The "All Things NYC" Thread

[bmoak]

Check the website at http://www.amnh.org/

The Museum of Natural History's recommended donation is $22. You can pay less, but then you have to wait in line (lines can be very long) at the admissions desk. If your pay the suggested price, you can buy your tickets online or at one of the ticket machines in the entrance area and avoid the lines. Admission includes the museum and Rose Space Center, but doesn't include the IMAX or planetarium shows, or certain temporary exhibits. Unless you are spending all day there, I wouldn't recommend paying extra for those, as there is plenty to see.

Recommendations depend on what your interested in, but there but the exhibit halls can basically be divided into four groups: Fossils (the entire 4th floor), Animals (African Mammals, Birds of the World, etc.) Anthropology (Asian Peoples, Northwest Coast Indians, etc.) and Natural Sciences/Environment (Hall of Minerals, Hall of Biodiversity, etc)

 

[Crease]

Nice summary. If you're with kids, I'd recommend starting on the 4th floor (dinosaurs) and working your way down. On a rainy day, I love walking through AMNH, MOMA, and especially the Met. The period rooms fascinate me. I still need to check out the Guggenheim and the Smithsonian.

 

[patnyrnyg]

Going to the Mets game on Saturday and I was wondering if you guys could help me out with a few things.

1) How early should we come to the game? (we already have tickets)

2) Is there anything at Citi Field is a considered a must see?

3) How are the beer prices?

4) Is there a train that goes directly to the Stadium?

Cheers everyone.

1) call and let them know what time you can get there and they will hold the start of the game. In all seriousness, if you go straight from the train to your seat, it should take you no more than 20 minutes. If you want to walk around a bit, get some food, then you'll need more time.

2) The Jackie Robinson Rotunda is ok, but you need about 2 1/2 minutes. As far as the area, there aren't any bars or restaurants within walking distance to the stadium, except for McFadden's which is at the stadium. Went there last year, beer was warm and flat. The only food worth eating in the stadium, imo, is shake shack, but the line for that place is long and slow. VERY slow. I'd suggest eating before you get on the train and plan to eat after the game.

3) $8 and up, like any other stadium.

4) 7 train is the cheapest, LIRR will be less crowded and more comfortable.

 

[sbjnyc]

need some help I will be doing a road trip with my friends from quebec city to new York to watch the rangers-canucks game on nov 30th, could you please tell me whats the best way for us to go to the Madison square garden? Should we park in NJ and take a subway, a train or a bus or should we drive directly to the Madison square garden and find a parking nearby

I second the suggestion that you just drive to the Garden. I don't think the hassle of finding parking near the game will be any greater than finding a park and ride in Jersey and figuring out public transit. Plus after the game you can just get in the car and head down to Philly without having to go all the way back to Jersey first.

Have fun!

I think you will wind up killing a lot time waiting to get out of the lots by the garden and tunnel traffic into Jersey on your way to Philly. You should be able to park near one of the PATH stations in NJ (e.g. hoboken, journal square). There is a PATH station about a block away from the 7th ave exit of MSG.

 

[The Legend]

Any good ball hockey leagues people know of in the Manhattan area besides Zog? Looking for something a bit more competitive.....

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

How user-friendly is your subway system?

a weird question, i know. i've actually been too New York (pretty much entirely Manhattan) many times but I seem to always either walk places or take a cab (much cheaper than Toronto! ). I might be going in September w/ some people who are extremely budget conscious and am sure they will have no interest in cabbing it anywhere. When I think about your subway, I always envision 20 trains running on the same line and ending up in some borough staring back at Manhattan from across a river.

is the subway easy enough to use (obviously, millions of people use it)??

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

How user-friendly is your subway system?

a weird question, i know. i've actually been too New York (pretty much entirely Manhattan) many times but I seem to always either walk places or take a cab (much cheaper than Toronto! ). I might be going in September w/ some people who are extremely budget conscious and am sure they will have no interest in cabbing it anywhere. When I think about your subway, I always envision 20 trains running on the same line and ending up in some borough staring back at Manhattan from across a river.

is the subway easy enough to use (obviously, millions of people use it)??

