Hope this is helpful, and we are so excited to see you in a few weeks!
Wedding Specific Information
Directions to the Church of the Incarnation:
Walking: Turn right out of the Yale Club and walk to the corner (44th Street). Turn right onto 44th Street and walk one block to Madison Avenue. Make a left onto Madison Avenue and walk 9 blocks down to 35th Street. The church will be on the corner of 35th and Madison. Estimated walk time: about 15 minutes; New York City blocks are not long.
Subway: Cross the street from the Yale Club and head into Grand Central. Within Grand Central is a subway stop for the 4, 5, 6, and S trains. Take the 6 subway to 33rd Street. When you get out of the subway, you will be at 33rd and Park. Walk two blocks north along Park Street to 35th Street, then turn left. Walk one block to Madison Avenue and the church will be on your righthand corner.
By cab: The Yale Club valets standing outside the club can hail you a cab. When you get inside, request Madison and 35th Street. Fare should be $5.00. It is customary to tip cab drivers (in this case 1 dollar would be fine). Also, cabs in New York do take credit cards.
In case you are running late and are wondering which mode of transportation will be fastest, depending on traffic, it will most likely be cab, subway, walking. That said, because the church isn’t too far from the Yale Club, they will all take between 10-15 minutes (or 20 if you walk slowly), so there isn’t a huge difference.
List of Planned Wedding Events:
Saturday:
3:30: Prelude music begins at the Church of the Incarnation (Madison & 35th St.) (the choir is amazing, so definitely try to get there early to hear them!)
4:00: Wedding Ceremony. Weather permitting, following the wedding, we will be walking back to the Yale Club for the reception accompanied by a bagpiper playing Scottish tunes, to commemorate the place where we met!
6:30: Cocktail hour
7:30-11:30: Dinner and dancing!
Danielle and Eric’s Engagement Guide to New York
As many of you know, we got engaged in New York! On engagement day, Eric planned a scavenger hunt-style trip to many of Danielle’s early childhood faves. Here is a list of them in case you’d like to visit yourselves!
St. John the Divine: The first stop on our engagement day was St. John the Divine, one of the largest cathedrals in the world. We both thought the building was beautiful and haunting. It is still a work in progress, so you will see that some parts of the Cathedral still aren’t finished (there was also a fire a few years ago that damaged one of the transepts, so they are fixing that as well). It is a striking piece of architecture and a rare quiet place in the city. St. John the Divine is situated next to Columbia University, so it might be a good time to stroll through the campus there as well. Open 7-6. To get to the Cathedral, take the Shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square, then transfer to the 1 or 9 uptown. Exit at the 110th Street stop and then walk east down 110th Street to Amsterdam Avenue. The Cathedral will be right in front of you. If you want a quick bite to eat after your Cathedral visit, consider stopping in at Tom’s Restaurant, the place that Elaine, Kramer, and Seinfeld frequently ate on the hit show (there it was known as Monk’s Café). You’ll recognize the façade if you were fans of the show. It’s located at 112th and Broadway.
Museum of Natural History: The second stop on our engagement day! Be sure to check out the dinosaurs and the giant blue whale room—those are definitely our favorite locations! The building is beautiful, the atmosphere light-hearted, and it’s a great place to learn about everything from redwood trees to fossils to human evolution. We both highly recommend it! Hours are 10-5:45 daily. To get there from the Yale Club, take the Shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square; transfer to the C to 81st Street and Central Park West. When you get out of the subway, walk two blocks south along Central Park West to 79th Street. There is a suggested donation of $16 for admission ($12 for students and seniors).
Central Park: After visiting the Museum of Natural History, we lunched at Tavern on the Green, but since it is currently closed, we suggest a daytime stroll in the park itself. The easiest way to get to Central Park is to take the 4, 5, or 6 from Grand Central to 59th. You will exit at 59th and Lexington. When you exit, walk three blocks west along 59th Street to 5th Avenue and voila! You will be right at the entrance! At this southern corner of Central Park, you will also see The Plaza Hotel and, if you turn left down 5th Avenue, halfway down the block on your left is FAO Schwarz.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: This is the place where it all started—the location where Eric proposed! This museum is well worth a full day, but if you’re strapped for time, be sure not to miss the medieval art gallery, the room is the Tiffany stained glass windows, or the Egyptian art area, especially the room with The Temple of Dendur. This is the room where Eric proposed! Plus, it’s exceedingly beautiful! To get to the Metropolitan Museum, take the 4, 5, or 6 from Grand Central to 86th Street and walk three blocks west along 86th to 5th Avenue. Hours are 9:30-5:30 (Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday) and 9:30-9 (Friday and Saturday). Recommended admission is $20 for adults; $15 for seniors, and $10 for students.
