Going to New York and St. Louis in May.

[KeithTalent]

So I made this thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=38&threadid=2079576 a while back and after much discussion, waiting, and other things coming up, we finally have a short trip planned. Nothing as exotic as we were originally thinking, but that's ok with me.

The background is we were invited to my Cousin's wedding in Wentzville, MO on Memorial Day weekend, so we decided to piggy-back on that with a trip to NYC because I've never been and my Mom has not been there in a very long time.

So here are the details and what I am looking for:

NYC - 5 nights here

1. Best museums/galleries to hit (I have the Met as my number 1, but unsure after that)

2. Tourist sites actually worth visiting. Is it imperative I go to the SoL, Empire State Building, UN, etc...?

3. Great, cheap food joints. I will be picking one very fancy place to go for dinner so I don't need recs for that, but the cheap places (i.e. a deli, good pizza place, etc..) I certainly do.

4. Any other event type things? Going to try for Conan/Letterman/Ferguson tickets, anything else? Yankee game looks impossible this year.

5. Anything else I need to know?


St. Louis - will be here for 2 nights only, after the wedding

1. Anything to do here? I have no idea, so I welcome any and all suggestions. We will have a car/truck apparently, courtesy of the family.

Thanks to everyone in advance for the recommendations/advice! :beer:

KT

 

[vi edit]

STL - stay on the WEST side of the river.

 

[amdskip]

Originally posted by: vi edit
STL - stay on the WEST side of the river.

Yes, I have a friend who got lost on the east side and stopped and asked for directions at a gas station. The attendant promptly pointed to the interstate in the distance and said get the F outta here.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: vi edit
STL - stay on the WEST side of the river.

Haha, ok, will try to do that. Is the East side dangerous or something?

KT

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: vi edit
STL - stay on the WEST side of the river.

Haha, ok, will try to do that. Is the East side dangerous or something?

KT

Crime
East Saint Louis National Average
Murder 63.4 6.9
Rape 342.4 32.2
Robbery 954.3 195.4
Assault 6,489.8 340.1
Burglary 2,520.4 814.5
Automobile Theft 2,000.5 526.5

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: vi edit

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: vi edit
STL - stay on the WEST side of the river.

Haha, ok, will try to do that. Is the East side dangerous or something?

KT

Crime
East Saint Louis National Average
Murder 63.4 6.9
Rape 342.4 32.2
Robbery 954.3 195.4
Assault 6,489.8 340.1
Burglary 2,520.4 814.5
Automobile Theft 2,000.5 526.5

Sweet Jebus. :shocked:

Maybe I'll just stay in my hotel room.

KT

 

[amdskip]

The Arch and Brewery are pretty cool and on the west side.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: amdskip
The Arch and Brewery are pretty cool and on the west side.

Cool. What's the brewery?

Edit: as in what beer? Or is it a historical place?

KT

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: amdskip
The Arch and Brewery are pretty cool and on the west side.

Cool. What's the brewery?

Edit: as in what beer? Or is it a historical place?

KT

umm Budweiser you might have heard of it IDK its only THE BIGGERST BREWERY IN THE US

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: amdskip
The Arch and Brewery are pretty cool and on the west side.

Cool. What's the brewery?

Edit: as in what beer? Or is it a historical place?

KT

Anheuser-Busch is HQ'd in St. Louis. A brewery tour is indeed neat, especially if you've never been to a major brewery.

What days of the week will you be here? Wentzville is something of a boonies-suburb a good 20-30+ minute drive from downtown.

 

[bigrash]

Don't forget Times Square for touristy sites in NY.

Also, if you can't catch the Yankees, you can always see the Mets. 7 Train takes you right to the game.

I saw Conan about 10 yrs ago. His shows are fun.

 

[rivan]

Oh, and yeah, stay on the Missouri side of the river. The only thing on the East Side (Illinois) is low rent strip clubs and 24-hour drinks (if 1 am isn't late enough for you).

Edit: Other fun - the new Cardinals ballpark is very nice, lots of good music on weekend nights (and some during the week) great food in several neighborhoods, a couple not-terrible casinos. A world-class botanical garden if you have day hours free, a small but decent art museum, an excellent Zoo (that's free to boot!).

I assume you're after mom-friendly things, too, right?

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Anubis
umm Budweiser you might have heard of it IDK its only THE BIGGERST BREWERY IN THE US

Well I don't drink Bud, so I didn't know, but thanks.

