Must Do's in New York

[marmiteandcheeseoncrumpetspls]

DD17 and I are going to New York for 4 days in December.
What are the 'Must do' things that you would recommend. We want to put together some sort of itinerary so we don't waste time faffing every morning!

So far we have :
Ground Zero
Rockerfeller Centre
Katz Deli
Central Park
Brooklyn Bridge
Empire State Building
Shopping
We have a Broadway show booked

Any recommendations gratefully received!

Ellen’s Stardust Diner

Walk the highline.

Staten Island Ferry at night time.

And actually I went a few weeks ago and one of the best things we did was an hour long boat trip around Manhattan island. Really informative and you get to see so much (plus going v close to Statue of Liberty) whilst you sit back and relax.
Bikes in Central Park also great.

Ice skating - either in Central Park or at the Rockefeller Centre.

I’ve just returned home (to London) after 8 months of living in NYC.

Here’s my recommendations:

• Free ice skating in Bryant Park
• No need to do the tourist ferry to the Statue of Liberty - take the free Staten Ireland Ferry
• Ground Zero memorial
• Forget all the fake tourist diners - head to the Comfort Diner on E41st between 2nd & 3rd
• Walk the free Highline and grab lunch in Chelsea Market
• I can’t recommend this one brought! Take ‘The Ride’ bus to do a tour around the city. From memory it’s $35 and it’s well worth it!
• Brooklyn Bridge (walk from Brooklyn back to Manhattan)
• Shopping in Century 21 (for cheap designer gear)
• Ride a bike around Central Park
• Go up the Empire State Building
• Arturo’s pizza restaurant in Greenwich Village is an institution

Avoid Times Sq - the restaurant’s are rubbish & it’s a tourist trap. The locals call it the 4th circle of hell for a reason!

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Oh and the views from the top of Rockefeller Centre were way better than the ones from Empire State imo!

The high line
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
Empire State Building at night
Top of the rocks
Brooklyn Bridge
Rockefeller Centre
Central Park
9/11 Memorial Museum
Museum of natural history

One of the best things we did was an hour long boat trip around Manhattan island.

I did this in December once.

Absolutely froze my frigging butt off.

Brooklyn Bridge (walk from Brooklyn back to Manhattan)
Walk the High Line

If it is later December you won't want to be doing this. You will go from shop to shop hoping not to freeze your actual ears off. If and it's a big if, you get a warm spell then these might be doable.

Just bear in mind if it is cold cold, with the wind chill factor it can feel in the minus 30s...The closer you get to the end of the month the colder it gets.

High line and Ground Zero

Bath and Body Works as well!

The View Lounge at the Marriott Times Square. It's a revolving bar and the views are stunning.

For some reason no one ever takes this tip though. Their loss.

If you’re going in December I would absolutely go to the Christmas Rockettes Show at Radio City!

I really recommend checking out B&H cameras and videos even if you're not into cameras etc. This shop is bonkers with these crazy little conveyor belts that's pelt cameras and equipment everywhere.

Oh and the world smallest museum near the flatiron building. It's literally a booth filled with weird stuff.

Highline!

It's tacky as hell but another vote for Ellen's Stardust Diner from me. We had fun there! Great milkshakes and fried mac and cheese balls - not that we could finish any of it. The show tunes were really good! I've been to New York 3 times and done some more under the radar stuff but I still vote for that! Karaoke in Koreatown was also great fun. I loved going up Rockefeller to watch day turn into night and see all the lights come up. I found the fashion museum strangely enjoyable though it's only small.

Oh wow! Thanks so much all - plenty for me to look in to!
StCharlotte thanks for the reminder - revolving restaurant was recommended by a colleague recently and I had forgotten! It's DD's birthday while we are there so that may be worth looking at to book for a memorable meal.

Thanks but happy to receive more.....

Andrews coffee shop on 7th for a diner experience!!

I’m sooooo jealous! I love NW! What about the UN building tour?

I really don't get why everyone is saying the Highline? I just didn't see what was so great about it apart from some pretty great smoothies and ice creams whilst we dangled our feet in a water feature!

Going to the top of the Rockefeller centre was great fun...my dc said the fast lift ride up was the best thing we did! The Statue of Liberty and Staten Island was my favourite thing.

Have I had too much wine, am I missing Statue of Liberty and Ellis island OP.....

I will add day trip to Coney Island is you are there longer than four days.

Rainbow room at top of the rock for those great Insta pictures.

Little Italy and China town for evening dinner

Seeing the Jets if you are there when a game is on