If you've not been before, do the bus tours! They are a fantastic way to see the city, and the tour guides are great. You can hop on and off when you like, and it's a great way to see things you just wouldn't have the time to see in a few days.
So much to do...walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and back (if you time it right - about 4pm say - you can walk back and watch the sun setting over the Manhattan skyline as you do so), go to the Empire State Building, top of the Rockefeller Centre (I actually preferred the view here - it's not as high as the ESB but the view is amazing), go to the Statue Of Liberty and Ellis Island, shop at Century 21 (this is very near Ground Zero and sells lots of designer stuff dirt cheap).
Also, these people at http://www.circleline42.com/new-york-cruises.aspx do a fantastic selection of cruises, including a 3 hour round trip of the whole island. So you see the tourist sights like downtown and the Brooklyn Bridge, but you also see the northern tip of the island as well. You used to go past the old Yankee Stadium this way, but I think that's been knocked down now (but could be wrong).
If you're into museums, then MOMA, Natural History, the Met and the Guggenheim are all incredible.
Have fun - I'm thinking of going again in November.
Will you actually be there for Halloween night? Its an amazing experience - the Americans go nuts for the holiday. There's a big costume parade in Greenwich village which is well worth checking out to see all the amazing costumes people go to the effort of making - http://www.halloween-nyc.com/
There are also loads of special events and club nights put on.. everyone should experience Halloween in NYC at least once! Seeing the subway invaded by zombies is great fun.
I went at the same time a couple of years ago. I echo the statements that the yanks LOVE Halloween.
There is literally tons to do in New York. If you like shopping, tourist spots, or simply a bike-ride around central park, doubtful you could ever be bored during a short break. Fantastic place to visit.
It'll be just as cold in NY as it is here, so pack warm clothes.
I went at the same time a couple of years ago. I echo the statements that the yanks LOVE Halloween.
There is literally tons to do in New York. If you like shopping, tourist spots, or simply a bike-ride around central park, doubtful you could ever be bored during a short break. Fantastic place to visit.
It'll be just as cold in NY as it is here, so pack warm clothes.
There are loads of threads on this board regarding things to do in NYC... just do a search and you'll get enough advice on stuff to do to keep you busy for a month!
But yeah, by the time it gets to Halloween it does get quite cold... unlike now... its currently reaching 40C/105F... people are dropping in the streets from heat stroke! :eek:
Flights and hotels? Depends on the hotel, but when I went in September flights were around £300 each return, and the hotel worked out at about £100 a night. That'd be £1300 for the 7 nights I was there.
If it's a better hotel than the one I was in, then £1700 would easily be eaten up with room and flights. (Oh yes, just looked up the hotel, and definitely in the luxury category!)
I stayed in the Ramada Eastside (An Applecore Hotel, think they're just affiliated with Ramada), on 30th and Lexington, was nice, but only really a 3* hotel.
Under a week visit to New York for £850 per person seems quite a lot??
Seems very reasonable to me. Accommodation costs are hellishly expensive in New York - usually around 70-100 per night for a cheap hotel before they add tax and flights are often around 300 to 400 return around that time.
I stayed at the Helmsley Hotel - really good location on e42nd street - a five minute walk to times square and fith avenue. Tip: Email the hotel the week before you are due to arrive and tell them it is your 40th birthday so can they give you a nice room on a high floor. We did this and they were fab as it was my friends 50th and they put us on the top floor - fantastic views and really nice corner rooms.
Dont have brekkie at the hotel: If you just want a quick breakfast then next door is a really good cafe and nowhere near as expensive as the hotel for breakfast. For a treat, head down to central station and opposite the station is a cafe/bar (under the bridge) which does brilliant american fried breakfasts.
Comments
So excited!!!:D
Also, these people at http://www.circleline42.com/new-york-cruises.aspx do a fantastic selection of cruises, including a 3 hour round trip of the whole island. So you see the tourist sights like downtown and the Brooklyn Bridge, but you also see the northern tip of the island as well. You used to go past the old Yankee Stadium this way, but I think that's been knocked down now (but could be wrong).
If you're into museums, then MOMA, Natural History, the Met and the Guggenheim are all incredible.
Have fun - I'm thinking of going again in November.
There are also loads of special events and club nights put on.. everyone should experience Halloween in NYC at least once! Seeing the subway invaded by zombies is great fun.
There is literally tons to do in New York. If you like shopping, tourist spots, or simply a bike-ride around central park, doubtful you could ever be bored during a short break. Fantastic place to visit.
It'll be just as cold in NY as it is here, so pack warm clothes.
There are loads of threads on this board regarding things to do in NYC... just do a search and you'll get enough advice on stuff to do to keep you busy for a month!
But yeah, by the time it gets to Halloween it does get quite cold... unlike now... its currently reaching 40C/105F... people are dropping in the streets from heat stroke! :eek:
If it's a better hotel than the one I was in, then £1700 would easily be eaten up with room and flights. (Oh yes, just looked up the hotel, and definitely in the luxury category!)
I stayed in the Ramada Eastside (An Applecore Hotel, think they're just affiliated with Ramada), on 30th and Lexington, was nice, but only really a 3* hotel.
Seems very reasonable to me. Accommodation costs are hellishly expensive in New York - usually around 70-100 per night for a cheap hotel before they add tax and flights are often around 300 to 400 return around that time.
Dont have brekkie at the hotel: If you just want a quick breakfast then next door is a really good cafe and nowhere near as expensive as the hotel for breakfast. For a treat, head down to central station and opposite the station is a cafe/bar (under the bridge) which does brilliant american fried breakfasts.