NYC advice

[Mistress S]

Okay, I've never been to NY--closest I've gotten was a summer in DC--but the med school gods have decided to smile on me (finally, after all those animal sacrifices! ) and now I have an interview scheduled at Mt. Sinai. I would love advice about the school and NY in general--does it matter which airport I fly into (JFK or LGA)? Hotel recommendations in the area (reasonably priced & clean, if the two can coexist)? I plan on spending the weekend after my interview there with my BF, what things should we absolutely not miss out on? General tips? This will be my first interview too, so any interview advice that seem relevant would also be appreciated. Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[striped sweater]

Okay, I've never been to NY--closest I've gotten was a summer in DC--but the med school gods have decided to smile on me (finally, after all those animal sacrifices! ) and now I have an interview scheduled at Mt. Sinai. I would love advice about the school and NY in general--does it matter which airport I fly into (JFK or LGA)? Hotel recommendations in the area (reasonably priced & clean, if the two can coexist)? I plan on spending the weekend after my interview there with my BF, what things should we absolutely not miss out on? General tips? This will be my first interview too, so any interview advice that seem relevant would also be appreciated. Thanks!

laguardia is a few minutes closer but if you can get a good deal into jfk or newark, they are not that much farther away. cab from jfk will run about $35. $25-ish from laguardia. if you can make reservations in advance, (like a couple weeks even) carmine's italian is fun and loud. always crowded. there is one in the theater district on 44th. one up on 90th or so that appeals more to the locals (as well as me). their chicken marsalla is really good!

as far as HAVE-TO-DO...it depends on what you like. for me it is theater. you can get half price tickets at the TKTS booth down near time square (they start selling at 3 i think). and you can stop in at ollies noodles for lunch while you are down there. mmmmm. big giant bowls of noodles with chunks of ribs, duck, won tons, wings, whatever you like. theater about does it for me but if you prefer other things, you can do the typical touristy stuff.

the metropolitan museum of art is up there near mt sinai and is definitely awesome.

columbia university is up on 114th or so. (not the medical school--that is much farther up) but columbia is just a cool place to visit. kornets pizza up on broadway near columbia serves ENORMOUS slices of pizza for a couple bucks. nothing like new york pizza!

in the mood for bargains? head on down to canal street and get some genunine imitation tiffany bracelets and gucci purses. stop in little italy for some pastries and food. soho shopping is funky and fun. or you can go up town (around 60th or so and fifth avenue, madison, etc, for the designer shopping). everywhere you go the architecture is stunning and wonderful. just walking around is such a joy. stop in st. patricks cathedral. stop in grand central station. just walk and stop as you go and you will see all kinds of neat things. hard to find a bad restaurant.

theater district is a hoot. real touristy but fun. greenwich village and nyu area is cool. really, anywhere you go will be great.

i wish i was going!!! have a great time.

 

[Code Brown]

Okay, I've never been to NY--closest I've gotten was a summer in DC--but the med school gods have decided to smile on me (finally, after all those animal sacrifices! ) and now I have an interview scheduled at Mt. Sinai. I would love advice about the school and NY in general--does it matter which airport I fly into (JFK or LGA)? Hotel recommendations in the area (reasonably priced & clean, if the two can coexist)? I plan on spending the weekend after my interview there with my BF, what things should we absolutely not miss out on? General tips? This will be my first interview too, so any interview advice that seem relevant would also be appreciated. Thanks!

If you want to do the touristy thing, see the following:

Empire State Bldg
Statue of Liberty
Times Square
World Trade Center Site
United Nations
Rockafellar Center (probably spelled wrong)
See a show on Broadway (we saw Phantom of the Opera)

Outside of this, it depends on what you like to do and most importantly, how much you want to spend.

We were there for a 3-day weekend.

 

[acidhouse303]

definitely fly into LGA. its closer to the city. sinai im pretty sure has a hosting program, most of the students live in aron hall across the street. sinai is a gorgeous facility, the annenberg bldg is awesome and everything is connected. whend you hear about your interview? yea check out art museums if you like, dont forget the MOMA Is back! new & improved! (they moved it out to LIC for a while when they did renovations) ps1 in lic is fun too, also guggenheim. i like the transit museum in brooklyn but then again thats my thing. it will be hard to get tickets for a broadway show unless you do it in advance!! wicked is particularly hard to get tickets for. there is tons of good shopping in this lovely consumer culture. i dont know much about doing all the touristy things since im from here so the last time i did something touristy was WTC student observatory on august before sept 11
anyway, you should check out all the hot buildings that make the skyline so beautiful. flatiron is one of my favourites, then theres met life, citi corp etc
go to central park if its nice out since thats really close to mt sinai. n the met. if you wanna eat at some really good restaurants you can ask me,. they may not be flashy and glitzy but they are bomb fantastic places. i really like hanging out on the LES but then again its what we "locals" do. maybe youll have time to go clubbing when youre here! If so, PM me I know alot about nightlife here. anyway, have a safe trip and enjoy the city!!

