If your going for shopping, get the LIRR from penn station to garden city, quite a journey but worth going to an outer mall as prices are cheaper, abercrombie for instance has sales on in all the other stores except the one in Manhattan.
If you havent booked your hotel yet, fully recommend the ameritannia, its right by times square.
I went to NY near to xmas 2010 when we had that huge dump of snow in UK,
and was stuck at JFK,
People think ..oh wow stuck in NY at Christmas..lucky you......NO, money run out and had to spend most of the time trying to get another flight among the other hundreds and hundreds of stranded.
Any way NY was an experience, ground zero was very humbling
I stayed there for a couple of nights in June, and we rented an apartment to stay in. This worked out cheaper than a 4 star hotel (last time we went my bf was really disappointed with the 3* hotel - though i thought was fine for just sleeping tbh) as there was three of us, so we would of had to get a 2 bed suite or two rooms, and actually the apartment cost about the same as one room for the two nights we were there, so if there are more than two of you in the group going, it may be worth looking into!
Food wise, where do i start? I'm lucky, but I've never had a bad meal there! If you like Steak, try Del Frisco's on the corner of 49th st and 6th avenue, pricey but delicious, i recommend the side dish they had mash sweet potato with cinnamon, delish! Pasta Lovers, which is a few doors down from Del Frisco's is also very nice!
When (not if) you go to the Emire State Building viewing gallery
do the NY Skyride iMax cinema tour. I think it's extra but it's brilliant!
The Skyride really isn't worth it, it's far nicer to actually just go up a tall building or across the Brooklyn Bridge instead and see the view, rather than be stuck indoors looking at images. I only went on the Skyride because it was so foggy going to the top of the Empire State was pointless, and I was on a school trip so couldn't just go somewhere else!
I'd skip the Empire State altogether and go up the Rockefeller Centre instead - better views, including the Empire State itself (which is also great seen at twilight from the subway entrance beside Macy's at 34th Street) - and the Rockefeller has the added bonus at that time of year of the lovely festive ice rink in the plaza beside it
Find an American forum, preferably a New York based one, and ask actual New Yorkers. You'll obviously get a lot better advice.
That's a bit rude!
The OP is going as a tourist, therefore advice from other tourists is going to be helpful. And sometimes more so than from locals in relation to the big tourist attractions.
NY does *have* to be be done, I wouldn't deny it... But you wouldn't believe how clean the London underground is by comparison to the subway in NY.
I agree. My recent trip to New York certainly made me more appreciative of London's facilities, particularly the underground which is quite shocking in New York. Not only are the trains dirty and uncomfortable with hard seats (when you can get a seat), there are no overhead maps on the trains to work out where you need to get off. Very confusing. And getting through the antiquated turnstiles with the 'swipe' ticket system is an art form, needing several attempts (apparently needs to be done at just the right speed, not too fast or too slow). London's underground must be one of the best in the world, even if it is rather expensive.
We stayed in Manhattan near Central Park. The park is lovely, the museums fantastic. We did the river cruise and saw a Broadway show, all really enjoyable.
All in all, I wouldn't return to New York again. I found it dirty and quite expensive in comparison to London and other European cities. The shops weren't all that great either. Macey's looks like it's stuck in a past time. Bloomingdales doesn't compare to some of London's more exclusive stores. (I know there are good outlet stores but we didn't have time and weren't really interested in shopping, we just wanted to visit the famous stores). In the US, tax is added onto everything you buy at the till (unlike in the UK which incorporates VAT into the ticket price) so you can get some unpleasant surprises when paying for purchases.
The OP is going as a tourist, therefore advice from other tourists is going to be helpful. And sometimes more so than from locals in relation to the big tourist attractions.
Not "rude" at all. Since the language is the same it makes perfect sense to ask the people from that country for advice on what to see and do. They obviously know more about their own towns and cities than tourists from other countries. It would be very strange to think otherwise.