The subway is very easy to use--we even have a something called a subway map.

The MTA (www.mta.info) has a trip planner that will give you the fastest route
between two addresses. And while there are usually several lines that run together in Manhattan (for example, the B,D and F that run on 6th Ave), they have different starting and end points. Plus, there are discounts for weekly passes ($30 unlimited rides on the subway and buses for 7 days) as well as a 5% discount for buying a Metro Card for at least $5 (and you can refill it).

Bottom line, it's the cheapest/fastest way to get around. Plus, it's open 24/7 unless there is a super major hurricane (or Bloomberg goes completely bonkers).

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

The subway is very easy to use--we even have a something called a subway map.

The MTA (www.mta.info) has a trip planner that will give you the fastest route
between two addresses. And while there are usually several lines that run together in Manhattan (for example, the B,D and F that run on 6th Ave), they have different starting and end points. Plus, there are discounts for weekly passes ($30 unlimited rides on the subway and buses for 7 days) as well as a 5% discount for buying a Metro Card for at least $5 (and you can refill it).

Bottom line, it's the cheapest/fastest way to get around. Plus, it's open 24/7 unless there is a super major hurricane (or Bloomberg goes completely bonkers).

yeah, i get that part. i'm probably still traumatized by the school trip i had, many moons ago, where our history teacher was standing on the subway platform reviewing his map and the wind brought in by the subway knocked the map onto the track...and confusion ensued.

i'm sure it will be fine ... i'll figure it out....just to give you a frame of reference, in toronto there's only one train that runs on each track...i.e. you don't have any other options other than the train that pulls into the station you're at.

just a couple of notes, the reason i love cabs in new york is they're so much cheaper than toronto - that it's easy to forgot that subway is even cheaper.

the other NYC bias i have is i love to walk in general and there is no city i love walking around in more than new york. when i was there last month i quite happily walked from the empire state building to the met for my own enjoyment

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

Walking is a great way to get around. Check out the trip planner at mta.info

 

[patnyrnyg]

yeah, i get that part. i'm probably still traumatized by the school trip i had, many moons ago, where our history teacher was standing on the subway platform reviewing his map and the wind brought in by the subway knocked the map onto the track...and confusion ensued.

i'm sure it will be fine ... i'll figure it out....just to give you a frame of reference, in toronto there's only one train that runs on each track...i.e. you don't have any other options other than the train that pulls into the station you're at.

just a couple of notes, the reason i love cabs in new york is they're so much cheaper than toronto - that it's easy to forgot that subway is even cheaper.

the other NYC bias i have is i love to walk in general and there is no city i love walking around in more than new york. when i was there last month i quite happily walked from the empire state building to the met for my own enjoyment

Senior year of HS, I was bringing a game tape to a football coach at Columbia. Was also going to the Rangers game that night. Hadn't been on the subway since I was a little kid, so had no idea how long it would take. Was done meeting with the coach around 5:15 and game was at 7:30. Walked down from Columbia (125th-ish) to the Garden (33rd).

 

[aufheben]

yeah, i get that part. i'm probably still traumatized by the school trip i had, many moons ago, where our history teacher was standing on the subway platform reviewing his map and the wind brought in by the subway knocked the map onto the track...and confusion ensued.

I thought this story was going to get really dark.

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

I thought this story was going to get really dark.

I guess you've never developed a close attachment to a piece paper. Especially a one of a kind piece of paper like an MTA map.

 

[schmittkov]

yeah, i get that part. i'm probably still traumatized by the school trip i had, many moons ago, where our history teacher was standing on the subway platform reviewing his map and the wind brought in by the subway knocked the map onto the track...and confusion ensued.

i'm sure it will be fine ... i'll figure it out....just to give you a frame of reference, in toronto there's only one train that runs on each track...i.e. you don't have any other options other than the train that pulls into the station you're at.

just a couple of notes, the reason i love cabs in new york is they're so much cheaper than toronto - that it's easy to forgot that subway is even cheaper.

the other NYC bias i have is i love to walk in general and there is no city i love walking around in more than new york. when i was there last month i quite happily walked from the empire state building to the met for my own enjoyment

If you have smartphone, download an app like Hopstop or another NYC subway app. They are pretty easy to use and you just enter your destination and it will tell you how to get there.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Has anyone gone to Governors island recently?

