A Group of college students in the big city???

Hi everyone!! I am traveling to NY with a group of college (fashion majors) students over 21. We will be staying at the Edison Hotel (right by times square?) and will be traveling in mid-May of 07. I would like some help with places to eat (reasonable price), shop!!!, cool bars to check out, and anything else that would be helpful! Is there any shopping or eating by our hotel? I have never been to New York. Thanks in advance!!

A Group of college students in the big city???

The Edison is just down the street from Times Square! There are lots of fast food options, but also some excellent local restaurants that would be great for a large group. The best is Carmine%26#39;s, an enormous southern Italian restaurant that serves ';family style,'; that is, each dish feeds at least four starving adults. So when you look over their menu, the dishes might look expensive, but it%26#39;s really the best value in town. You%26#39;ll definitely need reservations way in advance. I believe they take reservations a month or more ahead. www.carminesnyc.com

Others nearby that would be great for a group are Virgil%26#39;s BBQ and John%26#39;s Pizzeria (located in a beautiful converted church).

A Group of college students in the big city???

You must get yourselves immediatley downtown!! For cool bars and lots of folks in their 20s, Lower East Side around Ludlow and Staunton Streets...just wander and see what you find...there are bars, restaurants of all prices...also Avenues A,B from 9th Street down to Houston Street. is loaded with bars and cheap places to eat.. One type of good cheap food is the NY comida, that is, Spanish-American food like arroz con pollo..you%26#39;ll find places like this on the Lower eastSide and East Village. A great place to eat very well for a resonable price is a Cuban-Chinese restaurant called La Caridad on the Upper West Side. For cheap burgers etc go to the Corner Bistro in the Village, White Horse Tavern in the Village, Fanelli%26#39;s in SoHo. For fashion you should check out NoLiTa (';North of Littel Italy';) around Spring and Elizabeth Streets. There are many small boutiques there run by folks who are doing their own design. For upscale fashion the Meat Packing District (jeffrey and stella McCartney, etc) and SoHo (mainstream stores). You also may want to consider a trip to Smith Street in Brooklyn (which also has bars) or 5th AVenue in Park SLope Brooklyn or Williamsburg in Brooklyn all of which have small store fronts where folks are doing their own thing with design. ..and of course more bars and restaurants. Now that I think of it, a trip to Williamsburg would seem a must do for 20-something fashion folks.

You could also head to Bleecker Street in the west Village, esp on a friday or saturday evening. Take a walk up and down and check out the side streets too. nothing but bars clubs bistros and college kids there.

Say, maybe you should contact this group?

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k826772-鈥?/a> NYC_for_designers-

;o)

BTW, I%26#39;d suggest getting a guide boook and a map. You don%26#39;t say where you are from, but you can order them online. Most folks here recommend the DK Eyewitness guide, Frommers, Lonely Planet, etc.

Check out the Not for tourists guide. Sign up on their website and print out their maps for free. (Maybe one of you can invest in the buying the book?)

www.notfortourists.com/newyork.aspx

Also, you can get a set of cards with self-guided walking tours of NYC called ';City Walks';.

Here%26#39;s a collection of trip reports from adult friends travelling together, inlcuding ';girly trips'; and ';guy trips';, etc.

Go ahead and steal an itinerary!

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k473391-鈥?/a> Collection_of_trip_reports_from_friends_travelling_together-

Have fun!

Thank you all so much! It is a little overwhelming!! I hope I have enough time to do it all! I am from North Dakota, but have traveled many places other than NY. I am so excited to go. One more question. Venturing out at night what would be the best way to get back to my hotel? Thanks Again!!

The subway is fine. Safe, cheap and runs 24-7-365. However, you may also consider takeing taxis. With 2-4 people per taxi, it might be economicall worth it.

Read this hilarious trip report from an adult from Omaha, NE who accompanied 16 teenagers on a 5-day trip to NYC. Lots of lessons to be learned!

Day 1:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k651849-鈥?/a> - Packing_Light_Doesn_t_Include_A_Steamer_Trunk_Trip-

Day 2:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k651850-鈥?/a> How_To_Tell_That_The_Lion_King_Is_A_Musical_Trip-

Day 3 - part A

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k651856-鈥?/a> - How_Do_You_Get_To_Carnegie_Hall_without_too_much_practice-New_York_City_New_York.html

Day 3 - part B

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k652766-鈥?/a> - There_s_No_Shopping_On_Harbor_Cruises_Trip_Report_Day_3-

Day 4:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k652848-鈥?/a> - Century_21_can_make_you_look_like_a_sherpa_Trip_Report-