Times Square: Following our engagement, we capped off the day with a visit to The View Lounge at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. The View is the only revolving restaurant in the world, and while its menu is pricy, you can go and sip a beverage in the lounge for a more reasonable price (though still above normal). The atmosphere is relaxed in the lounge and you can sit for hours as it revolves; wait staff provide napkins with a map of the New York City skyline, so you can tell what you’re looking at. The View is also a great place to go for a nightcap after seeing a Broadway show…speaking of which…TKTS offers half-price same day tickets to Broadway shows and is located right in the center of Times Square (Broadway & 47th, to be precise, right under the red steps). Be ready to queue up early and be flexible, in case your show isn’t available. For evening performances every day except Tuesday, the hours are 3-8; on Tuesday, they are 2-8. For matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays, hours are 10-2, for Sunday matinees, hours are 11-3. This is a great way to see a show and save some dough (hey—that rhymed)! To get to Times Square in general from the Yale Club, walk west along 42nd Street (10 minutes) or take the Shuttle from Grand Central to Times Square.
Other Sites:
We couldn’t get to every single New York great in a day, so here are some of our other suggestions for activities!
The Empire State Building (33rd and 5th Avenue): Approximately a 20 minute walk from the Yale Club. Alternatively, you can take the 6 downtown from Grand Central Station to 33rd Street. The Observation Deck is a great way to see the New York City skyline. Admission price is $18 ($16 if you’re a senior) and is located on the 82nd floor of the building. For an additional $15, you can go to the observation deck on the 102nd floor. Hours are 8am-2am (last elevator goes up at 1:15am). We suggest going to the observation deck at night to get the most romantic views! Plus, it will likely be less crowded than during the daytime. Located on the 2nd floor of the Empire State Building is the New York Skyride, a virtual tour simulator (adventure tour) of New York narrated by Kevin Bacon. Tickets can be purchased alone or along with an observation deck pass. Hours for the Skyride differ slightly from the observation deck (8am-10pm). Fun fact: the lights at the top of the Empire State Building change depending on the time of year. For our wedding, lights will be red, white, and blue in honor of Labor Day.
Grand Central Terminal: Located right across the street from the Yale Club, Grand Central is one of New York’s two train stations (the other being Penn Station). In addition to transporting commuters to Westchester and Connecticut, Grand Central has a beautiful interior that is definitely worth popping in to see! The ceiling of the terminal has constellations that seem to glow in the dark at night, mirroring the night sky. In the basement of the terminal is a food court serving everything from Kosher to Indian cuisine. Though a bit pricy by food court standards, the food is usually very good, especially the gelato from Caio Bella. We strongly recommend trying the dark chocolate sorbet if it’s in (which it seems to rarely be). Also of note is the store Oliviers & Co. which is located on the main concourse of the terminal and sells high end olive oil and vinegar, which they will be happy to give you tastes of! Open 24 hours a day. Handy Fact: There is a subway station located within Grand Central Terminal. This is the closest subway stop to the Yale Club.
New York City Bus Tours: We’ve never done one in New York, but we’ve both done them in other cities and have had great experiences. There are a variety of companies with bus tours that leave from Times Square and buses leave pretty regularly throughout the day. Eric’s parents are doing a Gray Line tour; their office is at 1560 Broadway at Times Square.
Rockefeller Center (5th Avenue between 49th and 50th): At Christmastime, this is the location of the famed ice skating rink and Christmas Tree. There is an observation deck located at Rockefeller Center called Top of the Rock, but we would suggest visiting the Empire State Building instead. Instead, it’s best to visit this site along with Radio City Music Hall (Avenue of the Americas and 49th)and St. Patrick’s Cathedral (5th Avenue and 50th). All are about a 20 minute walk from the Yale Club.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (53rd and Avenue of the Americas): Wonderful modern art museum located near Rockefeller Center! A definite must for art and museum lovers. At the time of our wedding, there will be a special exhibit on women photographers, New York’s Waterfront, and London subway posters. Hours are 10:30-5:30 except on Thursday, when they’re open until 8:45, and Friday when they’re open until 8. Closed on Tuesdays. Admission is $20 ($16 for seniors, $12 for students with ID). Free audio tours are available at the museum.
