October 21, 2025 • 21 mins
The NYC marathon takes place on the first Sunday of November and features over 60,000 runners snaking 26.2 miles through all five NYC boroughs.
Over 1,000,000 spectators fill the streets each year to watch this city-wide event, and we're gonna give you all the insider tips for watching the NYC marathon.
Where to Stay on Marathon Weekend
The best place to stay on marathon weekend depends on whether you're traveling with a runner and where you plan to spectate. Generally speaking, you can stay anywhere in New York City on marathon weekend and have a good shot at watching the runners.
The subway will get you where you need to ! Join the newsletter for free access to the NYC Navigation & Transportation Guide + curated Google Maps lists: https://rebrand.ly/nyc-newsletter
Where to Stay for Runners
- Lower Manhattan
- Midtown/Hell's Kitchen
- Upper West Side (options are limited)
- Anywhere in close proximity to the 1, 4, 5, or R lines
Where to Stay for General Travelers
If your travel group doesn't include any runners, it doesn't really matter where you stay in New York City during the marathon weekend. With one caveat...
You do NOT want to stay near Columbus Circle. The handful of blocks around that area are largely closed, become an absolute madhouse on race day, and will probably frustrate your experience.
As long as you are more downtown than 55th street or more uptown than 65th street, you should be fine.
If you want to avoid the marathon-specific crowds, stay somewhere away from the course.
Best Places to Watch the Marathon
The best place to watch the NYC marathon will also depend on where you're staying. The beauty of this race is that you can go to any point of the race route and cheer people on.
Out of the 26.2 miles, there are crowds throughout about 20 miles of the race. With that being said, here are some of the most fun and energetic places to watch the NYC marathon runners:
- Central Park
- Central Park South
- 5th Ave in the lower 100s or upper 90s
- 1st Avenue
- Bedford Avenue
- Atlantic Terminal/Barclays Center
- 59th Street near the Queensboro Bridge
This map shows the full course, including which subway lines stop near major spectating points.
I've run the race multiple times and spectated multiple times as well. Our favorite is to:
- Watch along 1st Avenue in the 80-100s range, usually runners are still alive and thriving at this point, and the energy along 1st Avenue is usually top-notch notch
- From there, walk to either 5th Avenue to see them around mile 22/23, OR head deeper into Central Park and catch them closer to the Obelisk, roughly between mile 24 & 25
Extra Tips for Marathon Day
- Be LOUD - This is one of the few times in your life where screaming, cheering, and making as much noise as possible will boost the morale of participants, in this case, runners
- If you want to be helpful, have things to give runners. Some amazing on-course items I've seen handed out include fruit, Kleenex, small water bottles, candy, etc.
- Be courteous to runners & the course - Your desire to cross the race course should never interfere with people who have trained for months and don't want to be weaving between spectators
You'll Have to Check It Out - Gurumé
Gurumé brings the world of Korean food into the Spanish tapas tradition, conveniently located near Broadway shows (see location here).
Dishes you must try include:
Crispy corn & cheese (our top choice)
Baby back ribs
Fried chicken wings (perfectly crisp)
Any of the desserts
Plus, they have an unbelievable happy hour every day with cocktails, beer, and wine (Tue-Thurs 5-7 pm & Sunday 3-5 pm).
Learn more about Gurumé and check out their full menu here.
🗽 Join the newsletter for free ac
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Welcome to the Better Together Here podcast with your host,
Devin. And Ashley?
Helping you make the most of your time in New York City,
everyone. And welcome to today's episode
of the Better Together Here podcast.
My name is Devin. And my name is Ashley.
Today's episode we are diving into all things New York City
Marathon, which happens every year on the 1st Sunday of
(00:22):
November. We're going to tell you
everything you need to know about where to watch, where to
stay. And even if you're not
interested in watching the marathon, but you're going to be
here that weekend, you need to know some tips for navigating
and or avoiding the marathon. Plus, we're going to cover one
of our favorite Korean spots in the city as this episode is
about to check it out segment. So let's get right into it.
(00:43):
If you are not into marathon culture or you don't really
understand marathons. So you might be wondering like
why the New York City Marathon is a big deal.
I think there's a couple of reasons.
Number one, it is what's called one of the world majors.
So there's seven of them. They're basically the biggest,
most renowned marathons, generally speaking #2 New York
City is just an iconic place in general.
(01:04):
But also to run a marathon. And the New York City Marathon
specifically goes through all 5 boroughs.
So it starts in Staten Island and goes across the Verrazano
Bridge. I think it might be the only
time that the Verrazano Bridge is closed to cars and it winds
all the way up through Brooklyn,Queens, into Manhattan, up into
the Bronx and back into Manhattan.
(01:24):
It finishes in Central Park nearTavern on the Green, near Sheep
Meadow. So it is just an iconic place to
run a marathon. And because of that, it draws a
huge crowd of people from all over the world.
On average, in the past couple years, it's been over 60,000
runners, and most years it drawsa crowd of over 1,000,000
people. Sometimes it's a million and a
(01:45):
half pushing into the 2 million people.
So it's an event. The culture in New York City
around Marathon Day is spectacular.
It really is cool because it is a destination for people from
all over the world. A lot of people, especially that
are runners that like to run marathons, have the New York
City Marathon like on their marathon bucket list.
A couple years ago when Devin and I were visiting the city
(02:08):
before we lived here, we actually shared like an Uber
with this guy that was in town for the New York City Marathon.
And he was from Nigeria. And he was telling us all about
the marathon and how amazing it is.
