Ping: FOFC Tourism and Travel Agency- NYC and Philly Bureaus

[sterlingice]

Myself, my wife, and a friend of ours from Kansas are going on a week and a half "baseball" trip up the east coast in July. We're going to hit NYC, Cooperstown, Philly, and then back down for games in DC and Baltimore. It's not just baseball only, tho we will be going to a game in each city. We have also built in some days to check out other sites around these cities.

So, for those who live in these locations or have visited- some thoughts or help would be appreciated. I'm just looking for some basic feedback. There are some particular questions/issues below but also just things like favorite restaurants and traveler tips. Heck- what would be really great would be if you know where to get good (legit) discount tickets for attractions, etc.

Keep in mind we're on a modest budget- we're not going to be getting a $200 a night hotel but we're also not shoestring-ing it in a hostel either. If you get $10 of enjoyment out of it, it's worth spending $10. But, no, we aren't going to your favorite $50 a plate restaurant- that's just not a smart allocation of resources. We're short on time so we're trying to hit as many good highlights as possible so time plus money are significant considerations. But we may not hit everything because of that.

New York City

* Hotel Suggestions both general and if you can recommend. We're not looking to break the bank but it's hard to not do that. We're going to be there for 3 days: coming up on a Saturday, overnight stay on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. So we were thinking of biting the bullet and staying somewhere on Manhattan so we don't waste all of our limited time in transit.

* It seems as if they love valet parking fees. Most hotels charge $30-$50 a night just to park your car. Is there a way to avoid this? Some ninja lot where people can park that won't result in us coming back in 3 days with our car on bricks? Some neat little trick where you park in the long term lot at LaGuardia because it's only $X per day and even with the cab fare, we would save us enough money to make it worth the trouble? Or are we just screwed and we count that as part of the price of doing business there (where $150 per night hotel rooms suddenly jump to $200- which is just nuts)?

* My wife wants to go to a Broadway show and our anniversary is the during this trip so I'm game. The two of us were going to take a night by ourselves and do this (Saturday). Any thoughts or help? Good tips for those familiar for saving a buck, good dining, where to stay, etc?

* We basically have 2 full days, Sunday and Monday to take in what we can. Anyone with a "best of" list of what to sample when you're on a fairly strict time limit? Again, experienced traveler tips would be welcome. I was there maybe 15 years ago with my parents and I remember a couple of things. First- to get into the Statue of Liberty is not worth it at all- you waste an entire day standing in line for not that great of a view. We never did it and it just didn't seem worth it. Empire State building I remember as being fairly expensive and while the view is nice, I don't think it's worth the $25 or $30 to get in or the 2 hours in line. If I remember right, there are some other tall buildings you can get into and get a nice view. I think Chicago was like that two where you could pay a bunch to get into Sears or a lot less to get into, I think, the Hancock building. So, if we're limited in time- what are some good highlights that are worth the wait where you can see some of the best NYC has to offer?

Cooperstown
* Nothing within 30 miles is reasonable so will probably stay near Albany and just drive up for our day at the Hall of Fame. It's open 9-9 and while myself and my friend will easily have enough stuff to do, I'm guessing my wife will be bored after a few hours. Oh well. But, back to the question- any ideas of places to stay near there? You can stay in Albany/Schenectady for $60 a night whereas Cooperstown starts at $120 and up for the same mediocre level of hotel and up from there to like $220 for a Holiday Inn Express (or similar).

Philadelphia
* What to see? We get one full day of sightseeing and then another half day or so before we have to drive to DC. The easy thing seems to be to spend the long day at Independence National Historical Park at stuff like the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, etc. Thoughts on everything for Philly as I don't remember much from when I was there, again, about 15 years ago? Hotels? Hints like "stay near the metro" or "use cabs", etc? Other things to do

Baltimore

* I can handle DC just fine at this point, so I'm not at all worried there. Green line to Navy Yard and then do whatever after the game. That's easy. We'll be staying with a friend of the friend who lives between DC and Baltimore so lodging is taken care of in exchange for Nats and O's tickets.

