New York, New York... for first timers, DS(16) and I.. advice, tips?

[Lifestyleparent]

Always wanted to go to New York and finally have opportunity with a little money put aside. We are going in November and advice on where to stay, stuff to do that teen will love... please. On a budget. Tha

So jealous, you will have an incredible time! I love New York.

In terms of places to stay, how long will you be there for? If it’s a short break you’re probably best staying pretty central, so you don’t end up spending lots of time travelling back and forth on the subway. I recently stayed at the St Giles Tuscany which was very nice and quite cheap by NYC standards. I have also heard good things about the Pod hotels (if you don’t mind a small hotel room).

Pick up a card for the subway from one of the stations when you arrive, I think you can get them for 3 or 7 days unlimited use (but I may be mistaken)!

Things to do... there’s so much! If you want to see the skyline, I would recommend top of the rock over the Empire State Building, it is cheaper and the view isn’t obstructed by metal caging.

If you get good weather, a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge gives you a great view of Manhattan and Brooklyn.

If your DS is into sports, you could see if there are any games on nearby whilst you’re there?

There are also loads of great places to eat! I’m taking a guess that your son will appreciate stuff like burgers and pizza? Juliana’s pizza in Brooklyn is great, and there are loads of great burger places including Shake Shack (which is a chain but teens will probably love it)!

When we went, we did a good tour with Foods of NY. If you’re into food, I’d highly recommend it.

What's your budget for hotel? Who are you flying with?

I've only been in summer but know quite a few places to visit. Have you any 'hit lists' of things to see to start with?

Andrews diner - oh yes! We've never used public transport but are trekkers - you can cover a lot in a day.

Oh oh - and it is quite dear. With the crappy exchange rate we were surprised - and don't forget that even a crappy pizza joint expect a 20% tip these days!

I'm excited now. We got back a week ago and I'm already planning my next visit.

If you want to climb to the crown of the Statue of Liberty start looking to book now because tickets are very limited, also limited but slightly less so is the Plinth access. Turning up on the day may only get you onto the actual island.

The queues are mad so decide what you really want to do and pre book for first thing in the morning. The commuter ferry is pretty good (and free).

I'm currently looking at flights and hotels v air bnb - looking at arriving sat afternoon, and returning thursday. I would prefer to pay around 134/150 a night for hotel max..... but guess being more central would save on travel.... though where is central... i have no idea about New York!

Just planning my trip with the kids.

• Which 9/11 museum is the 'better' one and the one at the site? There seems to be 2; 9/11 Memorial & Museum and the 9/11 tribute museum and gallery
• Would you recommend a 'multi-ticket' such as this one? NYC

The most 'central' area IMO is around 34th St, as this is midway between the south end of Manhattan/Ground Zero/Battery Park, etc and the uptown areas inc. Central Park. Personally, I wouldn't stay around Times Square, as it's very touristy. You want to be near a confluence of lots of subway lines, ideally, so central or west is better than east (the east side only really has one subway line). You basically want to be between 14th and 42nd Sts.

We came back from a week in ny a couple of weeks ago. I have 2 teen dc who absolutely loved it. Food is indeed amazing but pricey at the moment with the exchange rates. The Staten Island ferry is a must. It’s free and you get a great view of the Statue of Liberty (I’ve climbed up it to the crown before kids and found it very underwhelming so not worth the money imo).

The High Line is great, and my kids loved seeing real life film locations. E.g. Washington Square (Avengers,I am legend etc, Grand Central Station, Central Park etc.

Ground Zero and the newly built area around it are well worth a visit. We also did a guided tour of the UN which was fascinating but we had to book well in advance as the spots fill up quickly. I’d second the Pp who suggested walking across the Brooklyn bridge. That was great.

We walked a lot of the time as NY is really easy to navigate but the subway is fine and safe and Taxis are everywhere (we used Uber a couple of times).

It is expensive though and don’t forget the tips!

The 9/11 memorial site itself is chilling in itself. We couldn't face the museum as we both knew people involved. The area is pretty interesting and there is a lot of other things to see there - Wall St, Battery Park, some amazing churches.

We love the High Line but get a guide before you go as they are no guides on it as to what you are looking at from the walkway, so you can miss some interesting things.

I've never found the multi tickets very good to be honest. Unless you know that y puy see going to see particular things a but plans always change dont they!?

