Two weeks in NY

[triode___]

I'll be heading to New York on the 9th of August for two weeks. It was a last minute decision to go.

 

Does anyone have suggestions on what to do, see and photograph?

 

I've already planned to visit B&H, Adorama and Camulet.

And the Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero (not in any order).

 

 

TIA

[richsimmons]

The first three places you want to go are camera shops? That's funny. B&H is a sight to see though. It's right down the block from the Jacob Javits center, so you might want to see what's going on over there. If you're going to see the Statue of Liberty, be prepared to go through a routine similar to what you get at an airport, then continue the trip out to Ellis Island. It's been totally renovated. Absolutely gorgeous. There's also the Central Park Zoo, the Metropolitan Museum of modern art, the museum of natural history and the Hayden Planetarium are cool. The Guggenheim museum. See a broadway show if you can. Times Square is a sight to see, but as you're looking up, make sure your wallet is secure. Madame Tussads wax museum is cool ($35 for adults, you can download a coupon off the net and get $8 off). If you don't mind a long ride, get on the Long Island Railroad and go to Montauk Point. If you're lucky, you might see some whales, but I don't think they're migrating through right now. Pretty country though.

[charles_stobbs3]

Rent car and tour upstate New York. Adirondaks, finger lakes, Niagra Falls.

[david_henderson]

1. Take comfortable shoes, you'll be walking a lot

 

2. Get a week pass on the Metro. its about $25 and its the best value in NYC

 

3. Get up early in the morning to walk round Chinatown, Central Park etc before they get busy Also good skyline views at sunrise from Brooklyn Heights Promenade (Clark Street station) and Long Island City in Queens (Vernon/Jackson Station plus a quarter mile or so walk to the waterfront.

 

4. Do at least a couple of organised walks- food tours of places like Greenwhich village/Bleeker Street and Chelsea are very interesting and you'll see a lot of things you might want to photograph later. Also use walking tours to discover less touristed areas such as Williamsburg or parts of Harlem. Google "New York Walking tours"

 

5. See the sun set on the downtown skyline fron Exchange Place, accessible via PATH train from WTC.

 

6. The Empire State Building is great, but consider also the high views from the Rockerfeller Centre- cheaper, less queues- and from the bar of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Columbus Circle. Its on about the 35th floor and two cocktails there will get you a great view for about the same price as entry to the Top of the Rock or ESB,; but they taste better and its air conditioned.

 

7 Go to the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art . Not only are the collections great but you can photograph very nicely from inside.

 

8. Don't stick to the affluent tourist areas. Lots of photographs in the Lower East Side and East Village for example.

 

9. Do the Circle Line boat tour to get the weight off your feet for a few hours.

 

10. Google a list of "diners" and breakfast in a different one every day. There's a couple of good ones right across 9th from B&H

 

11. Walk across Brooklyn Bridge.

 

12 Spend time inside the lobby areas of grand buildings such as the Chrysler Building and Grand Central Station You can photograph without tripods.<div></div>

[shannonholm]

i was excited to go see B&H when I first moved here......I went once and swore to order online from then on. functional,

yes....but not as fun to wander around and actually see photo stuff. but thats just my opinion. too many people...most

store clerks just go to computers and look stuff up on the same website I could be in my pajamas looking at. the majority

of the equipment is out of reach....behind counters and in cases lined by hordes of people..... to avoid shoplifting.

(understandable) if time is limited in the city, I wouldn't make it one of the 'must see' places....or just go on off hours (like

as soon as they open their doors). Not knocking them as a company, I still order from them and they have always been

helpful......... but i would rather sit in the comfort of my own home if I'm just browsing and checking out gear.

[Rich B NYC]

I have to agree with Shannon with regard to B&H. Nice to see......but not routinely.

 

Although I work within walking distance, I order everything from their website as I resent having to wait on the 3 lines

needed to order, pay for and pick up my purchase. It can often take an hour to make a very routine purchase. I value

my time too much to deal with that on any regular basis.

 

While I don't want to discourage anyone from the jaw-dropping experience of this toy store, I can think of better ways

to spend limited vacation time in a city like New York.

[tana_d.]

You'll never be at a loss for things to do. Some of this was mentioned, but I'll mention some of my favorite

places to visit anyway : the museums (the met, Museum of Nat. History), definitely Chinatown. There are several

botanical gardens that are neat. You should stroll around Central Park if you have the time. There is a small

stone castle, very pretty, that used to be used as a lookout, I believe, and is now used as some sort of weather

station. If you like to read, The Strand is a fun place to go - it's a giant bookstore (think Borders x3), and on

weekends they have a farmer's market outside there. Times Square is fun to go to at night if you've never been,

esp. on weekends when they have performers. Grand Central station just so you can say you've been there.

