NYC for Thanksgiving

We are going to the parade, but we need something else to do for Weds, Fri, and Sat. We had fix for the first 2 below... Ellis Island - closed for November. Statue of Liberty - closed for November. 9/11 Memorial - first-come, first-serve line. Not sure if we'll get in. Currently checking the museums. 2 grandparents, 3 adults, 2 teenage girls.

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• Go see a Bway show, kids!

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• OP, I believe Stefon is still at the Romney victory celebration.

  http://www.uproxx.com/gammasquad/2012/11/links-cat-friendship-bracelet/

• Broadway, central park, top of the rock, rock center, Lincoln center, Museum of Natural History, MOMA, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim, Empire State building, Walk, down 5th Ave., St. Pats, The Highline, New Park on Roosevelt Island. Circle line, Intrepid sea and air museum.

• I hope you plan to go up to the park to see the floats on Wednesday night. It's a grand tradition. Try some small museums or galleries. Teddy Roosevelt's house is around 19th St just off Broadway. It's very interesting.

• Do you actually have to go to the 9/11 memorial? I hate seeing all these ghouls who lost no one lined up around the block.

• Don't forget Guy Freri's Restaurant. Heard it's the BEST!

  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-guys-american-kitchen-bar-in-times-square.html%3F_r%3D0

• It's out of respect, R5. Many of us feel those victims deserve to be remembered. OP, I would highly rec the American Museum of Natural History. It's always a hit with a wide range of ages. I love the met, but if the teens aren't into what's there, you lose them quick. That said, the Arms & Armor and some of the smaller exhibits like watches (sounds boring but it is far from it) or the incredibly detailed, miniature medieval carvings usually fascinate even eye rolling teenagers. I'd also suggest FAO for the Christmas fun if you can stand the crowds.

• Neue Galerie

  http://www.neuegalerie.org/

• There are some mid to average family shows that you'll need to pay out your puss to see: Elf, Annie, A Christmas Story, the Grinch-The lion King, Wicked, Nice work, Mary Poppins... Off B'way there is a production of The Velveteen Rabbit. Radio City is reaaly a great show, then you can brave the throngs and see the tree. And X-mas windows... Check out Time Out NY... If you go online yesterday there mightbe tix for the 9-11 memorial. The teen aged girls may like shopping...daa.

• Tour of Rockerfeller Center and Radio City Music Hall

• Walk around, OP! Different neighborhoods: Union Square, Times Square, UES, Soho. Take the ferry to Staten Island, walk around, and come back. Go to Park Slope and Prospect Park. The Botanic Garden in the Bronx. Explore the streets! It's the best part of NYC.

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• Go up to Lincoln Center and run around the fountain like in "The Producers".

• EAT!!! Great restaurants & dessert joints

  http://www.yelp.com/search%3Fcflt%3Ddesserts%26find_loc%3DEast+Village%2C+Manhattan%2C+NY

• Tere are so many great smaller places that don't attract the crowds that swarm the city during Thanksgiving - do your homework and you'll be glad you didn't go to all the typical tourist places. The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology is at 27th St in Chelsea. History of fashion and the Triangle Fire thrown in to guilt trip you and to remind you that fashion kills. Take in some flea markets - sellers get hungry as the holidays approach and you may find some real bargains. Lower East Side Tenement museum - they recreate what to was like back in the day. No one will ever bitch about the size of their apartment again. Up Fifth is the The Neue Galerie which has a great collection of German & Austrian art (Klee, Kandinsky, Schiele, et al) including supposedly the best collection of Gustav Klimt showcasing the iconic Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. Very interesting place because it is in a former Vanderbilt home overlooking Central Park. It also has a big jewelry gallery. In the same area a few blocks up Fifth from the Neue is the Museum of the City of New York. That has an exhibit of the history of Broadway. Enjoy the city.

• The tree at Rock center won't be lit till Nov. 27th. There is so much in NY you can't get bored.

• R15 But Kathie Lee and Hoda will be lit way before that.

• Ice skating at Wollman in Central Park or at Rock center. See something at Lincoln Center. Take everyone to Chumleys speakeasy. It's hard to find and such a find! Go see an OFF bway show or two.

• Was just in NYC. You need tickets to see the WTC Memorial. They are free and available on line. I also went to see Eataly...its a food emporium in Chelsea. Ithink its a venture between Mario Batalli and Lidia Whatsername. Loved it.

• Le train Blue at Bloomingdales?

  http://www.scoutingny.com/%3Fp%3D5858

• Thanks for all the suggestions. FYI 9/11 Memorial - you do get tix online, ut since the hurricane, it's FCFS. If you got a ticket, its still valid.

  OP

• May try to get tix to the NYC Ballet of "The Nutcracker". Would love to get lost in museums, but one of the grandparents hobbles a little. Thanks again!

  OP

• They have nighttime bus tours of the NYC Christmas lights. They take you around to all the best decorations and let you out to see the windows at Saks, Lord & Taylor. The highlight was Tavern on the Green, but since they closed, I assume it's no longer lit up for Christmas.

• Do NOT do what R4 suggests--a total shitshow.

• Hell's Kitchen is great this time of year for good old-fashioned whore watching. The place is overrun with them.

• I really like the Museum of Art and Design at Columbus Circle. Not too big, not too small and has great exhibits. Just outside is the Discovering Columbus exhibition.

  http://www.madmuseum.org/

• other smaller museums that are manageable: the Frick, and the Morgan, the Cloisters (which may be too far) and in Chelsea the Merchant House Museum and the Rubin Museum. Also in Chelsea, the Joyce has a contemporary ballet company in residence and for broadway that doesn't break the bank, try Peter and the Starcatcher with discount tickets at link below

  http://www.broadwaybox.com/shows/peter_and_the_starcatcher_nyc_tickets.aspx

• Gee when I lived in NYC there always was a lot to do. Guess times change. Do they still have tall buildings?

• If you can't get into the 9/11 Memorial, there's always Grant's Tomb.

• What building did Greta Garbo live in? Can anyone go into the lobby of the Dakota and look around?

• Why is it necessary to "pay one's respects" by queuing up, dropping Magnolia cupcake crumbs all over the site on which people died, and hitting the gift shop on the way out?

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• Chumley's has been closed for years.

• The Cloisters is way up town, but worth the trip. I've always found NYC terribly crowded on TG weekend. Some of the museums are free TG weekend, go to their websites and find out. They may also have reciprocity agreements with museums around the USA, so if you are a member of your own museum, you may be able to flash your membership card and get in. Guggenheim is admission. Last time I was there it cost $18 per person. No reciprocity agreement because it's private. Get Time Out New York magazine and see what's going on, OP. I will say that hanging out in Union Square early Saturday, is fun because it's a green market and also an open market. Lots of "stuff" for sale. Nothing can outshine the Brooklyn Flea. Getting around may be difficult because in spite of reports, not sure how the subways will handle the holiday crowds. Staten Island is not someplace you want to be right now. Go to the NYT gallery page and just look at the devastation. They desperately need colunteers. Anyone going to NYC should at the very least bring something to donate. There are thousands who are homeless and people without power. Even now.