It would work out better for us to visit the Statue of Liberty %26amp; Ellis Island on the week-end, but wonder if it%26#39;s much more crowded then than it would be on Monday. Also, is it really necessary to arrive 2 hours before your scheduled tour time for the ferry, as the recorded message says or would 1 hour be sufficient? 1 more question - would taking the Staten Island Ferry another time just for sight-seeing be redundant with this ferry trip? This will be our 1st NY trip, leaving on 10/20, %26amp; need some answers. Any good moderately-priced general food restaurant suggestions would also be appreciated.
Statue of Liberty %26amp; Ellis Island questions
The Staten Island Ferry would definetley be redundant.
As to the crowds on Sat vs weekday, I don%26#39;t know for sure but I would expect as much. I%26#39;ve only done it during the summer with my kids
Statue of Liberty %26amp; Ellis Island questions
Yes, show up 2 hours early. The people watching is very good, so you won%26#39;t be bored.
To help you with other questions, we need to know more about you. When will you be visiting? How long? Who is in your party? Wheat else do you want to see? What%26#39;s your food prefernces and budgets?
You might want to post these as separate posts.
If you had a week here and really like being on the water, I%26#39;d say add the Staten Island ferry or a Circle Line ride.
What about the Sat. vs. Mon. crowd question?
We are a couple in our 60%26#39;s, arriving on Fri. 10/20 around 1pm %26amp; leaving Tues. evening, 10/24 around 6 pm. We%26#39;re staying in mid-town, plan to visit downtown %26amp; uptown %26amp; like American, Italian %26amp; Chinese food. Wondering if it%26#39;s feasible to have a decent ala carte dinner for $50/60 a couple (not really drinkers).
When I phoned to ask about the timed monument passes, the very nice lady I spoke with told me to arrive 1 1/2 hrs. prior to the tour time, except for the first one to just arrive at 8am.
While I don%26#39;t know for certain having not been on the trip for some time, I%26#39;d say it would be a lot less crowded on a weekday. Given the length of your stay, you could do this trip on the Monday. On any day, if you take the first ferry of the morning, you don%26#39;t need to be there so far in advance. I think the first ferry is 8:30 and you can get there at 7:30-7:45. You only need tickets/reservation in advance if you want one of the tours on Liberty Island (for the SOL). People have been reporting that the line to pick up prebooked tickets has actually been longer than the line to purchase tickets on the day. ;)
You can certainly find dinners for $50-60 couple for food, especially if you don%26#39;t order all 3 courses (app., entree, dessert). But once tax (~8%) is added and then tip (double the amount of the tax for a 16% top) it could be closer to $70 unless you%26#39;re careful.
There are lots of restaurants with entrees for $15-25. What gets pricey are the drinks or if you start adding on pricey appetizers. It%26#39;s not uncommon for people to share appetizers.
Do you know about menupages.com? YOu can search for rest. by area, by type of food and see reviews and menus (most with prices).
There are also some great prix fixe dinner deals.
Maria Pia is an Italian restaurant in the Times Square area that does a $21.95 prix fixe dinner (3 courses) with good choices.
Basilica is an Italian on 9th ave. that%26#39;s good and affordable. Their entrees are mostly under $15.
www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp鈥?/a>
It%26#39;s usually easy to eat Chinese inexpensively. Kitchen 22 is very good American food with a prix fixe $29 meal.
http://charliepalmer.com/kitchen_22/home.html
Re: restaurants... if you%26#39;re going to be down at Battery Park I%26#39;d recommend that you stop by Fraunces Tavern (end of Broad St. and New York Plaza) if you don%26#39;t already have that on your list of things to do. It%26#39;s the oldest pub in NYC (although some other establishments argue that point) and supposedly George Washington and other revolutionaries ate there. The food%26#39;s not great, but the atmosphere is very neat if you%26#39;re looking for a touch of old new york right in the heart of wall street.
Why come all this way and chance missing your tickets? Don%26#39;t underestimate how much time it takes to get from one place to other... getting to boat line is a bit of a walk. Tons to see even in Battery Park to the ramp including WTC sphere upon which both towers fell and the eternal flame.
Enjoy all the city has to offer, the people watching and street entertainment is OFF the charts. Street vendors will be lined up on walkways...take a moment to enjoy viewing their wares, photographs, etc.
The Statue is ALWAYS crowded because people from around the come to the U.S.A. to see this wonder and all she represents. The diversity of those in line will amaze you and what wonderful conversations and engagements I%26#39;ve had! You get to be an ambassador for the U.S.
Food is very expensive at SOL and Ellis... recommend bringing snacks/water even a sandwich. Made a picnic out of one meal. Plus, kids always seem to be busy.
Highly recommend seeing both and getting the headphones. Well worth the price. Just took 2 11-year olds we spent from 8am %26#39;til 5pm touring.
Skip Staten Island Ferry...these boats to get you there will provide closer view. Recommend standing on front right side of boat in early am - photos are great with sun shining on her face and kids will be posed to get her in the background. Enjoy it -- it truly is a wonderful experience.
Visit the website above and print out activity pages for kids. These were wonderful while waiting in line. Even tho you may have a timed ticket to get up inside her, we had to wait 1hr 15 min... Do a bit of family research before hand and don%26#39;t forget to visit the research center at Ellis to see if one of your relatives came thru! Have a great and memorable visit.
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