New York

[ShouldIbeEmbarrassed]

Looking to book 4/5 day break to New York, first time going so looking for some tips please, such as area to stay, hotel recommendations and mostly what sort of spends we would need each day for 2 adults and 2 teens. Thanks

Hello! Lived there for 18 months.

Last time I went, we stayed in the Concorde Hotel in mid-town - couldn't fault it and location was fab.

Restaurants to try:
Stardust Diner
Serendipity
Corner Bistro (a bit run down but amazing burgers)

Things to see (other than the main sights):
Staten Island ferry (just for the views - it's free)
The High Line
Top of the Rock
Lower East Side tenement museum

Enjoy!

Just been catching up with DC who lived in NY. They suggested not going to the Top of the Rock, go to the bar or restaurant instead. You don't have to pay to go in, same view, and your money goes on something to eat or drink instead. There are many other rooftop bars for great views that are free.

They also said the Williamsburg Smorgasburg in Brooklyn is absolutely brilliant. It's on every weekend (covid allowing of course).

Still not got booked, Hilton Midtown still the fave but looking at best flight times/airports to do a direct flight we have double the travel time to an airport so deciding which is best more travel in car to and from airport or the longer flights/connection

I would ALWAYS take a direct flight, if possible. Changing planes is a huge faff and increases the likelihood of lost luggage. I'd far rather spend more time in my own car than negotiating airports.

Watching with interest. Thinking of going as a family of 4 with 2 teens, 16 boy & 14 girl. I'm struggling a bit with hotel room options as twin rooms don't seem to be a thing in New York, teens won't want to share a double bed, I want 2 rooms, one for teens and one for adults, any recommendations for this set up without stupid high costs?

@123sunshine

You can get rooms with 2 queen beds and a sofa bed. I have booked one of those @ the knickerbocker. It's a junior suite so not the cheapest but as it's a big birthday trip I just went for it.

Sorry meant to say you probably need to ring around and speak to the hotels / agent and ask the specific question.

Hotel Edison, just off Times Square and right by the theatre district.
Look at attraction tickets direct, they have a lot of buy before you go tickets for things all around the city.

Must sees/do's -
Times Square at night
Staton island ferry
See a Broadway show
Eat breakfast at annettes diner
Planet Hollywood/hard rock cafe
Top of the rock
Rockefeller centre for ice skating depending on time of year
Central Park, it's stunning. And the little zoo is lovely.
Shopping on 5th Avenue.
Canal boat cruise on the river
Brooklyn bridge, plus Brooklyn.
See the New York skyline at sunset and watch as it gets dark, takes your breath away.
Madame Tussaud's
Film and tv tour of locations from famous films
Eat a street food hot dog
Natural history museum
Shopping in soho
Ride the subway, get a weeks pass, so cheap and so easy
Sit on the red steps in Times Square for a photo opp
Private helicopter tour if you're feeling flash
Trip to New Jersey and head to Atlantic city
Take a bus tour to Pennsylvania

It's the most magical city on all of earth -
I would say avoid China town. It's ten times tougher than Harlem or the bronx! I got offered guns, drugs, knives and Christ knows what else and a friend got mugged in the maccies.

Would suggest visiting the Top of the Rock observation decks rather than the bar 65 (which remains closed). They were certainly operating a strict dress code policy and they were wanting their patrons to wear business like attire. I would also check if they allow under 21s in if you do get to go.

Atlantic city is a dump, avoid!.

I sincerely hope you do get to go to NYC in October but there is still no word from President Biden as to when the US travel ban will be lifted.
Anything you book should give you the ability to change dates without charge and or the ability to get a full refund.

@imalmostthere..we stayed at the hotel Edison and it really was perfect...loved the architecture and great vicinity.

We were there in October a few years ago and went to Coney Island. It's right at the end of one of the subway lines and is fabulous. A real old-fashioned seaside resort with a great funfair. Especially is you've watched the movie Brooklyn.

Go to Katz's Deli...have the Reuben. John's pizzeria is fantastic. There are a couple of branches. We tried to order a whole pizza a nd they laughed at us...enormous slices.

Grand Central Station is amazing. If you're a fan of The Sopranos there's a fantastic tour that takes you to a lot of the locations.

I'd recommend the Hotel Metro at W 35th Street. It's almost next door to Macys and a block away from Penn Station, The Empire State and Madison Square Garden. There's also a rooftop bar which is lovely.

Looks like it's changed it's name.

metro-new-york-city.newyork-hotel.com/en/

There's a 'secret' burger bar inside the lobby of the Parker Meridien Hotel on (I think 56th Street). It's behind a curtain and looks like a shack when you get inside, but does amazing burgers.

