Questions about NY and Philadelphia!

Spiritual_Chaos · July 2013

So, will be going to NY in late October (without watching the band it seems... but... yeah...) and then take a bus/train down to Philadelphia to catch the band there. And then go home again and wait for the European tour next summer.

I have a few questions for all you people living in the area!

1. Will be going to and leaving from the Newark Liberty International Airport, is it easy getting to the airport directly from Philadelphia? or will you have to go via New York or something? What's the best public transportation option going from Philadelphia?

2. Any good/affordable place to eat in Philadelphia and/or New York if you are vegetarian? Maybe some place you shouldn't miss.

3. Any things you should see or visit in Philadelphia and/or New York that is not the Rocky-stairs or the Statue of Liberty? Some record shop, or cool place or whatever.

4. Will figure out some other question later one I guess...

YieldToNothing · July 2013

1. bolt bus from nyc to philly is cheap and reliable (and the name is apropos)
2. NYC try buddha bodai (all vegan chinese) in chinatown and try a lunch buffet at tiffin wallah or madras mahal (indian vegetarian, delicious) in murray hill
3. in nyc check out generation records and bleecker street records. roerich museum is off the beaten path and a lot of fun. honestly, just walk....that's the best way to take it all in.

JessicaTwoFeetThick · July 2013

Hi there,

1. You have many options for getting to Philly from Newark airport. the NJ Transit train headed to Philly stops right at the airport (you go on to tranfer at Trenton for the Septa to Philly 30th Street Station). This is about $50 roundtrip. You can also take this from Manhattan Penn Station to Philly. As Yield to Nothing mentioned, you can also take BoltBus from Manhattan to Philly for something like $30-$45 roundtrip. If you need to get to Manhattan from NEwark, this isn't a big deal. Airtrain is $12. Personally I prefer a train to Philly over a bus, because you aren't dealing with traffic on the turnpike. I took the train to Eddie solo in Philly in '09 and '11, and to PJ Spectrum in 2009.

2. As far as NYC vegetarian, if you're looking for cheap, decent eats, the Maoz Vegetarian chain is cool (I go to the one on 8th street a lot). I can also recommend Dojo's on West 4th.

3. As Yield to Nothing says, I highly recommend just walking around NYC. One thing people really like for a fun, free thing, is to take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry, you get a nice cruise through NEw York harbour quite close to the Statue of Liberty. And it's free. In Philly, touring independence hall and the liberty bell is cool, if you are interested in history stuff.

-Jessica

Spiritual_Chaos wrote:

So, will be going to NY in late October (without watching the band it seems... but... yeah...) and then take a bus/train down to Philadelphia to catch the band there. And then go home again and wait for the European tour next summer.

I have a few questions for all you people living in the area!

1. Will be going to and leaving from the Newark Liberty International Airport, is it easy getting to the airport directly from Philadelphia? or will you have to go via New York or something? What's the best public transportation option going from Philadelphia?

2. Any good/affordable place to eat in Philadelphia and/or New York if you are vegetarian? Maybe some place you shouldn't miss.

3. Any things you should see or visit in Philadelphia and/or New York that is not the Rocky-stairs or the Statue of Liberty? Some record shop, or cool place or whatever.

4. Will figure out some other question later one I guess...

JaneNY · July 2013

New York - vegetarian places - Candle Cafe, Blossom, Red Bamboo;
Philly - things I liked seeing - Constitution Museum, Benjamin Franklin's Grave

Suziemay · July 2013

NYC is incredibly vegetarian friendly, so don't let that stop you from trying restaurants. Most places can accommodate vegetarians and often are willing to make you things off the menu, just be sure you ask before you sit down and make yourself comfortable. Even Shake Shack (google it) has a veggie burger and their cheese fries are to die for.

This place is not affordable but I have to tell you about it since so few fine dining places cater to vegetarians: http://www.kajitsunyc.com/

And everyone raves about this place but I haven't been: http://oneluckyduck.com/pages/about-pure-food-and-wine

More affordable places:
Franchia (Korean): http://www.franchia.com/
Vegetarian Dim Sum House: http://vegetariandimsum.com/
BabyCakes (Vegan Bakery): http://www.babycakesnyc.com/

There are also many Indian restaurants on Curry Hill that are vegetarian, and any Indian restaurant really will be veggie friendly: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/nyreg ... .html?_r=0

YoullseeDragons · July 2013

Also check out magabus. I have traveled from Philly 30th street station to MSG for about 5 bucks. You have to book early. The north east corridor train will take you directly to Newark Liberty from Philly, connect with SEPTA. You will LOVE both cities. Check out Parc on Rittenhouse squaer for some great food in Philly.

mcgruff10 · July 2013

Peter lugars in NYC has a great chopped salad. Also pat s in Philly has superb French fries.

