park. We walked everywhere at all hours, uptown and down. Absolutely the best way to feel the neighborhoods, as Casimira says. We took one cab, from our second hotel near Lincoln Center to our third on Canal St. The W Hotel on Lexington has something they call the Accura Experience, where you get a gratis ride until 7PM and from 81st St to the Battery. We used that twice and had a nice chat about baseball with the driver, who pitches for the Royals farm team during the summers. Hotels: Yup, three of them for seven nights. I wanted to pay for them in advance through Hotwire, in sets of two and three nights, and mostly wanted to have a variety of nice hotel experiences. The W on Lexington at East 50th. This was H's favorite. Contemporary spare decor, and almost laughable attention to customer satisfaction. Big bowl of green apples in the lobby, hot spiced cider by the elevators, a hip bar scene. I suspect random people used the lobby to lounge with free wi-fi, and a person could do worse. We were upgraded from a "cozy" to a "wonderful" room on the 16th floor, with a view across Lexington to the Waldorf Astoria. Easy walk to Grand Central, Rockefeller Center, MOMA, the SE corner of Central Park, the UN. Complimentary wi-fi in the rooms. Very good concierges. The Empire Hotel: Least expensive, with least apparent concern for our happiness. Great location right across from Lincoln Center. Big bowl of red apples this time. Our 6th floor room, facing rooftop and other rooms, had a noisy rattling exhaust fan that required a midnight switch to a larger and great view, but smoking room. The night clerk on our return from the opera knew exactly what noise I was talking about, but until I went down to the lobby 15 min after calling him apparently hoped I would give up. We settled in and enjoyed our stinky room for two nights. Great sheets and towels. Some might consider the decor a bit much. You can use the busy Starbucks around the corner in the same building for free wi-fi. It would be fun to be there in the summer and use the rooftop pool and bar. www.empirehotelnyc.com/?mpage=pool_deckThe Sheraton Tribeca on Canal at W. Broadway: brand new, comfortable, quiet. I loved this neighborhood, one I'd never explored before. Our 4th floor room overlooked Canal and a great cast iron facade across the street. You could use computers in the lobby. A good base for exploring downtown, a good walk to Staten Island Ferry, Lower East Side, East and West Village. All of the hotels had very comfortable beds and bathrooms. What you pay for with all those stars, I guess.
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Post by lola on Feb 20, 2012 16:06:26 GMT
Oh, I'd like to have that poster.
Thanks, nycg. Your tips were helpful, most especially RIII, and some day I'd like to stay a decent length of time and take full advantage. Maybe 6 months.
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Post by mich64 on Feb 20, 2012 16:06:26 GMT
More more Lola! I am enjoying reading your report so far! Cheers, Mich
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Post by lola on Feb 20, 2012 17:29:55 GMT
Thank you, Mich! Favorite food experiences: Tony "the Dragon" Dragonas, street food vendor at 82nd and Madison. Chicken platter at $7 includes flavorful. juicy Greek style chicken, salad, rice. Do not turn down his tsatziki sauce offer. Found him by "best food carts" article, and apparently you can wait 20 min in line during lunch time. We caught him around 2:30 PM with almost no line. I want some for my lunch today. Brunch at Casimir, Ave B between 6th and 7th. RIght off Tompkins Square in a cool neighborhood. Check it out, Casimira! casimirrestaurant.com/#13297563522681&true French food and vibe, $9.95 including coffee. Waiters evidently chosen for being male and attractive, with cute French accents. Not that one notices these things. Breakfast Monday morning Patisserie des Ambassades in Harlem, 8th Ave/Frederick Douglass Blvd., an easy subway ride up from the Empire Hotel. Interesting and eclectic crowd. H had read a dancer's autobiography recently, wanted to see the Cotton Club. It was about a 10 min walk, and a good chance to get a feel for the neighborhood. The Club itself isn't all that much to look at, closed, but you can imagine some interesting history passing through the doors. We peered through the window glass.
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Post by lola on Feb 21, 2012 17:43:46 GMT
Just one more Woody Allen reference. I love this clip from "Everyone Says I Love You", and wanted to peek inside Harry Winston on 5th Ave to see that terrazzo floor. They still have those cases in the walls, too.
The distinguished looking gentleman at the door welcomed us in, had never heard of the movie but seemed glad to know about it. I admitted up front that we were not fabulously wealthy jewel buying types, but still he took us for a quick tour of the fabulous emeralds and rubies in the central case. It was fun to look at, but we don't really care to own no 14 ct stone.
Back in St.Louis, on the way home work yesterday, during the 15 minute walk from the Metrolink stop to our house I did not encounter a soul on foot. There was one man walking a dog on the other side of the street. I guess that's more relaxing, but:
What I love most about NYC is the people, and not just the sheer diverse volume of them. They have what I find a charming willingness to engage briefly with strangers, to interact with humor and personality.
In Little Italy before we went to BAM for the play, we just wanted a drink and a snack. In front of almost every restaurant they have a man urging pedestrians to come inside and eat, but H especially dislikes being importuned like that. Our goal became finding a place with no such person out front. One guy we passed said, "You're making a big mistake." When I admitted I'd made many mistakes and this was just probably the latest, he relaxed and shot the breeze with us a little as we waited for the light to change. Such breeze shooting is rare in our town.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2012 5:33:53 GMT
I have indeed found all of the New Yorkers who work out on the street to be willing to chat briefly while of course never losing sight of their job. But when business is slow, they can go on forever.
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