Triangle Trip

Spring has finally arrived in New York. I have been getting many questions from friends, family members and clients on where to go in New York City. I initially drafted the post below nearly 10 years ago for a client in Kansas City intending to visit NYC for the first time in his life. I have just updated the information and thought it would be helpful to share it with everyone. If you start your day at 8AM or so from Downtown Manhattan and have an unlimited Metrocard, I believe you can see all of NYC in one day.

NYC is so big and has so much to see. I am sure I’ve missed a site here or there but I hope you find this helpful. Feedback welcome!  Enjoy the Big Apple!!!

Downtown

1.  Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island – located in lower Manhattan by Broadway & Whitehall St. (N or R train to Whitehall; 4, 5, 6 trains to Bowling Green). Tickets can be purchased by the Park located on Broadway by the Staten Island Ferry.

2.  NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) – on Broad Street, 6-10 blocks north from Statue of Liberty Park. Tickets can be purchased at the Exchange. Hours are 10 to 3. (Wall Street stop for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 trains; Broad Street stop for M, J and Z trains).

3.  South Street Seaport – South Street, 5 blocks east of Broadway, right by the water. Nothing special, just a shopping/eating area downtown. Walking distance from Wall Street.

4.  World Trade Center (WTC) – Site of Ground Zero. It’s on Church Street (three blocks north, two blocks west of Wall Street) between Fulton and Liberty. (Fulton Street stop for A/C and 4/5 trains).

5.  New York City Hall – On Broadway (N train City Hall stop) and Chambers Street. You can actually walk north of WTC and stay on Broadway which will take you to City Hall. Park has been renovated and has free wi-fi.

6.  Brooklyn Bridge – Steps away from City Hall, you can actually walk across this bridge on a sunny day. Bridge takes you to Brooklyn and offers a great view of lower Manhattan. Brooklyn Bridge is approximately 10-15 blocks north of Wall Street; 2 blocks east of the WTC. (Brooklyn Bridge stop – 4, 5, 6 train).

7.  Chinatown – Largest Chinatown in the US. Radius: Worth Street to Broom, East Broadway to West Broadway. Chinatown is approximately 1 mile from Wall Street. If you’re in a walking mood, you can walk north on Broadway and it’ll take you to Chinatown (make a right turn/east on Canal Street). You would want to walk Mott Street, Chinatown’s busiest Street. Mott Street is 6 blocks east of Broadway. (N, R trains to Canal St).

8.  Little Italy – was one of the largest Italian neighborhoods in the US. It is located inside Chinatown. Mulberry Street is the busiest street (Mulberry’s right next to Mott Street).

SOHO/Village

1.  SOHO (South of Houston Street) – ranges from Broom Street to 4th Street along Broadway.  SOHO’s famous for art galleries and alternative fashion. It’s just north of Chinatown. You’ll want to walk a few blocks east and west of Broadway to check out the culture. (N, R train to Spring Street)

2.  Greenwich Village – also known as “The Village.” Northwest of SOHO. Definitely NYC culture. Located west of Broadway. The Village ranges from west of 5th Ave to 7th Ave,  between West 4th to 14th Street. There are lots of boutiques, bars, restaurants, clubs, strange people, etc. New York University is also located in the Village. (B, C, D, F, E trains to West 4 St).

3.  East Village – East village is located east of Broadway. It ranges from west of Broadway to 2nd Ave, between East 4th and East 14th Street. (6th train to Astor Place).

Midtown

1.  Herald Square – 34th Street and 6th Avenue. Macy’s, the world’s largest department store, and a lot of other large retail shopping stores are located in Herald Square.  Madison Square Garden is located on 34th Street and 7th Ave, 1 block west of Macy’s. (Nearly all the trains go to 34th Street – B, D, N, Q, R, etc.)

2.  Empire State Building – 34th Street and 5th Ave.

3. K-Town – Koreatown is located right next to the Empire State Building (one block south). You can find great Korea food from 31st to 33rd Street between 6th Avenue and Madison Avenue.

4.  Rockefeller Center/Radio City Music Hall – the place where they have the big Christmas tree during the Holidays. 49th Street and 5th Ave. (49th Street stop on the B, D, Q trains).

5.  St. Patrick’s Cathedral – across the street from Rockefeller Center. 5th Ave and 50th Street.

6.  Time Square – 42nd Street and Broadway/6th and 7th Ave (All the Avenues converge). Time Square actually span more than 10 blocks – from 40th Street to 52nd Street. (Nearly all the trains go to Time Square – B, D, N, Q, R, 7, etc.). David Letterman’s studio is on 52nd and 7th, a few blocks north of Time Sq. You can also catch a great “Broadway Show!”

7.  United Nations – Located on 42nd Street and 1st Avenue, east of Time Square (FDR Drive). No trains go to the UN, taking a cab from Time Square is your best bet.

8.  The Intrepid Museum – located on 42nd and 12th Avenue, west of Time Square (West side Highway). No trains go to the Intrepid, taking a cab from Time Square is your best bet. The Intrepid is an old Aircraft Carrier with a lot of WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War planes and helicopters.

9.  Circle Line Cruise – located next to the Intrepid museum. You can take a 4 hour scenic tour around Manhattan. Circle Line also offers a helicopter ride around the city. The cost of boat tour is approximately $10, helicopter ride will cost you approximately $100.