* What's the best way to get to Camden Yards? Is there a good park and ride to the subway or anything like that?

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

I'll probably be bumping this a bit as we're trying to get hotels, tickets, etc firmed up as quick as possible now that we know it's happening. In particular, NYC has a bunch of 30% off hotel sales at every site- any idea what's going on with that?

SI

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Myself, my wife, and a friend of ours from Kansas are going on a week and a half "baseball" trip up the east coast in July. We're going to hit NYC, Cooperstown, Philly, and then back down for games in DC and Baltimore. It's not just baseball only, tho we will be going to a game in each city. We have also built in some days to check out other sites around these cities.

So, for those who live in these locations or have visited- some thoughts or help would be appreciated. I'm just looking for some basic feedback. There are some particular questions/issues below but also just things like favorite restaurants and traveler tips. Heck- what would be really great would be if you know where to get good (legit) discount tickets for attractions, etc.

Keep in mind we're on a modest budget- we're not going to be getting a $200 a night hotel but we're also not shoestring-ing it in a hostel either. If you get $10 of enjoyment out of it, it's worth spending $10. But, no, we aren't going to your favorite $50 a plate restaurant- that's just not a smart allocation of resources. We're short on time so we're trying to hit as many good highlights as possible so time plus money are significant considerations. But we may not hit everything because of that.

New York City

* Hotel Suggestions both general and if you can recommend. We're not looking to break the bank but it's hard to not do that. We're going to be there for 3 days: coming up on a Saturday, overnight stay on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. So we were thinking of biting the bullet and staying somewhere on Manhattan so we don't waste all of our limited time in transit.

* It seems as if they love valet parking fees. Most hotels charge $30-$50 a night just to park your car. Is there a way to avoid this? Some ninja lot where people can park that won't result in us coming back in 3 days with our car on bricks? Some neat little trick where you park in the long term lot at LaGuardia because it's only $X per day and even with the cab fare, we would save us enough money to make it worth the trouble? Or are we just screwed and we count that as part of the price of doing business there (where $150 per night hotel rooms suddenly jump to $200- which is just nuts)?

* My wife wants to go to a Broadway show and our anniversary is the during this trip so I'm game. The two of us were going to take a night by ourselves and do this (Saturday). Any thoughts or help? Good tips for those familiar for saving a buck, good dining, where to stay, etc?

* We basically have 2 full days, Sunday and Monday to take in what we can. Anyone with a "best of" list of what to sample when you're on a fairly strict time limit? Again, experienced traveler tips would be welcome. I was there maybe 15 years ago with my parents and I remember a couple of things. First- to get into the Statue of Liberty is not worth it at all- you waste an entire day standing in line for not that great of a view. We never did it and it just didn't seem worth it. Empire State building I remember as being fairly expensive and while the view is nice, I don't think it's worth the $25 or $30 to get in or the 2 hours in line. If I remember right, there are some other tall buildings you can get into and get a nice view. I think Chicago was like that two where you could pay a bunch to get into Sears or a lot less to get into, I think, the Hancock building. So, if we're limited in time- what are some good highlights that are worth the wait where you can see some of the best NYC has to offer?

Sounds like a good time!

You may be able to save some decent coin by staying at a hotel in Jersey just over the border, maybe Fort Lee. We just stayed at Crown Plaza in Englewood recently and it was nice. Just a few minutes from NY and probably a lot cheaper.

As broadway shows go there is a half off ticket booth, I believe this is there website

TKTS - Discount Broadway Tickets Booth

you wont find top shows but many good ones. I recomend Rent, it's amazing.

I recomend visiting the World Trade Center memorial. If you have time the Metropolitan Museum of Art is amazing. but can take up alot of time.

As for restaurants I have always been a fan of picking an out of the way little Italian place, usualy can't go wrong.

And do yourself a favor, find any little pizza joint and get a slice.

[stevew]

You should think about visiting cleveland too.

[Ramzavail]

Empire State Building is not worth it.

Rent is not on Broadway anymore, I would recommend Wicked first (but those tickets are rarely on sale) or Avenue Q (which I thought was funny, which you could probably find on sale).

try subscribing to playbill.com, they offer alot of shows on sale.