The first time I went to NY I hated it. I agree with the poster who said Macy's is old fashioned, but I have been back twice since and loved it. My advice book stuff like Empire State and Statue of Liberty in advance on line so no queuing. If your timing is right you can book to go in the Statue of Liberty's crown which is not open to everyone. Also be aware in restaurants and bars in particular the price you see is not the price you pay, tax and tips will need to be added. In NY they will ask you if you want change meaning can I have it as a tip.
Be prepared for the hustle and bustle and take a city sightseeing bus as it takes you to places like Harlem and Brooklyn, buy a 24 hour ticket.
Havent spent time in NYC since 2003, and then I really loved it. I cant recall the underground being dirty but I do recall the trains being uncomfortable. If you are unsure of which train to get ask a local - all usually very friendly.
I did think that going to Macy's was cool, I enjoyed the old fashioned feel but there are Macy's everywhere in the US.
Will be back for a long weekend in October - its only an hours flight these days:p
The Skyride really isn't worth it, it's far nicer to actually just go up a tall building or across the Brooklyn Bridge instead and see the view, rather than be stuck indoors looking at images. I only went on the Skyride because it was so foggy going to the top of the Empire State was pointless, and I was on a school trip so couldn't just go somewhere else!
Oh dear.
Well, I did the iMax, thought it was great and did lots of other things too.
What I'm saying is, if you go to the top of the Empire State Building do the iMax experience as well - it's fun.
It depends how much time the OP has.
Hopefully he's not going to be on a school trip and it won't be foggy
Either way - the OP's going to NY , yay!!
Not "rude" at all. Since the language is the same it makes perfect sense to ask the people from that country for advice on what to see and do. They obviously know more about their own towns and cities than tourists from other countries. It would be very strange to think otherwise.
They may know more about their own towns and cities, and be useful for general information about getting about and quirky off the beaten track places, but I don't think you should assume locals know best about the tourist traps - often someone living in a city hasn't been to half the most popular tourist attractions! They're living their lives there, not visiting the attractions, and often as a result aren't the greatest source of information about queue times, ticket tips etc. for popular tourist sites.
It would be extremely foolish, in my opinion, to discount the experiences of people who have been tourists in a particular place when the OP is indeed going as a tourist.
FWIW Expedia have posted a travel guide video to NYC on YouTube. It only covers the obvious places but is quite a good introduction. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtCMtC50gwY
There are quite a few other videos on YouTube about visiting NYC, both commercial travel guides and "home movies" taken by visitors, but I haven't yet checked to see if any of them are any good.
Don't use taxis unless you wanna spend a fortune. We bought 7 day passes for the subway and used that to get about. It's cheaper and no different to London Underground.
If you want to go to the 9/11 memorial you still have to pre-book that. It doesn't cost anything to go in though.
Go up to a Times Square but be prepared to be hassled by people trying to get you to go to a show.
It's mental, but in a brilliant way. I'd love to go back.
Comments
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1843186&highlight=new+york
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1781869&highlight=new+york
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1801833&highlight=new+york
If you havent booked your hotel yet, fully recommend the ameritannia, its right by times square.
and was stuck at JFK,
People think ..oh wow stuck in NY at Christmas..lucky you......NO, money run out and had to spend most of the time trying to get another flight among the other hundreds and hundreds of stranded.
Any way NY was an experience, ground zero was very humbling
US National Park Service web site:
http://www.nps.gov/stli/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/elis/index.htm
Ok Rachale
Seriously, I love NY!
I stayed there for a couple of nights in June, and we rented an apartment to stay in. This worked out cheaper than a 4 star hotel (last time we went my bf was really disappointed with the 3* hotel - though i thought was fine for just sleeping tbh) as there was three of us, so we would of had to get a 2 bed suite or two rooms, and actually the apartment cost about the same as one room for the two nights we were there, so if there are more than two of you in the group going, it may be worth looking into!
Food wise, where do i start? I'm lucky, but I've never had a bad meal there! If you like Steak, try Del Frisco's on the corner of 49th st and 6th avenue, pricey but delicious, i recommend the side dish they had mash sweet potato with cinnamon, delish! Pasta Lovers, which is a few doors down from Del Frisco's is also very nice!
Just the coming home that I don't fancy.
Go to Boston, Philadelphia or Toronto instead.