And he actually told us that thequalifying time to get into the
New York City Marathon is fasterthan the Boston Marathon.
So very, very competitive race. And it's also one that doesn't
(02:32):
draw just amateurs. It is one because it is a world
major that the top marathoners in the world often come run the
New York City Marathon. So if you wake up early enough,
because the elite athletes startfirst thing and so you have to
get up a little bit earlier. But watching them run, I mean,
they are going. So it's unbelievable.
They're going so fast and they're holding that pace for 26
(02:54):
miles. Like these are again world
class. Like a lot of them are the ones
who end up end up eventually going on and winning medals at
the Olympics for the marathon. Like it is top notch talent.
And quick shout out here to Devin, who will be completing
his third New York City Marathonthis coming November.
So if you're in town, look, lookup his bid number, Chairman.
Hoping to complete it. One thing I do want to note is
(03:17):
coming to New York City for marathon weekend is a cool
experience. However, if you are the type of
person that like really hates crowds and doesn't want to be
inconvenienced, if you're able to avoid coming to New York City
for the marathon weekend, you might want to try to book your
trip another weekend because there are some logistics that
(03:38):
you will have to take into account.
If you come marathon weekend. It's going to be crowded,
streets are going to be closed. But we're going to give you tips
for managing that. But if you're not into running
and you don't want to be inconvenienced in that way,
maybe don't come this weekend. And often marathon weekend
because it draws such huge crowd.
Hotels are more expensive, restaurants are harder to get
reservations. So just be aware of all of that,
(03:58):
but it's doable. We did it twice before we lived
here. We visited on marathon weekend
and honestly, it's a great experience.
So when it comes to where to stay on marathon weekend, it
really depends on if you are coming with a runner or if you
have a runner in your group or if you're just coming to explore
New York City on that weekend. Generally speaking, you can stay
anywhere in New York City and you're going to be just fine.
(04:19):
I would say if you do not have arunner in your group and you are
just coming to explore on that weekend, avoid the Columbus
Circle area. Like basically anything on the
West side of Manhattan from probably 65th St. to 50th St.
(04:39):
would be a safe spot to avoid. And I would say that comes all
the way even to like, yeah, 8 8th Ave. that bottom left corner
of Central Park is where the finish line is, where people
kind of disperse after the race.It is total chaos there on
Marathon Daily. You do not want to be there even
as a spectator. We'll we'll cover that more.
(05:00):
But if you are coming as a runner, I would say I have a
couple recommendations. Number one, you may want to stay
in lower Manhattan, like especially the Financial
District if you are taking the Staten Island Ferry as your
transportation to the start linebecause then you don't have to
worry about the subway in the morning.
You can get a little bit more sleep.
Or I would recommend staying somewhere in like lower Midtown,
(05:21):
Hell's Kitchen, potentially Upper West Side, because the
race, again, it ends on that kind of bottom left corner of
Central Park. And if you can pop out and be
able to walk back to your hotel without having to deal with a
subway or whatever it is, you will be very happy.
If you are a runner and you're listening to this and you're
still kind of trying to figure out where you may want to stay,
make sure to check our website cuz we'll have a full write up
(05:42):
of some of the more important notes of where you may wanna
stay as a runner. Again, generally speaking, you
can stay anywhere you're gonna be able to get around using the
subway. Just know, like Ashley was
saying, if you want to avoid themarathon, we'll link to the
marathon route map, compare thatto hotels and try to stay away
(06:02):
from the route at all. So ideally, like if you're just
wanting to explore the city and not deal with the marathon,
somewhere like Chelsea or even the Financial District because
the route doesn't actually go there.
The in Manhattan specifically, the route is pretty much all
from 59th St. and Uptown and in the park area, but it does spill
down with Rd. closures into, youknow, a lot of the parts of the
(06:25):
city. And as a note, whether you are a
runner or have runners in your group or just a general
traveler, you can stay pretty much anywhere in the city and
you're going to be able to get either places to spectate or to
your different destinations or to your transportation.
If you're a runner anywhere in the city, the subway runs
everywhere and is super easy to use.
(06:47):
The next thing we're going to talk about is getting around New
York City on Marathon Day. Let us just be super clear with
this, do not get in a car on Marathon Sunday for any reason.
Unless it's after 5:00 PM, and even then maybe not.
No, I would still say like the whole day because there's still
people finishing the marathon that late.
That's true, but yeah, it's it'sprobably better advice to just
(07:10):
not get in a car at all. Because if you're in a cab,
you're going to get charged per minute for the traffic and
there's going to be a lot of traffic.
And if you're in an Uber or a Lyft, a lot of times the routes
don't adjust for the road closures accurately.
So for example, like a couple years ago, Devin's parents came
out when he was running the marathon and they were trying to
take a Uber to our apartment, which is in midtown.
(07:33):
And their Uber driver like couldn't cross the street and
was trying to ask them like, where do we get dropped off?
Or like, where do you want to bedropped off?
And it was very biotic and confusing and they didn't know
where to go and the Uber driver didn't know where to go.
And I think they ended up getting charged more money for
that ride. I don't know, it just don't get
in a car. It's a nightmare, like there's
so many again because it it goesthrough Brooklyn, parts of the
(07:56):
Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, like the city kind of is a mess on
marathon day. So do not get in a car.
Instead take the subway. Pretty much every route is going
to run as normal. You may run into a couple
closures, I believe the ColumbusCircle subway, the exits, some
of them are shut off, but the lines will still run there.