Originally posted by: rivan

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: amdskip
The Arch and Brewery are pretty cool and on the west side.

Cool. What's the brewery?

Edit: as in what beer? Or is it a historical place?

KT

Anheuser-Busch is HQ'd in St. Louis. A brewery tour is indeed neat, especially if you've never been to a major brewery.

What days of the week will you be here? Wentzville is something of a boonies-suburb a good 20-30+ minute drive from downtown.

We will be there on a Monday & Tuesday, which is pretty lame I know. The weekend will be spent in Wentzville, which I'm sure will be a bristling with activity and things to do.

KT

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: bigrash
Don't forget Times Square for touristy sites in NY.

Also, if you can't catch the Yankees, you can always see the Mets. 7 Train takes you right to the game.

I saw Conan about 10 yrs ago. His shows are fun.

Yep, will do Times Square for sure.

Unfortunately the Mets are out of town when we are there.

KT

 

[Anubis]

i dont drink it either but they end ever comercial with ..Anheuser-Busch St. Louis MO
kinda figured everyone knew that :shrug;

tours are fun especially if they have the bottleing/canning going, things move FAST + you get free beer at the end

the Arch is overrated, id rather see the new baseball stadium or a Cards game, you posted about cards tickets in some other thread, generally easy to get

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Anubis
i dont drink it either but they end ever comercial with ..Anheuser-Busch St. Louis MO
kinda figured everyone knew that

tours are fun especially if they have the bottleing/canning going, things move FAST

the Arch is overrated, id rather see the baseball stadium or a Cards game, you posted about cards tickets in some other thread, generally easy to get

Yeah but I'm in Canada plus I don't watch a tonne of TV, so I don't see the commercials very often, if at all.

Right, I kind of forgot about the Cards tickets. Astros will be in town, so I'm definitely going to try and get tickets for that. In fact I think I'll try right now.

Is it silly for me to go to St. Louis and not see the arch though?

KT

 

[Anubis]

not really, it costs a few $$ for like a 5 min ride up to the top and like a min to look around out of a tiny window then a ride back down
you can go see it but i wouldent go up it

only really neat thing about it is that is as tall as it is wide

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Anubis
not really, it costs a few $$ for like a 5 min ride up to the top and like a min to look around out of a tiny window then a ride back down
you can go see it but i wouldent go up it

only really neat thing about it is that is as tall as it is wide

Ahh cool, thanks. So we can just hang around the oustide and snap a few pics then. I didn't even know you could go up the thing TBH.

KT

 

[Legendary]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

NYC - 5 nights here

1. Best museums/galleries to hit (I have the Met as my number 1, but unsure after that)

2. Tourist sites actually worth visiting. Is it imperative I go to the SoL, Empire State Building, UN, etc...?

3. Great, cheap food joints. I will be picking one very fancy place to go for dinner so I don't need recs for that, but the cheap places (i.e. a deli, good pizza place, etc..) I certainly do.

4. Any other event type things? Going to try for Conan/Letterman/Ferguson tickets, anything else? Yankee game looks impossible this year.

5. Anything else I need to know?

KT

1. The Whitney, MoMA, Guggenheim...lots of choices really, depends what you like
2. Instead of visiting the SoL, take the Staten Island Ferry (you don't actually have to get off, but it is free and has great views) - the view from the top of the ESB is unparalleled but very expensive to get to. You can try the Top of the Rock instead. Never been to the UN building
3.
Gray's Papaya - they have 3 locations so you're bound to pass 1. Classic NY hotdogs made quick and cost very little.
Ray's Pizza (the real one) on 6th Ave. and 11th St. - if you like cheese on your pizza, this place is amazing.
Mamoun's Falafel - Macdougal St. south of 3rd - great falafel and shawarma (lamb in a pita).
Ben's Pizza - if sauce is more important than cheese, try this place - right next to Mamoun's actually
So many, impossible to list. These are all around NYU so that's why I know them. There's great street food in many areas.
4. Depending on what month you're going, getting tickets to a Yankee game isn't that big of a deal. Send me a PM and I might be able to hook you up with some tickets depending on your time frame
5. For the love of god, do NOT stop walking to look at a map when you're in the middle of the sidewalk or at a crosswalk. MOVE TO THE SIDE. PLEASE. Thank you.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Legendary

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

NYC - 5 nights here

1. Best museums/galleries to hit (I have the Met as my number 1, but unsure after that)

2. Tourist sites actually worth visiting. Is it imperative I go to the SoL, Empire State Building, UN, etc...?

3. Great, cheap food joints. I will be picking one very fancy place to go for dinner so I don't need recs for that, but the cheap places (i.e. a deli, good pizza place, etc..) I certainly do.

