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IRC

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Looks like I'll be spending three days in New York not including travel days. I'm assuming I'll have limited free time but will be bringing my camera. What are some spots I should be sure to visit? I haven't been there since I was 10 and that was spent entirely in the airport so I'm a blank slate as far as NYC is concerned.
 
The state would be a lot to cover in 3 days (so's the city!)

I was there for 5 days, a week and a half ago. The places we went to were:
  • Times Square: best to go in the evening, when all the lights are on
  • Statue of Liberty: glad we went, but I'd skip it next. Been there, done that. Since you have a short time, I'd skip it
  • Central Park: spend a morning in Central Park. It really is beautiful
  • Rockefeller Center (Top of the Rock): Great view of NY, go in the evening and catch the sunset. I prefered this over Empire State Building, since you could see the ESB.
  • Empire State Building: go to Rockefeller instead
  • Wall Street: cool to see, but it's another place I'd skip on a short trip
  • The Cloisters: nice, but another place I'd skip on a short trip
  • Brooklyn: walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge. We went at 4am, to catch the sunrise over Manhattan. Very nice!
Don't count on using a tripod, even in public. They don't like it. The only time we were able to use it was for the sunset and sunrise from Brooklyn.

I posted several of my shots in this thread:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=18649156

You can see more in my gallery at: http://www.pbase.com/mikealex/nyc
--
...Mike
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
When did photography become about technology instead of vision?
Trying to work my way up to rank amateur.

PBase Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/mikealex
PhotoSIG: http://www.photosig.com/go/users/view?id=176063
 
From my personal experiences, my best shots came during sunrise and sunset.

For downtown, I suggest starting at the South Street Seaport/Brooklyn Bridge area during the wee hours of dawn; it is worth getting up that early then maybe going to City Hall around midday (I tried sunset there, threw my metering wayyyy off). Stop by J&R even and see if you need anything :-).

After that, it's all up to you, but I highly recommend going to Battery Park at about sunset; if you're lucky and you got a good telephoto lens, you can get some great shots of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Greenwich Village is quite good also, which includes Union Square and Washington Square just to name a few things; check out Grace Chruch also (again, had metering issues when I went...). The Empire State Building I suggest going to at dusk when the lights start to go on; I had a friend who went up there and took some amazing images. Also, there is B&H around the ESB :-).

Columbia is also good, which is also by the Cloisters (which I need to go to, considering I have no excuses being a New Yorker all my life).

Then there's Brooklyn and Central Park, but I dunno enough about them to give any suggestions, other than to bring your laptop, lotsa huge memory cards, as much gear as possible and to enjoy yourself.
--

Sony P72 (great starter camera), Sony P150 (love the camera, hate the dust), Panasonic FZ-3 (no wonder megazooms are so popular), Canon 30D (ditto for dSLR's)
 
Mike Alexander said:
The state would be a lot to cover in 3 days (so's the city!)
Click to expand...
Yes, sorry, the city.
Mike Alexander said:
  • Statue of Liberty: glad we went, but I'd skip it next. Been
there, done that. Since you have a short time, I'd skip it
Click to expand...
Is the travel that inconvenient? I've only seen it from the air so it was one of my initial thoughts.
Mike Alexander said:
  • Rockefeller Center (Top of the Rock): Great view of NY, go in the
evening and catch the sunset. I prefered this over Empire State
Building, since you could see the ESB.
  • Empire State Building: go to Rockefeller instead
Click to expand...
Very good to know.
Mike Alexander said:
Don't count on using a tripod, even in public. They don't like it.
The only time we were able to use it was for the sunset and sunrise
from Brooklyn.
Click to expand...
Also good to know.
Mike Alexander said:
I posted several of my shots in this thread:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=18649156

You can see more in my gallery at: http://www.pbase.com/mikealex/nyc
Click to expand...
Nice photos, definitely gives me some ideas about what I'd like to try and see.
 
Mike Alexander said:
Mike Alexander said:
  • Rockefeller Center (Top of the Rock): Great view of NY, go in the
Click to expand...
evening and catch the sunset. I prefered this over Empire State
Building, since you could see the ESB.
  • Empire State Building: go to Rockefeller instead
Click to expand...
NO. The view from the top of the ESB is unparralled anywhere in the world. Go there first. Afteerwards, you'll have a greater appreciation of where you are when you're on the ground.
Mike Alexander said:
-
Don't count on using a tripod, even in public. They don't like it.
The only time we were able to use it was for the sunset and sunrise
from Brooklyn.
Click to expand...
WHO doesn't like it? If they don't like it, then there are a lot of unused tripods walking out of B&H. Use it, to your heart's content.
 
Another place to stop by then :-).

It's like stepping into camera paradise once you go in, not to mention how well run it is [except when their system goes whack...]
--

Sony P72 (great starter camera), Sony P150 (love the camera, hate the dust), Panasonic FZ-3 (no wonder megazooms are so popular), Canon 30D (ditto for dSLR's)
 
IRC said:
Looks like I'll be spending three days in New York not including
travel days. I'm assuming I'll have limited free time but will be
bringing my camera. What are some spots I should be sure to visit?
I haven't been there since I was 10 and that was spent entirely in
the airport so I'm a blank slate as far as NYC is concerned.
Click to expand...
Definitely the top of the Empire State. Great photog views form that vantage point.

Also, Time Square (at night of course).