I definitely recommend eating at Patsy's. It's in the theatre district. Probably cost you $90 for two depending on how much you drink, but it's very worth it. Probably the best italian restaurant in the city.

I'm tired, but I'll try to think of some good things to do in the city on a Saturday morning/afternoon for you.

[Izulde]

Avenue Q is hilarious!

Don't have other recommendations outside of that unfort.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

New York City

* Hotel Suggestions both general and if you can recommend. We're not looking to break the bank but it's hard to not do that. We're going to be there for 3 days: coming up on a Saturday, overnight stay on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. So we were thinking of biting the bullet and staying somewhere on Manhattan so we don't waste all of our limited time in transit.

* It seems as if they love valet parking fees. Most hotels charge $30-$50 a night just to park your car. Is there a way to avoid this? Some ninja lot where people can park that won't result in us coming back in 3 days with our car on bricks? Some neat little trick where you park in the long term lot at LaGuardia because it's only $X per day and even with the cab fare, we would save us enough money to make it worth the trouble? Or are we just screwed and we count that as part of the price of doing business there (where $150 per night hotel rooms suddenly jump to $200- which is just nuts)?

* My wife wants to go to a Broadway show and our anniversary is the during this trip so I'm game. The two of us were going to take a night by ourselves and do this (Saturday). Any thoughts or help? Good tips for those familiar for saving a buck, good dining, where to stay, etc?

* We basically have 2 full days, Sunday and Monday to take in what we can. Anyone with a "best of" list of what to sample when you're on a fairly strict time limit? Again, experienced traveler tips would be welcome. I was there maybe 15 years ago with my parents and I remember a couple of things. First- to get into the Statue of Liberty is not worth it at all- you waste an entire day standing in line for not that great of a view. We never did it and it just didn't seem worth it. Empire State building I remember as being fairly expensive and while the view is nice, I don't think it's worth the $25 or $30 to get in or the 2 hours in line. If I remember right, there are some other tall buildings you can get into and get a nice view. I think Chicago was like that two where you could pay a bunch to get into Sears or a lot less to get into, I think, the Hancock building. So, if we're limited in time- what are some good highlights that are worth the wait where you can see some of the best NYC has to offer?
Thanks in advance for any and all help.

I'll probably be bumping this a bit as we're trying to get hotels, tickets, etc firmed up as quick as possible now that we know it's happening. In particular, NYC has a bunch of 30% off hotel sales at every site- any idea what's going on with that?

SI

I can't speak to the other cities, nor am I a particular experienced traveller, but I can offer up tips based on my trip out to NYC last summer.

Lathum has it right, I think. I mean, if you can find a really good deal on the island, fantastic, but it blew my mind how much hotel costs were in Manhattan. Jersey's definitely a good idea--you can probably even find a good spot for your car there. You might try searching out in the west end of Brooklyn and Queens, too, although since you're driving from west, it makes more sense to stay in Jersey. Regardless, once you park your car (wherever), you shouldn't need it anymore while there. Don't even try to drive into Manhattan. Just buy a subway pass. I got a week's worth, because I was there for 5 days, but I am pretty sure you can buy shorter term ones, either a couple dailies or maybe there's a three day pass. The subways are pretty safe and convenient, and they go pretty much everywhere.

You already hit some main spots to avoid on a short trip. Don't go to Liberty Island or the Empire State Building. With time being a factor, it's just not worth it, although both worth it for a longer term visit.

Oh, just thought, since you're going to go out to Citi Field anyway, you may want to check out the Brooklyn-Queens area for hotels after all. On top of being well-placed and accessible to both Citi Field and Manhattan, you get an awesome view of the New York skyline at night from the Brooklyn shore (I recommend hitting up the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory on a pier just to the south of the Brooklyn Bridge).

