New York must-dos? restaurants and activites

[w00tman]

Hey folks

approaching an (annoyingly..) big birthday and looking to travel in the next couple of months to New York. Never been before, so totally green around the gills.

We've booked a hotel in the Midtown West/Penn Station area (approximately anyway) but want any suggestions for food or activities that you'd want to do if it were your first time.

So far we have booked New York Knicks and Broadway show. I'd like to do Katz's deli and we have a couple of old school pizza places I'd love to do but outside of that - obligatory Empire State Building, 9/11 Memorial? anything we should avoid? budget for restaurants is anything from a few tens of dollars ro some pricier meals - maybe £200 - 300 with a few drinks? lower-mid price I'd assume.

Lastly, what's the best way of getting around - subway or uber or taxi? thinking less during the day but maybe post-restaurant. In London I'd uber at night and underground during the day typically.

Thank you for any/all advice for this old man..

[fat80b]

Restaurant wise: this is what we did 3 weeks ago.

Manhatta which is in the financial district on the 60th floor. Lovely food and a great view / ambience. Highly recommend. Might just be out of budget if you listen to the sommelier and go large on the wine like we did but worth the extra few quid imho.

If you want steak. Gallaghers just off T square is pretty good. We did an afternoon porterhouse before the evening flight home.

Something a bit different - Noreetuh- Hawaiian / Korean mish mash with an extensive but not expensive wine list. It felt like it it was locals and not tourists which is what we tried to achieve. Nearby there were plenty of decent local bars as well

Transport wise. Subway. Tap and go with a credit card.
Ubers / taxis in manhattan aren’t that cheap ime.

[HJG]

Use subway for travel - bear in mind some entrances are direction specific and you cannot go back after the ticket barrier.

Head over to Brooklyn to Time Out market for a much cheaper breakfast / brunch. Plus you can get s great view of Manhattan Bridge.


See a show on Broadway (we saw Back to the Future and it really was amazing).

Take the subway to Hoboken, New Jersey. It's about 25min. You get a great view back of NYC from the Riverside.

It's more chaotic, dirtier and in general more expensive than London, but I at least didn't see gangs riding round on bikes stealing stuff.

[r3g]

w00tman said:

Hey folks

approaching an (annoyingly..) big birthday and looking to travel in the next couple of months to New York. Never been before, so totally green around the gills.

We've booked a hotel in the Midtown West/Penn Station area (approximately anyway) but want any suggestions for food or activities that you'd want to do if it were your first time.

So far we have booked New York Knicks and Broadway show. I'd like to do Katz's deli and we have a couple of old school pizza places I'd love to do but outside of that - obligatory Empire State Building, 9/11 Memorial? anything we should avoid? budget for restaurants is anything from a few tens of dollars ro some pricier meals - maybe £200 - 300 with a few drinks? lower-mid price I'd assume.

Lastly, what's the best way of getting around - subway or uber or taxi? thinking less during the day but maybe post-restaurant. In London I'd uber at night and underground during the day typically.

Thank you for any/all advice for this old man..

You do realise that New York is basically a ghetto these days along with several million immigrants sleeping rough on every street? Absolutely avoid the subway if you don't want to get knifed and robbed. Take security with you as you'll need it to be protected from the gangs.

[w00tman]

r3g said:

You do realise that New York is basically a ghetto these days along with several million immigrants sleeping rough on every street? Absolutely avoid the subway if you don't want to get knifed and robbed. Take security with you as you'll need it to be protected from the gangs.

Thanks for the positive words, appreciated.

[Unexpected Item In The Bagging Area]

I haven’t been for a few years so I’ve no idea about where to eat etc, but what I would suggest is that you walk a lot as it’s a fascinating city that can only truly be appreciated on foot. It’s well worth exploring the Upper East and West Sides and you can link them by wandering around Central Park which is a beautiful place to be in spring. Make the most of the park it’s a great way to take a break from the streets.

[a311]

We tended to take the subway during the day and cabs in the evening for getting to restaurants if needed. The traffic is quieter so its quicker/cheaper than trying to negotiate during the day.

I mostly just enjoyed mooching around the various neighbourhoods, I liked the intrepid museum. Restaurants change frequently and its a few years now since I was last there but the old classics such as the River Cafe is one of my favourites for the overall experience. There plenty of low cost to free stuff we did, subway to Brooklyn and walked back over the Brooklyn bridge, Staten Island ferry gives you decent views of the statue of Liberty, you can either just stay on the ferry and do a round trip or get off for a bit.

Rockefellar Centre is another one to consider for views, its recommended as you get to see the Empite State building too which is hard when you're already standing in it......

We did alot of the museums and art galleries too.

[valiant]

r3g said:

You do realise that New York is basically a ghetto these days along with several million immigrants sleeping rough on every street? Absolutely avoid the subway if you don't want to get knifed and robbed. Take security with you as you'll need it to be protected from the gangs.

Just act as you would in London and you’ll be fine. It’s far from a ghetto (although the homelessness is pretty evident)and a great place to visit although as in London, have your wits about you and use a bit of common sense.

Subway ain't that bad and is the easiest way to get around especially now as it’s all contactless so no faff with ticketing although Uber and Lyft are plentiful as well as yellow cabs esp in Manhattan.

We’re just back from the States and I can confirm that everything is expensive over there now thanks to the crappy currency rates on offer. Got 1.25! I remember when it was $2 to £1! Just expect to pay more than you thought for everything and you’ll be fine

Enjoy it. It’s a great city.

[Jugosaurus]

You'll have a great time!
If down in the financial district or heading to One World Trade stop I'd suggest The Dead Rabbit. It's won numerous awards over the years

https://thedeadrabbit.com/?utm_source=google_busin...

