help please

hi,

My friends and I arrive in New York at the beginning of december. We only have five days in your great city so we want to cram as much as possible into our stay. We plan to take the sol tour including ellis island on our first full day. We also want to visit ground zero, st. pauls, grand central and st.pats. Is it possible to visit all these sights in one day.

Thanks in advance for any help

help please

That will be a busy day indeed. Get a subway map and have your metro card in order. If you map it all out you can do it.

Rockefellar Center is across the st. and a block away from St. Pats and you won%26#39;t want to miss that. Plan that for the latter part of the day so you can see the tree all lite up. Saks is across the street, their windows are always lovely. Hopefully you won%26#39;t be too pooped to walk to 34th %26amp; Bdway to see Macy%26#39;s windows.

Have fun!

help please

search ';five days'; or ';trip report'; in this forum.

Thanks to both of you and Gard i just checked out you web site all i can say is WoW, I will be stealing some of your ideas. I am a big cheesecake fan too so did my research and juniors is definatly going to be on my list of must see places.

Yes it is possible. No, it is not a good idea. If you really want to see everything in 5 days, instead of going downtown, then uptown, then midtown, get yourself a good map, sit down, and divide the city into squares ( or rectangles).

I just returned from my first trip to NYC in 15 years. Trust me.

When you divide the city (Manhattan) pick you points. For example, Ground Zero, Wall Street, Ferry to Lady Liberty, Little Italy and Big Chinatown (among other sites) are all relatively close. That way you could visit those sites on day one and then move up to midtown day 2, Central Park/The Bronx/Harlem day 3 etc. In lower Manhattan you could even easily go across the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn on the same day you are downtown.

If you haven%26#39;t been to NYC before, it is difficult to imagine how big the city really is. On my first full day I walked from my hotel (Millenium Hilton) up town thru Central Park up to the Bronx. I had no idea how far and wide Manhattan stretches, or how big Central Park really is. The last time I was there I was but a lad with me parents and saw a few of the sites via bus. As I was on my own creating my own itinerary, I wanted to see more this time, and I love to walk a city to feel it. That hike was insane. I gave up and returned by cab.

If you need a hotel, see my report on the Millenium Hilton.

Lastly, it is a mistake to cram too much into a day. Better to spend a little extra time to really begin to know what it is you are looking at, rather than just looking, checking it off on your guidebook and hustling to the next point of interest. For instance, Saint Pat%26#39;s Cathedral has masses all AM, I believe 2 afternoon, and 2 eveing on Sunday. Rather than just looking inside with the tourists, go 20 or 30 minutes before Mass. If inclined, attend mass. This allows you to sit in the center pews and really be able to take in the glass, architecture and organ. A bonus is the 85 yr. old Priest I had with the old NYC accent.

Lastly, spend some time at ground zero. Best if you can view it from above and on the ground. Think about the brave firemen and policemen who sacrificed not only themselves but their families (as their families forever suffer the loss of their vibrant loved-ones) all in the hopes of saving others, others who were unknown to them. After time, the good workof the heroic minimize the evil deeds of the destructive hell-bent souls who caused the carnage. And after reflection, you may begin to see the city - still gigantic and proud and full of energy - and see that through its sheer size and the strength of its residents, supercedes the ugly meanness of the haters who seek to bring it down.

Have fun in the world%26#39;s greatest city.

Seamus

Here is a very nice trip report from another person who was here for 5 days. Might give you a sense of timing.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k271699-鈥?/a>