4. Any other event type things? Going to try for Conan/Letterman/Ferguson tickets, anything else? Yankee game looks impossible this year.

5. Anything else I need to know?

KT

1. The Whitney, MoMA, Guggenheim...lots of choices really, depends what you like
2. Instead of visiting the SoL, take the Staten Island Ferry (you don't actually have to get off, but it is free and has great views) - the view from the top of the ESB is unparalleled but very expensive to get to. You can try the Top of the Rock instead. Never been to the UN building
3.
Gray's Papaya - they have 3 locations so you're bound to pass 1. Classic NY hotdogs made quick and cost very little.
Ray's Pizza (the real one) on 6th Ave. and 11th St. - if you like cheese on your pizza, this place is amazing.
Mamoun's Falafel - Macdougal St. south of 3rd - great falafel and shawarma (lamb in a pita).
Ben's Pizza - if sauce is more important than cheese, try this place - right next to Mamoun's actually
So many, impossible to list. These are all around NYU so that's why I know them. There's great street food in many areas.
4. Depending on what month you're going, getting tickets to a Yankee game isn't that big of a deal. Send me a PM and I might be able to hook you up with some tickets depending on your time frame
5. For the love of god, do NOT stop walking to look at a map when you're in the middle of the sidewalk or at a crosswalk. MOVE TO THE SIDE. PLEASE. Thank you.

Awesome stuff, thanks for that! I had Gray's on my list because I remember Bourdain going there and raving about it. I'll probably skip the ESB unless my Mom is dying to see it.

Is it relatively easy to navigate the streets there on foot? Oh and don't worry about the last one, I consider myself a pretty conscientious tourist and will do my best to stay out of your way!

I'll PM you re: Yankee tickets.

Thanks again!

KT

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Legendary
1. The Whitney, MoMA, Guggenheim...lots of choices really, depends what you like
2. Instead of visiting the SoL, take the Staten Island Ferry (you don't actually have to get off, but it is free and has great views) - the view from the top of the ESB is unparalleled but very expensive to get to. You can try the Top of the Rock instead. Never been to the UN building
3.
Gray's Papaya - they have 3 locations so you're bound to pass 1. Classic NY hotdogs made quick and cost very little.
Ray's Pizza (the real one) on 6th Ave. and 11th St. - if you like cheese on your pizza, this place is amazing.
Mamoun's Falafel - Macdougal St. south of 3rd - great falafel and shawarma (lamb in a pita).
Ben's Pizza - if sauce is more important than cheese, try this place - right next to Mamoun's actually
So many, impossible to list. These are all around NYU so that's why I know them. There's great street food in many areas.
4. Depending on what month you're going, getting tickets to a Yankee game isn't that big of a deal. Send me a PM and I might be able to hook you up with some tickets depending on your time frame
5. For the love of god, do NOT stop walking to look at a map when you're in the middle of the sidewalk or at a crosswalk. MOVE TO THE SIDE. PLEASE. Thank you.

1) Yup, the museum you want depends entirely on your tastes.

2) Ditto about the top of Rockefeller. After taking the ESB, I liked it, but I have no reason to ever do it again unless I REALLY want to take some more pictures or something. I was told afterwards that the top of the rock gives a much more worthwhile view of the city than just seeing the tops of all the buildings and it's a lot cheaper, too. Some of the "sights to see" are really just concrete buildings... that doesn't seem that fantastic to me. The bigger draw to NYC isn't the buildings and tourist spots, it's the environment itself. Take a walk through Central Park, Times Square, Rockefeller, etc.

3) DEFINITELY Gray's Papaya. So good, especially while bar-hopping. Don't be afraid to try little hole-in-the-wall restaurants. There are a lot of them, and many of them are actually pretty good.

5) Find a decent pocket map of the city. The one I used my friend that lives there actually found on a table when he went to grab a bite to eat one day and it was awesome. It was plastic coated, only folded out to about 11x17 or so and had all the streets and subway lines clearly marked out. It helped me figure out the subways in record time.


