My NYC itinerary... HELP and if you're an expert now's the time to show off...

[NewYorkFirstTimer]

Looking at maps. I'll try and do block days where I'm kind of in the same area each day. Going for one week next February (I hate hot weather). I'll get a 4 day pass to do the attractions, the other days I'll just be wandering around. Little Italy, shopping and eating, drinking. I've already posted a few things but if anyone can please tell me if I'm thinking on the right lines location wise I'd really appreciate it!

Day 1 (hotel is Wall Street)
9/11 memorial
Statue of liberty ferry cruise

Day 2
Empire State Building
Museum of sex (intrigued)
Madame Tussauds

Day 3
Air and space museum
Museum of natural history

Day 4
St Patrick's Cathedral tour followed by catacombs by candlelight tour underneath
Artechouse (to the left of the island so I know this is further... it's just last on the list)

Thoughts?! I'm excited... but going alone so very nervous!!

Staten Island museum ( think that’s the one) - where they have displays of all the belongings that immigrants from various cultures brought with them.

I second ESB at night.

Grand Central Station is definitely worth a visit.

Central Park - great brunch spots nearby plus John Lennon memorial inside.

The station, ESB and Central Park feature in so many films it’s great when watching those films suddenly triggers a happy memory.

Ellis Island was brilliant

Just head south towards Battery Park and you'll see the ferry terminal to Staten Island. It's walkable from Wall St. The subway is pretty straightforward (just watch out for the difference between express trains and local trains) but Uber / Lyft is pretty good value. I always use these when travelling alone at night in NYC.

I went in April and found the Highline very very cold to walk round and to be honest unless you’re in the area I don’t think it’s worth the journey from the financial district.

Top of the Rock was great but I’ve heard the sunset view is great from the Empire State Building.

If the weather’s awful and you need inside stuff to do Hall Des Lumieres is worth a visit for the digital art.

Brooklyn bridge just for the insta photos!!! 🤣 although the Brooklyn neighbourhood is quite nice to wander around.

If you visit Staten Island from the subway be aware a lot of ticket sellers will pounce on you as soon as you come up from the escalators so don’t engage and head straight over to the ferry terminal. It might be worth seeing if you can get a ticket to go up into the Statue of Liberty crown? It needs to be booked very far in advance!!

I CAN'T FUCKING WAIT!!!!! This has been a little dream of mine for years and years x

I loved NYC more than I thought I would! When getting endlessly lost using the subway there were many people who offered to help, and a lot of the stations had ticket offices. A weeks travel on the subway was something like $33?

I used to go to New York several times a year for over two decades. My favourite ever thing in New York was a helicopter flight. It’s only a few minutes, but flies over Central Park and round the Statue of Liberty. I paid for the cheapest one, but got upgraded to the longer one.

i love Grand Central Station, just wandering around. Look for The whispering subway. I also loved The New York Library too.

The Highline and Chelsea Market are ok. Better in summer.

Skating on Central Park Ice rink is fun, although regimented!

Walk across Manhattan bridge, you get fabulous photos of Brooklyn bridge and the sky scrapers. Have a hot choc at Dumbo and walk back across Brooklyn bridge. I q

Jazz club like Birdland or similar? Nobody’s going to care whether you are there on your own or with others and the music means you don’t have to chat. Serve food too.

Check the opening hours of the museums as some used to shut on Mon & Tues

You can’t miss the staten island ferry terminal - get the subway to whitehall (R) bowling green (4 or 5) or south ferry (1) and it’s a max 5 min walk from them

When you disembark at staten island you have to get off but you can just get back on the other side

Dumbo in brooklyn is worth a wander round if you head over the brooklyn bridge

I think I'll have to spend a full weekend sitting down to research this but thanks so much for your help please do keep them coming. I'll also research what is free. I do love walking so will be walking around a lot anyway.

One question about alcohol. I'm happy enough to drink a bottle of wine in my hotel room on one of the nights, just relaxing. Probably towards the end of the week when I'll be tired. Do they just have one stop kind of places where I can buy one? Also... are there any pubs where you don't have to spend £4,768,567 on one draught beer?!

Disclaimer: not an alcoholic 😁

You can buy beer from grocery stores and CVS type places (bit like a Boots ) wine and spirits are only from a liquor / bottle store, however you can’t buy mixers with them, you have to head back to the grocery store 😂 if you’re staying near union square, the Trader Joes is there - really good for decent priced groceries, avoid Whole Foods unless you want to leave a limb there for payment

Why so many museums? Assuming you’re in the UK there’s plenty of them here. Ditto Don’t spend a morning walking round a park when you could do that in Hyde Park

One question about alcohol. I'm happy enough to drink a bottle of wine in my hotel room on one of the nights, just relaxing. Probably towards the end of the week when I'll be tired. Do they just have one stop kind of places where I can buy one?

hang on. Are you seriously asking if there is anywhere in one of the biggest cities in the world where you can buy a bottle of wine? Where do you live now? You’ve lost me

Saturn 🪐

I love New York.
Ice skating at the Rockefeller centre is fun, & picturesque if you just want to watch.
It could be really, really cold in February. We went one February & the icy wind whistling between the tall buildings took your breath away. Freezing on a boat/ferry as well. Take ear muffs.

Chelsea market and High Line! Really liked them both, also Katz Deli if you’re into that sort of food. I know it’s a tourist trap but we really enjoyed the experience.

Top of the rock is so worth it. Empire state is iconic but the view of it from rockerfeller is incredible. And you have to do a broadway show! We won the wicked lottery when we went-it was epic! Also saw Chicago out there. Amazing x

Deffo walk through Central Park, the imagine memorial, Bethesda fountain, and if you come out by the ritz you can go to the FAO Schwartz toy store and do your best Tom hanks on the giant stand on piano...if it's still there. Last time I went was over a decade sadly. Great great city though. Enjoy!

If you're interested in history in any way then the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is fantastic

I'm thinking I'll do TOTR and ESB but one at day and one at night

To be fair it's quite tricky getting wine in Finland - you have to buy wine and spirits from an Alko shop with regulated hours. I don't think you can buy anything stronger than beer in a supermarket. This might also be the same in Norway.
so I don't think it's a totally out-there, odd question

The Highline and Central Park were my 2 favourites.

I went twice, autumn and winter. The winter trip was when I did MT as it was so bloody cold I'd have done anything to get out of it.

I didn't do any of the museums and have no regrets. I do the London museums plenty thorough work and they're much of a muchness.

I love NYC! It will be freezing in feb so like pp have said take plenty of layers.

The natural history museum is opposite Central Park so you could combine the 2 on the same day.
I would recommend buying tickets to a show before you go as we queued for about 2 hours at the tkts place in Times Square and didn’t even get a bargain!! We did see a good show just new to broadway called Kimberly akimbo.

look to see what’s on in Maddison square gardens - we watched a basketball game which we loved - so entertaining!

A walk across Brooklyn Bridge with pizza in Juliana’s was a good couple of hours spent and the pizza was delicious!

Subway was really easy to navigate and you can pay about $33 for a weekly pass.

You will have a blast op it’s so great there!!!

I don't understand the subway at all and it's making me feel really panicky, like I'll be restricted.

NY is one of my favourite places!
You have to visit Grand Central Station, the New York Library, Ellis Island is very interesting, MOMA, the Frick Collection, and the Museum of New York.
(I am trying to persuade DH we need to go there for Thanksgiving this year for the parade and the Xmas decorations)

what’s your fear? worst case is you miss your stop, you can get off at the next stop tor round and go back again
happy to take questions / give info, i lived there for 10 years