Like the subway is your best betfor sure.
(08:17):
It might be a little bit more crowded depending on where
you're going, but that's OK. If that feels overwhelming the
subway navigating the city, makesure you download our free NYC
Transportation Guide. It's 50 plus pages covering how
to navigate the subway, getting to and from the major airports,
hailing taxis, walking, biking. It covers everything you need to
know about confidently getting around New York City.
(08:38):
One more thing I want to add about just getting around New
York City. A lot of people want to go to
Central Park when you're visiting and which I highly
recommend that you do. Going to Central Park in the
fall is one of the more beautiful places that you will
walk around in the city. However, pretty much like a
maybe 1/3 of the park is kind oflike blocked off and closed off
when you get to marathon weekend.
(08:58):
If you're looking at Central Park on a map, that bottom third
of the park, the left side of itis pretty much completely
blocked off for marathon runners.
Well, and the right side is alsoso like part of the race comes
in through 5th Ave. up higher like in the park.
But sometimes you can't get a cross 5th or you have to go
under like tunnels or like just yeah, getting into the park can
(09:19):
be a nightmare on Sunday. If you really want to go to the
park, that's your only opportunity on on Marathon
Sunday, I would take the subway up to like the Upper West Side,
higher up in the Upper West Side, like into the 90s or
something like take the 123 intolike the 90s and then walk into
Central Park from there. Anywhere else in Central Park,
like you can't get across Central Park South.
(09:40):
Like part of the route goes on Central Park South like it's
it's just not an option. So know that it is chaotic and
that leads us to this episodes. You'll have to check it out
segment. The next stop is Gurume.
All right, Gurume is a phenomenal Korean restaurant
we've been to a few times. They used to have a really
phenomenal happy hour that included some of the food.
(10:01):
Unfortunately they changed that and now the happy hour is only
drinks. Maybe because we just kept
taking advantage of it and only going for happy hour and getting
all the food. It's our fault, probably.
Yes, they still have. Happy hour is still good though.
They still have great happy houron a lot of their beer and wine
and some of their cocktails. Again, So Gourmet is a Korean
(10:22):
restaurant, but it is kind of tapas style and very, I would
just say laid back. Like the vibe there is very
relaxed and it's not pretentious, but the food is
phenomenal. It is led by their head chef.
His name is June Hyun Rue. I might be saying that wrong,
but he has said with Groom A chef, June hopes to offer an
(10:43):
escape for visitors on cloudy days to block out the chaos in
their lives, have a perfect biteand momentarily forget about
their troubles. And you know what?
Every time we've gone to Groom A, that's what's happened to us.
We love going to groom a especially if we have like a
group of people in town tapas spots.
I mean, if you don't know what tapas are, it's basically just a
bunch of like small plates that you order and you kind of share
(11:04):
with everyone at your table. So it's a really fun way to
immerse yourself in a cuisine that maybe you aren't as
familiar with and try a lot of different things.
Some of our favorite items that we love on the menu are probably
my favorite thing is the crispy corn and cheese.
It's basically like a corn on the cob that they've like sliced
through the middle and then, andI don't even know how they cook
it, but it's phenomenal. Yeah, I mean, it's one of the
(11:28):
best dishes there, I think as well.
Also, their fried chicken wings are just like perfectly crispy
without being greasy either. Like their fried chicken wings
are amazing. And then we've had the baby back
ribs that we've really liked. You also get these delicious
chips when you sit down. Truly every dish.
I think we've probably tried a dozen dishes there over the
(11:49):
multiple times that we've been. I think there was maybe 1 dish
that we were like that wasn't great, but pretty much all of
them we're like, oh, we would, we would get that again.
Every single dish that we've hadthere has been really, really
good. And their happy hour?
It's not every day, but it's Tuesday through Thursday, 5:00
to 7:00 PM and then Sunday 3 to 5:00 PM.
We get a couple bucks off of some of the drinks.
(12:09):
One of my favorite things to geton their happy hour is the draft
beer that they have. They give it to you in like a
frozen glass, which I don't knowwhat it is about drinking a beer
out of a frozen glass, but it just makes it taste 10 times
better and it's like in a fun shape.
So get it. Get a draft beer in you there.
I like the Allegash White. And that is Gurume.
It is in Midtown Hell's Kitchen area.
(12:31):
We will link to it in the show notes.
So that's this episodes. You'll have to check it out
segment. And now back to the marathon.
Stand clear of the closing doors, please.
All right, one of the main questions people have about
marathon Day is where is the best place to watch?
Like I mentioned, over 1,000,000people come and watch the
(12:51):
marathon, so know that it is going to be crowded.
And really it all comes down to what you want for your marathon
experience. Do you want to be somewhere
where it's loud and energetic and it's a party and there's a
ton of people? If so I would recommend
somewhere like Barclays Center in Brooklyn or Bedford Ave. or
First Ave. or in Central Park. Like it all comes down to what
(13:16):
you want. But out of the 26.2 miles,
really there's crowds probably at 20 ish miles of the race,
which is totally wild as a runner but also as a spectator
that like pretty much anywhere you go, there's going to be
people there cheering, having a good time, enjoying cheering on
runners. So like I mentioned earlier,
Devin has run the marathon a couple times before.