 

[acidhouse303]

laguardia is a few minutes closer but if you can get a good deal into jfk or newark, they are not that much farther away. cab from jfk will run about $35. $25-ish from laguardia. if you can make
.

yea i think mayor mike upped the cab rates. its $45 from JFK anywhere to manhattan, i think you're right about LGA though. i would definitely NOT recommend flying into newark. its on the wrong side! i wouldnt recommend going out to columbia (i thought it was kinda boring but thats just me?) but if you wanna get there from sinai, best way is the M96 crosstown bus. you should walk around the carnegie hall area bc its very glammed up. also the tree is up in rock center so check it out and go ice skating haha

 

[myodana]

CENTRAL PARK. CENTRAL PARK. CENTRAL PARK.
go have coffee or a drink (or dinner) down in the east village (take the 6 train to astor place or bleeker st and walk east -- there are tons of great places on 1st and 2nd avenues. since it's the holidays, you can also check out the windows at the big stores (bloomies, barneys, bergdorfs, sacks).
if you feel like venturing into the outer boroughs, check out williamsburg, or go to downtown brooklyn for junior's cheesecake.
enjoy! message me if you need any more NYC advice.

 

[acidhouse303]

myodana, are u from the BK originally ? whoa, how was oberlin? i went to HS in ohio (!) so i know some ppl who went there-very liberal! my freind who went there writes for NY times now.

anyway yea, go eat moroccan food at zerza bar on 6th and 2nd ave, its awesome. and they make awesome mojitos and any other drink you want. and they have hookahs. and funky music. great date place.

i love central park too. and willy-B. if u like ethnic food go to queens (if u feel like checkin out boroughs) jackson hts for indian (or lex and 29th-32 in the city) K-town for korean bbq. i know some good thai places in queens and some indonesian in c-town

damn it, now im starving for some fragrant basmati rice

 

[ornis4]

If you can find a cheaper fare to Newark, it's really easy to just take the little airtrain thing to the NJ transit station at the airport, which takes you across to midtown manhattan without much hassle, and probably cheaper than cabs, especially from JFK. But it all depends on airfare, and which airport will be the cheapest to fly to...

I'm jealous that you get to see the city for the first time, I hope it's a wonderful experience. Remember, you'll never come close to seeing everything about NYC in one weekend, so choose a few places that you really want to see and enjoy them. I assume you're coming after the holidays at this point...which is good in the sense that the city should be a bit less hectic after the new year, but NYC really is a sight to see during the Holidays.
As someone mentioned earlier, there are so many good restaurants around the city, just ask any one of us which ones we like, and seriously think about your budget while you're in town. If you have the luxury of spending a bit, then great. If not, just be choosy when finding things like food...it's Manhattan, $20 burgers are everywhere....

 

[PhotoMD]

When I interviewed at Columbia, I found there was a bus that takes you straight from LGA to Columbia undergrad campus for $2. It's really easy to find on the airport drive. You can catch a Subway from there to anywhere in Manhattan. Probably your cheapest bet if you didn't have much (any) luggage like me besides a suit.

 

[Uegis]

I'm not from NYC, but when I visited, i flew into JFK and took the AirTrain to the Jamaica station. Then I took the subway to my destination. It's really easy, even for a first timer who has never been in NY before. The whole trip cost me three bucks. Go to the metro transit authority website and they have maps and schedules on there. Make sure to pick up hard copies of them when you are at the airport. Here's the website : http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/
Good luck!

 

[Mistress S]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I haven't seen much about hotels yet...any ideas?

 

[acidhouse303]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I haven't seen much about hotels yet...any ideas?

is that betty page the original dominatrix as your avatar?
anyway try to stay w a student host or in a youth hostel if you want to save money, like the hotel penn or gershwin bc its mad cheap
if u have money to burn then why not stay someplace nice. u want something near sinai? u should try www.cheaphotels.com
sorry i dont know that much about hotels since i live here
hotel penn and ramada new yorker are always pretty cheap (~$100 or so) but theyre by MSG (madison square garden)
you can take the E from penn station and transfer to the 6 train at 51st
then take the uptown 6 to 96th and Lex to get to sinai.

 

[Mistress S]

is that betty page the original dominatrix as your avatar?

Damn straight!

Anyway, I would stay with a student host except that my BF is coming with, I think that might be a little uncomfortable for my host. We might stay in a hostel, he works in one so he may be able to get us comped a private room. Otherwise, I guess I'll just search the internet for good deals. If anyone who interviewed at MSSM has recommendations, I'd be happy to hear them.

 

[stoleyerscrubz]

WTC memorial

FAO Schwartz reopened. Go there when kids are in school or there will be a line out the door to get in. Skating rink in central park, christmas tree in rockefeller center.

Please don't take a lame carriage ride in central park.

Stop in Williamsburg Brooklyn to get high quality food/entertainment cheaper than NYC!! Peter Luger's Steakhouse if you want to celebrate.

You will be with your BF so do something romantic at night:
1)
have a glass of champagne at the top of the peninsula hotel (Penn Top Terrace).They are $14-$18 each but a lot of people go up there to have one drink and have a beautiful view of the city at night. It was casual and quite when I went there last time.
700 5th Avenue
at 55th Street

2)Walk over the brooklyn bridge as sun sets or rises if the weather is nice.

3)Staten Islan Ferry is a free trip between lower manhattan and staten island. Take this at night and you will be able to take beautiful shots of the statue of liberty at night and you can get some great pictures of lower manhattan skyline when coming back from staten island. When the boat docks staten island you get off and reboard and the boat is docked for about 10 minutes.Try to leave manhattan by 6pm or so since it night by that time and the boats are running frequently.

4)walk as much as possible

 

[acidhouse303]

stoleyerscrubz
what part of the BK are u from ?

 

[stoleyerscrubz]

I'm originally from Chicago but moved to NY 6 years ago and have been living in Williamsburg Brooklyn the whole time. I'm at Hunter. Where are you doing your undergrad?