Don't wait for summer. NEW York City is beautiful right now!

[mamiecarter]

Summer in NYC is hot and sticky. May and early June are heaven. Travel now! The weather here is unbelivably fine.

[rklein001]

And if you're ready for a straight play (i.e. not a musical) "Frost-Nixon" is the one to see. Discount tickets are available if you sign up at playbill.com (or you may find it at TKTS).

[I don't have any financial stake in this--we were in the City last weekend and saw the Saturday matinee.]

[mamiecarter]

Now that the weather has gotten nice medium sizel crowds are peering through the cracks in the fence and watching the construction at the path station where the WTC used to be. Big steel beams being installed in a giant hole in the ground. Pretty interesting job going on. Stop and look for a while.

Better yet take a path train to New Jersey ($1.50 each way and if your a cheapscate most stations let you double back on the same fair if you don't leave the turnstile area.). The trip in and out of the WTC puts you on the inside of the baracades and gives you a brief but unparrelled view of the work going on.

(Now you are in Jersey. What to do? From the WTC there are 2 trains.One goes to Hoboken. Walk around and eat in a restaraunt. Hoboken is full of night life and bars, both gay and otherwise. This is Frank Sinatra's home town.

The other train goes to Grove Street, that is downtown Jersey City and on to Journal Square and then Newark. Sopranos Fans will recognise the look of the area.

If you get off at journal Square,look for the 20 foot high statue of Jacky Robinson, local hero and great ball player. Then turn right as you go out of the station and walk about three blocks on Kenedy Boulevard you come to Newark Avenue. Turn left and you are in Little India, 5 blocks of the best Indian resteraunts on the East coast.Also the place to buy spices, chutney, sarris. any thing Indian. (Mannhatan decorators on a budjet go here to buy sarris for curtains and they are really striking as window treatments.)

Resterant prices are about half of Manhattens Indian restaraunts and quality is higher. Many of the restaraunts serve Gudjarit food and lots are vegetarian. Plenty of choices for the meat eaters too. ( Most Restaurants closed Mondays.)

Then on the way back you get to watch more construction work as you come into the station. It goes really fast so be ready for it/

You haven't finished your 9/11 tour yet. Right across from the station , about a block South,you will see a sighn for Century 21. This is a New York fashion shrine. Desighner labels and house wares at fantastic discounts. Mens clothes too. Don''t miss it. The day Century 21 reopened after being wrecked by 9/11 was practically a local holiday. Women, and yes, even men were seen all over the subway system carying Century 21 bags and smiling broadly. Many offices in lower manhatten had unofficial 2 hour lunch breaks to shop. New Yorkers live a hard life and when there is someting to celebrate they pull out all the stops.

[Jeanine]

Great! We'll be there on Friday. Do you have any other tips?

Jeanine

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

For anyone in NYC on June 12, my son, Josh Wolf is going to be on the Colbert Report. I thought of flying there, just to see him on the show, but I don't know if that makes sense, as I can probably see him better on TV.
Liz

[mamiecarter]

Picknic in Central Park. Stop by a deli or Grocery, collect your food. If you are not on a budget you favorite restaurant will recomend a to-go menu and pack it for you.

I go to Zabars at 81 st street on the west side (Take the 2 or the 4, get off at 79th), buy fresh bread, cheese, cold cuts, salads, pickled heering, get my wine or soda at the grocery nearby, walk East on 79th or take the 79th street bus. Get off at the Museum of Natural History or stay on untill 5th Avenue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (The Museum of Natural history is to close to be worth the bus trip unless you really hate walking) Then pick a spot in the park and eat before going to the museum. Walking in the park is great and kids love it. Swings, slides, play areas.

Avoid this park after dark however and avoid deserted areas. In the Spring and Summer Central Park is full of people.

[lawren2]

Originally Posted by mamiecarter

Summer in NYC is hot and sticky. May and early June are heaven. Travel now! The weather here is unbelivably fine.

EXACTLY what I told someone who picked up one of my exchange opportunities the first week of this month for a May 2008 Manhattan Club.

It is their first visit to Gotham and they could NOT get a better time to visit us.

May and October are my favorite months here in New York.

[JudyS]

Originally Posted by Liz Wolf-Spada

For anyone in NYC on June 12, my son, Josh Wolf is going to be on the Colbert Report. I thought of flying there, just to see him on the show, but I don't know if that makes sense, as I can probably see him better on TV.
Liz

Oh, wow! I'm impressed. I am a HUGE Colbert fan! If it were me, I'd probably try to go.

I tried to get in to the Colbert Report last time I was in New York, but couldn't get a ticket.

[iconnections]

Originally Posted by lawren2

EXACTLY what I told someone who picked up one of my exchange opportunities the first week of this month for a May 2008 Manhattan Club.

It is their first visit to Gotham and they could NOT get a better time to visit us.

May and October are my favorite months here in New York.

Sounds great Lawren. Early June should still be OK too, I am sure.

[rklein001]

Originally Posted by mamiecarter

go to Zabars at 181 street on the west side (Take the 2 or the 4) Buy fresh bread, cheese, cold cuts, salads, pickled heering, get my wine or soda at the grocery nearby, walk East on 79th or take the 79th street bus. Get off at the Museum of Natural History or stay on untill 5th Avenue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

That would be 81st Street for Zabars, not 181st

[mamiecarter]

While you are here in NYC May is great for the Bronx zoo. Catch the bus in midtown, plan on spending most of the day, pack a lunch and prepare for total bliss.

The Bronx Zoo is one of the 4or 5 top zoos in the world. Spring lets you see the animal babies.

All NYC children who are not neglected or totally underpriveleged have been to the Bronx zoo at least once. Most adults of normal inteigence without children have been several times.