Where to start????

I've been to New York for the past 4 years and am returning again this summer for another spell.
Have spent a total 30 days exploring over that time and always find new stuff each year.
places to visit depend on your tastes but there are a few that are essential.

1. Greyline bus tours - this is a must do, if you pay for the 3 day tour you have the option of including 3 attraction tickets.
these will give you access to:
A:Statue of liberty and Elliss Island Cruise(boat leaves battery park area and stops at both islands for you to get off and have a wander. Liberty Island is worth getting off at just to take pictures from the bottom of the Statue, the sight of the Statue of Liberty close up is breathtaking) Ellis island is a must see, the free tours that go on there are well worth and extremely interesting to listen to the history of the immigrants arriving there from the turn of the century.
B:Empire State Building
C:Top Of The Rock
D:Various Museums including the MOMA,Natural History Museum,Guggenheim.
E:Night Cruise up the Hudson
plus many more that I can't remember off hand.

I'd advise against the natural history museum as it was pretty boring to be honest, felt we wasted too much time viewing stuff that was a bit naff(I probably assumed it would be like the ben stiller film!!!)
Just do a google search on the greyline tours to see what you get for your money, the fact the tour goes from the top of the city to the bottom is the best part as it gives you a great guide of where to get off and on to see the otehr sights. You can hop on and off as many times as you want during the validity of your ticket, plus you get the night loop tour which takes you over the washington bridge into brooklyn for some awesome picture opportunities of teh city by night.

2. The Highline - do a google search for this, its an old railway track that has been converted into a fabulous haven above the city along the river, fabulous place to relax and pass an hour, restaurants up there to grab a snack and plenty of great pictures to be had from up there.

3.Grand Central Station - stunning place and essential to visit, make sure you visit the dining concourse at ground level for some fabulous grub.

4.Central Park has some hidden gems that a lot of people miss,(Belvedere Castle-The Carousel-the Boat House) try and find a good map and get to see those while there.

5.Southstreet Seaport - this is one of the stops on the bustour and is another great shopping and dining area, the actual pier section has a food hall on the second floor with my favourite snack in the worl at Nathans Hotdogs(The Famous Corndog) one taste and you'll never look back!

Aside from the obvious sights there are thousands of places dotted aound the city, The Flatiron District is fabulous and down below that is Union Square, another awesome place with various street artists and performers all day and night. you will be blown away by the amount of things to occupy your time and will want to go back year after year.

As for dining, in Times Square there are a multitude of eateries from Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock to Bubba Gump and The Olive Garden, along with every fast food giant under the sun.

for true New York food you MUST visit The Carnegie Deli, it's located above times square, it has the best hot sandwiches in the city, do a google search for teh sandwiches of this place, they are enormous and enough for 2 people.
Redvelvet cake is a stunning bite to eat too, there are many places that sell it, but my favourite was from a store called the food emporium, there are loads in the city, they're like a local tesco, but stacked with amazing quality cakes,pastries and sandwiches.
Juniors Cheescake is also a must eat when your there, their restaurant by the big marriott hotel in times square is an awesome place to eat too, prices are good and the portions are massive, we ate here at least 3 times last year. you must try their plain new york style cheescake though, it's the best in the city.
Rays Pizza is also a revelation, real new york eating at dirt cheap prices, grab a slice and get out on the streets.

do a google search for Restaurant Row, this is up on 46th street and is literally that, a whole street ram jammed with restaurants catering for every single taste imaginable, due to the volume of restaurants there the prices are great too.

I can't speak highly enough of Manhattan, it's in my opinion, the Centre of the Universe. It really has it all.
I've never felt so safe as I do there, the Police presence makes you feel great and the people of New York
are the Greatest.
If you have any questions drop me a line and i'll be happy to answer.....RED VELVET CAKE...Dont forget it.
you're gonna have the time of your lives.

Great info lamf37

Not even going to New York, but I'm drooling just looking at some of the restaurants mentioned Methinks it's time to start saving

Wow, lamf37, that was a fantastic response, more than enough there.
Thankyou very much.
Have you been to Coney Island?