Beautiful clean cities.
NY does *have* to be be done, I wouldn't deny it... But you wouldn't believe how clean the London underground is by comparison to the subway in NY.
When (not if) you go to the Emire State Building viewing gallery
do the NY Skyride iMax cinema tour. I think it's extra but it's brilliant!
The Skyride really isn't worth it, it's far nicer to actually just go up a tall building or across the Brooklyn Bridge instead and see the view, rather than be stuck indoors looking at images. I only went on the Skyride because it was so foggy going to the top of the Empire State was pointless, and I was on a school trip so couldn't just go somewhere else!
I'd skip the Empire State altogether and go up the Rockefeller Centre instead - better views, including the Empire State itself (which is also great seen at twilight from the subway entrance beside Macy's at 34th Street) - and the Rockefeller has the added bonus at that time of year of the lovely festive ice rink in the plaza beside it
Find an American forum, preferably a New York based one, and ask actual New Yorkers. You'll obviously get a lot better advice.
That's a bit rude!
The OP is going as a tourist, therefore advice from other tourists is going to be helpful. And sometimes more so than from locals in relation to the big tourist attractions.
I agree. My recent trip to New York certainly made me more appreciative of London's facilities, particularly the underground which is quite shocking in New York. Not only are the trains dirty and uncomfortable with hard seats (when you can get a seat), there are no overhead maps on the trains to work out where you need to get off. Very confusing. And getting through the antiquated turnstiles with the 'swipe' ticket system is an art form, needing several attempts (apparently needs to be done at just the right speed, not too fast or too slow). London's underground must be one of the best in the world, even if it is rather expensive.
We stayed in Manhattan near Central Park. The park is lovely, the museums fantastic. We did the river cruise and saw a Broadway show, all really enjoyable.
All in all, I wouldn't return to New York again. I found it dirty and quite expensive in comparison to London and other European cities. The shops weren't all that great either. Macey's looks like it's stuck in a past time. Bloomingdales doesn't compare to some of London's more exclusive stores. (I know there are good outlet stores but we didn't have time and weren't really interested in shopping, we just wanted to visit the famous stores). In the US, tax is added onto everything you buy at the till (unlike in the UK which incorporates VAT into the ticket price) so you can get some unpleasant surprises when paying for purchases.
But New York was an experience!
Not "rude" at all. Since the language is the same it makes perfect sense to ask the people from that country for advice on what to see and do. They obviously know more about their own towns and cities than tourists from other countries. It would be very strange to think otherwise.
Be prepared for the hustle and bustle and take a city sightseeing bus as it takes you to places like Harlem and Brooklyn, buy a 24 hour ticket.
I did think that going to Macy's was cool, I enjoyed the old fashioned feel but there are Macy's everywhere in the US.
Will be back for a long weekend in October - its only an hours flight these days:p
Oh dear.
Well, I did the iMax, thought it was great and did lots of other things too.
What I'm saying is, if you go to the top of the Empire State Building do the iMax experience as well - it's fun.
It depends how much time the OP has.
Hopefully he's not going to be on a school trip and it won't be foggy
Either way - the OP's going to NY , yay!!
They may know more about their own towns and cities, and be useful for general information about getting about and quirky off the beaten track places, but I don't think you should assume locals know best about the tourist traps - often someone living in a city hasn't been to half the most popular tourist attractions! They're living their lives there, not visiting the attractions, and often as a result aren't the greatest source of information about queue times, ticket tips etc. for popular tourist sites.
It would be extremely foolish, in my opinion, to discount the experiences of people who have been tourists in a particular place when the OP is indeed going as a tourist.
I'll add that to my mental log, in case I ever go to NYC!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtCMtC50gwY
There are quite a few other videos on YouTube about visiting NYC, both commercial travel guides and "home movies" taken by visitors, but I haven't yet checked to see if any of them are any good.
If you want to go to the 9/11 memorial you still have to pre-book that. It doesn't cost anything to go in though.
Go up to a Times Square but be prepared to be hassled by people trying to get you to go to a show.
It's mental, but in a brilliant way. I'd love to go back.