10.  Lincoln Center/Columbus Circle – home of a lot of symphonies. Located on 59th Street and 7th Ave, right across the street from Central Park, north of Time Sq.

11.  Central Park – The Park is huge. Ranges from 5th Avenue to 7th Ave, 57th Street to 86th Street. The Park has a zoo, the Great Lawn (it’s in a lot of movies), NYC reservoir, etc.

12.  5th Avenue & Madison Avenue from 50’s to 80’s – where most famous designer boutiques have shops are setup. You’ll find Tiffany, DKNY, Prada, FAO Schwarz, etc.

Uptown – East (Museum Mile)

1.  Museum of Modern Arts – 53rd Street, between 5th Ave and 6th Ave. Walking distance from Rockefeller Center.

2.  Museum of National History – Central Park West (also known as 5th Ave) at 79th Street. A must see!

3.  The Guggenheim – 5th Ave and 89th Street.

4.  Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) – 5th Ave and 82nd Street. (4 or 5 train to 86th Street, walk 4 blocks south and 4 blocks west).

5.  The Planetarium is also along the Museum Mile. . .

Let me preface this post by telling everyone that I really despise Avis for its poor customer service. I have not rented from Avis in over 10 years due to a really horrible experience at Newark Liberty International (EWR). Ironically this post is about renting from Avis’s Newark facility. I won’t get into the details on my horrible experience; I will save it for another post… Given the latest Avis offer, I may actually consider going back to them to give it a go.

As one of the options to go from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to NYC, I used to recommend National Car Rental with their one-way rental program. However, National Car Rental has ended its one-way car rental offer between Newark and NYC for $25 a day – which was an awesome deal. Avis has recently picked up the one-way car rental promotion. This means you can rent an Avis car from Newark Liberty International (EWR) and drop it off in New York City for $25 plus taxes or rent the car from an Avis location in NYC and return it to EWR. Here’s the link to reserve at Avis. You can also call Avis and mention AWD #K462601.

The Avis offer only works if you’re going from EWR to NYC on Thursday or Friday and from NYC to EWR on Sunday or Monday. The reason for this offer is Avis needs to get its cars from EWR to NYC for the weekend rentals. As a renter, you’re essentially doing the driving for Avis.

You should also be aware of the following restrictions:

• One-way rental from EWR to NYC can only be picked up from Thursday after 1PM to Friday 10PM and it must be dropped off by Friday.
• One-way rental from NYC to EWR can only be picked up from Sunday after 3PM to Monday 10PM. The car must be dropped off by mid-night on Monday.

Also read the fine prints from the link.

There are many options from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to New York City. Below are the options and cost overview. I highly recommend option 6 — Newark Liberty Airport Express operated by Olympia Trails. See the options and you will know why #6 is the cheapest and most efficient.

1.  If you are true jetsetter, go with the helicopter!  You can get to Manhattan in less than 10 minutes and will earn extra airline points on Continental and Delta.

2.  Most business travelers take a cab or limo from EWR to NYC which will run you $90 or so because you’re responsible for the NJ Turnpike tolls and tunnels. You will also have to sit in traffic if your flight lands in the morning or late in the evening.

3.  Rent a car one-way from Newark and drop it off in NYC is a good option when you land late at night or very early in the morning. National Car Rental has many one-way deals from EWR to NYC as they need cars in the City – especially on the weekends. Most National facilities also has deals for you to bring the car back to NYC. These deals usually have rules demanding you return the car to either NYC or EWR by 2PM the next day. One-way rentals can go as low as $40 with tax to $70 — tolls not included.

4. Super Shuttle is an alternative if you don’t mind sitting in a minivan like wagon with 10 people. You may also have to sit through 20 stops as people are dropped off or being picked up before your destination. The cost is around $20 and you don’t have to pay for any tolls.

5.  If you are super cheap and economical, you can take the EWR Airtrain. The Airtrain is cheap (~$12) but super inefficient. You will need to take the EWR Airtrain to Newark station and change to either the NJ-Transit train or Amtrak. For the NJ-Transit option, you will need to get off the EWR Airtrain at Newark station, take NJ-Transit to Journal Square and switch to another train to take you to either 33rd Street Midtown or World Trade Center downtown. For the Amtrak option, you can pick up the train at Newark train station and take it to PENN station in Midtown West or to Grand Central Station on Midtown East. Either way, I do not recommend this approach for anyone. The cost saving vs time/effort is not worth it.

6.  The Newark Liberty Airport Express is by far the best and most efficient way to go to/from EWR to NYC. For $13, you are pretty much guaranteed to go from Midtown Manhattan to EWR in 45 minutes. The bus is large like a greyhound and comfortable — they are rarely full. Buses run every 30 minutes north/south along 42nd Street. Buses make stops at Grand Central, Bryant Park (by the Grace building) and Port Authority Terminal. The last bus leaves NYC and EWR at 1:00AM every morning and begins as early as 4AM. Staff on the bus are friendly and they accept cash or credit cards. The Airport Express is kind of hard to find in Newark as they did a horrible job with advertising and signage. There are bus and shuttle parking alongside all Newark terminals (A, B and C).

Hope everyone finds this post helpful. We look forward to your comments.