NYC-Should I drive or not? Also-How do I get to Coney Island?

I really didn't think my plan was that aggressive......
I was planning on arriving in the City around 9:00am and to drive through
Times Square and try to get to the museum around 10:00am and spend about 3
hours at the Museum and planetarium, then grab lunch at Carnegie Deli (would
take maybe 1.5 hours hours-I don't know where to park), then go to the
Staten Island Ferry-again, I don't know where to park (would only be about
1.5 hours round trip) and then head off to Coney Island for a few rides and
a Nathan's frank maybe spend only 2 hours there.........and finally return
back to Atlantic City............Is this really too ambitious????

I didn't originally think so...........but maybe I just don't know any
better

Eddie


"Miguel Cruz" wrote in message
...
Eddie Type 2 wrote:
Based on the posts I've received from others, I am now VERY concerned that
I
shouldn't even consider going to NYC ......We were planning on going on
either a Thursday or Friday. All I wanted to do was drive by a few
places,
spend a few hours in a museum and spend a few hours at Coney Island, but
everyone is saying that this is just too ambitious to do in one day???? I
am very disappointed. One posted is now telling me that I cannot even get
into the parking at the Museum because of school buses!......I don't what
to
think!

I suppose I will just tell the family that we should forget the idea of
going to NYC...............there obviously isn't enough time, we're going
on
the wrong day, we can't get into the parking lot at the Museum, the Staten
Island Ferry is too crowded and takes too long, the planetarium shows cost
too much and are too short, Carnegie deli sucks (probably no parking
either), and driving through the city is impossible and frustrating, so
seeing some of the sites with a drive-by is just impossible. Finally, I
will tell them that going to Coney Island is not worth it and that it's
too
far out of the way and it will take more than 1 hour to get there!

I'm so frustrated!........my daughter really wanted a liberty crown, but I
suppose she won't get one on this trip.

I don't really understand your reaction. What people are telling you is that
New York is so excellent that you won't be able to squeeze it all in in just
one day.

If someone offered to take you to an excellent restaurant would you turn the
invitation down because you wouldn't have time to eat all of the things on
the menu in one sitting?

It's just impractical to try to do that many things (4 days in Atlantic City
and one in NYC???) in such a short time. So you might as well pick a few
things that are the most important, and play the rest by ear. Better some
fun than none.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Eddie Type 2 wrote:

I really didn't think my plan was that aggressive......
I was planning on arriving in the City around 9:00am and to drive through
Times Square and try to get to the museum around 10:00am and spend about 3
hours at the Museum and planetarium, then grab lunch at Carnegie Deli (would
take maybe 1.5 hours hours-I don't know where to park), then go to the
Staten Island Ferry-again, I don't know where to park (would only be about
1.5 hours round trip) and then head off to Coney Island for a few rides and
a Nathan's frank maybe spend only 2 hours there.........and finally return
back to Atlantic City............Is this really too ambitious????

I didn't originally think so...........but maybe I just don't know any
better

If you're going during the week, you're also planning on driving from AC
to NYC during the heaviest commute hours, making the trip take even
longer than it might otherwise. And your return trip likewise would be
during rush hour. The Garden State Parkway/NJ Turnpike (presumably your
roads between AC and NYC) are jammed then, and all funneled through a
limited number of tunnels and bridges into NY.

If you drive into NYC through the Holland Tunnel, you can see the Statue
of Liberty from there--not as well as from the Staten Island Ferry, I'll
grant you, but you can see it.

I love New York and agree that it's worth seeing. (Personally, I would
have picked four days in NYC and one in AC, but you presumably have a
better interested in. :-))

--
Evelyn C. Leeper
http://www.geocities.com/evelynleeper
If you want to live like a Republican,
you've got to vote for a Democrat. --Harry S. Truman

Eddie Type 2 wrote:

I really didn't think my plan was that aggressive......
I was planning on arriving in the City around 9:00am and to drive through
Times Square and try to get to the museum around 10:00am and spend about 3
hours at the Museum and planetarium, then grab lunch at Carnegie Deli (would
take maybe 1.5 hours hours-I don't know where to park), then go to the
Staten Island Ferry-again, I don't know where to park (would only be about
1.5 hours round trip) and then head off to Coney Island for a few rides and
a Nathan's frank maybe spend only 2 hours there.........and finally return
back to Atlantic City............Is this really too ambitious????