First time going and want to know the best way to get their from NJ (Bergen County). Will have a 2 year old with us, going to see the carnival. Would like to get there at 10 when it opens.

I assume both ferrys will be crowded... anyone know which one wouldnt be as bad?

 

[GordonGecko]

Has anyone gone to Governors island recently?

First time going and want to know the best way to get their from NJ (Bergen County). Will have a 2 year old with us, going to see the carnival. Would like to get there at 10 when it opens.

I assume both ferrys will be crowded... anyone know which one wouldnt be as bad?

east river ferry, not crowded at all

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

east river ferry, not crowded at all

Doesnt that have several stops before G.I.?

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

I guess you've never developed a close attachment to a piece paper. Especially a one of a kind piece of paper like an MTA map.

i wish i didn't have to age myself on this one...but i will. the high school trip took place in the very late 90s and we had an old school teacher who liked keeping everything on paper...so it wasn't as easy as calling/texting/etc after the teacher's annotated map (i'm sure he'd prepared it months in advance) got blown on to the track.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

Check the website at http://www.amnh.org/

The Museum of Natural History's recommended donation is $22. You can pay less, but then you have to wait in line (lines can be very long) at the admissions desk. If your pay the suggested price, you can buy your tickets online or at one of the ticket machines in the entrance area and avoid the lines. Admission includes the museum and Rose Space Center, but doesn't include the IMAX or planetarium shows, or certain temporary exhibits. Unless you are spending all day there, I wouldn't recommend paying extra for those, as there is plenty to see.

Recommendations depend on what your interested in, but there but the exhibit halls can basically be divided into four groups: Fossils (the entire 4th floor), Animals (African Mammals, Birds of the World, etc.) Anthropology (Asian Peoples, Northwest Coast Indians, etc.) and Natural Sciences/Environment (Hall of Minerals, Hall of Biodiversity, etc)

thanks for that. i'll be there in a couple of weeks i think and will make use of it. i go to ny often and used to try to cheap out by saving my museum visits for every 5th trip or so and then buying a city pass and packing in a bunch of museums into a couple of non-work days (not to mention the Circle Line Cruise...lol, i'm sorry but that one never gets old for me - i've also done the *full island* trip, i think it's 3 hrs or something an embarrassing number of times). then didn't bother and just started paying the full price for the museums.

as far as the Museum of Natural History - I am obsessively in love with museums/art galleries (and am a proud supporter of the AGO and ROM in Toronto - visit them soon!)...but the Museum of Natural History has got to be one of my favourite on the planet...it's the first museum I actually recall visiting - when i was about 5 my dad took me there and I was fascinated by the Dioramas...they were unbelievable to me!

Even now, as much as i love all the museums and galleries in NY, there's nothing I love more than taking a quite moment and wandering around the dioramas...they never get old. ever.

 

[bmoak]

Has anyone gone to Governors island recently?

First time going and want to know the best way to get their from NJ (Bergen County). Will have a 2 year old with us, going to see the carnival. Would like to get there at 10 when it opens.

I assume both ferrys will be crowded... anyone know which one wouldnt be as bad?

Where in Bergen County are you? Hudson River Ferries have ferry terminals in Weehawken, Hoboken, and Jersey City(multiple, including Liberty Park to Pier 11/Wall Street. From there, it's a short walk to the free Governor's Island Ferry at the edge of Battery Park next to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Ferry info. I've never seen the Manhattan ferry to GI be that crowded, but the Brooklyn one can fill up, as it seems most of the families and large groups come from that direction.

 

[GordonGecko]

Doesnt that have several stops before G.I.?

It starts at 34th st, goes to LIC, then 4 stops in Brooklyn, wall street, and then Governor's island. So if you take it at wall street it's just one stop

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Thanks for all your help guys.

We wound up driving into the Wall St. area and taking the free ferry from the maritime building. Governors Island was great, and what weather today, gorgeous day... Other than my two year old getting stung in the face by a wasp, it was the perfect day.