 

Get a week pass for the subway, as David mentioned. There can be cool things to photograph down there - street

performers, musicians, mosaic art on the walls.

 

 

There is a fee to go up the Empire State building, around $25-35 I believe. The Staten Island Ferry is free, but

the ferry to the Statue itself is another $25-35.

 

Most definitely wear comfortable walking shoes, you'll do tons of walking.

[jim_devlin]

I'll second (or third) the suggestion to visit Grand Central Terminal - it is truly one of the most majestic buildings in the United States.

 

If you don't have a few hours to take the official Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island boat ride, try the Staten Island Ferry instead. It's free, and you can get excellent photos of the statue and Lower Manhattan.

[michael_oneill2]

The Cloisters and Fort Tyrone Park are a nice outing, and off the beaten path somewhat.

 

I always enjoy browsing exploring the dazzling variety of ethnic cultures represented in New York.

 

Best time to visit Wall Street would be like 6 am on Sunday. If you're interested in a "sea of humanity" shot, position yourself at Vesey and Church Street at 8:30 am. It's right next to ground zero, so you can do that at the same time.

 

The Irish Famine Memorial is down to the end of Vesey Street (toward the river), and you're likely to have the place all to yourself. From there it's a skip and a hop to Tribeca, -- watch out for the Tribeca nannies pushing toddlers in their hummer sized strollers. Next wander up West Broadway to SoHo and gawk at the beautiful people. Head east and find the vestiges of Little Italy, which has pretty much been overtaken by Chinatown.

 

Well, that's just for starters. What sort of stuff are you interested in anyway?

[rick_gerbehy1]

If you are into going to Broadway Plays, while you are downtown at Ground Zero you are a few short blocks from

Fulton Street where you can get a glimpse of those water falls from the South Street Seaport mall. You can

purchase tickets at reasonable discounts for the same evening plays. TKTS booth is on Fulton I think. It opens at 11

AM and usually busy in summer, but worthwhile for the savings most days.

[jim_devlin]

TKTS at the seaport is one block south of Fulton - it's on the corner of Front St. and John St.

[peter_k4]

I'd go up 30 Rock instead of Empire state building. there was a 3 hour line at the bottom of ESB when I was there. at 30 rock. you wait in line for like 5 minutes to buy your ticket for a certain time which is your scheduled time to go up. and then it's like another 5 minute wait for the elevator and BAM ur at the top!

 

From rockefeller you 1) actually get to SEE ESB, which looks fantastic, and 2) on the other side is central park, which looks very cool especially as it gets to night time cause theres city everywhere and then there's like a big black rectangle all of a sudden!

[triode___]

Thanks to everyone for taking the trouble to post so many helpful tips (esp the ones regarding the weekly metro

ticket and avoiding the queues for the ESB).

 

I don't really have a preference in terms of type of photographs, I generally tend to take a lot architectural shots while

on holiday (probably because I am too shy to ask strangers for their permission to photograph them)

 

Since I'll be visiting NY, I'd like to try polish up on my skills at slice of life/street photography (and developing a

thicker skin).

 

I'll be taking my trusty Rolleicord Vb along with me.

Besides having to wait in a long line to make purchase at B&H, does anyone know where one can purchase B/W

120 roll film in NY? I am not bringing any with me as I don't want to have my rolls of film confiscated from me at the

airports or fogged by repeated exposure to x-ray machines.

 

I know NY is now safer than it was before but how safe is safe (esp carrying a bag load of equipment)?

What precautions should I take while out and about?

 

TIAA

[Rick Waller]

NYC is a surprisingly safe city, but you still need to exercise common sense. First rule is to never - I mean NEVER- leave your bags (photo or other) unattended. When I shoot in NYC (I live there by the way) I always put my foot on my camera case when my eye is at the viewfinder. This is especially relevant when you are shooting upward at the marvelous architectural treasures that you'll find here. Since you mention that you enjoy such photography, be sure to constantly have a look up whereever you are in the city. The variety of designs is spectacular.

 

As far as the lines at B&H to buy your 120 film - that will really not be a major problem. Instead of waiting in a line (or queue as you say), just go up to one of the green vested clerks who roam the floor. Only necessary to wait on line if you need advice or wish to play with the "toys". If you know what you want, grab hold of a green vest and he will place the order pretty quick. Of course you may have to wait on line for an available green vest, but there are so many of them that it goes pretty quick. You will wait on line to pay and then to retrieve the order, but B&H is a marvel of efficiency. Those lines may appear long, but they move very quickly.