Fighting Hellfish · July 2013

I am from NYC suburb Long Island. If I were to recommend just one thing to do in NYC, it would be to go to the Museum of Natural History, and specifically The Hayden Planetarium housed inside the museum. Also, if you happen to be a fan of either The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, they offer free tickets to both shows. You can find them on the website for each show occasionally or try

https://twitter.com/DailyTix

ldent42 · July 2013

Cheap vegetarian food in NYC = pizza. It's everywhere.

Check out a comedy club, I recommend the Comedy Cellar. They often have some big name comedians for much cheaper than Caroline's :twisted:

YoullseeDragons · July 2013

Hey Dude!
Saw you were looking for info for Philly and NYC. I am better at giving info about Philly, so I will post some links here to help you plan your trip.

Megabus:
http://us.megabus.com/
Megabus runs between Philly and NYC daily for a reasonable price if you book early.

Northeast corridor train:
http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/R0070.pdf
Here is the current schedule for the NE corridor train between Trenton New Jersey and New York City. You will have to leave from Philadelphia 30th street station via a SEPTA connection. The NE corridor train has a station within the Newark Liberty airport. Take this train when you arrive in the states to NYC Penn Station.

SEPTA:
South East Pennsylvania Transportation Association trains run through Philly and into NJ.
You are going to use the train that runs from 30th street station to Trenton, here is the site:
http://www.septa.org/service/rail/

You want to use the Trenton Regional Rail Line, here is the schedule:
http://www.septa.org/schedules/rail/pdf/tre.pdf

As far as the city of Philadelphia itself, so much to do. Here is a site that will give you great info about the city.

http://www.visitphilly.com/
This site will guide you to hotels, restaurants, and attractions in the city. Go to the Old City area for free tickets to the liberty bell and independence hall, worth the trip while you are here. Philadelphia was originally called New Sweden because of all the Swedish settlers that arrived here. WELCOME HOME!!!

Hope this helps you out, see you in October.

Spiritual_Chaos · July 2013

Thanks for all the answers! Will look it through and see if I understand it all...

Have one more question!

4. Any good/cheap movie theatres in NY/Manhattan/Philadelphia? What's the best cinema to watch a blockbuster and are there any cinemas showing older films and re-releases?

ldent42 · July 2013

Spiritual_Chaos wrote:

Thanks for all the answers! Will look it through and see if I understand it all...

Have one more question!

4. Any good/cheap movie theatres in NY/Manhattan/Philadelphia? What's the best cinema to watch a blockbuster and are there any cinemas showing older films and re-releases?

:shock: Now there's a question I have never gotten before. Good on you for thinking outside the tourist box! :thumbup:
Unfortunately I can't really answer your question very well

as far as blockbusters go, depending on where you are staying in New York most theatres are more or less the same. I don't watch a lot of movies in Manhattan because I live in Queens and it's a couple dollars cheaper here. Plus there's a pretty good theatre right by me. I would suggest using Fandango.com (or the Fandango or Flixster app on a smartphone) when you are here to find a theare near you with 'stadium seating' this means thats the seats are on stairs so you can see above everyone else's head without problem.
There is of course, IMAX, which is something people like to do for big action movies or anything with a lot of special effects. The tickets a little more expensive than regular tickets, but the screen is the size of a house

There are 4 locations in the city, but the one everyone I know goes to is:
AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13
1998 Broadway
New York, NY 10023
(212) 336-5020

It's possible that this is simply the 'best' location as the other locations are actually closer and easier to get to from my neighborhood so I have no idea why that one is the 'go to' place. Here are the other locations:

AMC Loews Kips Bay 15
570 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10016
(212) 447-0638

AMC Empire 25
234 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
(212) 398-2597
^^*This is in Times Square, so if you plan on checking that out this might be a good location for you if you are into the whole 2 birds 1 stone thing

