Originally Posted by id_est

An alternative would be to visit one of the many interesting neighborhoods in Brooklyn or Queens, which would save you a lot of transport time.

You could go hang with the hipsters in Williamsburg (Brooklyn) where there are great bars and restaurants. Or you could go to Astoria (Queens) where the the ethnic food scene is just off the hook. Or you could go to Flushing Meadows Park (Queens), the site of the 1939 and 1965 World's Fairs. You can't miss it. The park still has this big silver globe called the Unisphere in the middle, as seen in Men in Black. Flushing also has better Chinese food than you will get in Manhattan's China Town. Or you could go to Coney Island and walk up the boardwalk to Brighton Beach for some blintzes and borsch.