must do/see/eat in New York

[bagpussmice]

going to NY next weekend for a kid-free weekend with some friends.
anyone got any recommendations for must-do, must-sees, must-miss??
Looking forward to doing some shopping too - so any tips would be most welcome

Have cocktails in "The View", a revolving skyline retaurant!

Personally I like the planitaruim (SP) 'The Rose Centre for Earth and Space' but you might not have time if you want to do all the sights!

I went years ago pre-kids.

We paid for a crappy breakfast of stale rolls and croissants in the hotel but the discovered a great deli next door where breakfast means piles of pancakes, waffles, full cooked or what ever you want, refill coffes etc. There are great delis/ cafes all over. You can eat as expensive or as cheap as you want, we saved the money for sightseeing.

I suppose the must sees are the things you have always wanted to do, I really wanted to skate in NY so I did. We did a bit of shopping but I prefered sightseeing I can visit department stores anytime.

We got the ferry accross to the Statue of liberty but didn't waste time queuing and climbing it as it was foggy, I enjoyed Elis Island but that may not appeal to everyone.

If you are feeling flush I would recommend a helicopter tour if its a clear day or night. We were there for 5 days so we managed a boat tour around the whole of Manhattan but I wouldn't do this if I only had a few days.

Carefull where you stray, there are some dodgy streets just off the main ones, just turn around and head back, unless you are looking for strip joints that is . I actually felt really safe and unless you walk around with a camera glued to your face it is easy to blend in as the people are so diverse.

ABC Carpets - wonderful shop

Hang round shopping and bars etc in Spring St, Mercer St.
Visit Dean ^ Deluca for foody bits and bring some of their dried herbs in silver pots home with you.

Pottery Barn down the road from Dean & Deluca and you can pick up something small for the front room maybe?

All around that area is fab. Adidas store for tainers that you can't buy in the UK.

Guggenheim museum is lovley.

Central Park is fab. You could spend the whole day there and not get bored.

Century 21 for cheap clothes and shoes - really amazing bargains

Agree Guggenheim is lovely

Staten Island Ferry (good views of statue of liberty but not tourists)

Sad git that I am, i'd have to do the SATC tour

Ellis Island tour blew me away, i could have spent all day there.
Rollerblading in Central Park, also eating a hot dog there were on my to do list.
Empire State building, just to say tick it off your list.
Cocktails in the Oak bar in the Plaza hotel.
Huge toyshop opposite, I can't for the life of me remember the name... FAO Schwarz.

Yes had to have the hotdog in Central Park, and one of the giant pretzels too . We went on the horse and carrage round the park too but to be honest its better just to wander on foot. The zoo (Madagascer) is there too.

Do go over to Brooklyn for a meal or drink if you have time, we had a lovely evening over there - v different atmosphere to Manhattan and a wonderful romantic walk by the river, gazing at the bridge and Manhattan skyline.

Message withdrawn

Agree Staten Island Ferry is a must - and it's free! The view of Manhattan on the return journey is amazing. Likewise if you take the subway (and you MUST use the NY subway - it's an experience in itself) across to Brooklyn (on a clear day) then walk back across Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline views are fantastic. Whilst in the area you might wish to go to Ground Zero and maybe Wall Street. We took an open top hop on/hop off bus tour as well which was a great way to cover a lot of ground (especially as we had ds1 and 2 with us). Central Park is beautiful but obviously pretty cold in January - there might well be skating on the lakes. Beware the horse drawn carriages around the park are, as you might expect, very expensive. Greenwich Village is nice for lunch. Can't help with the shopping though - I was outnumbered three to one

If you're going to do the Empire State, buy the tickets the day before from the Tourist Information in Times Square - cuts out a lot of the queuing at the Empire State itself.

We did a river tour around Manhatten, which was great (although we were there in March and it was freezing, so make sure you bundle up!).

Nobo (for lunch, quite affordable)
If you like a bit of edge, try the Florette diner in the meat-packing district. Great, food, great people-watching, open all night.

Lots of lovely individual boutiques on the Lower East Side. What sort of shopping do you like?