(13:37):
So for me personally, my favorite way to watch him run
the marathon is to go over to the Upper East Side of Manhattan
around 1st Ave. anywhere from like the 80s to hundreds St.
range. There's usually a ton of runners
coming through at that point. Really good energy, pretty good
space on the street. So you're not like too, too
(13:57):
close to people. Like there's enough space to
like walk around. And then from there you can walk
over towards 5th Ave. towards Central Park, or even go into
Central Park and watch people when they come back through.
So essentially when you're on 1st Ave. in the Upper East Side,
you're seeing people around the 17 mile mark and then you just
walk directly W into the park and I can usually catch Devin
(14:19):
when he's around mile. What is it 25?
Yeah, it depends on where you go.
Because if you're in just like more like the 5th Ave. area in
the upper part of the park, it'slike 2223.
But if you go into Central Park and go a little bit more S like
by the obelisk or where you're starting to get where it's going
to turn into Central Park South,it's, I mean, you're really
close to the end there. So I think that's also you have
(14:40):
to ask yourself like, what do you want your spectating
experience to be? Again, if you're following a
specific runner, you'd probably want to see him a couple times.
But if you just want to post up at one spot, personally, I would
recommend going into Central Park.
Again, know that Central Park South is super crowded.
Also, you can get ticketed entryto like the actual finish line
(15:01):
spectator stuff. It's wild.
I don't recommend that. Honestly, I don't think that's
as fun of an experience. But if, yeah, you go by like
near the obelisk or maybe a little bit more Uptown from
there, I think that's the most fun because you're at like mile
2425. And some people are down bad,
like myself included. The first time I ran it, like
when I saw Ashley at mile 17, I was feeling great.
(15:24):
I was feeling energized. The crowds, you know, seeing
your friends and family, I was feeling stoked.
And like, by the time I saw themaround mile 25, I was just on
the brink of giving up. Like didn't want to be there at
all anymore. Yeah.
What did you say to me that first time?
Like we saw you mile 17 and likeyou said, you were like all
happy go lucky, like feeling good.
And then mile 25, I think you were like, I feel like I'm
(15:45):
dying. Yeah, I think I said like
everything hurts and I'm dying like it, it was.
I mean, marathons are hard, right?
Like it, it is a tough thing. And so if you want to see people
who are feeling energized and still feeling alive, go earlier,
you know, go down into the Brooklyn area where they're
still in the first half of the race.
But if you want to see people maybe struggling a bit, but on
like a lighter note, those people need encouragement.
(16:06):
They need the cheering. And as a as a runner, there are
moments where you just want to block people out and you noise
cancel your headphones and you put your head down and you just
kind of keep going. But there are moments where I
take my headphones out and I'm like, I just want to feel the
energy of the people. And it's super helpful as a
runner. We're going to talk a little bit
more about that, but there's some really great options for
where to watch. We'll link again to the map,
(16:27):
just know there's really not a bad spot to watch.
Knowing which restaurants to try, the best activities, and
how to get around New York City can feel daunting and confusing.
Don't worry, we have you coveredwith loads of free resources.
By signing up for our newsletter, you get access to
our free NYC Transportation Guide, which has 50 plus pages
covering getting to and from theairport, taking the subway, and
(16:49):
hailing taxis. And you get access to our
curated collection of Google Maps list, broken down by
category and location. Get all of this by signing U for
a newsletter at bettertogetherhearcom
Newsletter. As you go to watch, it's
important to wear the right gear.
It is New York City, it is the beginning, November, it's
turning into winter. The weather can be very
(17:10):
volatile. So you might walk outside and it
might look nice, but it might bewindy where you're standing or
it might be really cold that day.
So our recommendation, most, most years, it's around like
50°. So you want to wear some layers.
I would bring a jacket. I would bring maybe a warm hat
and gloves. And it's really easy to, you
know, take those things off or put them in your pocket or get
(17:31):
rid of them. Whereas you do not want to be
cold standing out watching the marathon waiting for someone you
know to come run by. Some other recommendations on
what to wear, definitely wear comfortable shoes.
You're going to be walking, you're going to be standing a
lot and definitely bring sunglasses and.
We're going to round this out with just a few little extra
tips. Be loud.
Like this is an opportunity for you to come stand on the street
(17:52):
in New York City and scream and hoot and holler and make
ridiculous noises as much as youwant.
And that's good. Like that's a good thing, so.
Hooting and hollering encouraged.
Hooting and hollering encouraged.
Cheer, scream, be crazy, whatever, right?
A lot of people write their names on like their shirt or on
their race bib, like yell their name.
They put it there for a reason. They want the encouragement.
(18:14):
If you are the type of person who wants to instead of just be
staying there, like maybe be helpful or you want to bring
things to help the runners. A few things that I've seen
people handing out on the coursethat have been amazing Tissues
and Kleenex. Like there's something about
running that even if you just grab those and wipe the sweat
off your face or you need to blow your nose, like if someone
hands that to you, it's so appreciated.
Fruit of any kind, especially like banana halves, candy.
(18:37):
I've seen people just for a little sugar boost, the best
thing ever. I know this is a little more
difficult and it's 0% expected, but people handing out small
water bottles like that is a game changer.
So if you want to hand somethingout, marathon runners will be
super appreciative. What about people handing out
shots? Because that does happen.
Depending on how cool the runners are, they might be
interested. There's a surprising amount of
(18:57):
runners that actually take people up on that though.
There's some very funny videos on the Internet, so if you want
if you want a hilarious experience, bring a bottle of
liquor and some little shot glasses and see how many runners
you can entice with the shot midmarathon.