Loved it at Top of the Rock less crowds and a better view than the empire State.....not sure if your son or hubby is a sports fan why dont you take the subway and book a tour of New Yankee stadium....it is awesome but im a baseball fan...may not be for everybody

Subway....OMG..is it safe????

Subway....OMG..is it safe????

Yes, so long as you are sensible

I went to Yankee Stadium last year to see Paul McCartney play, I used the subway and it was great.
I have been on the subway countless times, can't say I'd feel too clever on there at 1 in the morning
going to the Bronx but that's where the stadium is, Daytime felt as safe as houses though as all there
are on the subway trains are tourists and commuters. It really is a great way to get around the place
and is so cheap, same principal as the London Underground with the metrocard, you buy it for a balance
then top it up whenever you need to, every trip you make is the same price, whether you go one stop
or from the top of the island to the bottom.
Went to Coney Island twice, it's a fabulous day out, I was obsessed with the Warriors movie and had to
visit the place...I caught a bus there from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, it was cheap,safe and quick.
I shouldve menioned Coney Island in my first post to be honest as it's great fun.

Also have a check on Ticketmaster.com for shows and events on in the time your over there, I have luckily caught
over the years, Harry Connick Jr, Paul McCartney, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Specials, Level 42(that was for the wife)
Dinosaur Jr.....Theres plenty of gigs announced right up until the date you will leave, and the advantage of booking and printing
your own tickets is obvious and really handy.

Glad you liked my info above, but there's hours and hours of info I have if you need any more.
I must say that food out there is dirt cheap, just stay away from the big restaurants to avoid
the big bills but even then, you're still getting far better value than you do back here in the UK.
The Hard Rock in Times Square is far cheaper than the one in Cardiff for example.
And I love the Hard Rock!!!!

A Pretzel(as boring as that sounds) is a great high carb breakfast to fuel you through the morning
and is cheap as chips, try and find an Auntie Annes pretzel shop as they are the greatest. Avoid the
street vendors selling pretzel though as they are always cold...either that or insist on a fresh hot one.

If you need any info on your hotel just ask, I've got a pretty good idea of where most of them are.
I personally stayed in The Hotel New Yorker for the first two years, then for the last two The Jewel Facing
Rockerfeller, and am going back there this summer again.
out of curiosity what hotel are you staying in Cazz?

If you go to New York and don't have the time of your life, there is seriously something wrong with you.

There is some great info there, many thanks.

A friend is just back from New York and stayed outside Manhattan as he said it was a lot cheaper. What is the average rate per night for a basic hotel? I doubt you spend much time in your room. Are rates more expensive during the week than at weekends?

luci

I havnt booked yet, but was wanting somewhere near times square, is that pretty central for getting about.
Most of what you've posted are waht we would like to do, just hope a week is long enough, were originally planned four nights but are stretching the budget to a week.
Planning the holiday of a lifetime next year.......Route 66!

I loved New York and I'm NOT a city person. We stayed in midtown Manhattan - we walked loads of places - it was like being in the movies! We used the subway to go up and down to south Manhattan and further afield and we used yellow cabs at night or if we were in a hurry. They were dead cheap and easy to get hold of.
Defo go up the Rock rather than the Empire State building. The Rock has more open space at the top and you can see the Empire State building from thereof good places but the most fun was Ellens Stardust Diner onBroadway near Times Square. Singing waiters - they're all aspiring Broadway stars!
The night time river cruise has awesome views of the city.
I can't wait to go back

We ate in loads

if you can afford it.....i can highly Recommend the Beacon hotel....the rooms for NY are really a great size plus have got a microwave in the rooms to save you some money with a deli close by...its on the upper west side 3 mins walk to dakota building where john lennon was shot and central park...and either a short bus ride to times square or a 30 mins walk bus stop right oppiste on other side of road..

http://beaconhotel.com/

http://beaconhotel.com/rooms_dbldbl.htm

manhatton hotels very expensive...