 

[bmoak]

thanks for that. i'll be there in a couple of weeks i think and will make use of it. i go to ny often and used to try to cheap out by saving my museum visits for every 5th trip or so and then buying a city pass and packing in a bunch of museums into a couple of non-work days (not to mention the Circle Line Cruise...lol, i'm sorry but that one never gets old for me - i've also done the *full island* trip, i think it's 3 hrs or something an embarrassing number of times). then didn't bother and just started paying the full price for the museums.

as far as the Museum of Natural History - I am obsessively in love with museums/art galleries (and am a proud supporter of the AGO and ROM in Toronto - visit them soon!)...but the Museum of Natural History has got to be one of my favourite on the planet...it's the first museum I actually recall visiting - when i was about 5 my dad took me there and I was fascinated by the Dioramas...they were unbelievable to me!

Even now, as much as i love all the museums and galleries in NY, there's nothing I love more than taking a quite moment and wandering around the dioramas...they never get old. ever.

I was never much into the animal dioramas. Our family had memberships to the Bronx Zoo, and I'd rather go see the live animals there than the ones Teddy Roosevelt shot a hundred years ago. However, I loved everything else at the AMNH.

Go up to the fourth floor for the fossil halls, but make sure you start at the orientation center and go clockwise through all the fossils in chronological order and don't just skip ahead to the big dinosaurs. Don't be afraid to ask staff questions. Other personal faves include the Margaret Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples (pretty unique), the Hall of Asian Peoples, Mexico and Central America (Giant Olmec Heads!), the Hall of Planet Earth in the Rose Space Center, the Hall of Ocean Life (Giant Blue Whale!) the Hall of Minerals and Gems (Shiny!), and Northwest Coast Indians (Giant Totem Poles!).

 

[bmoak]

Thanks for all your help guys.

We wound up driving into the Wall St. area and taking the free ferry from the maritime building. Governors Island was great, and what weather today, gorgeous day... Other than my two year old getting stung in the face by a wasp, it was the perfect day.

Glad you had a good time. Governor's Island is one of NYC's hidden gems.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

I was never much into the animal dioramas. Our family had memberships to the Bronx Zoo, and I'd rather go see the live animals there than the ones Teddy Roosevelt shot a hundred years ago. However, I loved everything else at the AMNH.

Go up to the fourth floor for the fossil halls, but make sure you start at the orientation center and go clockwise through all the fossils in chronological order and don't just skip ahead to the big dinosaurs. Don't be afraid to ask staff questions. Other personal faves include the Margaret Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples (pretty unique), the Hall of Asian Peoples, Mexico and Central America (Giant Olmec Heads!), the Hall of Planet Earth in the Rose Space Center, the Hall of Ocean Life (Giant Blue Whale!) the Hall of Minerals and Gems (Shiny!), and Northwest Coast Indians (Giant Totem Poles!).

i was never starved for zoos - the toronto zoo is actually a pretty good one. re museums - for 'general viewing' the royal ontario museum (aka rom) is very good - and being a major canadian museum tends to attract high quality 'visiting' exhibits - and i went there a lot as a kid (and a lot now, b/c i'm a $ supporter of the museum)...and it's a nice one to visit (lol, unless you're from nyc - and it will be mundane)

it's just that when i was little the dioramas at the natural history museum carried this fascinating magic to me. and now, many moons later, i still love that part of the museum most - i guess it's in large part nostalgia...but when i look at them, as campy as they seem now, i just remember my 4 year old self being so amazed!

it's funny how your mini-me self informs your adult view. i have some engagement/support of the met - so visit it often when i'm there. but when i visit, no matter how fascinated i am by the tour or the event - i keep on remembering being young and reading 'From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" and how jealous i was of Claudia and Jamie. lol, same w/ the plaza before the reno - i was jealous of eloise and longed to run up and down the halls dragging forks along the walls!

 

[GordonGecko]

you realize that the Met, Natural History, Cloisters museums among others are free, right? It's a jedi mind trick to make you pay, they post a "suggested donation" amount but you just have to give them a buck and you're good to go