New York for Thanksgiving-Ideas

Parent Cafe
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<p>Crabby Lady got so many nice tips about what to do in Boston that I thought I would ask about New York, where we hope to visit D over the Thanksgiving holiday. We thought about snatching her and driving somewhere nearby for Thanksgiving Day-any ideas for a reasonable drive? Or if we just stay in the city, what to do besides the parade, of course? The $85-100 per person buffets are a little rich for younger siblings who are not 12 and under, but still only like chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese…</p>

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<p>Ben’s Deli in Manhattan. Very reasonable…younger sibs can get chicken fingers…but no mac and cheese – it’s Kosher!</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.bensdeli.net/[/url]”>http://www.bensdeli.net/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>New York Magazine has a very easy-to-use restaurant guide, with reviews, that you can sort by location, price, and/or type of food. If you find something that’s in the general price range that sounds interesting, it’s likely their Thanksgiving menu will be in a decent price range, too.</p>

<p><a href=“http://nymag.com/restaurants/index.htm[/url]”>http://nymag.com/restaurants/index.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also…Weds is “Dining Out” section in NY Times. Closer to Thanksgiving, there should be lots of ads, with prices.</p>

<p>Don’t know what you’re considering to be a “reasonable” drive but…</p>

<p>If you have any interest in going to Long Island, try the George Washington Manor in Roslyn…about 40 minute drive…historic inn in a small section of town colonial period homes…should be somewhat more reasonable than $85 - $100</p>

<p><a href=“georgewashingtonmanor.com”>georgewashingtonmanor.com;

<p>Also…look at restaurants in Locust Valley and Oyster Bay…a couple of other “historic” communities on Long Island.</p>

<p>In Rhinebeck in Dutchess County, about 2.5 hours north, there’s the Beekman Arms…another colonial inn…<a href=“http://www.beekmandelamaterinn.com/[/url]”>http://www.beekmandelamaterinn.com/&lt;/a&gt;. It’s very close to the FDR Home and Library…but they are, unfortunately, closed on Thanksgiving Day.</p>

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<p>Or you could have a very New York Thanksgiving. Last year two friends and I couldn’t go home for Easter, so instead of going somewhere to get the tradtional ham, we had Indian food. If it’s your son/daughter’s first year away, maybe he/she’d appreciate the traditional meal more, but since you’re in a new place, it might be neat to try Indian or Thai or Ethiopian or whatever you’ve never had before. It may be harder to do if you’ve got picky eaters, though. You could try something like menupages.com or the like to find restaurants of all kinds in your son/daughter’s neighborhood.</p>

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<p>Don’t miss the parade! Go the night before to watch them blow up the balloons on West 80th (?). Get out on the sidewalks EARLY to get a good vantage point and enjoy–then leave the city. We used to watch the parade and catch a taxi out to Laguardia.</p>

<p>How long has D been in Manhattan? You could drive up to Storm King park and then have dinner up there somewhere…you could rent a house on Fire Island (or in the Hamptons or the Jersey Shore–check Craigslist) and cook a dinner out there…you could drive up into Connecticut for a autumny fix. </p>

<p>Have fun!</p>

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<p>The only place I’ve been in the city for Thanksgiving is the Harvard Club which is actually quite a nice place to have it. Not too formal, but all the required dishes.</p>

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<p>These all sound like nice ideas. </p>

<p>Honestly, the NY parade (please don’t bash me) is a bit overplayed. I did go one time as a kid. My father was able to get us into an office building that had a good view. That was semi -worth it. Standing in the cold, possibly rain, in the crowd is not my cup of tea. I do enjoy watching it on TV. I guess some people just need to do the NY thing, and watch the parade.</p>

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<p>I went a number of times as a twenty and thirty something–standing on Central Park West. I loved it. The sheer scale of the thing, the general hilarity amongst New Yorkers…it’s a great morning if you ask me. If both boys end up in the US next year, it could be worth a special trip.</p>

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<p>Two years ago, my S in Philly went to visit S in NYC over Thanksgiving. He took a couple friends along, they all went to the parade, then had dinner at a place nearby (make reservations!) - I think it was called Stella’s Diner. It is staffed by Broadway wannabees who alternate serving and singing. The kids had a blast. It was a bit cheaper than many of the restaurants they looked into.</p>

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<p>Do not miss the area right around the American Museum of Natural History on Thanksgiving Eve (especially if you don’t plan to go to the parade). All of the balloons for the Thanksgiving Day Parade are blown up on the streets surrounding the American Museum of Natural History – 77th Street, Central Park West between 77th and 81st Streets and 81st Street. You can walk along the sidewalks and watch it all happen. It is very popular among the residents of the Upper West Side (and increasingly among others in recent years). Then, you can stop in one of the dozens of cafes, restaurants and delis along Columbus Avenue to get yourself some hot chocolate. This area is very accessible via subway (in fact, I would recommend the subway instead of a taxi all of Thanksgiving weekend in NYC) via the B and C trains (which stop at Central Park West and 81st Street) and the 1 train (which stops at Broadway and 79th Street, just a couple of blocks away). Don’t forget your camera!</p>

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<p>definitely try to make it to a broadway show! if your daughter shows a student id at the box office the morning of, she can get front and center seats for $25!</p>

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<p>binx, that diner is Ellen’s Stardust Diner at the corner of Broadway and 51st. Great place! :)</p>

<p>huskem55, getting rush seats over Thanksgiving is very difficult. Lotto crowds are huge and your chances of winning are much slimmer than at other times. Thanksgiving week is traditionally one of the busiest weeks of the entire year for Broadway shows.</p>

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<p>Yes, you’re right, alwaysamom. Thanks for the correction. Now, who is Stella, and where did that come from…???</p>

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<p>Does the student ID for a reduced fare to a broadway show have to be from a NYC college? Would a New Jersey college ID be ok? Thanks!</p>

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<p>mmom, no, student I.D. from anywhere works, and it doesn’t have to be college. The student can be in high school. Not all shows require that you be a student, either. Some allow ANYone to try for a rush seat. You will need to pay in cash, though, and to have photo I.D. of some sort. Here is a link to playbill.com’s list of current rush policies which will explain how it works at each show:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/82428.html[/url]”>http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/82428.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Keep in mind that hundreds of people show up for these seats and it varies, show by show, how many are available. The odds of winning will vary depending on the popularity of the show on that given day. So, if there’s a show that you absolutely want to see, I wouldn’t count on rush seats. One other option for discounted seats is TKTS, currently located at the Marriott Marquis Hotel. Same day tickets, which haven’t been sold, are available at discounted prices.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.tdf.org/tkts/[/url]”>http://www.tdf.org/tkts/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I go to the city four or five times a year (was just there last week), have done so for years, and have seen just about every show playing! :)</p>

<p>Lastly, most shows have a different schedule than normal during Thanksgiving week. The Playbill site should have that listed.</p>

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<p>My sister and her family go to NYC almost every year at Thanksgiving. Their “traditional” Thanksgiving meal is Chinese food in Chinatown. They wouldn’t have it any other way!</p>