If you're the type person who kinds of you like to have a good
time and maybe do a little bit of day drinking, like going into
Brooklyn, like especially like Bedford Ave. or certain pockets
(19:18):
of of Manhattan, people are justraging.
People are having a great, greattime watching the runners come
by. I mean, it's a party.
The last note on this, this is like kind of a personal plea for
me, but also just something thateveryone should be aware of.
Runners have been training for this day, for this race for for
months and there are going to beinstances probably where you
(19:39):
might need to cross a street andthey're just a constant swarm of
runners coming by. Please be courteous to the
runners and to the course. Do not let your desire to cross
the course interfere with peoplewho have been training and don't
want to be weaving between spectators.
I've seen videos of people getting plowed over by runners
because people try to jump out to cross the street and the
(20:01):
runner doesn't see them and theyhit each other and there's
injuries. Like it's just a bad, bad
experience. So be courteous to the runners
and to the course as a whole. And those are all of our tips
for New York City Marathon weekend.
Genuinely speaking, if you are able to come out and experience
it, I think it's amazing. I am like biased because I am a
runner and I think it's fun but.Even before I was really running
(20:21):
marathons or into it, we came out a couple times into the
city. Just like the energy and buzz in
the city is very high and peoplelove it.
Like New York Marathon Day is anevent in New York City and it is
something that I think is worth experiencing even as a
spectator. If you enjoy this podcast and
it's helpful to you, one of the most important things you can do
to help us, if you're willing, is to leave a review on Apple
Podcasts or comment on Spotify. Follow our show on Spotify.
(20:45):
Anything you can do to engage and show those confusing
algorithms that you like our show is extremely helpful.
You can always e-mail us. Hello at bettertogetherhere.com.
We love hearing your questions and other than that, we'll catch
you on the next episode.
Welcome to the Better Together Here podcast with your host,
Devin. And Ashley?
Helping you make the most of your time in New York City,
everyone. And welcome to today's episode
of the Better Together Here podcast.
My name is Devin. And my name is Ashley.
Today's episode we are diving into all things New York City
Marathon, which happens every year on the 1st Sunday of
(00:22):
November. We're going to tell you
everything you need to know about where to watch, where to
stay. And even if you're not
interested in watching the marathon, but you're going to be
here that weekend, you need to know some tips for navigating
and or avoiding the marathon. Plus, we're going to cover one
of our favorite Korean spots in the city as this episode is
about to check it out segment. So let's get right into it.
(00:43):
If you are not into marathon culture or you don't really
understand marathons. So you might be wondering like
why the New York City Marathon is a big deal.
I think there's a couple of reasons.
Number one, it is what's called one of the world majors.
So there's seven of them. They're basically the biggest,
most renowned marathons, generally speaking #2 New York
City is just an iconic place in general.
(01:04):
But also to run a marathon. And the New York City Marathon
specifically goes through all 5 boroughs.
So it starts in Staten Island and goes across the Verrazano
Bridge. I think it might be the only
time that the Verrazano Bridge is closed to cars and it winds
all the way up through Brooklyn,Queens, into Manhattan, up into
the Bronx and back into Manhattan.
(01:24):
It finishes in Central Park nearTavern on the Green, near Sheep
Meadow. So it is just an iconic place to
run a marathon. And because of that, it draws a
huge crowd of people from all over the world.
On average, in the past couple years, it's been over 60,000
runners, and most years it drawsa crowd of over 1,000,000
people. Sometimes it's a million and a
(01:45):
half pushing into the 2 million people.
So it's an event. The culture in New York City
around Marathon Day is spectacular.
It really is cool because it is a destination for people from
all over the world. A lot of people, especially that
are runners that like to run marathons, have the New York
City Marathon like on their marathon bucket list.
A couple years ago when Devin and I were visiting the city
(02:08):
before we lived here, we actually shared like an Uber
with this guy that was in town for the New York City Marathon.
And he was from Nigeria. And he was telling us all about
the marathon and how amazing it is.
And he actually told us that thequalifying time to get into the
New York City Marathon is fasterthan the Boston Marathon.
So very, very competitive race. And it's also one that doesn't
(02:32):
draw just amateurs. It is one because it is a world
major that the top marathoners in the world often come run the
New York City Marathon. So if you wake up early enough,
because the elite athletes startfirst thing and so you have to
get up a little bit earlier. But watching them run, I mean,
they are going. So it's unbelievable.
They're going so fast and they're holding that pace for 26
(02:54):
miles. Like these are again world
class. Like a lot of them are the ones
who end up end up eventually going on and winning medals at
the Olympics for the marathon. Like it is top notch talent.
And quick shout out here to Devin, who will be completing
his third New York City Marathonthis coming November.
So if you're in town, look, lookup his bid number, Chairman.
Hoping to complete it. One thing I do want to note is
(03:17):
coming to New York City for marathon weekend is a cool
experience. However, if you are the type of
person that like really hates crowds and doesn't want to be
inconvenienced, if you're able to avoid coming to New York City
for the marathon weekend, you might want to try to book your
trip another weekend because there are some logistics that
(03:38):
you will have to take into account.
If you come marathon weekend. It's going to be crowded,
streets are going to be closed. But we're going to give you tips
for managing that. But if you're not into running
and you don't want to be inconvenienced in that way,
maybe don't come this weekend. And often marathon weekend
because it draws such huge crowd.
Hotels are more expensive, restaurants are harder to get
reservations. So just be aware of all of that,
(03:58):
but it's doable. We did it twice before we lived
here. We visited on marathon weekend
and honestly, it's a great experience.
