New York

Thinking of going to New York in early Dec for a week. Never been so will be doing the touristy thing.

Just wondered if anyone has any advice or where to go and what's not worth a visit.

Also any recommendations on where to stay?

Ahh, I was just thinking we hadn't had a New York or Amsterdam thread for a week or two...

Helicoptor ride , boat ride and the bus tour.......

fully recomended in that order...see and do every thing....

Seperate day in Central Park...Horse and cart etc.....Say hello to the Horse outside the hotel...for me:rolleyes:

Go outside the Empire State, there are blokes selling packs of tourist tickets. Gives you quicker access to the Empire State, as the queues are bad. Also tourist bus trips, boat, and Statue of Liberty. Much cheaper and great venues for the trip.

Thinking of going to New York in early Dec for a week. Never been so will be doing the touristy thing.

 

Just wondered if anyone has any advice or where to go and what's not worth a visit.

 

Also any recommendations on where to stay?

I'm going to New York at the end of July for five days with the Mrs and in-laws. Looking for some ideas of what to do and see and any excursions anyone can recomend. Father in law is a petrol head, so any car museum information would be most welcome.

I was there earlier this month, 4th visit. Empire State Building is nice, Top of the Rock is better (because you can also see the ESB and it's nothing like as busy).

Statue of Liberty tours were not stopping at the island due to effects of Hurricane Sandy, but the boat trip I went on instead took you up the East River to get good pics of One World Trade Center, past Ellis Island and Liberty, and also up past the Brooklyn Bridge - though it's more expensive than the Staten Island Ferry if you just want to go past the Statue.

The packs of tourist things are cheaper than buying everything separately, but you'll need to do at least 3 things to make it cheaper, we only wanted ESB and Liberty Boat so we took the hit and paid the "standard" prices.

Hotelwise, depends how much "luxury" you want, we stayed one block from ESB and practically next to Macy's on 32rd Street, down the road from Madison Square Garden, and it worked out about £150 a night. Hotel Stanford. Koreatown but we didn't do anything Korean, it was just VERY central for what we'd planned. Big double bed, clean room, small bath with shower in it, safe, swipe card, complimentary bagel/continental brekkie, selection of amusing US tv channels, blackout curtains and competent, friendly helpful staff.

Previously I've stayed in Vanderbilt YMCA, East Side, over near 50th around 2nd Avenue but not far from Rockefeller/Radio City and UN, you got two bunks in a (private) room, use of a shared shower and toilet block at the end of the corridor with cubicles, a small tv per room and much, much, cheaper but you still have your own room (though the floors were split by gender back then). Had a gym and running track indoors, breakfast on site, just depends what you want to pay.

Century 21 near World Trade Center site is still cheap (and there are other C21s in NYC) but New Jersey doesn't have sales tax so is 8% cheaper for everything and has lots of malls (not that we went), and just a short train ride away if you know where to go.

I also went to MetLife Stadium, Madison Square Garden, Central Park (and the Zoo, which was... alright), Macy's, Bloomingdales, 7-11 for a Slurpee, Wendy's burger and a couple of Broadway shows.

I bloody love it.

I've been twice recently, both times in December. On each visit I've come away with a longer list of things to do and see next time. It's a great City: cosmopolitan, clean (mostly), friendly and safe. I reccommend:

Museum of Modern Art - admission free on Friday afternoon/evening

Grand Central Station Oyster Bar - fantastic seafood

Highline Manhattan walk (free)

Staten Island Ferry (free) - great views of the Statute of Liberty and Manhatten skyline. Best time to go is late afternoon, returning at twilight.

Central Park

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Rockerfeller Centre - Christmas Tree, skating rink and restaurant at the top for excellent food and views across to Empire State Building (you may recognise it from Sleepless in Seattle)

Waldorf Astoria - no charge to walk through it, but worth stopping for a cocktail.

... and so much else

December is a wonderful time to visit New York

We've satyed at the Roger Smith hotel - no restaurant, but clean, reasonably priced and centrally located and the New York Athletic Club - great lcoation and facilties, but a bit pricier.

The best single thing we did: took the subway over to Brooklyn and then walked back across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan.

Other highlights: walking for a couple of hours in Central Park; walking along 42nd. St and seeing the UN, the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station, Times Square; walking around Greenwich Village.

