To think just over 1k for 5 days in NYC is too much

[Oolva]

Especially as I could go to london on the mega bus for a few quid and stay with friends for free. I kind of want to go on holiday with my friend but NYC seems just too expensive for a very low end holiday (flying economy and staying in very ordinary hotel). We could go somewhere in Italy , stay in much nicer hotels for 1/3 of the price.

Aibu cheap?

Comparing NYC with London is like comparing apples and oranges IMO, both are big cities and that's where the similarity ends.

It will be priced now because of the marathon, thanksgiving, black Frday, tree lighting, Hanukkah but NYC can at Christmas rocks especially Radio City.

Love NYC for its craziness. It doesn't smell unless you walk by the garbage just before its collected early every day. In fact I think this time of year it smells great with the hot dogs and roasted chestnuts and sugar nuts on every corner.

Agree shopping on 5th is overrated, so go down to Greenwich.

Absolutely don't agree about the comment about vegetables. That's really silly.

Love Central Park: we took DC's micro scooters last time and it was a blast. Kids at the theatre all got booster seats so they could see. Being the US there were plenty to go round. It was considered normal for kids at the Lion King to want to see more than the back of an adults head.

Loved the cops in the little Italian restaurant that showed the DC the gadgets on their belts and let them wear their hats.

Loved the hotel staff that know everything about where to go, whatever you want to do and have the connections to get bookings and tickets.

Love being I able to jump on a train and get to Boston in a couple of hours for a total change of pace.

JFK sucks. Trewfact. Worst airport in the world without equal.

It's much better in NYC than in London if you're a vegan or a vegetarian. Much. Unless you really like south indian cuisine in which case I'd agree that the bhel poori places in London can't be beaten by anything in NYC.

JFK isn't the WORST airport (that's Borispol in Kiev or possibly the one in FYR Macedonia - I think it's called Nikolas Teslar? Or Alexander the great. One of those). But it is appalling for a major city. And the staff are atrocious. Immigration on arrival isn't as bad as it used to be now they have the machines, but baggage pickup and customs are still dreadful, as is the taxi queue (mind you I'm only talking about T4 here - I haven't flown there with BA for 6 years so the BA terminal might be better - or worse).

They do actually have booster cushions in west end theatres for kids (and v small adults) to be fair - DD2 always has one, even when we have been to see Miss Saigon (which to be fair isn't marketed as a kids programme). But yes, I've always found front of house and ushers in broadway theatres to be lovely. Nice, helpful, and v chatty if they realise you're from England - always interested to know what shows you've seen there, and good with recommendations for rival shows on Broadway too).

The biggest problem with NYC is that people do not know how to queue.

Uhtred I stand corrected, but still marvel at the JFK immigration staffs welcome. You just can't top that level of rudeness and ignorance. The Swedish girls in front of me were asked "Stockholm? That anywhere near Liberia" last year during the Ebola crisis. I shit you not.

I loved NY. We gave all the Tiffany shopping shite and Broadway a wide berth and spent days wandering around Washington Square, East Village, Soho, Greenwich Village, Brooklyn.

It was fab.

(Disclaimer: we did spend a few mins in Times Sq and a morning in Central Park).

I've been to New York a few times now and don't get the fuss

Me too and neither do I

But agree that staff at JFK are horrible.

I took my glasses off and put them into a tray to go through security, watched it enter the little machine thing. When the tray emerged, they weren't in there. I told the lady that my glasses had somehow been swept out of the tray and could she look? Could she heck. I asked again. I mean, could they not see them with their X-ray vision (I didn't phrase it like that)?

"Ma'am, move away from the machine. MOVE AWAY FROM THE MACHINE".

A big ole security guard came over, swaggering guns, and marched me about ten metres away. He told me to go to lost property and file a report. I told him my glasses were in "that machine, just there" and if they took ten seconds, I'm sure they'd find them rolling around. He told me there was nothing they could do, and to think about holiday insurance. I told him I had to drive at the other end and needed them. He said I was getting hysterical and needed to calm down, holding on to my arm as he did so. I wasn't - I hadn't even raised my voice - I was more laughingly disbelieving.

At this point, my glasses decided to roll out of the machine.

I think fondly of the "fuck you" smile I gave them all.

The thing I most like doing in NYC is just wandering around. I covered more than 100K last week (and I was working 8-5 on two of the days I was there). I just love it. I wouldn't know where Tiffany's was though - and as far as I'm concerned 5th is only relevant because of the cathedral (fabulous music at mass), the fact that my office is there, and the fact that it's the easiest direct route to the park from my usual hotel. I can spend a whole day just roaming the park, there's so much to see (on the wekends the skate dancers are fabulous). If you walk round the reservoir though (which is a lovely walk) prepare to get really grubby - the dust from the path not only covers your shoes/boots but your lower legs too!

If you like running, for me, the best place to run isn't the park, it's along the hudson from the circle line pier(ish) down through Chelsea and on...it's a lovely route, completely safe, NO DOGS, and really fresh because of the water. No smells either (except when you go past the helicopter place which reeks of the fuel (which personally, I like)).

Maid - did they make you take off your glasses?? I've never had to take mine off when going through security, not at JFK or anywhere else. I wouldn't be able to navigate my way through the scanning gate thing without them!

The thing that always pisses me off at security is when my bra strap sets it off. It doesn't always, but does sometimes. And it's so obvious what it is but no, they have to do a thorough pat down - and they are never gentle.