AMC Loews 34th Street 14
312 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001
(212) 244-4556

You didn't mention independent films, but I will give you the info anyway since it might be of some use. There are several theatres in Manhattan known for their independent releases that you may want to check out.
The most obvious is the IFC film center. http://www.ifccenter.com/ 323 Sixth Avenue at West Third Street | (212) 924-7771 - This is directly across from the West 4th train station, and it's a nice area to walk around and see some shops or whatever.
The Sunshine Landmark Cinema is another favorite. 143 East Houston Street on the Lower East Side • (212) 260-7289 http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/NewYork/SunshineCinema.htm
There is also the Angelika

http://angelikafilmcenter.com/angelika_index.asp?hID=1

18 West Houston St
@ Mercer St.
NEW YORK CITY , NY 10012 • 212-995-2570

That's all I got off the top of my head. Good luck!

Suziemay · July 2013

Films are expensive in NYC. It's something like $14 or $15 for a regular ticket. 3D IMAX is around $20, I think. You can get tickets to the mainstream cinemas (think these are all mostly AMC now) on Fandango.com for a service fee of $1.50 or $2.00.

Of the list above, Kips Bay and 34th street are the most manageable theatres. Times Square is a zoo.

Also check out the Film Forum for independent films: http://www.filmforum.org/

Spiritual_Chaos · August 2013

We don't have IMAX in Sweden, and I think regular 3D showings here are around $18-20, so it should be worth it anyways

Thanks for the answers.

A new one.

5. We're looking at places to stay now, and ofc NYC is huge. But it's abit cheaper to stay in Brooklyn. So, my guess is - as long as you live "close" to a subway station it should not be a problem staying out in Brooklyn instead of, lets say, Manhattan? It's not that far I guess with the subway to the centre of the city?

PhillyCrownOfThorns · August 2013

Spiritual_Chaos wrote:

Thanks for all the answers! Will look it through and see if I understand it all...

Have one more question!

4. Any good/cheap movie theatres in NY/Manhattan/Philadelphia? What's the best cinema to watch a blockbuster and are there any cinemas showing older films and re-releases?

The Ritz Five and Ritz East are your best bets in Philly. Should have the best new indie releases at the time... But that is certainly subjective.

Objectively, the tickets are only $7.25 before Pearl Jam shows on Monday and Tuesday. plus, they are conveniently located in old city wher you could get lost all day for fun and free.

ceska · August 2013

Vegetarian Food NYC:
Quantum Leap has the most amazing soy nuggets. A million times better than McDonald's chicken nuggets. Their other food is great too. Despite what their website says, their east side location no longer exists. Only the Thompson Street location is around.

Atlas Cafe is also really good.

southernmanfan · August 2013

Thanks all of you this is extremely useful

Spiritual_Chaos · August 2013

Spiritual_Chaos wrote:

5. We're looking at places to stay now, and ofc NYC is huge. But it's abit cheaper to stay in Brooklyn. So, my guess is - as long as you live "close" to a subway station it should not be a problem staying out in Brooklyn instead of, lets say, Manhattan? It's not that far I guess with the subway to the centre of the city?

ldent42 · August 2013

Spiritual_Chaos wrote:

Spiritual_Chaos wrote:

5. We're looking at places to stay now, and ofc NYC is huge. But it's abit cheaper to stay in Brooklyn. So, my guess is - as long as you live "close" to a subway station it should not be a problem staying out in Brooklyn instead of, lets say, Manhattan? It's not that far I guess with the subway to the centre of the city?

as long as you are staying a couple blocks from a subway station you will be fine. The subway in NYC does not shut down, it runs 24/7. Late at night and on weekends they do track work, so check out mta.info for 'planned service changes'. If you are planning on staying in Brooklyn, but you want to go out drinking in Manhattan, you will have no trouble taking the subway home.

Spiritual_Chaos · October 2013

Bumping this if anyone got any more suggestions etc!

or other cool things to check out in NYC and Philly

Ryan_WFC · October 2013

Philly has good eat in or take out place called Hip City Veg right downtown. And a really good sit-down place called Vedge downtown, but it's pricey. And a few Maoz vegetarian spots that are more like fast food but still pretty good.

I'd recommend checking out Rittenhouse Square, the Art Museum area, and, if it's nice out, Schuylkill River Trail.

Questions about NY and Philadelphia!

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