New York City Thread II

[soulflygirl]

End of march namin pumunta kasi birthday weekend niya, not a good time po ba yun? Based sa air fares, ang mahal sa march kaya napapaisip din ako if maghintay nalang sa ber months kasi mas cheaper.

Malayo ba sa times square pag sa manhanttan kami magstay? Nagcheck kasi ako airbnb, mostly sa brooklyn din. Meron kayo massuggest na area?

In regard sa train, madami nagsasabi na medyo mahirap daw. Nasanay kasi ako asia na madali lang like sg and hk. Ano tips para sa train nila?

[iamsuperizch]

Times Square is in (Midtown) Manhattan.  I believe mahal ang accommodations there.

Ako naman I stayed with my sister in Woodside, Queens and for me ok naman ang travel time to Times Square from there.  Mabilis lang for me.

My BF and I also rented a flat via Airbnb sa Elmhurst, Queens for a week when he went there (from Canada) to see me.  I think below $100 per night ata siya (or exactly $100).  Sorry I can't remember na since si BF ang nag-book but I am sure it was cheap kasi hindi gagastos si BF ng mahal na flat per night.  We chose it kasi malapit sa sister ko and short walk lang sa train station.  Always consider the location na malapit sa train station para hindi sayang sa oras maglakad although for us, wala naman problem maglakad kasi we like walking.  We just thought mas safe lang if short walk from the train station to our apartment lalo na sa gabi kasi hindi pa din kami (kahit papano) familiar sa neighboorhood.  May one night nung pauwi na kami, we encountered a drunk guy na nagwawala sa sidewalk so what we did, we crossed the street on the other side para hindi na kami dumaan sa kanya and just crossed again nung malayo na kami.

Regarding sa subway, download the NYC Subway Map and Route Planner sa phone mo kasi very helpful sa amin yan nung andun kami.  Madami NYC subway apps available and I downloaded like 4 different kinds of apps kasi yung iba works even if offline ka.  We also have a subway map sa bag as back-up.  I can't remember na kung saan namin siya nakuha, either sa airport or sa subway station siguro.

Prior to our trip, I already prepared a table for our IT and did a lot of research regarding places we wanted to see and eat, what train/route to take, opening hours of these establishments, ticket prices, etc. so it was easier for us na to go around the city.  I was there for a month one summer and in two weeks kaya ko na mag-subway alone so for me madali lang subway system nila.

I also followed their subway twitter account para updated ako sa closed and delayed trains but hindi naman ito kelangan, trip ko lang yun that time 😄.  My BF and I went around the city on our own na when I got the hang of their subway system.  We really loved walking around the city kasi walker-friendly and madami ka makikita... Well at least for me since I'm a sucker for buildings/architecture 😊

[soulflygirl]

Whoa! Super naaliw ako kakabasa ng post mo sis.  

Yun din talaga hanap ko sis accomodation na malapit sa train station and based sa mga nababasa ko manhattan ata inaadvise nila. Okay din ba sa brooklyn area or medyo scary?

Meron pa kayo sample itinerary? Sanay din ako sa itinerary kasi eversince gusto ko nakaplano talaga ang mga pupuntahan. Right now nakakaoverwhelm mga gusto ko makita sa nyc. Pati tuloy mga places na kasama sa movies parang trip ko puntahan namin.

Sobrang mahal ba ng food? Gusto ko sana ma try din namin mga sikat na kainan.

Post modified. please refrain from quoting long posts, use the ^ or @ sign instead.

[junetwentythree]

^ iamsuperizch gave really good tips with regards to the subway. Definitely recommend the apps as well. Some stations also have touchscreen kiosks that map the way for you, which also includes countdown times for train arrivals.

If you're looking for airbnb in Brooklyn, try Downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Cobble Hill, or Park Slope. These are good areas, with relatively good accessibility to trains going into Manhattan.

[iamsuperizch]

^^soulflygirl, I can email you mine but this was in 2012 pa.  You can check my IT and research if trip ninyo puntahan each one and if open pa sila kasi some might be closed na.  May kids kaming kasama that time so may mga places na pang-kids doon, you can disregard it na lang.

My IT is not complete ha kasi marami din ako hindi naisama na later on ko na lang nalaman like Chelsea area and The High Line.  Marami ka din makikita na Sex and the City locations sa IT ko kasi I love SATC (hehe!) and shows that I used to watch like DC Cupcakes, Friends, Chocolate with Jacques Torres, etc.