So when it comes to where to stay on marathon weekend, it
really depends on if you are coming with a runner or if you
have a runner in your group or if you're just coming to explore
New York City on that weekend. Generally speaking, you can stay
anywhere in New York City and you're going to be just fine.
(04:19):
I would say if you do not have arunner in your group and you are
just coming to explore on that weekend, avoid the Columbus
Circle area. Like basically anything on the
West side of Manhattan from probably 65th St. to 50th St.
(04:39):
would be a safe spot to avoid. And I would say that comes all
the way even to like, yeah, 8 8th Ave. that bottom left corner
of Central Park is where the finish line is, where people
kind of disperse after the race.It is total chaos there on
Marathon Daily. You do not want to be there even
as a spectator. We'll we'll cover that more.
(05:00):
But if you are coming as a runner, I would say I have a
couple recommendations. Number one, you may want to stay
in lower Manhattan, like especially the Financial
District if you are taking the Staten Island Ferry as your
transportation to the start linebecause then you don't have to
worry about the subway in the morning.
You can get a little bit more sleep.
Or I would recommend staying somewhere in like lower Midtown,
(05:21):
Hell's Kitchen, potentially Upper West Side, because the
race, again, it ends on that kind of bottom left corner of
Central Park. And if you can pop out and be
able to walk back to your hotel without having to deal with a
subway or whatever it is, you will be very happy.
If you are a runner and you're listening to this and you're
still kind of trying to figure out where you may want to stay,
make sure to check our website cuz we'll have a full write up
(05:42):
of some of the more important notes of where you may wanna
stay as a runner. Again, generally speaking, you
can stay anywhere you're gonna be able to get around using the
subway. Just know, like Ashley was
saying, if you want to avoid themarathon, we'll link to the
marathon route map, compare thatto hotels and try to stay away
(06:02):
from the route at all. So ideally, like if you're just
wanting to explore the city and not deal with the marathon,
somewhere like Chelsea or even the Financial District because
the route doesn't actually go there.
The in Manhattan specifically, the route is pretty much all
from 59th St. and Uptown and in the park area, but it does spill
down with Rd. closures into, youknow, a lot of the parts of the
(06:25):
city. And as a note, whether you are a
runner or have runners in your group or just a general
traveler, you can stay pretty much anywhere in the city and
you're going to be able to get either places to spectate or to
your different destinations or to your transportation.
If you're a runner anywhere in the city, the subway runs
everywhere and is super easy to use.
(06:47):
The next thing we're going to talk about is getting around New
York City on Marathon Day. Let us just be super clear with
this, do not get in a car on Marathon Sunday for any reason.
Unless it's after 5:00 PM, and even then maybe not.
No, I would still say like the whole day because there's still
people finishing the marathon that late.
That's true, but yeah, it's it'sprobably better advice to just
(07:10):
not get in a car at all. Because if you're in a cab,
you're going to get charged per minute for the traffic and
there's going to be a lot of traffic.
And if you're in an Uber or a Lyft, a lot of times the routes
don't adjust for the road closures accurately.
So for example, like a couple years ago, Devin's parents came
out when he was running the marathon and they were trying to
take a Uber to our apartment, which is in midtown.
(07:33):
And their Uber driver like couldn't cross the street and
was trying to ask them like, where do we get dropped off?
Or like, where do you want to bedropped off?
And it was very biotic and confusing and they didn't know
where to go and the Uber driver didn't know where to go.
And I think they ended up getting charged more money for
that ride. I don't know, it just don't get
in a car. It's a nightmare, like there's
so many again because it it goesthrough Brooklyn, parts of the
(07:56):
Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, like the city kind of is a mess on
marathon day. So do not get in a car.
Instead take the subway. Pretty much every route is going
to run as normal. You may run into a couple
closures, I believe the ColumbusCircle subway, the exits, some
of them are shut off, but the lines will still run there.
Like the subway is your best betfor sure.
(08:17):
It might be a little bit more crowded depending on where
you're going, but that's OK. If that feels overwhelming the
subway navigating the city, makesure you download our free NYC
Transportation Guide. It's 50 plus pages covering how
to navigate the subway, getting to and from the major airports,
hailing taxis, walking, biking. It covers everything you need to
know about confidently getting around New York City.
(08:38):
One more thing I want to add about just getting around New
York City. A lot of people want to go to
Central Park when you're visiting and which I highly
recommend that you do. Going to Central Park in the
fall is one of the more beautiful places that you will
walk around in the city. However, pretty much like a
maybe 1/3 of the park is kind oflike blocked off and closed off
when you get to marathon weekend.
(08:58):
If you're looking at Central Park on a map, that bottom third
of the park, the left side of itis pretty much completely
blocked off for marathon runners.
Well, and the right side is alsoso like part of the race comes
in through 5th Ave. up higher like in the park.
But sometimes you can't get a cross 5th or you have to go
under like tunnels or like just yeah, getting into the park can
(09:19):
be a nightmare on Sunday. If you really want to go to the
park, that's your only opportunity on on Marathon
Sunday, I would take the subway up to like the Upper West Side,
higher up in the Upper West Side, like into the 90s or
something like take the 123 intolike the 90s and then walk into
Central Park from there. Anywhere else in Central Park,
like you can't get across Central Park South.
(09:40):
Like part of the route goes on Central Park South like it's
it's just not an option. So know that it is chaotic and
that leads us to this episodes. You'll have to check it out
segment. The next stop is Gurume.