Try being a person with a muslim name on their passport going through US immigration- never a pleasant experience

Maid - did they make you take off your glasses??

No. I don't usually have my glasses on going through metal detectors.

I only need them for distance and had been watching TV in the airport. I forgot I was wearing them and whipped them off at the last minute to put them in the tray. Because they had metal frames, I thought this was the right thing to do. I have since realised that it's obviously fine to wear glasses through such detectors, but I had a brain fart

I just couldn't believe that the lady was saying "They're lost now" while speaking to me over the very machine that they were rolling around in! And then to get security over. FFS.

brain fart
Personally I love Italy and have no desire to go to USA, not really helpful.

I find in US airports just being incredibly gushing and British helps take the edge off their 'everyone is a terrorist' nonsense. Kind of meek, apologetic but persistent. It helps to look and sound a bit posh as well (I always wear a smart jacket and take a good bag when travelling for this reason). And when they ask stupid questions, which they often do, I just smile poshly and then answer with a very serious looking yes or no, as though it's really important you were asked that question and the future of the free world depends on it.

If it's any comfort they are equally dreadful with their fellow US citizens. My XP once got the snarled question "Why are you coming into this country?" to which he replied, "Um, because it's my country and I am an American citizen?"

TBH Newark is a bit nicer than JFK and I would recommend that as a possibility.

I find in US airports just being incredibly ... British helps take the edge off

I think it's helpful everywhere in the US. My husband laughs at my transformation from nondescript, fairly well-spoken tones to cut glass enunciation that Julie Andrews would be proud of. I can't help it.

Maid, in my experience overzealousness and a sense of humour bypass might be prerequisites for a job in US customs and airport security.

That has been my experience on three trips, one to NYC (Newark Airport) and two to LA (Tom Brady).

Not that I think of airport and flight security as any laughing matter. It isn't. Just that as your experience shows, if anything just slightly deviates from the routine the US Officials jump up and down and seem unable to cope.

Our DD2 was two years old when we were on the LA trip (stopover en route to SIL's wedding in Australia). They seemed a little at me wanting to use the pushchair through the airport, though I got away with it.

Oh, and obviously I should add that I am just speaking from my personal experience.

I don't suppose I should tar all US customs/security officials with the same brush.

Just saying what has come across to me each time so far. It hasn't been a warm welcome, though the rest of my trips aside from American airports were fine.

Don't know who said the rubbish is collected daily, it isn't. The bags of trash are collected once per week. We saw them collect it and now it has started to pile up again. We walk past the same bin bags each day.

It certainly contrasts to my only other airport security issue, flying out for honeymoon and my shiny new wedding ring took a nosedive through a hole in the corner of the tray.

They shut down the machine and the security man was on his hands and knees looking for it.

I fly loads. But whenever something goes wrong, it's at those bloody machines

What would they have done about the pushchair? What's the problem with using one?

No problem with the pushchair in the end. It classed as an awkward sized package apparently. Or maybe someone was looking for something else to be overzealous about.

I can't imagine what they are like now with a fair bit more automation and biometric passports creeping in, which has certainly caused teething problems at our local UK airport (Stansted).

I love NYC, but if you avoid the tourist places, walk everywhere you can, take the subway or train upstate, use Time Out mag to find out the quirky things that are going on you will have good value for your £1000.
If you want to experience unhelpful airport security try the French airports!

Following on from the awfulness of US airport security, transport to and from JFK is laughably bad. All it takes is for a couple of commuters to have a minor shunt and the entire airport road route grinds to a halt. Combined with terrible public transport access, it makes it a real PITA.

Slightly odd thread.
I have no inclination to travel to India or Thailand but many love those places. Would never comment on a thread about them, though.

I love NYC. Love it. I have been a dozen or so times and I still get a huge sense of " this is the center of the world" when I'm there.

I recommend staying slightly off the beaten track but always in Manhattan, I have stayed quite cheaply (relative concept of course) around Wall St and on the Upper West Side.

The new Whitney Museum is fab. The Morgan Library is wonderful. Breakfast in a little coffee shop in Greenwich or Soho is always good.

Very odd thread.
Another top tip for travelling to NY is to go via Canada. I did it by accident! Cheapest flights by far were via Toronto. Door to door it was the same time as we whizzed through immigration in Canada and JFK. And much nicer to have the flight broken by a cheery stroll through the airport in Toronto than endure Anerican immigration.

We've never spent more than £750 for five nights in NYC.

We're going there for a week in April (getting married in Central Park) and we paid £900 for BA flights and 7 nights in a 4* hotel.

I am sitting here in my 'I heart NY' hoodie, so that gives my point of view straight away.

I have visited New York 3 times, for a total of 17 days and I adore it. I have never, and I mean never met a rude person there. I admit the people at the airport were not the friendliest people I've ever met, but they certainly weren't rude. Every person I asked for help was more than happy to give it to me, and a couple of times I had people stop and ask me if I needed help when I was standing looking at a map.

I have spent more time in NY than London, purely for the fact that London is massively overcrowded and full of people who would push you into the road if they thought it would save them a second. I think that the grid system of NY helps with the crowds/ease of getting around.

I would much rather spend £1000 on a holiday to NY than £10 for a holiday to London.

Each to their own though, if everyone wanted to go to the same place then it would get crazily expensive and massively crowded!

In summation, I love New York City!