Lincoln Center (65th and Broadway): An architectural wonder To get there from the Yale Club, take the S (shuttle) from Grand Central to Times Square, then take the 1 uptown to Lincoln Center (66th Street). Concerts are pretty limited at this time of year, but on the upside, there is free Wi-Fi on the plaza at Lincoln Center if you want to sit outside and people-watch!
United Nations (42nd and 1st Avenue, right on the East River): About a 10 minute walk from the Yale Club. Tours are conducted at the United Nations from 9:45-4:45 and last about 45 minutes. Guests have an opportunity to see the General Assembly Hall where the UN Security Council meets as well as historic objects, such as remnants from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Prices are $16 ($11 for students and seniors).
Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum: To be honest, neither of us has ever been here (or at least remembers going), so we don’t have much in the way of knowledge or recommendations to offer. What we can say is that the Intrepid was an aircraft carrier that has been transformed into a museum, and exhibitions include everything from old concorde jets to G-force flight simulators. It’s located right on the Hudson River. To get there, you can either walk from the Yale Club for about 25 minutes straight down 42nd Street (you will pass Times Square along the way), or you can take the subway from Grand Central (the S or the 7) to Times Square, and then either walk for about 15 minutes down 42nd Street to the water or take the M-42 bus (just ask someone at the subway where the bus stops). Hours are 10-5, except Saturday, Sunday, and holidays when it’s 10-6; admission is $24 for adults; $20 for students and seniors.
Chinatown/Little Italy: Chinatown has encroached upon Little Italy in recent years making it more like “Tiny Sicily” but both neighborhoods are definitely worth walking around for their cultural atmosphere. Ask at the Yale Club for directions and restaurant suggestions in these neighborhoods.
Brooklyn Bridge: No trip to New York City is complete without a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge! It was the first suspension bridge in the United States and the longest in the world until 1903; it connects Brooklyn and Manhattan and can be crossed by foot or car or bike. It’s a great walk if you have some energy! After you get back, walk a couple of blocks to Chinatown for a yummy meal to restore your energy! To get there, take the 4, 5, or 6 from the Yale Club (about 20-25 minutes) and get off at the Brooklyn Bridge stop. Open 24 hours—great activity for sunset!
Circle Line Cruises: These boats take you around Manhattan on a variety of different tours. Some leave at sunset for romantic views of the city, some go entirely around the island and show you the Brooklyn Bridge, all 5 boroughs, etc., and some focus just on the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. They range in time from 75 minutes to 3 hours and in price cost between $26-35 (senior citizens 23-30). For detailed information, ask the concierge at the Yale Club or visit their sales office at Pier 83, off of 42nd Street. They can also be reached at 212-563-3200.
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: It’s the site many of our relatives saw when they first reached this country and the historic entry point to the US. Boats leave regularly for both sites from the southern tip of Manhattan at Battery Park. To get there from the Yale Club, take the 4 or 5 Express to Bowling Green. You can walk from there to Battery Park. Plan to go between 8:30-6 (the last boat back from Ellis Island/Liberty Island is around 6). Ticket and ferry price is $12 ($10 senior); audio tours are available for an addition 8 dollars ($7 senior).
Cloisters: The Cloisters is not easy to get to by public transportation but it is well worth the trip if you have some time. Located at the northern tip of Manhattan, it houses the medieval art collection from the Metropolitan Museum. The Cloisters building itself is a piece of medieval art—five medieval European buildings were disassembled, transported across the Atlantic, and reassembled to form the current structure. The Cloisters not only houses spectacular art, it also is home a peaceful garden to some of the best views of the Hudson River. Hours are 9:30-5:15 (closed on Mondays). Admission is $20 ($15 for seniors; $10 for students). (Tickets can also be purchased jointly with a Metropolitan Museum of Art pass). To get there by public transit, take S (shuttle) from Grand Central to Times Square, then take the A uptown to 190th St. Walk North along Margaret Corbin Drive for approximately 10 minutes and you will see the entrance to the Museum. This trip will take quite some time—probably about an hour or slightly longer—but it is definitely worth it. It’s one of the most peaceful places in the city and a favorite of the Tumminios!