These are the places na napuntahan talaga namin kasi yung iba sa IT hindi na natuloy (this list is based on my photos taken during our trip in chronological order):

SUMMER 2012
The Port Authority Bus Terminal
Times Square
Richard Tucker Square
ABC Network Columbus Avenue
Magnolia Bakery, Columbus Avenue
AMC Loews Lincoln Square
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Paul Milstein Pool and Terrace (back of The Juilliard School)
Central Park
Bethesda Fountain
Victorian Gardens at Wollman Rink
The Plaza
Grand Army Plaza
Pulitzer Fountain

Circle Line Island Cruise
Empire State Building
Dalls BBQ
34th Street, Herald Square
Crumbs Bake Shop

World Trade Center
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park
Jollibee, Queens

Sky View Mall Chuck E. Cheese
New York Aquarium
Coney Island Beach
Luna Park
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, New Jersey

St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church
Renee's Kitchenette and Grill
Central Park Zoo
Grand Army Plaza
Pulitzer Fountain
FAO Schwarz
5th Avenue
Garrett's Popcorn
Washington Square Park
Greenwich Village
Madison Avenue
Lexington Avenue

Staten Island Ferry
Battery Park
Navy Memorial Wall
Korean War Veterans Memorial
The Sphere
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
Bowling Green Park
Charging Bull, Wall Street
Ivanka Trump, SoHo
Georgetown Cupcake, SoHo
Longchamp, SoHo
Saigon Grill
DUMBO, Brooklyn
Grimaldi's Pizza
Jane's Carousel
Jacques Torres Chocolate
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Columbus Circle
Trump Tower
Time Warner Center
Museum of Arts and Design
Times Square
Hershey's Chocolate Store
M&M's World
Bronx Zoo

Renee's Kitchenette and Grill
FAO Schwarz
Rockefeller Center
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Applebee's, Times Square
Flatiron Building
Eataly
Brooklyn Bridge
Grand Central Terminal
Parsons The New School for Design
Tad's Steaks
Times Square
The New York Public Library
Steak 'n Shake Signature
Tim Hortons
JFK

WINTER 2012
JFK International Aiport
Radio City Music Hall
Rockefeller Center
Saks, Fifth Avenue
McGraw Hill Building
News Corporation
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Macy's, Herald Square
IHop, Northern Blvd.
New York Grand Central Station Train Store

Guggenheim Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bryant Park
MTA Subway
5th Avenue
Woodside Station Platform
Central Park
JFK

Some of those places wala talaga sa IT ko but nadaanan kasi namin kaya I took photos na din

[ningnicole_phils]

End of march namin pumunta kasi birthday weekend niya, not a good time po ba yun? Based sa air fares, ang mahal sa march kaya napapaisip din ako if maghintay nalang sa ber months kasi mas cheaper.

Malayo ba sa times square pag sa manhanttan kami magstay? Nagcheck kasi ako airbnb, mostly sa brooklyn din. Meron kayo massuggest na area?

In regard sa train, madami nagsasabi na medyo mahirap daw. Nasanay kasi ako asia na madali lang like sg and hk. Ano tips para sa train nila?

Kagaling lang naming last 31 October to 7 November as a family of 4.
We initially stayed a block away from Empire State. We booked applecore hotels. They have 4 hotels around NYC and halos magkakalapit lang.  In our first 3 days we stayed in one of their hotel na may  malapit na souvenir store na di namin nahanap na ang ganung ka affordable na price anywhere we went to afterwards. May 24hrs din store sa kanto, 24hrs Korean restaurants outside the hotel and walking distance to Macys.  Its affordable at around 300 dollars a day for 4 pax,  2bed, free breakfast and free calls anywhere to US. On our 3rd day we joined a 3 day Niagara Tour na we also enjoyed a lot then pagbalik namin sa broadway street ng apple core kami nagrent which is few steps lang sa Times Square. Feel free to ask if you have other questions.

[Lanesky]

Hi, my husband and I are going to NYC on April 6 next year  for 6 days. I know the date still a bit far but i would like to do the research. Do you think hop on hop off is a good idea to see the uptown, down town NY? We are in a budget so we dont want to spend a fortune maybe just one or two attraction like statue of liberty and empire state building will be enough then the rest is just to see by glance and to go to woodburry to do some shopping. For the hotel im eyeing newyork budget inn as i have mentioned we are in a budget traveller.
Your suggestion and  advice's are welcome. Many Thanks in advance.

[rics]

hop on/off bus is actually a good way to tour the city - did that at Boston and we actually enjoyed it.