I didn't originally think so...........but maybe I just don't know any
better

If you're going during the week, you're also planning on driving from AC
to NYC during the heaviest commute hours, making the trip take even
longer than it might otherwise. And your return trip likewise would be
during rush hour. The Garden State Parkway/NJ Turnpike (presumably your
roads between AC and NYC) are jammed then, and all funneled through a
limited number of tunnels and bridges into NY.

If you drive into NYC through the Holland Tunnel, you can see the Statue
of Liberty from there--not as well as from the Staten Island Ferry, I'll
grant you, but you can see it.

I love New York and agree that it's worth seeing. (Personally, I would
have picked four days in NYC and one in AC, but you presumably have a
better interested in. :-))

--
Evelyn C. Leeper
http://www.geocities.com/evelynleeper
If you want to live like a Republican,
you've got to vote for a Democrat. --Harry S. Truman

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 13:43:55 GMT, "Evelyn C. Leeper"
wrote:

Eddie Type 2 wrote:

I really didn't think my plan was that aggressive......
I was planning on arriving in the City around 9:00am and to drive through
Times Square and try to get to the museum around 10:00am and spend about 3
hours at the Museum and planetarium, then grab lunch at Carnegie Deli (would
take maybe 1.5 hours hours-I don't know where to park), then go to the
Staten Island Ferry-again, I don't know where to park (would only be about
1.5 hours round trip) and then head off to Coney Island for a few rides and
a Nathan's frank maybe spend only 2 hours there.........and finally return
back to Atlantic City............Is this really too ambitious????

I didn't originally think so...........but maybe I just don't know any
better

If you're going during the week, you're also planning on driving from AC
to NYC during the heaviest commute hours, making the trip take even
longer than it might otherwise. And your return trip likewise would be
during rush hour. The Garden State Parkway/NJ Turnpike (presumably your
roads between AC and NYC) are jammed then, and all funneled through a
limited number of tunnels and bridges into NY.

If you drive into NYC through the Holland Tunnel, you can see the Statue
of Liberty from there--not as well as from the Staten Island Ferry, I'll
grant you, but you can see it.

I love New York and agree that it's worth seeing. (Personally, I would
have picked four days in NYC and one in AC, but you presumably have a
better interested in. :-))

Perhaps those who drive in Manhattan could give the poster an estimate
of the rate at which traffic moves on a weekday from the upper Westside
through Midtown and down to the Staten Island Ferry. And an estimate
of driving time from the Ferry to Coney Island?

One has to assume a first time driver in Manhattan will not have the
NYC driving skills of a taxi driver and is likely to get seriously
bogged down in Midtown traffic, moving at a snail's pace. Am I wrong
about this -- I don't drive in NY but I do take buses and taxis and
observe.

And also info on whether parking is available near the Carnegie Deii and
the Staten Island Ferry. And if it is, how much it would cost.

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 13:43:55 GMT, "Evelyn C. Leeper"
wrote:

Eddie Type 2 wrote:

I really didn't think my plan was that aggressive......
I was planning on arriving in the City around 9:00am and to drive through
Times Square and try to get to the museum around 10:00am and spend about 3
hours at the Museum and planetarium, then grab lunch at Carnegie Deli (would
take maybe 1.5 hours hours-I don't know where to park), then go to the
Staten Island Ferry-again, I don't know where to park (would only be about
1.5 hours round trip) and then head off to Coney Island for a few rides and
a Nathan's frank maybe spend only 2 hours there.........and finally return
back to Atlantic City............Is this really too ambitious????

I didn't originally think so...........but maybe I just don't know any
better

If you're going during the week, you're also planning on driving from AC
to NYC during the heaviest commute hours, making the trip take even
longer than it might otherwise. And your return trip likewise would be
during rush hour. The Garden State Parkway/NJ Turnpike (presumably your
roads between AC and NYC) are jammed then, and all funneled through a
limited number of tunnels and bridges into NY.

If you drive into NYC through the Holland Tunnel, you can see the Statue
of Liberty from there--not as well as from the Staten Island Ferry, I'll
grant you, but you can see it.

I love New York and agree that it's worth seeing. (Personally, I would
have picked four days in NYC and one in AC, but you presumably have a
better interested in. :-))

Perhaps those who drive in Manhattan could give the poster an estimate
of the rate at which traffic moves on a weekday from the upper Westside
through Midtown and down to the Staten Island Ferry. And an estimate
of driving time from the Ferry to Coney Island?