Since a trip to Yankee Stadium means you'll be moving up the east end of Manhattan to get there, you can do what I did, and hit up Central Park before or after game time. The park's a relaxing place to visit. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is there, as noted, and is a neat place to check out, and the Museum of Natural History is on the west side (really close to the Dakota, where Lennon was shot, if you're a Beatles fan). If you're there in the morning, or just before lunch, I recommend checking out the Boathouse Cafe for views of the lake in the middle. You can even grab a gondola ride on the lake there.

Broadway (IIRC) is dark on Monday. So if you want to see a show, you'll need to go Sunday. With more time, the discount tickets is the way to go for sure, but with you there for just a couple days and looking to see maybe two ball games, I think you should scrap that plan and get your tix ahead of time. Also, if it is around the ole anniversary, I say splurge (just a little) and get tix to a nice show like Wicked mentioned above. My guess is your wife will love that, would be a nice gift. I went discount and saw Spamalot, got a bit drunk and had a blast, but that's perfect for a single guy (which you're not).

If you want a great view at a more reasonable price and less wait time, I would go to the Rock (Rochester Plaza). It's where they put the big ole Christmas tree you see in movies. The Rock is the main building there, and I think it costs a lot less to go to the top than the ESB.

Definitely second checking out the Twin Towers area. There's a 9/11 memorial museum set up just to the south (across the street) from where the towers stood, and you might miss it if you don't know it's there, but it's completely worth it to check out, very emotional and touching, and you'll only be there an hour at most. Just walking around down there in the Financial District is neat, because of the churches (St. Paul's, Trinity) and the Fed building and Wall Street. Stuff you can see all at once while seeing 9/11, and it won't take forever.

Oh, and of course, at least walk through Times Square at night. Don't buy nothing. Just walk through and check it out.

Man, two days is not enough, lol. Hope some of this helps.

[Lathum]

yeah, forgot to mention any hotel in Jersey parking will be free. If you call around there is probably mass transit into the city since a lot of business travelers stay in those hotels. Just make sure if you do that and they offer a shuttle make sure it is free.

[lordscarlet]

I highly recommend you go to Next to Normal on broadway. It just opened a week or two ago, but it played down here in DC before it went to broadway.

[sterlingice]

* For the Broadway show- that's going to be her pick. I retain veto power but as long as it's not something stupid, I don't really care. I played an evil little trick where she's getting to pay for the tickets while I pick up the hotels and the like for the rest of the trip- in the end, it all comes out of the same pot but it does make her think twice about which show to go see.

I get the idea it's going to be something that's a "safe" pick as she's not going to waste $100 or $150 per person on something that we may or may not like. I think at this point, it's probably a consideration between 'Wicked' which is running something like $180 or 'Phantom of the Opera' at something like $110. I figure I'm ok with either and it's not my call so I'm recusing myself of that.

* Lathum- with staying in Jersey, will we spend half of our day on the subway or in traffic trying to get to places or is it just maybe a half hour or so to get to the "tourist" part of the city? In DC, the Metro will get you from the farthest stops to the middle of town in about 45 minutes which is not great but pretty good. However, I remember we had issues with the mass transit in San Diego taking forever to get anywhere- we wasted so much time on our honeymoon trying to get places that I don't want to repeat that if I can help it.

* CR- That sounds like a good plan for Monday would be to check out Central Park, then the Met, and then the game. So, I went to the Met's website and... they're closed Monday *sigh*. Sounds like a good thing to do perhaps on Sunday or before we leave on Tuesday. But, man, that would have been a pefect plan for Monday. Still, we'll work in the Met, probably not Natural History since we've recently seen the Natural History Smithsonian and we're trying to mix things up- don't want to get all museum'd out in one city and all outdoor activities in another unless that's their super strong points but New York has a lot of everything.

* CR- Also, for Broadway, we are probably looking at doing that Saturday night when we get there. Otherwise, if we do it Sunday- they seem to be all Sunday afternoon so we wipe out a time when we could be doing something else. Whereas Saturday night, we'd otherwise be probably be doing nothing. The down side is that, of course, Saturday night's seem to be the hot night for tickets. Heck, if the Yankees were playing a night game, we'd do that on Saturday night, but it's not the case.

