1 day in NYC...

Hello,

A friend and I have decided to take a trip to NYC next weekend. This will be my first visit there. We are flying in on Saturday morning, arriving in Newark at 9:30 a.m. and our flight out is Sunday morning at 9:30.

I know we won%26#39;t be able to see/do everything I%26#39;d like in one day, but we%26#39;re going to try and cram in what we can.

What would be the best/fastest way to get from the Newark airport to our hotel (Hilton New York on Ave of the Americas)? My friend has been on business a few times and has suggested we take the train, then the subway. How long should I expect the transfer between airport and hotel to take? Would a cab be a better option?

I know I want to see the Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park...would love to go to Chinatown. A %26#39;must do%26#39; for me is to hit a H%26amp;M store at some point. That may seem a little ridiculous, but I love their clothing for my kids and have been having friends shop and ship things to me since I don%26#39;t live near one.

I%26#39;d also like to visit St Patrick%26#39;s Cathedral and the site of the World Trade Centers. Am I being overly ambitious given the time we have? I have no idea how long it will take to get from place to place...

Thanks in advance for any advice. I plan on studying this website for the next week to get all the info I can!

Jen

1 day in NYC...

Take a taxi. It%26#39;s quicker (35-40 minutes) and easier although it will cost more than the train.

You should be able to cover everything if you start early since the following are either in Times Square or adjacent to it:

1. Your hotel.

2. Times Square, of course.

3. St Patrick%26#39;s

4. H%26amp;M which is located at 640 5th Ave @ 51st Street

Central Park starts 5 blocks north of your hotel although it is a HUGE park -- so do some studying beforehand and figure out what you want to see. ( http://www.centralparknyc.org/ )

The Empire State Building is a 10-minute taxi ride south of your hotel.

The only ';far away'; areas are Chinatown (which you could go to for dinner) and ';Ground Zero'; both accessible by subway.

Have fun

.

1 day in NYC...

Hello, believe it or not, I did the same trip in 1997. As a guest of my air hostess friend, 23 hours and stayed at the same Hilton. I now live here.

Defiinitely do not consider any other option than taking a taxi from Newark. Saturday morning will be light traffic and you will get into town much quicker than trains and subways. So if you get out of the airport quickly and all goes well you should be in your room by about 11am latest, maybe even earlier.

Okay, come out of your hotel and walk down to 51 street, walk across to 5th Avenue from there. H and M flagship store is on the corner of 51st and 5th Ave, St. Patrick%26#39;s is opposite. You will pass Radio City, Rockefeller Centre and NBC as you walk and it is worth taking a trip to the ';Top of the Rock'; if you are interested for a great view. It%26#39;s also only a few blocks walking up 5th Avenue to one entrance into Central Park if you just want to get a quick look and say you were there. It%26#39;s only about 6 or 7 minutes direct walk from your hotel to H and M by the way. So maybe that will be a comfortable 2 hours of time bringing you to lunchtime or a little later.

From Central Park at 59th and 5th you could get the subway down to Ground Zero, with a train change. About 40 minutes journey. Take a taxi ride to where ever you want in Chinatown from there.

Taxi or subway back up to Empire State at 34th and 5th Avenue, I believe you need to show ID there by the way. Walk or taxi from there to Times Square, if you leave that till last you get the full effect of the lights at dusk or dark. You can easily walk back to your hotel from Times Square also, or take a cab if it%26#39;s too cold.

You have plenty of time to see what you want, plenty of time to eat well and I hope you have a great time.

Thank you to both of you for taking the time to respond. I will most certainly take a cab from the airport and am glad to hear everything is close together for the most part. I appreciate your help!

dublinface has given you great advice. Many people actually prefer the view/experience of Top of the Rock vs. Empire STate and the wait is usually a fraction of the time. If you decide you absolutely HAVE to do the ESB though, I suggest you buy your tickets online in advance so you only have wait on the elevator line rather than 2 lines (the ones for buying tix first).

Everything you want to see EXCEPT Chinatown and World Trade Center are within walking distance of your hotel in midtown. If you HAVE to go to Chinatown (why???) go on the way back to the hotel from the WTC. When you visit the WTC, make sure to stop at ST. Paul%26#39;s Cathedral across the way. You should also try to go to the Winter Garden of the Financial Center which is beautiful.

The only thing that may be too ambitious is doing everything you mention AND Central Park. Most of the things you mention need to be done during the day (the park, WTC, H %26amp; M-although they are probably open late)

Will you go to a show in the evening? YOu could get discount tickets either online (to certain shows) at broadwaybox.com or at one of the TKTS booths when you arrive.

If you%26#39;re not going to a show, think about booking for a nice meal or going to hear some music.

There are also some discounts you want to use at

seasonofsavings.com

nycvisit.com/paint

Awesome! Thanks for the links to the savings sites!

Is Chinatown not worth my time going, when we only have a day? I%26#39;m not sure why I even want to go, just thought it might be neat to see. Everyone keeps telling me to go for the knock off purses and such, but I hate the knock off stuff anyway. :)

I%26#39;m grateful for everyone%26#39;s advice and tips...it%26#39;s really nice getting info from those who live there.

I%26#39;m getting more excited by the minute...can%26#39;t wait to visit!!