NYC in November

[RosieTR]

Anyone have any "off the beaten path" stuff we could do for a day or half day? We're visiting my 90 yo grandmother but she'll only have the energy for an hour or two, so the rest of a 4 day trip is probably open. I've been to NYC a number of times and done a bunch of the regular stuff but this will be DH's first (and probably only) trip there. We are NOT city folk at all and much prefer wilderness/outdoor/physically demanding vacations. I was sort of wondering if there is any type of stuff that would be sort of along those lines, maybe a historical subway/sewer tour, urban exploration or climbing or some other unusual thing. The only thing I can think of that's even sort of close is the Bronx zoo. That would be OK, I guess, but I figured I'd ask about the more unusual stuff if anyone knows. My relatives won't-they think shopping is the height of fun and my parents, who will be with us, will likely prefer Carnegie Hall to crawling through old sewers ;)

[lhamo]

Go to the Cloisters -- one of the most beautiful and peaceful places in NYC. The views from the park are also nice. Easily accessible by subway/bus.

lhamo

[bunnys]

See the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side. They took an old tenement from the early 1900's and made up 4 apartments for different periods to show how the new immigrants lived. It's pretty dismal to see how bad these people had it and it's also very historical.

Also, personally I'd like to visit Prospect Park in Brooklyn which was also designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and is supposed to be beautiful just like Central Park. It's like 500+ acres as compared to 900+ acres for Central Park so it's pretty big too.

You're going to have a great time.

[Tussiemussies]

How about an epicurean walking tour? They have a lot of those there. You can look up the visitors bureau forNYC and I bet you find things to do that are off the beaten path. It's better to have advice on where to go than trying to wing it on your own. You can easily wander into bad sections without realizing it at first. Here is the link, not an exciting page which I am surprised but some of the historical tours sound interesting:

http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.e7852eded1ed6107a62fa24601c789a0/

For an epicurean walking tour you can do a search for it. One time we did a self guided chocolate walking tour.

Also looked up self guided walking tours by the NY times and at the bottom of the page is a link to guided tours also:

http://www.nytimes.com/ref/travel/TOURS-INDEX.html

Here is an epicurean guided tour that sounds fantastic-- not cheap though:

http://www.savorysojourns.com/

I wouldn't have any interest in the meat packing district being vegetarian, and also the drinking...

[mtnlaurel]

Subscribe to LivingSocial.com and zozi.com for nyc area - there are lots of fun different tour things that are posted there relatively inexpensively
(closely read the fine print though for expiration, etc and double check reviews on yelp.com or tripadvisor.com to make sure that it's not a terrible place just trying to get business)

At the beginning of last Nov. we did something I've always wanted to do... go to The Cloisters Museum, as we emerged from the subway we walked through a beautiful park on a crisp fall day on winding paths up to the castle.

Tenement Museum offers a culinary tour of the neighborhood - I haven't done this, but it's on my to-do list to go to the museum at least
I have always wanted to do a Hasidic Walking Tour

I have been on a UN tour and Wall Street tour both of which were very interesting

Not sure if it's open during Nov. but there is a great rooftop bar/cafe at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that overlooks the park. I haven't been to the cafe it was closed last time I was there, but it's on my To-Do list.
Museums - where else do you get to see all of these awesome works of art in one place ?

There is a new REI in SoHo - call or visit website to see if they are having any outdoor events over your dates

Rent a bike and tour Central Park thoroughly

Broadway Show (or off Broadway) - spendy, but what a thrill to see the real thing - you can get discounted tickets at TKTS booths - which is a little time consuming, but you and DH could take turns standing in line while you check out Times Square or the Southside Seaport
Or Performance Art - I have seen a couple of shows that are unlike anything I have ever experienced before or since

Comedy Club - one time we just missed seeing Jerry Seinfeld do an impromptu practice set (this was back in the day)

Visiting Ellis Island is very moving

Go to your local library and start looking at copies of New York Magazine or online http://nymag.com/
You can learn about all kinds of odd things to do depending on your interest

And a MUST is walking the Brooklyn Bridge in my book.
We take subway over to Brooklyn side and walk toward Manhattan.
It's always a little confusing coming up out of the subway when I'm over there, don't know why
We walk along Brooklyn Promenade and eat under the bridge then walk over

One of my most memorable meals was at a place called Il Vagabondo you walk through the kitchen and bocce courts to your table
It gets mixed reviews on yelp, but I've been there twice and it's always been a great experience

Have a drink at the bar on the mezzanine in Grand Central Station and watch people run around like lunatics

Behind the Main Library is Bryant Park - there is a great little place to get to-go type food and sit around an outdoor fire and there are community ping-pong tables there

I have not used this guide book, but the reviews look good....
http://www.amazon.com/Cheap-Bastards-Guide-York-Life/dp/0762747706/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

I also like using one of these hard StreetWise maps when I'm there
http://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-Manhattan-Map-Laminated-Folding/dp/1886705976/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342403525&sr=1-1&keywords=streetwise+new+york

Have a great trip!

[RosieTR]

Cool, thanks! My dad has mentioned the Cloisters before as one of his favorite spots (he lived in NYC for one summer in college or something) so maybe we'll check that out. The epicurean tours also sound interesting....I'm kind of a foodie so that would be my choice, and DH is a bit of a beer snob so he'd like a beer tour esp since we won't have to drive. Thanks everyone for the suggestions and I will delve into them!

[RosieTR]

Oh, man. Looking over the posts from July is almost laughable now. I'm dreading the trip at this point though thankfully my relatives, in Queens, are OK and have power. The hotel is in midtown and presumably open. Obviously we'll make sure sometime before we leave on Thurs. My heart goes out to the folks in NY and NJ and I just hope I won't be in the way and will be helping out by spending tourist money. Ugh. If anyone has updated suggestions or advice I'm all ears.

[bae]

When I was in Manhattan this spring, I very much enjoyed visiting the Morgan museum. It is a great size for those who don't like endless museum visits.

http://www.themorgan.org/home.asp

[lhamo]

As long as you are above 39th street, you should be fine. That seems to be the line where the major power outages started. Lots to do in midtown and uptown. Subways and buses may be more crowded than usual, but from midtown you can walk to Central Park and the Museum Mile, so should be able to keep yourselves busy.

Good luck and have fun!

[RosieTR]

Thanks, Lhamo. I'm watching closely the new developments and hoping for the best. Lovely that a storm is coming Wed/Thurs. Just what they need.:( I know some places are collecting warm clothing donations and doncha know, my MIL has been fiercely knitting hats...ostensibly for me and DH but heh, heh, we each only have one head. So some extras could certainly go in the suitcase. Ditto my old down coat from last year that I bought cheap (it had a broken zipper). I found a still half-price jacket this year that's much nicer and have been meaning to give the old one away.