In STL... if you are 21 Definitely take the Budweiser tour. It's free and a little bit more that interesting, and as they will point out to you from the start, ends with a couple free beers.

You could probably weasel into getting a few beers instead of just two, but some people are outright lying when they say it's all the beer you can drink all day long.

The Arch is one of those things you HAVE to do just so you can say you have. It's about $10-15.

There might be a cardinals game when you are there, too.

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Anubis
i dont drink it either but they end ever comercial with ..Anheuser-Busch St. Louis MO
kinda figured everyone knew that

tours are fun especially if they have the bottleing/canning going, things move FAST

the Arch is overrated, id rather see the baseball stadium or a Cards game, you posted about cards tickets in some other thread, generally easy to get

Yeah but I'm in Canada plus I don't watch a tonne of TV, so I don't see the commercials very often, if at all.

Right, I kind of forgot about the Cards tickets. Astros will be in town, so I'm definitely going to try and get tickets for that. In fact I think I'll try right now.

Is it silly for me to go to St. Louis and not see the arch though?

KT

I think seeing the Arch is good; I wouldn't waste my time going up into it - it's something of a letdown imo, if you've been in any other tall buildings. The top is actually quite small - a room maybe 40 people could pack into. The ballpark is quite close to the arch, and if you park for the game early and walk down there, it's perfectly safe and not much of a walk - maybe 3-4 blocks.

I'll recommend again the Botanical Garden, it's really an underrated jewel of the city. It's an excellent place to blow a morning, get some lunch and move on to something else. The St. Louis Zoo is the best free zoo I've ever seen - better than many zoos that charge significant admission; the Zoo is also located in Forest Park, which is also home to several other neat stops, among them the Jewel Box and the St. Louis Art Museum.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Injury
*snip*

YHPM

Originally posted by: rivan

Originally posted by: KeithTalent

Originally posted by: Anubis
i dont drink it either but they end ever comercial with ..Anheuser-Busch St. Louis MO
kinda figured everyone knew that

tours are fun especially if they have the bottleing/canning going, things move FAST

the Arch is overrated, id rather see the baseball stadium or a Cards game, you posted about cards tickets in some other thread, generally easy to get

Yeah but I'm in Canada plus I don't watch a tonne of TV, so I don't see the commercials very often, if at all.

Right, I kind of forgot about the Cards tickets. Astros will be in town, so I'm definitely going to try and get tickets for that. In fact I think I'll try right now.

Is it silly for me to go to St. Louis and not see the arch though?

KT

I think seeing the Arch is good; I wouldn't waste my time going up into it - it's something of a letdown imo, if you've been in any other tall buildings. The top is actually quite small - a room maybe 40 people could pack into. The ballpark is quite close to the arch, and if you park for the game early and walk down there, it's perfectly safe and not much of a walk - maybe 3-4 blocks.

I'll recommend again the Botanical Garden, it's really an underrated jewel of the city. It's an excellent place to blow a morning, get some lunch and move on to something else. The St. Louis Zoo is the best free zoo I've ever seen - better than many zoos that charge significant admission; the Zoo is also located in Forest Park, which is also home to several other neat stops, among them the Jewel Box and the St. Louis Art Museum.

Cool, thanks. Mobot looks like a nice relaxing time. I'll look into all of those.

Cheers. :beer:

KT

 

[Damn Dirty Ape]

I'll toss in Six Flags about 20 miles from downtown on I-44 in Eureka, MO. We went yesterday (Saturday) for their opening day. It's really not on the same level as Great Adventure in NJ or Great America in Chicago.


If you are into it, don't miss Bass Pro Shops in St Charles or Cabelas in the St Louis Mills mall in Hazelwood.

Grants Farm if it is open on Gravois Blvd.

Just some thoughts.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Damn Dirty Ape
I'll toss in Six Flags about 20 miles from downtown on I-44 in Eureka, MO. We went yesterday (Saturday) for their opening day. It's really not on the same level as Great Adventure in NJ or Great America in Chicago.


If you are into it, don't miss Bass Pro Shops in St Charles or Cabelas in the St Louis Mills mall in Hazelwood.

Grants Farm if it is open on Gravois Blvd.

Just some thoughts.

Good stuff, thanks. We may have my little cousin with me for a day or so, so Six Flags might be a good idea. :thumbsup:

KT