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> We made vacation plans for a long weekend and according to the weather
> reports it will be really sucky in NYC all this weekend while we are
> there. :-(
>
> Obviously, if you're gonna be vacationing somewhere, it's better to be
> in a place like New York where there are plenty of indoor things to do.
> I pre-ordered tickets for the ferry to Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty
> and tickets for the Empire State Building but if there is an 80-100%
> chance of heavy rain and thunderstorms (not to mention it being about
> 50 degrees) I'm not sure we're still gonna do the outdoor things, or at
> least not get off the boat at the Statue. So... we're gonna be visiting
> a lot of museums and sticking to the subways, rather than walking and
> visiting parks.
My wife and I travel internationally every year between Christmas and New
Years, and rarely in warm climates. If it rains, we get wet. If it's cold,
we dress warm. We have the advantage of avoiding tourist crowds. Don't let
the weather get you down -- just get out and do what you were planning,
anyway.
>
> Saturday I'd like to do the following:
>
> - Ellis Island
Worth a visit, particularly if any of your relatives ever passed through.
Skip the Statue of Liberty -- you'll get a good view of it from the boat to
Ellis Island. If you want to see New York Harbor, take the Statan Island
Ferry for free -- great views!
> - Visit Ground Zero
Not much to see, but I understand why people are drawn to it.
> - Walk a few streets in the Village if the weather isn't too lousy
> - TriBeCa film festival - maybe see a movie?
>
> Sunday:
>
> - Museum of Natural History (loved this place when I was a little kid
> 30 years ago, haven't been there since)
Same here -- loved it as a kid, never been back. The adjacent Hayden
Planetarium is supposed to be pretty spectacular. I haven't been in it
since it was remodeled many years ago.
> - See the Dakota and visit Strawberry Fields
> - Metropolitan Museum of Art (never been)
> *or*
> - Guggenheim (never been)
The Metropolitan's collection is staggering. We go back every time we go to
New York -- you can easily spend a couple of days there. The Guggenheim as
a wonderful building, but tends to exhibit post-modern stuff that just
doesn't reach me at all. Is a canvas painted black really art?
> - Visit Grand Central (probably ho-hum for New Yorkers, fascinating for
> out of towners like me),
Grand Central is definitely worth a look, particularly since it's been
renovated and cleaned.
> step inside the Chrysler Building and look at
> the murals, walk down to the UN
I don't recall there being much inside the Chrysler Building -- just a lobby
and elevator bank, but I may be wrong.
> - Fart around Times Square, see if we can get cheap tickets for a show
> that night
Particularly if it's raining, try the box office for whatever shows you're
interested in -- there are frequently last-minute cancellations of "dead
wood" tickets -- those held for the production company. They won't be
cheaper, but you can wind up in very, very good seats.
>
> Is this reasonable? Too much, particularly on Sunday?
Well, the Metropolitan is always crowded on the weekends and, as I said, can
easily fill a day or two. However, you're in New York -- tire yourself out!
> We'll also have
> Monday morning open - perhaps we'll do the Empire State Building then
> if the weather cooperates. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
>
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