B
--
Oak & Acorn

 
GovtLawyer said:
Mike Alexander said:
GovtLawyer said:
  • Rockefeller Center (Top of the Rock): Great view of NY, go in the
Click to expand...
evening and catch the sunset. I prefered this over Empire State
Building, since you could see the ESB.
  • Empire State Building: go to Rockefeller instead
Click to expand...
NO. The view from the top of the ESB is unparralled anywhere in
the world. Go there first. Afteerwards, you'll have a greater
appreciation of where you are when you're on the ground.
Click to expand...
Disagree. I went to both, and preferred the Rockefeller. Not as busy, and I liked being able to include the ESB in my shots. It was also nice to be able to see Central Park from above. I do agree that the view of South Manhattan is better from ESB though.
GovtLawyer said:
GovtLawyer said:
-
Don't count on using a tripod, even in public. They don't like it.
The only time we were able to use it was for the sunset and sunrise
from Brooklyn.
Click to expand...
WHO doesn't like it? If they don't like it, then there are a lot
of unused tripods walking out of B&H. Use it, to your heart's
content.
Click to expand...
The cops who kept telling us we couldn't use them. ESB and Statue of Liberty wouldn't allow us to take them at all. Rockefeller Center said we could take them up, but we couldn't use them (there is security up there to stop you). On the street, the cops came to us twice, when we had the tripods, asked for ID, and told us we couldn't use them. We stopped trying after that.

--
...Mike
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
When did photography become about technology instead of vision?
Trying to work my way up to rank amateur.

PBase Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/mikealex
PhotoSIG: http://www.photosig.com/go/users/view?id=176063
 
IRC said:
IRC said:
  • Statue of Liberty: glad we went, but I'd skip it next. Been
there, done that. Since you have a short time, I'd skip it
Click to expand...
Is the travel that inconvenient? I've only seen it from the air so
it was one of my initial thoughts.
Click to expand...
You have to get there early, or be prepared to stand in long lines. The tickets to actually go inside the statue are free with the purchase of a regular ticket, but they only give out a certain number a day, so you have to be there very early if you want one (8am).

Be prepared for lots of security. You'll have to go through an x-ray before getting on a boat, and they're very picky. They didn't like the carribeaner that I keep attached to my bag, to hook onto my chair in restaurants and such (prevents grab and runs), and wouldn't let me take it with me (I was able to pick it up on the way back). If you get a ticket to go inside the statue, then you have to go through another x-ray, and a bomb sniffer.

As I said, I was glad to have gone this trip, but I won't bother next time.

--
...Mike
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
When did photography become about technology instead of vision?
Trying to work my way up to rank amateur.

PBase Gallery: http://www.pbase.com/mikealex
PhotoSIG: http://www.photosig.com/go/users/view?id=176063
 
Some excellent suggestions above, but I'll add the following, going from south to north, even though I haven't lived there in a decade:

1) Battery Park -- start a walking tour up through the Wall Street area; relatively deserted early on weekends
2) City Hall area -- including Woolworth Building, Municipal Building, etc.

3) Brooklyn Heights -- especially the dramatic skyline views from the Promenade, which can be your destination after walking over the Brooklyn Bridge (a must do)
4) Chinatown -- esp. if you've never spent time in a large Chinatown area
5) Little Italy -- on your way to Greenwich Village

6) Grand Central Station -- especially inside (I hope you can still walk up in the rafters)
7) Chyrsler Building

8) 5th Avenue, starting at 42nd Street and up to at least 59th Street (Central Park)

Finally, don't rule out a boat tour -- and the Staten Island ferry is a cheap alternative and almost as pretty (don't get off, just turn around)

Brooklyn is prettier than you think, especially Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope.

If you find yourself with extra time, an excursion to Wave Hill in the Bronx affords a great view of the Hudson River Valley in a dramatic and rewarding setting (kind of like getting away to the Cloisters, but with a little more character)

You probably won't have the time to take a side trip to the Bronx Zoo, Queens (leftovers from the World's Fair, etc.)
 
Since you didn't say this was to be an all photography trip, I would like to suggest the following in addition to the above: The Museum of Natural History, which could easily take much of a day to explore, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art (just in case it rains, heaven forbid), depending of course upon your interests.
 
It isn't a question of the view. Being on top of the ESB, better prepares you for getting around afterwards. . . . You wouldn't know that, being a tourist.

Bringing tripods into a building is one thing, using them on the streets, is another. If a cop told me I couldn't use a tripod, I'd swing it around and take a photo of him. We have certain rights of photography while in public places. You wouldn't know that, you're a tourist.
 
If I were you, I'd change your plans. Don't come to NY. We have nothing worthwhile here. At least, that's what our federal government just said. Go to Omaha; they have National Monuments and important places to protect. You'd be wasting your time in NY. There's nothing of interest here.
 
Ahh yes, the silly Feds. What do they know...
--

Sony P72 (great starter camera), Sony P150 (love the camera, hate the dust), Panasonic FZ-3 (no wonder megazooms are so popular), Canon 30D (ditto for dSLR's)
 
My $0.02

Do not go to the ESB!

I have been to NYC twice and will also be going there later this month. My first time (around '98) I went to the ESB, it was excellent. It's true that you can't beat the views. We went from the basement ticket office, to the top and back in under an hour - and we spent plenty of time at the top.

Two years ago My fiance and I went to NYC and, since she had never been, I suggested the ESB as a "do not miss" opportunity. We spent over 3 hours waiting to get to the top! Post-9/11 security I believe.

Anyway, New York is a fantastic city. One I hope to visit many more times. However, the payoff at the ESB is not worth the half day you will spend in line to get there.

Semi OT: Don't worry too much about great photo locations in NYC. If you had the CF capacity, you could walk around town in burst mode, and every shot would be a keeper. It's a great city, and every corner is interesting.
 
Not many people know that you can go to the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and have a great view of Central Park with surrounding buildings in the background. While you're there remember that the admission charge is only recommendation, so you can pay whatever you want.
 
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