*CR- We won't be going out to Citi Field. Mets are out of town the entire time we're there. That said, we'll add those places/events to take under advisement. I think I just need to print out a map and start laying things down to see what works for what day.

* I realize two and a half days isn't enough. I spent 5 when I was there with my family, again, about 15 years ago. At that point, I felt I had seen most of the tourist-y stuff there. But we're not going to have a chance to do that this time so I'm trying to help the two people with me see as many quality things as they can even if they can't get the full experience.

Thanks all on the advice so far- this is just what I was looking for

More thoughts from locals and tourism buffs is greatly appreciated

SI

[GoldenEagle]

When we went to NYC last July, we stayed at the Econo Lodge in Times Square. The rooms are tiny, but they were by far the cheapest rooms we can find in Manhattan. I think we paid around $200 a night. You are not going to be in your room much anyway.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by stevew

You should think about visiting cleveland too.

lmao

[sterlingice]

Can you see the Statue of Liberty and/or Ellis Island from the very south end of Manhattan down by Battery Park? Or do you pretty much have to take a ferry to Liberty Park (in Jersey?) if you want to see it well from the shore?

SI

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Can you see the Statue of Liberty and/or Ellis Island from the very south end of Manhattan down by Battery Park? Or do you pretty much have to take a ferry to Liberty Park (in Jersey?) if you want to see it well from the shore?

SI

You can see the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park, although it won't look that impressive at that distance and at the water front. You could find a higher spot. Ellis Island won't look like much from high or water level. It doesn't really have any standout features that would make it worth checking out at that distance.

I took in the whole view of the bay to the south from a bar at one of the hotels there. I'll see if I can find my NYC tourist guide book to get you the name of the hotel and bar (the bar had a large outside patio on the west and south side of the building, and was on the 14th floor).

Want a free shot of the Statue at closer distance than Battery Park without buying a ticket to Liberty Island? I say take the Staten Island Ferry (it's free), which goes by the statue on its way to Staten Island. You'll have to rush around to get back on the ferry back to Manhattan, BTW, from what my friends who did this have told me, although if you make it a "lunch trip", I suppose you can grab a bite to eat on Staten Island and wait for the next ferry back.

The port for the ferry is just to the east of Battery Park.

[Chief Rum]

BTW, something I thought was sorta neat that I wasn't expecting. On the Jersey shore across from Manhattan, to the west, is a building which features a huge clock. Silly thing, really, but it made me actually look in the direction of Jersey while in Manhattan (probably the only thing that did it, actually).

[Jon]

I live in Jersey City, right across the river, and there are cheaper hotels--the downside is that the public transportation on the weekends from Jersey doesn't run frequently. I had friends recently visit and they had a hard time finding a place so they just paid for the LaQuinta Inn at 33rd.

I would definitely check out Battery Park City and Rockefeller Center. At Battery Park, you can get a $12 boat ride tour of the harbor that takes you near the Statute of Liberty, near the Jersey City side (along with the Colgate Clock--the clock that CHief Rum was talking about about), under the Brooklyn Bridge. It's a 75 minute ride. If you're interested, I'll find the link for you. And the Rock does beat the Empire State Building.

As for restaurants, I have two big suggestions: Peking Duck House in Chinatown and the Burger Joint. Peking Duck House is good food (entrees are big enough to share) for a reasonable price. The Burger Joint has some of the best burgers I've ever had. It's located in Midtown, inside the Le Parker Meridien hotel. Cash only, but the burgers are $7--they also have fries, etc. (It's similar to Five Guys if you've had that, which you can also try in D.C.).

I would also suggest the South Street Seaport--if anything to walk around and look at the old ships, the Financial District (Wall Street, etc.), and walking the Brooklyn Bridge (if the weather's nice).

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know.

One more thing--if you can wait to buy gas, do it in Jersey. It's cheaper and you don't have to pump it yourself.

[EagleFan]

For Philly you have mentioned the obvious, the Liberty Bell and historical section of the city. There are carriage ride tours of the historical area which are a nice way to spend an hour (of course since it won't be just you and your wife it may not be exactly the same but that's up to you to decide).

Valley Forge is a nice place to see (I haven't been there in a LONG time but I assume it's still a nice area).

