Things to do in New York

[tyroneman]

Cheers folks. Lot of good suggestions. Will have to plan carefully as will prob take a day trip to Boston or Washington too.

[J70]

Heading to NY in summer. Any suggestions as to what would be good? Don't mind doing the typical tourist stuff or the offbeat stuff .....

Depends what your interests are. There is so much to see and do that you should be kept busy no matter what you like!

I'd definitely do some of the tourist stuff - going up either the Empire State Building or 30 Rock is a must. Haven't been to Ellis Island in years. Didn't impress me then, but maybe its better now. There are tonnes of amazing museums though, especially the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which sit on opposite sides of Central Park, which itself is a must see in the summer, even if only to check out the women (they are amazing in NYC in the summer!  )
Union Square is great too, with lots of good bars and restaurants and its only a few minutes walk to the east and west villages from there. I would spend at least a night in each. I wouldn't know where to begin in terms of eating, but there is a huge array of choices in terms of ethnic foods and price ranges. Just consult websites such as Yelp for reviews.

Water trip is well worth it too. As has been said, Staten Island ferry is free. Another option well worth trying, especially if you stay in Jersey City or Hoboken (both only a few minutes away on the PATH train) are the water taxis. For example, the trip from Newport or Exchange Place in Jersey City up to west 39th Street in Manhattan takes about 10-15 minutes and costs about $6-7. Well worth taking. There loads of other routes between various points in NJ, Manhattan and Queens.
Another one I love is the Roosevelt Island Tram, a cable car which goes across the East River from Roosevelt Island to East 59th Street (Bloomingdales area) and runs alongside the 59th Street Bridge. Anyone who's seen the first Spiderman movie will remember the big climactic scene!
Use the subways. Very cheap and, especially in Manhattan, comprehensive. Easy to navigate too, if you take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the layout of the city.

There are some nice neighbourhoods outside of Manhattan too. I absolutely love Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Its like a little version of the village, with lots of nice little bars and restaurants. Very laid back, peaceful spot. One stop from East 14th Street in Manhattan (five minutes) on the L train.

I would definitely take a trip upstate, especially if you're there in the autumn. The Shawanagunks, Catskills and Adirondacks are amazing, particularly if you enjoy the outdoors. Lots of hiking and kayaking and climbing.

And for day trips, although they've been getting a bit of bad rap lately after a couple of accidents, its hard to beat the discount buses. Myself and herself went to DC last summer for $38 return each on Bolt Bus! There are many other's, but do a bit of research beforehand. A lot of them operate out of Chinatown.

[tyssam5]

As mentioned: Ellis Island, walk to Brooklyn across the bridge, great view of city as you go across, you can walk on around Brooklyn heights which is a nice relaxed neighborhood you might enjoy if  you want a break from Manhattan, then take subway back. 'Top of the Rock' is IMO better than going up Empire state, handy to St. Patrick's cathedral if you fancy a bit of praying too and right in the middle of 5th Ave shopping if that's more your thing.
Broadway is a good street to walk down to see a few different areas. Little Italy is kind of BS - watch the Sopranos instead, but Chinatown is more legit, if bringing a lady she might enjoy purchasing some knock-off bags etc.
Find the bike rental place in Central Park, biking around the park is fun.

[Eamonnca1]

Chinatown?! I walked through there and the smell of the place would have lifted paint. Dirty, rotten boggin' stinkin'.

[thewobbler]

NY is an unbelievable town. I could walk for days around it.

Do an open top bus tour to get a feel for distances on your first day. Don't feel the need to hop off at every stop; you'd be surprised how close many things are, and you'll be able to plan things a lot better with this knowledge.

One tip - if you value time more than money, don't stand in the queue at TKTS for discount on a show. If a show is worth seeing, the TKTS price won't be that much of a saving, and you could spend 2-3 hours of your life in queue to find out all the discount tickets are gone anyhow.

Or put another way, pick a show you really want to see, then book the tickets direct. Then spend those 2-3 hours enjoying one of the nicest walks of your life around Central Park, without spending any money.


Go see a Mets or a Yankees game. The sport isn't that entertaining, but it's a great experience, with beer flying.

Don't spend hours in a queue for the Empire State. Check out the Rockefeller for a better view with smaller queues.

I found Brooklyn boring, very suburban.

[Canalman]

Almost sure this thread has been done before. Might be worth looking back on board for it.

For me the "must do's" in NYC are

Coney Island......... get there by subway and a small walk. Very melancholy and interesting place.

Baseball batting cages near Chelsea pier. Some craic belting away. For a litigious place, I was amazed that we were simply handed  a hardhat and tokens and off you go.

