New York for Thanksgiving -Tips?

[mzmumzer]

Hi we have booked to travel to New York for 4 nights on 23rd November- 27th November.We will be there for Thanksgiving and black Friday,has anyone been around this time of year who could advise us where to eat on Thanksgiving?

Are most places shut that day?

Any tips for shopping on Black Friday?

Where is good place for few drinks in the evening with a bit of music?

So excited,have been saving for years.:)

I can't answer specifically for New York but as a general rule, grocery stores are open in the morning and close around noon (in NYC you'll probably find some are open later). The vast majority of tourist sites/museums will be closed; however, you might find that some movie theatres open later in the day (not sure about Broadway).

I can say you might want to think about going to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It's a huge tradition and nationally broadcast.

If I were you, I'd log in to tripadvisor and post on their NYC forums section: www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g60763-i5-New_York_City_New_York.html. I think a lot will depend on where you're staying.

Black Friday is guaranteed chaos - some stores are now opening super late/early (think 3am). It's like Oxford/Regent Streets on Boxing Day. Black Friday is also the busiest day for museums since families are together and many people have the day off.

Enjoy your holiday!

Try Fodors travel talk forum you can post and read others questions, as its an american publication you often get locals giving advice which is good

as for music, we lived there for three years and our favourite place was brandys piano bar, on about 82nd and 1st ave? they have a website, the staff are all broadway musical staff, fab fab place (no entry fee)

take lots of warm layers including hats scarves, gloves and warm walking boots. Its generally absolutely freezing by the end of Nov. NYC never shuts down though - everything will be open.

sales on black friday is not a whole day affair, I think it only lasts to midday

Black Friday sales vary from store to store. Some offer specials only during certain parts of the day - i.e. biggest bargains/best selection are to be had at the beginning of the sale which can be at 4am or earlier; however, sales most definitely continue all day (and well into the night!).

You can always count on Chinese restaurants and hotel dining rooms to be open on the holidays.

It's been more than 10 years, but I had a magical afternoon/evening wandering around the streets surrounding the Natural History Museum on the Upper West Side. It is (verify that it hasn't changed) the place the gigantic Macy's Day parade inflatables are inflated on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

As someone else said, take lots of layers. It us usually very windy, and cold that time of year.