Across the river in Camden there is the aquarium and a minor league team (if you wanted to add that to the tour) with a stadium along the river. There is also the battleship New Jersey to see, in roughly the same area.

South street in Philly can be an interesting place to see. There are places to eat ranging from cheese steaks to clubs. It's where some of the freaks come out to play.

I'll post more as I think of things.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Jon

The Burger Joint has some of the best burgers I've ever had. It's located in Midtown, inside the Le Parker Meridien hotel. Cash only, but the burgers are $7--they also have fries, etc. (It's similar to Five Guys if you've had that, which you can also try in D.C.).

I actually had Burger Joint for the first time two weeks ago. Followed it up with a trip this past Wednesday. Awesome.

[Chief Rum]

Damnit, Jon, where were you when I was asking for Manhattan info? I love me a good burger, and I was right there, coulda had that.

I'll have to remember that spot for any future trips.

[sterlingice]

CR- that was what I was looking for about the Statue of Liberty. That means I'll need to do something else- see below. I had read about the Staten Island Ferry and was considering it.

Jon- thanks for the food suggestions, I'll add them to the list. Good food is always helpful. Good, cheap food is a lifesaver because you could easily spend $20-$30 per person per meal if you're not careful and that's just not responsible or, really, feasable.

I've also been looking at the possibility for a boat tour- they have a couple of different ones that are reasonably priced. Trying to get some good info about them. The Trip Advisor forums have been a lifesaver so far for the smaller minutae.

EagleFan- thanks for the Philly info. Any suggestions as where to stay in the city? Also, like I said- I think the historic part of town is a no-brainer for the full day we have there. Crunching the numbers, I'm not sure how much more time we'll have there. Finding a cheesesteak is a must (and I won't be that excited since I hate onions and don't really like peppers but the two people with me will)- but if I remember right from the last time I was there, you can throw a rock and hit three of them in the "tourist" parts of the city.

For the Jersey contingent, I was considering the Sheraton Lincoln Harbor, right across the Lincoln Tunnel from Manhattan. There's a bus a couple of minutes from the hotel that goes to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

I've ready about are some weird rules about cabs going between NY and NJ. How hard would it be to get a cab back from the NY side to NJ late on a Monday night after the Yankees game? Sunday tourism- we just don't leave too late and we'll be fine each direction. I'm also a little worried about getting into NYC on Saturday to get to Broadway- how fast and how reliable?

For the New York City part, I spent a couple of hours yesterday researching places to visit and creating a google map. Each color of pins is a different day. Some things we will go in (like the Rock) while others I'd like to just go by and get pictures (i.e. UN, Statue of Liberty, etc).

Green is Saturday and it's in flux and, again, frankly, not my call. Purple is Tuesday- it's the Met and walk by the Gugenheim to get pictures of it and parts of Central Park before heading upstate. Red and Blue are Sunday and Monday (along with the light blue Yankee Stadium for Monday) but I'm not sure which set of things will be which day.

hxxp://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=102025290910745881046.000468f3e20e649689b8f&ll=40.742835,-73.964767&spn=0.120174,0.2211&z=12

The scary thing is that I think we can get the "tourist" version of NYC fairly easily in 3.5 days. I'd definitely like to have had more time to do some more in depth things- if we had a week or so, I'd try to go hit other buroughs, go to a taping of Daily Show or Colbert, hit another museum or two, etc- but this covers a lot of the highlights and I don't see anything huge that we're missing.

SI

[RPI-Fan]

Cooperstown
* Nothing within 30 miles is reasonable so will probably stay near Albany and just drive up for our day at the Hall of Fame. It's open 9-9 and while myself and my friend will easily have enough stuff to do, I'm guessing my wife will be bored after a few hours. Oh well. But, back to the question- any ideas of places to stay near there? You can stay in Albany/Schenectady for $60 a night whereas Cooperstown starts at $120 and up for the same mediocre level of hotel and up from there to like $220 for a Holiday Inn Express (or similar).