Walking the High Line is a great way to get a different perspective and The Edge is good and a bit of excitement!

Enjoy!

[trumpton7291]

Oddly enough despite travelling all that way it’s a great contrast to hire a car and get out of manhattan just for the day and go somewhere like Woodbury common just to maximise the trip, and the wife will love it.

https://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/woodbury-com...

[Hedgeman]

r3g said:

You do realise that New York is basically a ghetto these days along with several million immigrants sleeping rough on every street? Absolutely avoid the subway if you don't want to get knifed and robbed. Take security with you as you'll need it to be protected from the gangs.

Ignore this - it's utter tosh. I've been visiting NYC for years, and never a hint of trouble in anything approaching the tourist parts of Manhattan or Brooklyn. I was there again twice so far this year, once for business and once for a long weekend.

Assuming you are there for a few days...
Things to visit: Top of the Rock (view better than Empire State), Freedom Tower, Intrepid, Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (Try to get Crown Tickets), Twin Towers Memorial, the Met
Places to walk: the High Line from Hudson Yards down to Little Island, Central Park, loop of mid-town (Bryant Park, Grand Central, Rockefeller Plaza), downtown (start in Brooklyn, walk the bridge to Manhattan, Wall Street, Charging Bull, Battery Park)
Places to eat: Steak - Keens or Peter Lugers, Pizza - Capizzis or Grimaldis
Getting around: subway for Manhattan or Brooklyn at any mainstream hours

[ATG]

Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, aka the Met and MoMA, have to be on the list.

[Jordie Barretts sock]

Statue of Liberty I'd do. Although no need to go up it. Liberty Island and the immigration museum are worth doing.

We did the Staten Island Ferry which gives a great view of SoL and lower Manhattan. It's also free. So we got off at Staten Island and rode back.

Eat a hotdog in Times Square.

Yellow cabs are everywhere. Just hail them in the street. The drivers have a sixth sense and won't miss you.

[The Leaper]

ATG said:

Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, aka the Met and MoMA, have to be on the list.

And the Frisk Museum...awesome.

R

[Louis Balfour]

w00tman said:

Hey folks

approaching an (annoyingly..) big birthday and looking to travel in the next couple of months to New York. Never been before, so totally green around the gills.

We've booked a hotel in the Midtown West/Penn Station area (approximately anyway) but want any suggestions for food or activities that you'd want to do if it were your first time.

So far we have booked New York Knicks and Broadway show. I'd like to do Katz's deli and we have a couple of old school pizza places I'd love to do but outside of that - obligatory Empire State Building, 9/11 Memorial? anything we should avoid? budget for restaurants is anything from a few tens of dollars ro some pricier meals - maybe £200 - 300 with a few drinks? lower-mid price I'd assume.

Lastly, what's the best way of getting around - subway or uber or taxi? thinking less during the day but maybe post-restaurant. In London I'd uber at night and underground during the day typically.

Thank you for any/all advice for this old man..

Westway Diner is good for breakfast: https://westwaydiner.com/

None of the "nice" restaurants I went to last year were worth the money, steaks weren't good enough for the price, and wine was staggeringly expensive. If I went again any time soon I'd survive happily in diners, on pizza slices and bagels.

The High Line is good and free: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/parks/highline

Grand Central Terminal is worth a look.

Central Park is nice.

Ground Zero is a must-do.

[Jordie Barretts sock]

Yeah Grand Central is worth a visit. Spot the square yard of ceiling in the main concourse that was left dirty to show how bad it had got.

We ate breakfast at Applebys a few times. Was OK for the money. Agree with Balfour, expensive restaurants are not worth it.

[smifffymoto]

New York is one of those places you either love or hate.

I’m firmly in the hate camp,whilst I enjoyed the chaos,architecture and museums,I loathed the high over inflated prices of eating out and tipping and the people.

[thebraketester]

Cable car to Roosevelt Island is a fun one. Not many people seem to do it but it's great and offers some amazing views.

[Tam_Mullen]

I would encourage anyone to go up the Rockefeller centre instead of the Empire state, for one you get a view of the Empire State! 9/11 memorial is a must, I was only about 8 when it happened but I think that added to it because I didn't really appreciate the significance of it at the time. We ate at Ellens Stardust diner just off of Times Square, budding broadway stars work there and they sing and perform as youre eating, its a nice experience but the food is mediocre and expensive. As well as the tip on the bill they come round with a bucket after the waiters have sang their songs.

As others have said Woodbury Common is good for a shopping trip if thats your thing, we got a bus up from the PABT, walking through there was an experience...

There are plenty of opportunistic people that would love to ruin your holiday but if you're switched on and don't look too much like a tourist you'll be fine.

[satans worm]

Jordie Barretts sock said:

Yeah Grand Central is worth a visit. Spot the square yard of ceiling in the main concourse that was left dirty to show how bad it had got.

We ate breakfast at Applebys a few times. Was OK for the money. Agree with Balfour, expensive restaurants are not worth it.

Yeah, Applebees, dont eat there!

For low costs breakfast find a cool bagel place (research on google but Tompkins square bagel and russ and daughters are 2 that spring to mind, there are many more) or goto one of the many breakfast carts in midtown for a bacon egg and cheese roll (NY special) for about 5USD, the greek on 6th is a good card (51st and 6th) and he gives a free fist pump to every customer , or just hit a bodega for a New York experience

But leave the chains out, just overpriced crap food lives there.

Look up 'food wars' on YouTube, one English guy one American finding the 'best burger' or something in either New York or London, your feel very hungry after but it will give you some places to visit that will be good and not tourist stuff