One has to assume a first time driver in Manhattan will not have the
NYC driving skills of a taxi driver and is likely to get seriously
bogged down in Midtown traffic, moving at a snail's pace. Am I wrong
about this -- I don't drive in NY but I do take buses and taxis and
observe.

And also info on whether parking is available near the Carnegie Deii and
the Staten Island Ferry. And if it is, how much it would cost.

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 13:43:55 GMT, "Evelyn C. Leeper"
wrote:

Eddie Type 2 wrote:

I really didn't think my plan was that aggressive......
I was planning on arriving in the City around 9:00am and to drive through
Times Square and try to get to the museum around 10:00am and spend about 3
hours at the Museum and planetarium, then grab lunch at Carnegie Deli (would
take maybe 1.5 hours hours-I don't know where to park), then go to the
Staten Island Ferry-again, I don't know where to park (would only be about
1.5 hours round trip) and then head off to Coney Island for a few rides and
a Nathan's frank maybe spend only 2 hours there.........and finally return
back to Atlantic City............Is this really too ambitious????

I didn't originally think so...........but maybe I just don't know any
better

If you're going during the week, you're also planning on driving from AC
to NYC during the heaviest commute hours, making the trip take even
longer than it might otherwise. And your return trip likewise would be
during rush hour. The Garden State Parkway/NJ Turnpike (presumably your
roads between AC and NYC) are jammed then, and all funneled through a
limited number of tunnels and bridges into NY.

If you drive into NYC through the Holland Tunnel, you can see the Statue
of Liberty from there--not as well as from the Staten Island Ferry, I'll
grant you, but you can see it.

I love New York and agree that it's worth seeing. (Personally, I would
have picked four days in NYC and one in AC, but you presumably have a
better interested in. :-))

Perhaps those who drive in Manhattan could give the poster an estimate
of the rate at which traffic moves on a weekday from the upper Westside
through Midtown and down to the Staten Island Ferry. And an estimate
of driving time from the Ferry to Coney Island?

One has to assume a first time driver in Manhattan will not have the
NYC driving skills of a taxi driver and is likely to get seriously
bogged down in Midtown traffic, moving at a snail's pace. Am I wrong
about this -- I don't drive in NY but I do take buses and taxis and
observe.

And also info on whether parking is available near the Carnegie Deii and
the Staten Island Ferry. And if it is, how much it would cost.

Thanks Evelyn..........I was thinking about getting on the road by about
7:00am.......it would probably take about 3 hours to get to Manhattan right?
Even with Traffic?

I was thinking about returning home from Coney Island around 7 at night, so
isn't that after Rush hour?

I like the idea of maybe seeing the Statue of Liberty while
driving...............that would mean we could probably leave out the Staten
Island Ferry??

Eddie


"Evelyn C. Leeper" wrote in message
. net...
Eddie Type 2 wrote:

I really didn't think my plan was that aggressive......
I was planning on arriving in the City around 9:00am and to drive through
Times Square and try to get to the museum around 10:00am and spend about 3
hours at the Museum and planetarium, then grab lunch at Carnegie Deli
(would
take maybe 1.5 hours hours-I don't know where to park), then go to the
Staten Island Ferry-again, I don't know where to park (would only be about
1.5 hours round trip) and then head off to Coney Island for a few rides
and
a Nathan's frank maybe spend only 2 hours there.........and finally return
back to Atlantic City............Is this really too ambitious????

I didn't originally think so...........but maybe I just don't know any
better

If you're going during the week, you're also planning on driving from AC
to NYC during the heaviest commute hours, making the trip take even
longer than it might otherwise. And your return trip likewise would be
during rush hour. The Garden State Parkway/NJ Turnpike (presumably your
roads between AC and NYC) are jammed then, and all funneled through a
limited number of tunnels and bridges into NY.

If you drive into NYC through the Holland Tunnel, you can see the Statue
of Liberty from there--not as well as from the Staten Island Ferry, I'll
grant you, but you can see it.

I love New York and agree that it's worth seeing. (Personally, I would
have picked four days in NYC and one in AC, but you presumably have a
better interested in. :-))

--
Evelyn C. Leeper
http://www.geocities.com/evelynleeper
If you want to live like a Republican,
you've got to vote for a Democrat. --Harry S. Truman

Thanks Rita...........I hope that someone will read your post and answer the
questions you have raised. I would really appreciate seeing the answers.