Restaurants:
So, so many to recommend! Here are just a few! If you want further suggestions, feel free to ask us or the concierge at the Yale Club!
Ray’s Pizza: Mmmmm….best pizza in New York. Period. Best. Prices start at about $2.25 a slice and vary slightly based on what toppings you get. One or two slices is definitely a meal. Lcations are all over Manhattan. Ask at the Yale Club (or anywhere else you might be in Manhattan) for the nearest Ray’s! And if you want to be really New York, there’s no time for forks and knives—fold the pizza slice, pick it up, and take a bite!
H&H Bagels: Can’t do New York without a bagel, right? Many, many places in New York have amazing bagels, but this place is reputed to be the best. There are a variety of locations within New York, so ask around for what’s nearest to where you are at the moment where the bagel urge strikes! Your bagel will likely cost between $2-4 dollars, depending on what fillings you put in it.
Ollie’s: A quick Chinese restaurant that’s a high school favorite of mine (Danielle’s). I came here with my high school chorus and high school friends here. It’s a fast and reasonably priced New York restaurant. I’m a huge fan of the sesame noodles with peanut sauce and the veggie dumplings (both of which are appetizers but together constitute a meal) and the orange chicken. Pretty much everything here is delicious! Ollie’s has two locations—one at 68th and Broadway (near Lincoln Center) and one at Times Square (42nd St. near 9th—the restaurant recently moved from another location, so I’m not positive that’s actually where it is, but the internet tells me that’s where it went!) Expect to spend $7-10 on entrees; appetizers are less. There is never a wait here and service is very quick, so it’s a great place to stop in for a bite without too much stress on your wallet or your time!
Max Brenner: Chocolate heaven! It’s a chocolate restaurant, and while it does have real food (everything from paninis to salads to French toast), it’s the fondues and cakes and everything else chocolate that’s amazing. We highly recommend it. To get there from the Yale Club, take the 4, 5, or 6 from the Yale Club downtown to Union Square/14th Street. The restaurant is on Broadway between 13 and 14. Be prepared to wait at peak hours; there’s usually a line, especially on weekends. Expect to spend $12-$15 per entrée (no menu was online, but this is what we remember paying).
Peanut Butter & Company: We came here with our friend Michelle on a trip to the Village, so if you want to explore Greenwich Village and then sit on a bench at Washington Square surrounded by erudite NYU students and have some luxurious peanut butter sandwiches, this is the way to do it! Though there are a few seats inside the small restaurant, it’s mostly for takeout. They have a variety of peanut butter flavors and toppings and bread types. We’re big fans of the fluffernutter, the Elvis (with bananas and honey), the sample peanut butter platter, which comes with veggies to dip in all the different peanut butter flavors, and the death by peanut butter sundae. Prices for sandwiches are about $7, but the sandwiches are large and quite filling. There are non-peanut butter options for those with nut allergies or those who (gasp) do not like the stuff! To get there from the Yale Club, walk west down 42nd Street to the Bryant Park stop (near the intersection of 42nd and 5th). Take the D train downtown to W. 4 Street/Washington Square. Exit near the intersection of W. 3rd and 6th. Walk East along West 3rd Street for about 3 blocks and then turn right onto Sullivan Street where the restaurant is located (240 Sullivan Street).
Some Final Tips
New York City consistently ranks as one of the top 10 safest cities in the country. That said, here are some quick safety precautionary measures:
1. Don’t flaunt your wallet or carry it in an easy to access place (i.e. inside of an open bag).
2. Keep your cell phone handy
3. Don’t travel to areas of the city that are less safe in the late evenings. Fortunately, less safe areas of the city also usually coincide with minimal tourist attraction parts of the city, so it is unlikely you will be in them. Areas to avoid include Harlem and the Bronx, both of which are north of Manhattan.
4. The subway is quite safe and a fast and convenient mode of transportation, the caveat being the occasional pickpocket—hence, #1 above.
We hope this guide will be helpful to you as you organize your time in New York. Please let us know if you have any questions and thank you so, so much for coming to our wedding!
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