And get a really good map - ours was OK but next time I'm defiantly getting something like an OS one!

It depends on your interests but Ellis Island is a good museum to visit, especially if you have family who emigrated - it's such a moving museum. And just go and gawk at Grand Central Station - there are guided tours, or there's an audio guide available. So much of the place will be familiar from having seen it in the movies... There's a great thread at www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/new-york/ which suggests all kinds of ways to make your money go further, and more suggestions at freetoursbyfoot.com/things-to-do-in-new-york-city/ - as an earlier poster said, it's a myth that America's cheap any more.

When I first went (must've been 17+ years now) by God it was cheap! Now - wow (and we live in London!).

Take a backpack and grab food and water at supermarkets (not so many on the upper side - apart from some wholefoods) and make some sandwiches for the day! Food bills really do add up (tenner the tip!).

There are loads of Pret a Mangers and Subways around (dearer than the UK). CAVA and Sweetgreen are US salad bar places that are around $9-10 for a huge and filling lunch - I can recommend these! The portions are like buckets and will fill up a hungry teenager.

Thank you for all the tips - off to have a good look at the links now... and to apply for another credit card... eek!

Ahhhh, I got a halifax card that charges no fees when used abroad (and had a cash back deal over the summer). I read about it on the Martin money saving expert site - next option after using cash so very useful.

Watching with interest as we also going in November, with DC of 18 and 21.

Anyone got any good hotel recommendations, I have searched a little online but some of the prices are eyewatering!

And the initial per night cost seems to then get multiple taxes added on, does anyone know exactly what taxes are paid and what %, as the hotels don't always state them unless I add our details, which I don't want to do.

We took a Halifax credit card - no transaction fees.

We also found lots of lovely little bakeries off the main streets selling hot soups/rolls/bagels that were fairly cheap lunches. Staten Island ferry is a fab way to get a great view of Manhattan and free. Brooklyn Bridge is amazing to walk over, as is Central Park. With the museums/galleries, you can make a donation - we paid the suggested amount of $32 or similar in the Met and the lady behind us tapped us on the shoulder and said No one does that, dear, give them $5!!

Starbucks/coffee shops for loos as there doesn't seem to be any public ones!
We loved just walking the streets to be honest, and didn't spend hardly any money on attractions, we just enjoyed the views and every street corner had something to see. The 911 museum is incredible, as are the pools and the entire ground zero site. We sat there very quietly for half an hour or so, there is definately some sort of tangible feeling there.

We went in November - it was fine walking everywhere in the day but at night, the wind was so cold it took your breath away and the streets were empty so take lots of layers. And comfy shoes.

We stayed here www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g60763-d224223-Reviews-Nyma_the_New_York_Manhattan_Hotel-New_York_City_New_York.html

Great location. Plus includes breakfast. Not amazing but if you're on a budget it all helps. There was a food market every night at Herald Sq (v.close) and we ate there most nights. Plus it has a rooftop bar ($$$) but can pop up for views of ESB - which is next block. Some rooms have ESB view.

I'm find that when I factor in everything ie. buy flights, with baggage allowance, then think about transfers etc. and hotel, it actually comes in around the same as buying a 'package'.....

Any recommendations on where to book hotels?

We flew with Norwegian-so much cheaper than anyone else. Would use them again in a heartbeat for the money. Booked with hotels.com as all the fees etc were included so nothing to pay at hotel.
If you’re there at a weekend I would thoroughly recommend going for brunch-we found a lovely place in Greenwich village and it was fab. Loads of locals which is always a good sign. Paid about $17 a head but that included a mimosa, bottomless coffee and food. Kept us going til dinner.

Ah yes, the cold...I was there in "spring" (March-April) - the week before my visit people had been jogging around Central Park in singlets and shorts. So I packed accordingly. The actual week I was there the wind was absolutely biting - great for crystal clear photos but not good when you've only packed one decent outdoor shirt... it was so cold that the street vendors outside the subway stations were doing a roaring trade in earmuffs, scarves and hats...

We booked via ba.com and got a fantastic rate. If you chose a hotel, you can see the cheaper times to book and their offers are very good. Ours was £750 each staying 4 nights in a 5* hotel and the same break with Thomas Cook/Virgin was over £1300 so it's worth a look.

Best area to stay in anyone? We would prefer to walk places so somewhere reasonably central?