I don't understand why it is so difficult to drive in Manhattan. Don't
people do it all the time? I realize NYC is a big City, but I also drive in
downtown Toronto all of the time and I just can't see traffic in NYC being
all that much different???

How much can parking really cost? I already know that parking at the Museum
of Natural History is going to cost Up to 2 hours: $17.00
Up to 3 hours: $22.00
3-5 hours: $25.00
5-10 hours: $37.00

So if I'm already prepared to pay these prices, how much worse can it get
anywhere else in NYC???

Eddie


"Rita" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 13:43:55 GMT, "Evelyn C. Leeper"
wrote:

Eddie Type 2 wrote:

I really didn't think my plan was that aggressive......
I was planning on arriving in the City around 9:00am and to drive through
Times Square and try to get to the museum around 10:00am and spend about
3
hours at the Museum and planetarium, then grab lunch at Carnegie Deli
(would
take maybe 1.5 hours hours-I don't know where to park), then go to the
Staten Island Ferry-again, I don't know where to park (would only be
about
1.5 hours round trip) and then head off to Coney Island for a few rides
and
a Nathan's frank maybe spend only 2 hours there.........and finally
return
back to Atlantic City............Is this really too ambitious????

I didn't originally think so...........but maybe I just don't know any
better

If you're going during the week, you're also planning on driving from AC
to NYC during the heaviest commute hours, making the trip take even
longer than it might otherwise. And your return trip likewise would be
during rush hour. The Garden State Parkway/NJ Turnpike (presumably your
roads between AC and NYC) are jammed then, and all funneled through a
limited number of tunnels and bridges into NY.

If you drive into NYC through the Holland Tunnel, you can see the Statue
of Liberty from there--not as well as from the Staten Island Ferry, I'll
grant you, but you can see it.

I love New York and agree that it's worth seeing. (Personally, I would
have picked four days in NYC and one in AC, but you presumably have a
better interested in. :-))

Perhaps those who drive in Manhattan could give the poster an estimate
of the rate at which traffic moves on a weekday from the upper Westside
through Midtown and down to the Staten Island Ferry. And an estimate
of driving time from the Ferry to Coney Island?

One has to assume a first time driver in Manhattan will not have the
NYC driving skills of a taxi driver and is likely to get seriously
bogged down in Midtown traffic, moving at a snail's pace. Am I wrong
about this -- I don't drive in NY but I do take buses and taxis and
observe.

And also info on whether parking is available near the Carnegie Deii and
the Staten Island Ferry. And if it is, how much it would cost.

Eddie Type 2 wrote:
I don't understand why it is so difficult to drive in Manhattan. Don't
people do it all the time? I realize NYC is a big City, but I also drive in
downtown Toronto all of the time and I just can't see traffic in NYC being
all that much different???

It's not like it's impossible. Everyone drives in New York for the first
time at some point, and I don't think anyone dies from the experience.

However, it is definitely different from Toronto.

Lanes are very loosely observed (particularly by taxis), pedestrians are
(all credit to them) extremely aggressive, bike messengers are a couple
notches crazier than in Toronto, and nobody (pedestrians or other drivers)
tolerates indecision or failure to move with the flow of traffic.

You'll see.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

"Eddie Type 2" wrote in message
...
I really didn't think my plan was that aggressive......
I was planning on arriving in the City around 9:00am and to drive through
Times Square and try to get to the museum around 10:00am and spend about 3
hours at the Museum and planetarium, then grab lunch at Carnegie Deli
(would
take maybe 1.5 hours hours-I don't know where to park), then go to the
Staten Island Ferry-again, I don't know where to park (would only be about
1.5 hours round trip) and then head off to Coney Island for a few rides
and
a Nathan's frank maybe spend only 2 hours there.........and finally return
back to Atlantic City............Is this really too ambitious????

It would be much easier to park your car once and then rely on
public transportation, which is much easier and faster than driving.
Driving in NYC is really difficult and finding parking is even worse as it
is both difficult and expensive. If you try to find parking on the street,
you will end up spending a lot of time driving around, which is no fun and
very hard on the nerves. I doubt you would be able to find a place to park
near the Carnegie Deli or the Staten Island Ferry, which is down in the
financial district where a lot of the streets are narrow. NYC really
deserves more time than Atlantic City imho. Also, if you plan on arriving
in NYC around 9 AM you will get to experience rush hour, which I wouldn't
wish on anybody.
..