All right, Gurume is a phenomenal Korean restaurant
we've been to a few times. They used to have a really
phenomenal happy hour that included some of the food.
(10:01):
Unfortunately they changed that and now the happy hour is only
drinks. Maybe because we just kept
taking advantage of it and only going for happy hour and getting
all the food. It's our fault, probably.
Yes, they still have. Happy hour is still good though.
They still have great happy houron a lot of their beer and wine
and some of their cocktails. Again, So Gourmet is a Korean
(10:22):
restaurant, but it is kind of tapas style and very, I would
just say laid back. Like the vibe there is very
relaxed and it's not pretentious, but the food is
phenomenal. It is led by their head chef.
His name is June Hyun Rue. I might be saying that wrong,
but he has said with Groom A chef, June hopes to offer an
(10:43):
escape for visitors on cloudy days to block out the chaos in
their lives, have a perfect biteand momentarily forget about
their troubles. And you know what?
Every time we've gone to Groom A, that's what's happened to us.
We love going to groom a especially if we have like a
group of people in town tapas spots.
I mean, if you don't know what tapas are, it's basically just a
bunch of like small plates that you order and you kind of share
(11:04):
with everyone at your table. So it's a really fun way to
immerse yourself in a cuisine that maybe you aren't as
familiar with and try a lot of different things.
Some of our favorite items that we love on the menu are probably
my favorite thing is the crispy corn and cheese.
It's basically like a corn on the cob that they've like sliced
through the middle and then, andI don't even know how they cook
it, but it's phenomenal. Yeah, I mean, it's one of the
(11:28):
best dishes there, I think as well.
Also, their fried chicken wings are just like perfectly crispy
without being greasy either. Like their fried chicken wings
are amazing. And then we've had the baby back
ribs that we've really liked. You also get these delicious
chips when you sit down. Truly every dish.
I think we've probably tried a dozen dishes there over the
(11:49):
multiple times that we've been. I think there was maybe 1 dish
that we were like that wasn't great, but pretty much all of
them we're like, oh, we would, we would get that again.
Every single dish that we've hadthere has been really, really
good. And their happy hour?
It's not every day, but it's Tuesday through Thursday, 5:00
to 7:00 PM and then Sunday 3 to 5:00 PM.
We get a couple bucks off of some of the drinks.
(12:09):
One of my favorite things to geton their happy hour is the draft
beer that they have. They give it to you in like a
frozen glass, which I don't knowwhat it is about drinking a beer
out of a frozen glass, but it just makes it taste 10 times
better and it's like in a fun shape.
So get it. Get a draft beer in you there.
I like the Allegash White. And that is Gurume.
It is in Midtown Hell's Kitchen area.
(12:31):
We will link to it in the show notes.
So that's this episodes. You'll have to check it out
segment. And now back to the marathon.
Stand clear of the closing doors, please.
All right, one of the main questions people have about
marathon Day is where is the best place to watch?
Like I mentioned, over 1,000,000people come and watch the
(12:51):
marathon, so know that it is going to be crowded.
And really it all comes down to what you want for your marathon
experience. Do you want to be somewhere
where it's loud and energetic and it's a party and there's a
ton of people? If so I would recommend
somewhere like Barclays Center in Brooklyn or Bedford Ave. or
First Ave. or in Central Park. Like it all comes down to what
(13:16):
you want. But out of the 26.2 miles,
really there's crowds probably at 20 ish miles of the race,
which is totally wild as a runner but also as a spectator
that like pretty much anywhere you go, there's going to be
people there cheering, having a good time, enjoying cheering on
runners. So like I mentioned earlier,
Devin has run the marathon a couple times before.
(13:37):
So for me personally, my favorite way to watch him run
the marathon is to go over to the Upper East Side of Manhattan
around 1st Ave. anywhere from like the 80s to hundreds St.
range. There's usually a ton of runners
coming through at that point. Really good energy, pretty good
space on the street. So you're not like too, too
(13:57):
close to people. Like there's enough space to
like walk around. And then from there you can walk
over towards 5th Ave. towards Central Park, or even go into
Central Park and watch people when they come back through.
So essentially when you're on 1st Ave. in the Upper East Side,
you're seeing people around the 17 mile mark and then you just
walk directly W into the park and I can usually catch Devin
(14:19):
when he's around mile. What is it 25?
Yeah, it depends on where you go.
Because if you're in just like more like the 5th Ave. area in
the upper part of the park, it'slike 2223.
But if you go into Central Park and go a little bit more S like
by the obelisk or where you're starting to get where it's going
to turn into Central Park South,it's, I mean, you're really
close to the end there. So I think that's also you have
(14:40):
to ask yourself like, what do you want your spectating
experience to be? Again, if you're following a
specific runner, you'd probably want to see him a couple times.
But if you just want to post up at one spot, personally, I would
recommend going into Central Park.
Again, know that Central Park South is super crowded.
Also, you can get ticketed entryto like the actual finish line
(15:01):
spectator stuff. It's wild.
I don't recommend that. Honestly, I don't think that's
as fun of an experience. But if, yeah, you go by like
near the obelisk or maybe a little bit more Uptown from
there, I think that's the most fun because you're at like mile
2425. And some people are down bad,
like myself included. The first time I ran it, like
when I saw Ashley at mile 17, I was feeling great.
(15:24):
I was feeling energized. The crowds, you know, seeing
your friends and family, I was feeling stoked.
And like, by the time I saw themaround mile 25, I was just on
the brink of giving up. Like didn't want to be there at
all anymore. Yeah.