Culture and that: PS1 art gallery in Queens, and the Dia Foundation

Time Out's New York Walks is fab for some less obvious stuff

Hi, we are going on thurs 12th until 17th, we went last year as well, but this time we are taking the kids. we have bought the new york pass (www.newyorkpass.com), this gives you all the major attractions stat of liberty & ellis island tour, empire state building and sky ride, all the museums, half circle ferry ride, madame tousourds etc etc and discounts of lots of other attractions. we did all the usual stuff that everyone has mentioned, we didnt dine in expensive restaraunts, we used diners, there is loads of atmosphere, nice simple food and freindly service, we also kept forgetting to eat as we were so busy, i lost 6lbs while i was there. we went to the woodbury common outlet village, you get the bus from the port authority, fantastic prices but beware DONT get the last bus back as its everyman for himself and we were nearly left stranded. Battery park is lovely for a walk by the river

Kiwifruit

We went in March, I had all the cold weather clothes you could imagine, I got sunstroke in Central Park

It was the week after St Patricks Day and I have photos of us in Time Square in t-shirt sleeves, it was most unseasonal seemingly.

me and dh went for a week in mid August - temp 95 degrees most days - sweaty but fab and unlike London, the buses and subway are air conditioned.

We went two years ago this month (it was -9!)

fab things:

Chinatown (it was CHinese New Year)

Little Italy

Tiffanys (5th ave)

Dean and Deluca deli off Broadway (as seen in Hannibal!)

Toyrus in Time Square for something for the kids.

A horse n carriage ride (with fur rug ) round Central Park - £20?

The Ellis Island Ferry/museum - really touching.

Absolute favourite if you do nothing else! - a helicopter (Liberty is the company's name I think? look on the net - I booked it from UK) ride over Manhatten etc - unbelievable - only £50 each (2 yrs ago) for 15 mins - went up to the yankees stadium, saw ground zero, over central park, round the statue of liberty - fabulous pictures.

If I was going;
Staten Island ferry, defo
Wall street at 5pm is amazing, thousands of suits running in white trainers.
Central park
Grenwich village, loved those chess games!
Subway
Street walking so good shoes..

Guggenheim
ABC carpet and home
Dean and Deluca
Pottery Barn
MOMA
go to the cinema and see something super-new playing at 4,000 decibels while eating giant bags of popcorn - our fave thing to do

eating
Balthazar
the canadian waffle house
the delis

just walking around - manhattan is small and walkable

we did the same bagpussmice at the beginning of December.
Personally I would...

forget Century 21 - you might well get some bargains but it's not a fun place to shop and you're not going justy to get cheap clothes are you?

Be careful if you book the helicopter ride if like us you're time of limited. We got there for our booked slot, were told we'd have to wait 30-40 mins longer and then after the 40 mins were told it would be another hour at least. We ended up getting a refund.

Horse drawn carriage ride in Central Park was the biggest disappointment. Not helped by the driver being originally from Liverpool and spending the whole time turned round facing us talking about football! Expensive too.

Empire State Building still gave me much pleasure and i've been there a few times before. Dh was blown away (quite literally as it was december!) Well worth a visit.

The bar in the Hemsley Hotel was nice and we had a lovely meal in their restaurant on the sunday ngiht when it was practically empty. Food was fantastic. No good obviously if you want lots of atmosphere but it suited Dh and i to have a private meal.

Also, Cheers style place just along from the Empire State was good - fantastic terryaki salmon and very gorgeous waiter - I'd go there again for sure.

Have fun. Where are you staying?

we'd go here if we were going again

Oh go away! Really shockingly jealous

Mckenzie
We are staying at the doubletree suites on times square. I disagree about century 21, we got some fantastic bargains and for me the cheaper the designer clothes the more i can buy. i got ralf lauren shirts for about $15. i hated bloomingdales but loved macys.

Have you got time to get to the Conran shop. He sells fab maps that list all the great bars and shops and restaurants in each street.

Found the business card of a fab restaurant we ate in. We asked Cabbie to drive us to a great restaurant and he took us here, it was fab, fab, fab, really good food and really buzzy and just gorgeous - BALTHAZAR - 80 Spring St, reservation tel 965 1414 look here

Old Navy is really good for cheap clothes and a bit like the Gap, ish, mens, womens & kids

Abercrombie & Fitch is fab but miles away by Seaport.

Aveda products are so much cheaper and they are fab.

Are you in clubbing? Centro Fly is good. Club love (v underground & wicked) Pacha has recently opened in NYC as well, that should be great if the one in Ibiza is anything to go by.

i wanna go too