Was there last month

Enjoyed walking around different areas and finding some decent bars , all selling some impressive local brews.

Times Sq a big tourist rip off. Quick in , Quick out.

Brooklyn and bridge walk back a must. Having a kick about on the footy pitch opposite the Manhatten skyline.

Highline walk was nice in the sunshiiiine

Rangers at Madison Sq Garden

You will enjoy!

Best thing I did was take the subway for a long journey to Coney Island and ride The Cyclone. A traditional wooden roller coaster , but a hell of a ride. The whole place was awesome, a real throw back to old school seafront amusements.

A pastrami sandwich on rye at Katz deli is well worth a lunch.

If you are a bit flush then take he subway to Harlem and have a stroll to The Apollo and then lunch or dinner at Red Rooster qis great, met the chef Marcus Sammuelsson, very famous in NY, bloody Arsenal fan though!

Also grat for food was the Spotted Pig downtown as well as the original Nobu, and Buddakhan was great for Asian food.

And if you fancy a real NY pizza then Grimaldi on the other side of The Brooklyn Bridge, a bit touristy, a bit of a queue but really great pizza all he same.

Enjoy

I've been twice recently, both times in December. On each visit I've come away with a longer list of things to do and see next time. It's a great City: cosmopolitan, clean (mostly), friendly and safe. I reccommend:

 

...

 

Waldorf Astoria - no charge to walk through it, but worth stopping for a cocktail.

 

... and so much else

Don't just walk through it. give them a call. Don't to the online stuff, pick up the phone. We always stay there now, and Mrs.H gets pretty good deals over the phone.

We even got married there, in a suite in the towers.

It's an absolutely fantastic hotel, old Art Deco at it's very best.

Me and mrs MC going in December for 5 days.

Staying at the Waldorf cause they had some really good deals online.

Loved it there. Someone who worked for the company I am at, left because she did not want to work out there, full time for a couple of years.

I would love to do this!

Loved it there. Someone who worked for the company I am at, left because she did not want to work out there, full time for a couple of years.

 

I would love to do this!

.

probably one of those strange people who has to live within a 5 mile radius circle of their Mum.

I'm going back to New york in early December, it's been nearly 9 years since I last went so I literally can not wait! Everybody's recommendations just makes me want to fly out now.

Its worth checking the tourist places own website like the Empire State because you can print-at-home your tickets which is a little bit cheaper than walk-up sales plus you bypass the queues.

Yup, I live here. Just stick to all the places mentioned above in this thread and don't go near anywhere us locals actually go.

We stay here http://www.grandnewyork.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html when we go.

Smack next door to the Chrysler building, yards from Grand Central Station.

A bit pricey and weekend rates are cheaper when they don't charge top rates for businessmen on expense accounts.

If you prefer a nicer class of hotel, you're always going to pay for it in NY. To save money, unless you can get a good B&B deal online (check out Hyatt's own site for offers, they often have better packages than booking sites) don't bother eating there. There are loads of places nearby where you can get a great cheap breakfast.

One thing, you'll never starve in NYC. there are loads of great places to eat.

Wouldn't disagree with any of the tips above.

One I would add, if you intend doing any shopping Macy's before Xmas (and who wouldn't with some of their bargains? I bought two Lacoste jumpers for £27 each) go straight to the Customer Services department and get the tourist tax discount vouchers. Well worthwhile.

Staten Island Ferry is best free thing in NYC and takes you right by the Statue of Liberty for good pix, but beware. You are not allowed to stay on the boat for the return journey if you intend coming straight back.

You have to disembark, pass through the terminal, go outside and nip back in to join the queue to re-embark. Don't hang around or you might miss the boat going back and have to wait an hour or so for the next one,

And believe me, there is very little in the terminal or immediate vicinity to kill time and you could face the longest hour of your life.

I am going in July for 5 nights - taking the lady to see Katy Perry at the Barclays Centre

Best hotel?

Langham Place, Fifth Avenue

The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel

Trump Soho New York

The Pierre, A Taj Hotel, New York

The Waldorf Towers

The Quin

The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park

Nobody has mentioned the revolving Marriott Hotel in Times Square. Well worth a visit.