Four Days In New York

[whostolethesocks]

Going in Feb with no children. Have got a rough idea of sights we know we want to do but after any other general advice and/or recommendations of places to eat, drink etc.

Have a look at the FAQs and Quick Links on the Reddit NYC sidebar, lots of tips from NY residents on food, sights, how to use the subway etc. www.reddit.com/r/AskNYC/

I loved walking the Highline when we were there highline

Thanks Mrs Maklin. CocoLit - the Highline is on my list.

What do I need to book in advance?

Also any restaurant recommendations?

Highlife is great! Cafe wha? In Greenwich village is a good night out when the house band are playing. Please Don't Tell - is a hidden speakeasy and is well worth a visit for a drink or two!

So jealous - it's my favourite place in the world!

What do I need to book in advance

If you want to go to the crown of the Statue of Liberty, that needs to be booked in advance. Or visiting the gold vaults at the Federal Reserve - it's free, but they limit the number of visitors, so you need to book.

I was thinking of doing Top of the Rock, Empire State and 9/11 Memorial for definite - would you book for any of these in advance does anyone know?

I wouldn't do top of the Rock and Empire State to be honest - they are very similar. If you have to choose one and haven't been before then I'd go with Empire State as it's more iconic. You don't need to book in advance but there may be a queue if you don't - first time I went a waiter in the first restaurant we went to have us a ticket for discounted fast track tickets so always worth being really friendly (and massively up playing your Britishness!)

Thanks Chelsea. I'd heard Top of the Rock was better but my partner wanted to do ESB as it's more iconic. Also heard doing it might be worth doing one in the day and one at night. Thanks for the tip about up playing your Britishness!

hiya, im going in april and planning what to do and when

i would liek to do the top of the rock and the one world obsevatory, do both of these need to be pre booked?
i think im going the oone world observatory in the daytime, on the second day, so would pre book that, but hoping to do top of the rock one evening on the 3rd or 4th night, would tickets be available for that time of day if i went to book them when i got there? save me booking them online and making a definate arrangement, id prefer to be a bit more flexible until i got there

also op, food has been a top priority for me! depends on your taste, but have a look at clinton st baking company, levain bakery, schmackarays, amys bread, breads, financier patisserie, russ and daughters.

ive got the food sorted more than i have the actual attractions!!

One of my favorite places,comfortable shoes are a must,my legs throbbed from walking and I used the subway a lot,you just walk much further than you think.
I liked ESB/TOR at night it all looks a bit nothing during the day.
I wouldn't bother going up the statue of liberty,its long Q and you see very little but endless winding stairs,in hindsight I would have liked to just gone to liberty island took pictures etc and left it took an age.
We saw a show at radio city music hall which was nice.
Enjoy!

I went in October with my DD(16) and had a fantastic time. We had gorgeous weather too. We stayed in Manhattan (on the edge of Times Square/Meatpackers) and did:
The Highline and Chelsea Market
Top of the Rock (booked ahead for 8am - fabulous, only ones up there initially!) - I wouldn't do ESB as well - you see it from TOTR
Statten Island Ferry free!!!!
Times Square
Ground Zero Museum (booked ahead - timed visits, very busy!)
Brooklyn Bridge (Grimaldis pizza place just under it is an institution - fab)
One World Tower at sundown - fantastic (booked after we went to the Ground Zero Museum in the late morning)
Shopping in Macey's (Andrews coffee shop for breakfast - real NYC!) and all along Broadway
Central Park
Grand Central Station
Chrysler building
The Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side (plus deli from When Harry met Sally - wow so huge and food was great - Jewish place)

All were fabulous!

We live in London so weren't bothered about fancy food we can get here any time - wanted proper NYC food - diners and delis and coffee shops! Plus Justin Timberlakes Southern food restaurant one evening.

We booked everything in advance and paid for fast track when possible and it was the best we could have done.

Empire State for example - we walked straight in, up, were treated like royalty, enjoyed the views, down again. All done within an hour. The queue for people without fast track tickets was over three hours! I didn't want to waste precious time we had there queuing.

Same for other attractions like ice skating, Madam Tussaud's or the American Museum of Natural History, just straight through while others had been waiting outside for hours. Ok, we went at New Year's, so definite peak season, but I reckon New York is always pretty full.

To see the Statue of Liberty - don't be fobbed by the people who sell tickets on the streets in the area. You can see it for free (unless you are desperate to go in/on it). The ferry to Staten Island runs every half hour and is the only thing that's for free in New York. You just walk on, get great views of the SoL, then get straight back (or stay on Staten Island if you wish for a bit).

Foodwise - I loved all the street vendours. Falafel, kebabs, doughnuts, hotdogs... Pizza is the best there. And don't forget to have a cheescake!

Oh, and you need to go to Central Park (obviously) - but make sure you plan plenty of time. It's HUGE! I mean, I never expected it to be this big. The CP zoo is fab, lots of unusual animals.

I can also recommend China Town for a bit of fun "Rolex for $20, ha ha) and Little Italy for the best pizza!

And don't forget to book a Broadway show. Lion King was amazing!

(I'm rambling here now, can you guess how exciting it was and will be for you?! It's an amazing city!)

Elan, incredible restaurant

V helpful thread as we are going in July. Excited!

We are going in March too so loving this thread - thank you.
Would the ground zero museum be too much for a 10 yr old do you think?

See if you can find where Yeah Dawg have a stall while you're there. They make the most INCREDIBLE vegan hotdogs. Even DH, who loves meat, was impressed.

Ok we went in October with 2 teenage dds. I would do an early trip up the Empire State to avoid a queue.We did top of the rock at night....fab view of an illuminated Empire State and all of New York lit up well worth it. I would advise the Statten island ferry for the best view of The Statue of Liberty. Fab day walking across Brooklyn bridge visit Dumbo area at the end for pizza. Central park was huge you need a whole day. Also recommend Grand Central station lots of food and people watching and of course Times Square. Moma also worth a visit if you have time.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

Also the bus tours up and downtown are good to get your bearings. We bought New York passes which were good value.

In my opinion, Top of the Rock has the best view - Central Park one way and Empire State, Freedom Tower and Statue of Liberty (albeit tiny!) the other. We had a lovely meal at Maloney and Porcelli - they do a $75 wine dinner which was 3 courses and unlimited wine. When we were there they had a huge street market on Madison Ave on a Sunday. Loads of stalls and food carts.

Katz Diner is a must for a salt beef sandwich & the atmosphere is amazing!
Tribeca is great fun- we loved the Bubble Lounge for drinks.
Have a wonderful time.

Bumping for more hints or tips?