Silver wedding trip to NYC

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So finally we have booked our silver wedding trip to NYC 🗽🎉

We're not the most travelled folks, and we're not taking the dc so it's just us for almost a week almost as exciting as the NY thing and I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm a bit nervous too.

Please give me some tips/restaurant recs/must dos....I need to start planning!

Where are you staying? I love NY, we were last there I'm March

The Novotel in Times Square. I really wanted the Strand....now Vacation Pulse or something, but it didn't suit with our dates. Going early October.

You're nice and central so! What kind of things do you like doing? I will give you our schedule, but I realise DH and I are not very exciting travellers 😂

Day 1 - arrived early evening, got checked in and wandered around for a few hours. Didn't go anywhere specific, just enjoyed the stroll up 5th Ave from our hotel to Central Park and back.

Day 2
We were awake at about 4 am (jet lag destroyed me!) so by around 8am we were ready to go out. Went to Top of the Rock before 8.30 - it was very quiet, and we hadn't prebooked, but there wasn't a queue
Later that day we went to the Intrepid aircraft carrier, which is now a museum of aircraft/space shuttle (DH LOVED it, it's not really my thing, but I enjoyed it all the same)
Day 3
Heavy snow! Went for a walk for about 90 mins and had to give in and go back to hotel - it was beautiful to see NYC in snow though.
Day 4
We had 72 hour bus tour tickets which we picked up on the Tues. I had read mixed reviews about getting them- people had pointed out that sitting in traffic on a bus isn't ideal! We were happy with them - 3 different loops and a boat tour were included in the ticket. The only downside was a couple of times we were on buses without live guides- so depended on the recorded tour/headphones, which weren't great. But overall we were able to plan the places we wanted to go to, and use the bus to get near to it. On day 4 (as day 3 had been a wipe-out) we did 2 loops and went to Ground Zero and did boat tour out past Statue of Liberty. I enjoyed the live tours a lot- we did the Brooklyn one and the guide knew loads about every street!
Day 5
We walked up through Central Park and went to the Natural History museum.

We also did a lot of roaming around in between the above. If we hadn't list a day to snow, we probably would have included a couple more museums, but we got in all the sights we really wanted to see.

We didn't bother getting a NY Pass, so had to pay in to each attraction, but I think a pass would have been wasted on us.

Food/drink - we were knackered by 8pm! We did eat out every evening, but I honestly can't remember where! We aren't fine diners, so it wasn't a priority for us, whereas other friends always have a list of restaurants /bars on their to-do list- we're a big boring 😂

I would go back in the morning - I love it so much. Just wandering around is enough to keep me happy!

Dh and I went about 12 years ago and we’re going again this summer with the DC. A Broadway show is a must, we are hoping to see Chicago, we saw The Rockettes at Radio City last time but that was in December. Take the ferry (free!) to Staten Island, get the subway to Brooklyn and walk back over the Bridge, cycle in Central Park, Tiffany’s, Katz deli did the most amazing smoked salmon bagels, Ellen’s Stardust Diner has singing waiters, we booked Big Apple Greeter who showed us around Grand Central, The Chrysler Building and also how to work the subway!

Ellen's diner was good, we pre booked a coach tour of tv and film locations that was pretty good value for 3 hours, we saw a lot of areas of Manhattan. We walked across the Brooklyn bridge and sat in the park below looking back at Manhattan.
We had a gondola ride on the lake in central park, again pre booked and seemed more fun and easier than dealing with a rowing boat. We didn't go anywhere fancy for food, just bars where dh was amazed to discover the craft beer. Oh, we did like a pub called the Dubliner which was near the bottom of Manhattan (stone street?), Useful to go to after getting off the Staten island ferry.

Lillie's Victorian bar is really pretty inside

And I had a private yoga lesson in central park ( special birthday) which was awesome.

Just a gentle suggestion: when you're in New York, it is preferable to refer to it as the 9/11 Memorial rather than as ground zero.

Shit SenecaFalls - my apologies. I thought the Memorial was the museum, which we didn't go into. I think it was referred to as Ground Zero whilst we were over there, but I could be totally mistaken, and apologise if it's offensive.

Hoosier It's not offensive. It's just that many Americans, and most New Yorkers (of the ones that I know at least) are trying to focus on remembering the lost and honoring the survivors, rather than on the destruction and devastation. Language helps with that.

That makes sense, absolutely. Noted for next trip!

I think there are some great things to do in October. It’s a great time to visit.

The leaves should be going golden in Central Park, so do that. The Metroplitan Museum overlooks CP, so I would go there too. It has wonderful American exhibits. One day each week it’s donations instead of the entry charge, so check that out.

Going to Brooklyn and walking back over the bridge is iconic. It’s really worth it. The other great walk is along the High Line. We went N to S, but it’s great for views and you can stop off at Chelsea market. It makes you realise what can be done with an old railway line! Fantastic.

We also like the Empire State and The Crysler Building - iconic NY. As is Grand Central Station and The Radio City Music Hall. Times Square isn’t that wonderful.

I also avoid Tourist restaurants such as Ellen’s. Broadway tickets are expensive so choose wisely. I go to the theatre a lot here so only choose the best. We tend to go to neighbourhood restaurants.

Another area worth exploring if you have time is SoHo. The streets are narrower and they have the iconic external fire escapes. Great little shops too.

Tiffany’s in 5th Avenue is fantastic to look inside. Also visit MoMa and the Guggenheim. These are world class. Going on the Staten Island ferry gets you great views of the Statue of Liberty. Go to Ellis Island to understand about immigration to NY.

The best advice is to think about what you enjoy. Buildings, museums, art galleries, iconic views, walks, culture, history, street scenes, theatre etc etc. The subway isn’t easy to use. You can end up somewhere you don’t expect to be. It’s grubby. Taxis are a lot easier. Also factor in tips and purchase tax. Tips are double the tax, so about 16% on top of the cost plus the tax. Prices are usually quoted without tax and restaurants likewise. Tipping is a way of life. You cannot avoid it so be prepared with smaller $ notes.