 

Other places to consider, in no particular order, are Bronx Zoo and Bronx Botanical Gardens (if you go to the garden, the easiest way to get there is by taking the Metro North commuter rail from Grand Central Station to the Botanical Gardern stop. It is literally accross the street from the entrance to the Garden. If you go to the zoo, avoid going on a Wednesday. That is free admission day and the place is packed to overflowing.

 

NYC is divided into neighborhoods with unusual names. The names I throw out to you here may sound odd and you may or may not find them on a map, but if you ask any NY'er (or the hotel staff) you will have no trouble finding your way there. Be sure to visit the "Lower East Side" and adjacent "alphabet city". Fascinating streets and fascinating people; in the evenings, Alphabet City" section has gotten very trendy with the beautiful people and there are lots of great restaurants, clubs etc.

 

Then there is Soho, home to very expensive boutiques, shops and restaurants tucked into a former industrial neighborhood made up of ridiculously narrow streets packed with people from all walks of life. While in the Soho neighborhood, migrate over to Tribeca for the food, assuming your budget can handle it.

 

Speaking of food - it is almost impossible to get a bad meal in NYC and you certainly do not have to spend a fortune dining - UNLESS you visit all of the tourist traps that you read about in the books or insist on eating at the famous restaurants. My wife and I make it a point to avoid the outrageously priced "beautiful people" places and ususally visit the samller, less publicized local places. There are so many restaurant choices in NYC that if a place is still in business 3 or 4 months after it opens, you can almost certain that the food will be great. If a restaurant does not serve a good meal, they are out of business in a heartbeat.

 

While on the subject of food - one of the best parts of visiting NYC is the breadth of cuisines available. The old joke goes that you can get better Chinese food in NY than in Bejing (substitute any cuisine and any country in this joke and it will apply). I don't know where you are from, but you may want to sample foods from cultures that are normally unavailable to you. It is easy to find Ethiopian, Afghan, Vietnamese, Turkish etc.

 

Back to neighborhoods - try Dumbo in Brooklyn for breathtaking views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and the lower Manhattan skyline. Wander through Grammercy Park to see how the other half lives, and then have a bite in Union Square. Also consider Harlem. It was once a place to avoid at all costs, but gentrification has changed that and there no trip to NYC is complete without a peek at the Harlem neigborhoods like Striver's Row and Sugar Hill.

 

As for travel - cabs are convenient, but you may find yourself stuck in the legendary NYC traffic which can make the trip both expensive and time consuming. Oh - and if you take a taxi from Manhattan to another borough (like Brooklyn, you will have a hard time finding one at your destination to return to Manhattan. NYC taxi drivers do not like to go to outer boroughs and will only go there if a passenger insists. Getting back by cab is almost impossible.

 

The best way to get around is the subway - as another poster suggested, just buy the unlimited ticket. Despite what you may have heard, the Subways are quite safe, but I would caution using them after, say, 11 pm and before 6 am.

 

Last suggestion - bring a small table top tripod with you. There is no such thing as open space in Manhattan. There is always something to prop a mini tripod against. I use lampposts, walls, columns, parked cars, sides of buildings, vending machines - almost anything to steady the shot. A full set of tripod legs is both inconvenient to carry and frowned upon (by police, building staff etc.) in crowded neighborhoods.

 

If you get here and have any questions, just post them here and I can try to answer them for you.

 

Enjoy the trip. Looks like a good weather forecast for the coming week as well.

 

 

[triode___]

Just writing once again to say a big 'Thank You' to everyone who contributed to this thread. The information was very

helpful and I had a blast in NY even if it was only for two weeks.

 

I'd like to add the following (for future reference) :

 

1. City Pass ticket is excellent value as it gives you access to many of the attractions for one low price.

 

http://www.citypass.com/city/ny.html

 

2. I concur with the advice to visit the Rock instead of the ESB - the view from the Rock is much better than from the

Empire State Building. I did both. :)

 

3. The advice on wearing walking shoes was a good one. I trekked 30kms on one of first day in Manhatten.

 

4. Don't eat at diners located next to tourist attractions like the ESB. e.g. Sbarros next to the ESB charges more for

the same food you can get from their other outlets (just 1-2 blocks away).

 

5. Prebook your tickets for the Statue of Liberty if you want to climb the monument. They have closed the walk up

inside the statue itself though (because of 911).

 

6. Avoid hiring bicycles from touts operating at the entrances to Central Park. Their operations are illegal and you

may find yourself paying more that you bargained for.