Aibu to ask for your new York tips?

[MrsLaurac]

So im off to New York later in the year and am wanting to be organised as much as possible by making itineraries and budgets.
Thanks :-)
But there is just so much online! So wondering what recommendations and possibly tips people would have in regards to must dos and must avoids?
Also and I know this really is impossible for people to answer how much did you spend on food?
Also hubby is telling me shopping isnt that great out there what experience did you have?
Were stopping in the empire state area :-)

honeyroar weve been looking at helicopter tours and are debating it do you remember the company that you went with at all?

Were going towards the end of November

Visit the High Line, a former elevated railway which has been converted into a garden/walkway. There's also the Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum, if you like that kind of thing.

The High Line is a great walk and not too long if your feet are a bit painful after a while. That's free.

We stayed at The Refinery, which is near the Empire State and has a superb rooftop bar which is well worth a visit.

Walk over Brooklyn Bridge and then have brunch at the River Cafe (you need to book). Lovely views.

If you want to do Empire State Building or similar, spring the extra money for VIP passes. Otherwise you can spend half a precious day queuing.

Go down to see the Flat Iron Building and wander around that district.

Get the subway all the way out to Coney Island to see the sea and the amusement park and have a famous Nathan's hot dog and chocolate chip pancakes (and cherry lime rickys).

Broadway show, baby!!

Purl Soho - on my bucket list.
Tell me it'll match my dreams of yarnie heaven....

We did a VIP tour that took us up the Empire State before it opened to the public, then to the Intrepid Museum as mentioned by the PP, and then around the financial district. Took half a day and was v good.

Ellis Island and the Tenement museum are excellent and not at all ‘museumy ‘.

Wander round Central Park, take the ferry across from Battery Park (was a dollar in my day) for brilliant views of Manhattan. There are speciality tours such as the Gospel choir tour in Harlem which is supposed to be good.

Love it.

I live here. There are tons of free tours, you just need to google it!

Tangfastics im jel and i haven't even been yet, any insider recommendations?

Buy the week long subway pass, it definitely pays for itself even if you’re not out there for a whole week.

Ellen’s Stardust Diner is worth the queueing for - we had breakfast there on New Year’s Day, great fun.

Macy’s are great for Levi’s - better than the Levi’s shops and about half the uk price

Skip Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square - rushed and freezing cold

We really enjoyed a night at Gotham comedy club - we ate elsewhere then went for the late show

Staten Island ferry is free and good views. Same with the high line.

Something I haven’t managed to do yet because it’s always booked up - the federal reserve. It’s free and you could combine it with a free financial district tour?

Really noticing a trend of springing for the vip queue jumps here will deffo have that on the list

Tangfastics thanks sounds good were there for a week so lots of time. Will have to try and get the tickets sorted asap

New York botanical garden
The Met

(These aren’t ‘insider’ just things I enjoy)

The ATM that dispenses cupcakes?
Fancy trapezing in front of the freedom tower?

And book to have lunch in them. It’s very reasonable and makes such a difference to take the weight off your feet. In the Met, request a window table.

Staten Island Ferry for views of Statue of Liberty (free)
Top of the Rock for night time views of the Empire State building.
911 memorial
Broadway show/even at Maddison Sq
Central Park walk and ice skating if it's open in Nov.

Re your original questions......

Food - expensive if you’re eating in steakhouses, cheap if fast food

Shopping - expensive I’m afraid!

Yes to top of the rock/Empire State either really early or really late. Do one by day, and one by night for the difference in views. Your first morning you’ll be awake at 4am due to jet lag anyway, so may as well get to an attraction! Top of the rock opens at 8am. Empire State is open til 2am, we went straight after watching a bway show at 11pm and there was no queue.

Subway is safe and easy to use, if you can navigate the London Underground then you can navigate the subway no issues.

I would highly recommend the New York public library tour. And see what’s on in Bryant Park when you are over.

I'm noting things down too as DH and I are off to NY in October for our silver wedding 🎉 I am a bit nervous about all this tipping business but I am reading about places to eat/drink as I love dream ordering from online menus 😂😂

Don’t worry too much about the tipping - I know, when I first moved here it freaked me a little! If you are sat at a bar, it’s a dollar a round. If it’s table service and under 100 I tend to go with 20% (before tax).

Yes a colleague at work a few months ago put a photo of the cupcake vending machine on, im a little bit amazed by it!

Im from a little town in the middle of nowhere the idea that attractions are open at 2am baffles me!

Ever since i was a kid ive wanted to eat desert in the middle of the night in new York like they do in the movies!

Please go here

www.thecampbellnyc.com/

My biggest tips are..

Pack for weather extremes - i went in April and got both sunburn and a chest infection. It was so icy cold one day and scorching another.

Dont expect it to be exactly like the movies.. its actually quite dirty like any big city but the movies paint it to be a glorious place...and the subway rats are hugeeeee

Food wise is sooo variable - we had cheap meals at mcds and world wide chains but also a little more expensive meals at independant restaurants.. street food is pretty decently priced.

Yes tipping baffles me too would hate to under pay them. Does tax go on top? So for example $10 plus tax (how much is tax!?) Plus tip?

I'm going on Wednesday. We have booked a food tour in Chelsea and the highland area.
Can I book vip tickets for the ESB before we go?