Cazz, Regarding any advice you receive on Hotels, dont worry about any of them, almost all of the are within spitting distance of the sights.
There are a few I'd avoid for location and "Smell"(the Pensylvania - my parents stayed here during the 911 attacks so the Mrs and I went in to see what it was like, Not very inviting I must say, but the rooms couldve been lovely for all I know).

the New Yorker was a great hotel in a great location, but having found the Jewel Facing Rockerfeller I'd stay here every visit if it's available, the location is amazing, right facing Rockerfeller plaza and a couple of minutes walk into times square.

what you should really consider is your return to the hotel after an evening out, chances are you'll spend most every evening ending up in times square, it's like a moth to a lamp, it's irresistable, and the last thing you want after walking miles and miles all day is a huge trudge back to yoru bed, for the first couple of days it's okay, but by the 4th and 5th days you'll be praying and wishing you'd booked a hotel closer to the middle.
Just consider that before booking.

there is a great hotel and well priced up above times square called the wellington, whist not being super modern and all that, it's perfectly placed and looked nice and clean inside. I can't speak for the rooms themselves and there are mixed reviews online, but most of the bad reviews seem to be from American tourists who want the world included with the price.

Like I said earlier if you need any more advice just drop me a line on here and I'll help as best I can, I'm a compulsive nosey swine by nature and had to stick my head into dozens of hotels there, just for future reference....

And also remember, whatever hotel you book, find their website and drop them an email, saying something like, it's your anniversary, honeymoon, Trip of a lifetime that you've taken 5 years to save up for or celebration of some sort(dont say birthday - messed that up myself with the passport) and ask if they can give you a high floor room with a view. It's worked for me everytime. Sometimes theyre not gonna be able to help you out, but I do believe that they genuinely do try...and for the sake of an email it's worth ten minutes of your time.

In answer to your questions, A week is a great time for your first visit, I have never understood the "Long Weekend" trips people plan there.
There is simply not enough time to take it all in, you'd be aching for more after 3 or 4 days.
If you book close to the rockerfeller or times square you wont go wrong, there are plenty of other locations in midtown that are great too, The Hotel New Yorker is brilliantly located as is the Paramount. You dont really need to be right in the centre of times square in fact I'd advise trying to book at least a block away from there to get a better rate.
check all map locations before booking and remember that nothing is too far away when the subway is always beneath you for a couple of dollars a trip.

luci HT Mod wrote:

There is some great info there, many thanks.

A friend is just back from New York and stayed outside Manhattan as he said it was a lot cheaper. What is the average rate per night for a basic hotel? I doubt you spend much time in your room. Are rates more expensive during the week than at weekends?

luci :wave

Can't really answer that, im pretty sure the rates go up on the weekend for hotels and during Xmas and Thanksgiving periods the prices go up again. The Hotel I've been to for teh past couple of years is actually cheaper if booked through expedia than if you book direct with them, no idea how that works, the same went for the first hotel I stayed in.... As for staying outside Manhattan, I'd never consider it. I would prefer to save up a few more quid and stay where the action is, the thought of "Having" to catch a Train/Bus/Taxi would make my holiday slightly anxious to be honest, I've always tried to holiday in places that should it be required I could walk anywhere to get me where I wanted to go. As for spending much time in your room, last year we were so tired in teh middle of our time there we spent a whole evening in the room watcing HBO an eating burgers and cheescake. Simply couldn't move off the bed, the wifes blisters had reached mega proportions and I thought my head was falling off! The last thing you'd want would be to be stuck in a dive of a room though, but apart from that, you're right, you're only in there to sleep and shower.
I have had friends stay out in Williamsburg across the river and whilst their hotel was state of the art, They had no choice but to catch Taxis every night back there which in the end didn'y make their holiday any cheaper. I advise saving a bit more and staying right in the heart of it

Thanks for the info and advice. Duly noted.

luci