I can offer some insight into Albany. There are a number of hotels on Wolf Road which is 5 minutes from the airport (although it appears you will be driving up there) in a commercial/residential suburban-ish area. There is no reason to stay in Schenectady... it would not cut a huge portion off of your drive to Cooperstown and is a MUCH crappier area. Also I would advise highly against staying in downtown Albany... near the airport is perfect because you have access to restaurants, etc. and there is simply not much to see downtown. Plus, downtown will be expensive, have parking issues, traffic issues, safety issues, just not worth it IMO.

Do you need restaurant advice for Albany???

[sterlingice]

Sure- we'll have to eat Tuesday night so someplace cheap and yummy would be greatly appreciated. Particularly since we're going to be bleeding money, coming out of NYC

SI

[Logan]

Keep in mind that Burger Joint burgers aren't huge. You might find yourself wanting two, or at least not having it be your biggest meal of the day if you have a big appetite, so if you're looking for two burgers, fries, and a drink you're going to be close to $20 each. But they are delicious.

I looked at your map...now this is just my opinion, and keep in mind it's coming from someone who doesn't seek out the normal tourist destinations when traveling...but you have all those pins in Midtown, and your pins down by the WTC. There is so much of the city that you're missing in between, and to me, it's all the culture that you won't be able to experience in another city or see pictures of in a book.

You can spend all day walking around the West Village and Soho and not spend a dime, which I did last Saturday with some buddies (outside of food - see below - and a couple drinks). There are tons of cool shops, vendors line the streets selling some really awesome artwork. You have a lot of designer stores which can be fun to browse around but everything else is just very unique. You can really just walk up and down Bleecker, stop for a bite at one place, a drink at another, and really get a lot out of it.

That's just my opinion...totally understand if it's not for you guys. But if you do end up in the West Village, you 100% have to go to Mamoun's. It's on MacDougal St and W. 3rd and its middle eastern food. You can get an amazing falafel for I think $2.50, and a shawarma sandwich, my personal favorite, for $5. Many times I'll get the shawarma from Mamoun and go across the street to Ali Baba for a falafel (or another shawarma). I want one right freaking now. Highly recommended.

If you do end up spending a lot of time in Midtown, check out Midtown Lunch - Finding Lunch in New York City's Midtown Manhattan. It's geared towards posting reviews or specials for people during the work week, but there's a map/restaurant index on there that would be a good tool for you to use. Outside of rare exceptions, any place is considered Midtown Lunch-eligible if you can get food and a drink for under $10, so you won't be seeing a bunch of high-priced places. Don't be scared to eat from a street cart -- awesome variety as far as what you can get, but the old standby is the chicken and rice platter from a place like Rafiki's. Should run you less than $7. Search around that site for types of foods you like and you'll have some good options.

[Chief Rum]

Bleeker rocks. I walked around the West Village on Saturday night of my trip, and it was pretty neat just to soak all that in. Logan's got a good recommendation there.

[sterlingice]

Logan- I think that's more the cost of only being here on a more limited schedule. If we tried to squeeze that in, I think we'd just run out of time whatever day we did it. That's a shame because I'm a fan of pretty much any cuisine and I could go for some really good Middle Eastern food

SI

[Logan]

Yeah I hear you. Definitely check out ML.com. You can find plenty of good falafel/gyro types where you'll be. There's a great Turkish buffet on 55th and Lex that runs about $11 during the week, not sure if the price is higher on the weekend.

[RPI-Fan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Sure- we'll have to eat Tuesday night so someplace cheap and yummy would be greatly appreciated. Particularly since we're going to be bleeding money, coming out of NYC

SI

I highly recommend Albany Pump Station. It's slightly off downtown, which is nice because you can see everything but parking is plentiful. Food is normal price - $10-20, have everything from burgers to steaks to mediterranean platter... good selection. Good beers too! Pretty much a no-brainer to go there as far as the combination of price, location, atmosphere, and quality goes.

Wolf Rd, Albany, NY 12205 to Albany Pump Station-CH Evans - Google Maps

[sterlingice]

Ok, we just got back early morning Tuesday morning so I'll have to definitely give a writeup

SI