Some of the major attractions are tabi-tabi naman so you might choose to just walk. Woodbury outlet is upstate NYC, about an hour or so from Manhattan. You can take a bus to get there.

[aranses]

we're going to usa this march (holyweek), best way to visit niagara falls? we'll be staying in rego park with my inlaws. 5 days enough na sa new york with sidetrip in niagara falls?

[mama squeak!]

^^^never took the hop on/hop off tours when we visited NYC. Took the subway, they're faster and cheap. And of course did a lot of walking. We were able to cover all the attractions we wanted to see.

[junetwentythree]

Hi, my husband and I are going to NYC on April 6 next year  for 6 days. I know the date still a bit far but i would like to do the research. Do you think hop on hop off is a good idea to see the uptown, down town NY? We are in a budget so we dont want to spend a fortune maybe just one or two attraction like statue of liberty and empire state building will be enough then the rest is just to see by glance and to go to woodburry to do some shopping. For the hotel im eyeing newyork budget inn as i have mentioned we are in a budget traveller.
Your suggestion and  advice's are welcome. Many Thanks in advance.

Which Budget Inn?

I guess the hop on/hop off buses are good but I'm not sure they're worth the price. Whereas the subway is a mere 2.75$ one way (w/ transfers good for MTA buses) and it'll take you just about everywhere. Walking is still the best way to experience NYC, especially if you're on a budget. Things to do that cost nothing, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, walking around Central Park... and just up and down the city. Here's a site that might be helpful as your trip gets closer: http://www.theskint.com/

Woodbury is about an hour and a half away depending on where in NYC you're coming from. There's things like this you could take advantage of https://www.groupon.com/deals/woodbury-common-6

@aranses 5 days should be fine. Rego Park (Queens) is bus/subway friendly. Bus to Niagara Falls http://www.niagara-usa.com/plan/transportation/bus/#.Vmj7m9UrKHs

[aranses]

@junetwentythree thanks. sana mag enjoy kami sa niagara, malamig pa naman ang weather nila sa march. yay!

 start na ako mag mockbooking ng ticket sa korean air aabot kami ng 890usd manila-lax, new york - manila

[stormy]

^ang mura nyang ticket mo sis halos parehas tayo ng alis pero hindi ako nakakita ng ganyang fare.

[aranses]

@stormy sa korean air website nakasale sila until dec 31. mas mura china southern nasa 37000pesos pero sabi ni hubby korean air na lang mas safe. march 16-31, 2016 travel namin, nakahold ticket namin until dec 15. hinihintay pa kasi namin visa.

[rics]

it will be atleast 8hrs from NYC to Niagara.
There's really not a lot to see on the US side since its still winter.  Nice to go to that side during the summer since the park is really nice. Try to get a visa to cross the border and stay overnight.

[stormy]

^^march 20-apr3 ang alis namin, nasa $1063 pero icheck ko ulit ngayon, thank you. Mag LA muna kayo bago mag NY? Binabasa ko mabuti mga naka-share na info dito sa thread. Ayaw nga lang ng husband ko mag airbnb pag US kaya ang mahal ng hotel.

[aranses]

^yep LA muna bago NY may i-catch kasi kami ni hubby na NBA game sa NY kaya mahuhuli NY namin. ang sale period ticket ng korean air until march 31, 2016 kaya baka iba rate ng tickets natin.

[btrcup]

Will travel on Mar 20-Apr 18 next year to NY via Asiana Airlines.

Our travel agency was able to provide tickets - RT adult USD960 and child USD753, all in na.

Last visit was 2011 pa and hindi namin naikot lahat ng tourist spots sa NYC like the Grand Central Station, Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park (hanggang entrance lang kami eh hahaha).
Di pa tapos construction ng 9/11 Memorial noon so gusto ko ito puntahan next year 

[sunsetbeach]

^ wow sis good deal for asiana we will travel to new york too march 24-april 3 via asiana and we got our airfare for 1.1k usd

[fornarina]

Hi,

Will be going to toronto end of april to first week of may and my fiance wants to drive to nj/nyc. His sis kasi lives in nj. Was thinking to have our engagement shoot in nyc. Any suggestions for top 3 places sisses? I am contacting a ny based photographer din. Per hour/ per location daw ang bayad lol kaya might get lang for 1-2 hours.  Or if meron one place na may magkalapit lang sila? Was thinking of times square. I am a fan of serendipity kaso spring kami makakapagshoot. Would love to hear your suggestions. TIA! 😍