Hi Everyone, we will be on NCL's Dawn mid October from the NY port. Although we will take a cab directly from JFK to the ship, I was thinking about spending a couple of days in NYC after the cruise and renting a car for 2 days. Problem? What does one do with a car in NYC? I'm sure it's great while you're driving it, but parking must be an expensive nightmare. I would use other transportation, but we'll have all our luggage with us. Please help with suggestions. Thanks so much, Susan

Susan, I lived in NYC most of my life -- were you thinking of staying within Manhattan or staying outside the City? If you are going to be in Manhattan, a car is definitely a hindrance. Parking is expensive and scarce, and driving is far from a pleasant experience.

Here's what I recommend. When you get off the ship, go to the taxi stand with your luggage and have the taxi take you to your hotel. The fare will likely be less than $20 if you are staying midtown. Once you've dropped everything off in your hotel room, put on a comfortable pair of walking shoes and set out to explore on foot. This is truly the best way to see the sites. For longer distances, you can take a city bus or subway. Maps are available online if you are like me and prefer to plan your trip in advance.

It's been a while since I live in NYC, yet I still enjoy visiting. In fact, I travel there often for business, and October is a great time to visit.

Hi Lisa,
That's an awesome idea! So you think I should start looking for a hotel in Midtown? Then I think that I would like to go to places like all of the ethnic areas for some great food and really experience the City. It won't be play productions (hubby's worst nightmare), but just really feeling NYC would be wonderful!
Thanks, Susan

Hi Susan,

As a New Yorker, I can tell you that Lisa is right on the money. You definitely do not need to rent a car to explore New York City. There are just so many ways to get around, either by foot, taxi, train, city bus, etc. (you get the idea). You can purchase a Metrocard at any of the train stations in The City and a ride on the subway will cost $2.00 one way.

There is just so much to see and do here. October is a great month to visit. Usually, the busier times are the summer months and the weeks leading up to the holidays in November and December.

I would suggest going to your local bookstore or library and getting one of the those exploring New York books or even going online and doing your homework ahead of time. One good website is www.NewYork.com. They have a tab there just for visitors and you can get so much information on hotels, neighborhoods, places to shop, restaurants, the list goes on and on. Even being a New Yorker myself, when family or friends come from out of town to visit and want to see The City, I still go online and do my searching.

As for the ethnic neighborhoods, there are so many. A suggestion would be to visit Little Italy (La Mela comes to mind and Ferraro's for the most delicious gelatto) and Chinatown (Wo-Hops for sure). They are both very easily accessible by train (the #6 to be exact) and are practically intertwined. Nearby is Broadway with all of its great stores and Canal Street with some great shopping deals.

Central Park in the fall is not to be missed. If you can book a room with a view of Central Park, you will not be sorry. The park is huge and there's a zoo too. Just walking around there is a treat in itself.

There's also an abundance of museums and the Museum of Natural History with the Rose Planetarium is a nice stop if you are into that stuff.

My husband is also not a fan of the Broadway Show scene (at all) but Times Square is something you don't want to miss, especially at night. With all of its lights and sounds and things going on there, you can see why they say it is the "City that never sleeps". It's a great experience.

Another of my favorite things to do is just walking up and down Fifth Avenue with all of its terrific shops and then stopping at Rockefeller Center. I'm not exactly sure when ice skating starts there, but that is a nice treat as well.

There are so many cafes and restaurants throughout The City and just places to explore.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you and your husband have a wonderful trip and enjoy yourselves. The City will be waiting to welcome you!!!

Hi Can't Wait!

Thank you SO much for that great, helpful response. You and Lisa have been completely helpful to me. I booked a hotel for 3 nights on 31st st, supposed to be walking distance to a lot of good places. Great price too. I will get on that website you recommended. Fabulous suggestions for things to do.

Also, in one of your July posts, you mentioned you and hubby were going on the Dawn in the fall for your anniversary. So are we. We'll be sailing on Oct. 15. (20 years for us)

Thanks again, and if you think of anything else we "shouldn't miss", drop me a line.

Susan

Hi Susan,

So glad to be of help to you! So many people have helped answer my questions on here so it is a pleasure when I can actually respond to something I know about.

I have another suggestion for you. There is a tour bus which runs all through Manhattan (actually there are quite a few of them but this one is a good one) - here is the website: http://www.nytix.com/GuidedTours/BusTours/bustours.html. It is run by Gray Line Bus Company. It is a big red bus with seating inside and on the top, outside. They take you all over Manhattan to all of the "hot spots". You can get on and off as much as you'd like. It goes uptown, downtown and all around. I think you might enjoy this as it will give you guys a chance to get a tour of The City and see all of the sites and decide which ones you might want to go back to. This might be a good time saver too instead of buying maps and trying to figure stuff out on your own with the amount of time you will be here.

The area where you booked the hotel (although I'm not sure of the cross street you are on) is not far from Herald Square. There is so much shopping there (Macy's - one of or the biggest in the country) and the Empire State Building is there as well. You can take a tour and go to the top and view The City from high above. It's a good area. I'm so glad to hear you got a good price on the hotel as the Manhattan hotels can get pretty pricey. But like I said in my earlier post, October is a great time to visit when most of the crowds won't be arriving for another few weeks for the holidays.

We will be on that cruise as well. We are celebrating our 10th anniversary. Congratulations to you and your husband on 20 years! That is certainly a milestone. Happy Anniversary and have a wonderful trip!!! Take care!