What did you say to me that first time?
Like we saw you mile 17 and likeyou said, you were like all
happy go lucky, like feeling good.
And then mile 25, I think you were like, I feel like I'm
(15:45):
dying. Yeah, I think I said like
everything hurts and I'm dying like it, it was.
I mean, marathons are hard, right?
Like it, it is a tough thing. And so if you want to see people
who are feeling energized and still feeling alive, go earlier,
you know, go down into the Brooklyn area where they're
still in the first half of the race.
But if you want to see people maybe struggling a bit, but on
like a lighter note, those people need encouragement.
(16:06):
They need the cheering. And as a as a runner, there are
moments where you just want to block people out and you noise
cancel your headphones and you put your head down and you just
kind of keep going. But there are moments where I
take my headphones out and I'm like, I just want to feel the
energy of the people. And it's super helpful as a
runner. We're going to talk a little bit
more about that, but there's some really great options for
where to watch. We'll link again to the map,
(16:27):
just know there's really not a bad spot to watch.
Knowing which restaurants to try, the best activities, and
how to get around New York City can feel daunting and confusing.
Don't worry, we have you coveredwith loads of free resources.
By signing up for our newsletter, you get access to
our free NYC Transportation Guide, which has 50 plus pages
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(16:49):
hailing taxis. And you get access to our
curated collection of Google Maps list, broken down by
category and location. Get all of this by signing U for
a newsletter at bettertogetherhearcom
Newsletter. As you go to watch, it's
important to wear the right gear.
It is New York City, it is the beginning, November, it's
turning into winter. The weather can be very
(17:10):
volatile. So you might walk outside and it
might look nice, but it might bewindy where you're standing or
it might be really cold that day.
So our recommendation, most, most years, it's around like
50°. So you want to wear some layers.
I would bring a jacket. I would bring maybe a warm hat
and gloves. And it's really easy to, you
know, take those things off or put them in your pocket or get
(17:31):
rid of them. Whereas you do not want to be
cold standing out watching the marathon waiting for someone you
know to come run by. Some other recommendations on
what to wear, definitely wear comfortable shoes.
You're going to be walking, you're going to be standing a
lot and definitely bring sunglasses and.
We're going to round this out with just a few little extra
tips. Be loud.
Like this is an opportunity for you to come stand on the street
(17:52):
in New York City and scream and hoot and holler and make
ridiculous noises as much as youwant.
And that's good. Like that's a good thing, so.
Hooting and hollering encouraged.
Hooting and hollering encouraged.
Cheer, scream, be crazy, whatever, right?
A lot of people write their names on like their shirt or on
their race bib, like yell their name.
They put it there for a reason. They want the encouragement.
(18:14):
If you are the type of person who wants to instead of just be
staying there, like maybe be helpful or you want to bring
things to help the runners. A few things that I've seen
people handing out on the coursethat have been amazing Tissues
and Kleenex. Like there's something about
running that even if you just grab those and wipe the sweat
off your face or you need to blow your nose, like if someone
hands that to you, it's so appreciated.
Fruit of any kind, especially like banana halves, candy.
(18:37):
I've seen people just for a little sugar boost, the best
thing ever. I know this is a little more
difficult and it's 0% expected, but people handing out small
water bottles like that is a game changer.
So if you want to hand somethingout, marathon runners will be
super appreciative. What about people handing out
shots? Because that does happen.
Depending on how cool the runners are, they might be
interested. There's a surprising amount of
(18:57):
runners that actually take people up on that though.
There's some very funny videos on the Internet, so if you want
if you want a hilarious experience, bring a bottle of
liquor and some little shot glasses and see how many runners
you can entice with the shot midmarathon.
If you're the type person who kinds of you like to have a good
time and maybe do a little bit of day drinking, like going into
Brooklyn, like especially like Bedford Ave. or certain pockets
(19:18):
of of Manhattan, people are justraging.
People are having a great, greattime watching the runners come
by. I mean, it's a party.
The last note on this, this is like kind of a personal plea for
me, but also just something thateveryone should be aware of.
Runners have been training for this day, for this race for for
months and there are going to beinstances probably where you
(19:39):
might need to cross a street andthey're just a constant swarm of
runners coming by. Please be courteous to the
runners and to the course. Do not let your desire to cross
the course interfere with peoplewho have been training and don't
want to be weaving between spectators.
I've seen videos of people getting plowed over by runners
because people try to jump out to cross the street and the
(20:01):
runner doesn't see them and theyhit each other and there's
injuries. Like it's just a bad, bad
experience. So be courteous to the runners
and to the course as a whole. And those are all of our tips
for New York City Marathon weekend.
Genuinely speaking, if you are able to come out and experience
it, I think it's amazing. I am like biased because I am a
runner and I think it's fun but.Even before I was really running
(20:21):
marathons or into it, we came out a couple times into the
city. Just like the energy and buzz in
the city is very high and peoplelove it.
Like New York Marathon Day is anevent in New York City and it is
something that I think is worth experiencing even as a
spectator. If you enjoy this podcast and
it's helpful to you, one of the most important things you can do
to help us, if you're willing, is to leave a review on Apple
Podcasts or comment on Spotify. Follow our show on Spotify.
(20:45):
Anything you can do to engage and show those confusing
algorithms that you like our show is extremely helpful.
You can always e-mail us. Hello at bettertogetherhere.com.
We love hearing your questions and other than that, we'll catch
you on the next episode.
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