Sitting in a bar all night with mates from home/ school  you haven't seen in years shooting the breeze.

Staten Isalnd ferry trip.

Walking and walking.

[johnneycool]

Coney Island......... get there by subway and a small walk. Very melancholy and interesting place.

Coney island was very run down the last time I was there but that was 10 odd years ago, beach is ok and the boardwalk has a few touches of the old freakshow days, certainly interesting.

[Rois]

I have to go to Chicago on Sunday, but to avoid flying on my own, I'm thinking of flying to NYC on Sat with a colleague and having an afternoon and Sunday morn there before flying on to Chicago Sun eve.

Bearing in mind I am a female, have never been to NYC and will prob be staying near Times Square (haven't even booked hotel yet), and I only have an evening and a morning, what would be the best things to do? I am totally clueless.

[new devil]

There's a few motels around times square that wouldn't be to expensive..Super 8 and holiday Inn pretty clean and would do the job for one night
What are you looking for? like bars, nightclubs etc?    Send me a picture of you and friend, If yous pass the test i might come meet yous 

[Croí na hÉireann]

We got the Paramount Hotel just off Times Square through hotwire over a year ago. Super job for the money. For that time probably best to just stroll around, Subway down to Ground Zero, back up through Little Italy, Union Square and Broadway. Then there's always the shopping on 5th Avenue, Central Park and a visit to the Rockefeller if you've the time.

[Canalman]

Agree. For that period of time just stroll around at your leisure. Area around Time Square/Midtown is not my favourite part of NYC.

[AZOffaly]

Cheers folks. Lot of good suggestions. Will have to plan carefully as will prob take a day trip to Boston or Washington too.

Washington is well worth a visit. I played football up there one weekend, and as the Friday didn't go so well, we spent all day Saturday plodding around. Arlington Cemetary with the eternal flame on JFK's grave is well worth a visit, also has the tomb of the unknown soldiers.

Obviously the Lincoln Memorial, the reflecting pool and the Washington Memorial are iconic images of America, and the Vietnam Wall is very poignant. You can then stroll around Capitol Hill and down towards the White House.

And of course there's things like the Smithsonian there as well.

[passedit]

Cheers folks. Lot of good suggestions. Will have to plan carefully as will prob take a day trip to Boston or Washington too.

Washington is well worth a visit. I played football up there one weekend, and as the Friday didn't go so well, we spent all day Saturday plodding around. Arlington Cemetary with the eternal flame on JFK's grave is well worth a visit, also has the tomb of the unknown soldiers.

Obviously the Lincoln Memorial, the reflecting pool and the Washington Memorial are iconic images of America, and the Vietnam Wall is very poignant. You can then stroll around Capitol Hill and down towards the White House.

And of course there's things like the Smithsonian there as well.

Gonna be in PA for a few weeks in july and hoping to spin down to DC. How compact is the town for walking around bearing in mind I'll have a clatter of youngsters with me?

[AZOffaly]

Cheers folks. Lot of good suggestions. Will have to plan carefully as will prob take a day trip to Boston or Washington too.

Washington is well worth a visit. I played football up there one weekend, and as the Friday didn't go so well, we spent all day Saturday plodding around. Arlington Cemetary with the eternal flame on JFK's grave is well worth a visit, also has the tomb of the unknown soldiers.

Obviously the Lincoln Memorial, the reflecting pool and the Washington Memorial are iconic images of America, and the Vietnam Wall is very poignant. You can then stroll around Capitol Hill and down towards the White House.

And of course there's things like the Smithsonian there as well.

Gonna be in PA for a few weeks in july and hoping to spin down to DC. How compact is the town for walking around bearing in mind I'll have a clatter of youngsters with me?

Time does funny things to the memory, but I seem to remember that it was all walkable. Certainly the Washington, Reflecting Pool and Lincoln memorial, and the Vietnam Wall are all very close together. I think the political district is close to there as well.

I seem to remember a bit of a walk to Arlington, a nice walk though over the Potomac (I think) but that's the only major walk I remember.

[Rois]

Looking like the Mariott on Broadway for me - need to be near Times Square as our office is at No 5 Times Square and I may need to pop in.  Flip me, hotels are expensive!  I'm working off my firm's booking system, and the company will be paying, but still, $400 a night for the branded hotels - steep.  The Mariott is $300 and feels like a bargain!

Think I'll go with the walking around thing Sat afternoon/evening and obviously shopping on Sunday if I can...

new devil, thanks for the offer, my colleague is a 17-stone balding guy but I can still send a pic if you like...he'll be heading off to see his brother so I'll be on my own, hence want to stick to busy areas. 

Ta for advice.