Not got time to post properly but will come back later.

We thought Ellens Stardust was a rip off. We went for breakfast though so maybe didn't get the full experience. Cold stodgy pancakes, lukewarm tea, draft from door despite being far away from it.

We went this time alst year and it was very quiet. All estimated wait times were at least half.

I'd highly recommend doing the high line and then going to Bubbys for brunch at th e end of it, now that was delicious and so friendly.

So jealous! Will comeback with other ideas later.

Actually some wait times were non existent.

Apparently the subway is the easiest way to and from the airport. We've booked a transfer on arrival but think I'll use subway for the return trip

The easiest way from JFK to Manhattan is
Air train to Jamaica
Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to Penn
Subway from Penn

But if you’re staying in Times Square (awful awful touristy place best avoided IME) Penn is only at 34th so you can walk from there. it’s a good way to deal with the little bit of jet lag doing the transatlantic flight.

Manhattan is a very walkable city. Once you get your bearings - basically knowing whether you’re going East or West, or uptown or downtown , the best way to get a bit of the flavour of the city is to walk.

If you want bars, then the East Village is good although it’s become very gentrified in the last 10 years. I usually hang out at random bars on the Upper West Side, but that’s mainly because that’s where I’m working and living when I’m in NYC.

Non- standard touristic things are Governor's island - but sadly not in winter I thinK, unless that’s changed. worth a ferry ride in the summer, though.

Friday night at the Met - crowded but free and you can usually do a couple of galleries in the time available.

I really like the Science Museum our in Queens - built for a 1950s Expo. But if you’re only going for 4 days and you’re doing all the obvious touristic stuff, I doubt you’ll have time.

The Highline is feat, but where it finishes is still a bit of a desert for eating and drinking. I’d do it the other way ie aim to finish at the Whitney - the area around Christopher Street is lovely, although gentrified. The Village is not what it was ... but the Whitney gallery is fabulous. The Frick is wonderful too, and gives you a sense of a grand Manhattan mansion.

For glimpses of historic Manhattan, go to the Merchants House museum (East 4th I think, but then everything’s on East 4th) and/or the Tenement Museum. Really interesting insight into the development of Manhattan and also interesting areas to wander around.

The best way to get a sense of Manhattan is just to stroll its neighbourhoods. A walk up Martin Luther King Ave from say West 110th to maybe around 125th gives you a sense of Harlem, for example, and you can get a bus from there and go on to the Cloisters which is one of my favourite galleries to mooch about in.

Loads to do - just walking the streets will give you a feeling of being in a movie.

But remember the New York motto

“walk narrow or walk nimble” New Yorkers move fast and there is nothing worse than being caught behind a couple of tourists walking slowly taking up the pavement. Don’t be those people!

depending on weather walking over the Brooklyn bridge is great and there’s a brilliant pizza place with huge queues on the other side.

Thing about the Brooklyn Bridge is that every tourist does it, as its “so unusual” as a touristic thing. So it’s crowded .... and not “unusual” now at all.

Better plan I’d stroll around historic areas of Brooklyn - Redhook is really interesting and not gentrified (much) and there are still remnants of the huge port and warehouse industries on which much of the wealth of NYC was founded

"Apparently the subway is the easiest way to and from the airport. We've booked a transfer on arrival but think I'll use subway for the return trip"

No you really do not want to do that particularly if you are returning to JFK; that journey involves climbing stairs and with luggage that is no picnic at all.

There are lifts - and even escalators! - at Jamaica and Penn. They’re hard to find - the subway is really difficult for people with mobility problems - but they are there.

I loved the subway but for coming and going from JFK, I used a yellow cab. Flat rate, no extra charges for luggage and/or extra passengers (and no lugging suitcases round stations and carriages!)

So sorry to hi jack this forum , but We’re also going to NY with our DD13 in April
I understand there is a pass for all the attractions , would we save a lot doing it this way ? & can anyone recommend the best website to purchase the tickets please?
All of your tips & advice are very helpful

One of my sons lives in New York and works in Manhattan so I’ve visited lots of time over the last 14 years.
The first time I visited, I went on all of the open top tour hop on hop off buses which gave me a great overview of the city. I think I bought a 2 day version. The commentaries were live and extremely informative.
If you are into sewing or knitting I can give you details of the most amazing stores to visit!
The Native American Indian museum is very interesting to visit too.

I’d work out what you actually want to see, add up the price and check it’s not less than a pass. We did and it was.

Attractionticketsdirect.com was the cheapest place by far when I was looking for passes

We went to NY last June. Sorry, haven't read everything so hopefully I'm not repeating what others have said too much.

Day 1 - Open top bus tour, got off bus and walked Brooklyn Bridge and got pizza from Grimaldi's - there was a queue to eat in but we had takeaway and went to Brooklyn Bridge park. Time out market in Brooklyn - loads of food stalls although quite pricey. Evening was Broadway Show - Come From Away - was brilliant! then Empire State Building - after the show so late at night hardly any queue.

Day 2 - Morning - Statue of Liberty Crown and Ellis Island - had to book crown tickets in advance but that might have been because it was summer. Afternoon - 9/11 memorial. Evening - Circle Line Harbour Lights cruise - was good.

Day 3 - "The Tour" by "The Ride" Sideways facing bus tour - this was one of the options on our attraction ticket and would definitely do this again. Grand Central station and NY Public Library, Chelsea Market and High Line, then The Vessel which is free but have to book in advance, Hudson Yards (where the vessel is) nice shopping mall. So Chelsea Market at one end of the High Line and Hudson Yards and Vessel at the other end. Evening - Mets game but I guess it's the wrong time of year for baseball.

Day 4 - Top of the Rock (9am, no queues), Breakfast at Tiffany - had to book in advance but was lovely, walk round Central Park.

Hopefully something useful there - have a great time!

Be careful about any open top bus in April. It can still be pretty cold! All advice for June isn’t necessarily the same for winter and spring if it relates to the outside attractions.

If you don’t want everything on the inclusive tickets, they are not cheaper. Also look at Culture Trip and Lonely Planet with regard to restaurants and daily itineraries. You don’t want Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park on the same day. Look at what you can do in chunks.

We always get cabs or book airport transfers door to door. But we’ve not had to go in a tight budget.

If it’s cold, always look at the museums and art galleries. They are world class. Few people on these threads mention them but they are a highlight.

This is really helpful. I'm going at Easter with my DCs (teens) for 6 nights.

Not interested in packing too many attractions in but I worked out earlier that the three we want to do are £100 cheaper than booking separately using the C3 city pass, does anyone have any experience of that one?

We are fans of walking, exploring and not over-scheduling as it can become stressful maybe? So I'm thinking make sure we do our priorities and just go with the flow for the rest of the time. Any thoughts appreciated!

Don't think anyone wants to go to Ellen's Diner except me though

There's a site that compares the different passes and calculates which one is best for you. I booked ours through Expedia when they had a discount and also used Quidco and got cash back so I think it cost us something like £16 per attraction which was much cheaper than booking separately. There are different T&Cs for lots of attractions if you are using passes though so read the small print - often you can't book in advance or there's limited numbers of passes that can be used for that attraction etc.