I think the best of New York is found in the Lonely Planet Guide. I would always fly direct. DD had a terrible experience once when she didn’t. Flight A was late. Then never took off again. 1 day later she arrived. Just pay what you need to pay.

NY isn’t cheap for anything. Restaurants quote prices without tax and you add double the tax as a tip. So prices are 30% more than advertised. You pay tax on goods in shops too.

The subway is horrible. It’s not like London! It’s quite difficult to navigate.

I think I prefer avoiding tourist trap restaurants. Local ones are so much better!

Hardly anyone mentions museums on here. I recommend the Tennement museum, MOMA, and The Met. Choose one! There are others of course! All worthwhile.

The High Line is great and we like SoHo. Smaller roads and old buildings with external fire escapes. THE best local coffee shops.

Get the subway to Brooklyn and walk back over the bridge. The 911 memorial is moving - the exhibition is a bit grim. All the iconic buildings are wonderful in NY. Make sure you see them - at least from the outside. The High Line is brilliant and stop off at Chelsea Market. Walk around Central Park and go down 5th Avenue. Look at Tiffany’s for glamour.

Radio City Music Hall is great for a tour. Wonderful Art Deco building! Very NY.

Suites often have more bed options. Cheaper than two rooms - sometimes! A room will always have two queen beds. However hotels in NY are never cheap! We like the Soho Grand but it’s not very convenient for mid town.

Always read Time Out for what’s on. Ticket prices for the theatre can be alarmingly expensive. If you cannot afford a direct flight think twice about theatre tickets! Unless you get discounted to a show you don’t really want to see!

The subway is really easy to navigate, you just have to learn that different trains run on the same tracks. So the red line has the 1,2 and 3 trains on it. They have some stops that they all stop at, but some stops are only for the 1 train. You also need to know if you are going up town or downtown. There are generally 2 or 4 entrances from street level, indicated by a round light. Its cheap and fast too, if you are there for a week they do a weekly pass for $33, which is only 12 journeys.

I love NYC and would love to go back, there's so much good food, and it doesn't have to be really expensive either! They have Groupon for NYC. We bought several things for like food walking tours, etc and saved about 50%. I really enjoyed the food tours, they were expensive, but the Groupon brought them more affordable.

Stardust diner is average food, but I love it anyway, its crammed in, but its a very NYC experience and the staff have excellent voices!

@PresentingPercy

What's best option re 9/11. I would like to see museum etc but I have a fairly sensitive dd who will only be 10. What is there to see without upsetting her to much. Especially given she can be a bit anxious and has only flown a couple of times before and I don't want to panic her for a return flight.....

So the picture I added shows that there are 3 stations called 125th st, but they are all on different avenues east to west.
The 1 train services one of them, the A B, C, D services another and the 2 and 3 trains the last one. It sounds hard, but its not once you learn it!

I think the harrowing stories, death and destruction. She is 10 so won’t remember it as adults do. The memorial is better for sensitive people and children I think. Others will think differently but it’s a holiday isn’t it?

The memorial has a tank-like fountain (black and you cannot see the bottom so a black bottomless pit) with all the names in a metal surround. There are trees in a garden. Of all the things a 10 year old might enjoy in NY, I personally don’t think this is it.

My DDs at a similar age loved MoMa. They like art! They loved Radio City Music Hall and Central Park. The Met has interesting exhibitions too. It’s expensive but they used to have a “pay what you like” day so look at the web site.

We also found, when standing in line for brunch, that DCs must decide what they want quickly. For drinks and food. They will go to the next customer. New Yorkers can be abrupt! New Yorkers also tip extra if waiting staff have been nice to their children. It’s a different world.

The problem with the subway is that it’s not that easy to learn on a quick holiday. The green line we were on suddenly had a train that went under the East River! There’s no real time info. We isn’t know it wasn’t a standard train. DD2 lived there for 3 months and still had problems. It’s cheap, filthy and old but it gets you there!

@Newnormal99
Sorry! Should have tagged you. See above.

Even the memorial gets me all goosebumps and teary eyed. It is incredibly emotional and often there will be someone who was there or lost someone. The way the names are listed is also pretty heartbreaking.

I haven’t made it to the museumz

Thanks @PresentingPercy does sound like as expected I will have to give the museum as miss. Unless the American girl shop which is the only thing currently on her list does a holiday club and I stick her in there For the day!

Yeah, the subway is really easy to navigate. You need to know which train and whether you're going uptown or downtown which is basically "up" the map or "down" the map as you look at it.

That's it.

As for visiting Atlantic City and getting a bus to Pennsylvania being must dos

And you won't be offered guns in Chinatown 😂. A knock off handbag deffo, guns, not so much.