New York holiday in May/June ...How long for?

[Viveladifference]

I'm planning on going to NY with my sons who are late teens and early 20s. Showing would you recommend staying for? (no more than a week!) And what is really worth seeing? Thank you!

I live in NY. I think a week is fine. What kind of stuff do you like? I can send you some recommendations.

Many years ago we went to NYC. Booked for 4 or 5 nights and by day 3 decided we had to extend for a full week!

Go for a week if you can. So much to experience!

Following this as we're thinking of going for a few days as part of a bigger holiday. I've been before but mainly for work so didn't do as much of the "fun" stuff as I'd like.
Also travelling with teens to entertain!

If you've never been before, a 5-7 days is about right.

@allfurcoatnoknickers I'm a Sex in the City Fan and Friends fan. I also love arty things too. The boys are very much into politics and history, culture. I think we'll just be really happy walking around and taking in the vibe too.

We want to see the main sights and landmarks, but it all feels a bit overwhelming.

Ok, a few brief notes:

• Don't go up the Empire state building. Get tickets for Top of the Rock or The Edge instead. Only go up one tall building . I suggest going at dusk so you get both day and night if you hang around long enough.

• STAY AWAY FROM TIMES SQUARE. Don't stay there, don't hang around there, go once very early in the morning or late at night and then leave.

• The Friends Apartment is in Greenwich Village and Carrie Bradshaw's apartment is right nearby in the West Village. Maybe look at staying further down town. The Jane Hotel has a really interesting history and is right there. www.thejanenyc.com.

• The Bowery Boys have a fab NYC history podcast and they do walking tours www.boweryboyswalks.com/. Good for the history buffs.

• The South Street Seaport has a lot of interesting history, and also a couple of tall ships at the museum theseaport.nyc/ and SJP had a shoe shop down there (Covid closed it, so it might be back?). There's always something interesting going on.

• Obv all the museums are amazing. I recommend the Brooklyn Museum and the Whitney because they're a bit more on the unusual side. Also fab views from the Whitney terraces. The Whitney is also by the Highline and the Chelsea Gallery district and most of "And Just Like That" was filmed in that area (it's also my neighborhood, so I'm biased)

There's loads more, but that should get you started.

If it opens again, the United Nations HQ might interest your sons.
Then walk down to the Roosevelt Island Tramway (it's a cable car over the river).

Circle line boat trip is worth doing, then you can walk downtown via the High Line.

Ground Zero (but not the museum)

Staten Island Ferry - another trip that is good at dusk to see the lights of Manhattan.

Tenement Museum

Eat lunch at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station - sit at the counters.

Get Metrocards for unlimited subway trips, but be prepared to do a lot of walking too. You will see so much more.

Take advantage of your jet lag and go up the Empire State/Top of the Rock first thing in the morning.

Do the Circle Line boat trip one afternoon after you've spent all morning walking - ideally early because it's a nice way to get your bearings on the city.

Scrub my first tip - they've changed the opening hours.

Thank you all so much for the recommendations and best times to visit places. This all sounds perfect.
@furcoatandnoknickers I'll look at the Jane hotel . We've not booked accommodation yet but might look for an air b n b just to give us a bit more space. Mind you, it depends on the cost.

Are there any literary tours and places of interest?? I'm a big fan of F Scott Fitzgerald so I'll look into something along those lines too.

I’m probably visiting my NY son at that time! Last time I went ( just before lockdown) I visited the tenement museum and found it fascinating.
Agree with everything @allfurcoatnoknickers says.
First time I visited when son moved to NY, 16 years ago, I went on all of the hop on hop off bus routes to get a feel of Manhattan etc. I would recommend that.

@allfurcoatnoknickers

I live in NY. I think a week is fine. What kind of stuff do you like? I can send you some recommendations.

I'd love it if you did an AMA!

Book The Ride Experience. It's fantastic. Don't research it too much as the surprise will be spoilt.

And if you're up at the crack of dawn with jet lag I highly recommend the Apple Store at 5am. You get the whole place to yourself. The stroll down Broadway to Ellen's Starburst Diner for 7am opening time for some fun Broadway kitch.

And use the Wanderlog app to map your itinerary and log your plane tickets, hotel bookings, experience tickets, restaurant reservations etc. all in one place. It will feed you places to go and optimise the route you take each day. I recently discovered it and LOVE IT! I currently have 6 different trips in the planning.

@Viveladifference

Thank you all so much for the recommendations and best times to visit places. This all sounds perfect. *@furcoatandnoknickers* I'll look at the Jane hotel . We've not booked accommodation yet but might look for an air b n b just to give us a bit more space. Mind you, it depends on the cost.

Are there any literary tours and places of interest?? I'm a big fan of F Scott Fitzgerald so I'll look into something along those lines too.

Be careful with AirBNB. Many AirBNBs in NYC are illegal (booking less than 30 days, unhosted, in apartment blocks etc i.e. multi-family dwellings):

www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/overview-airbnb-law-new-york-city.html

Thanks for the tip-off about AirBNB! @HundredMilesAnHour

@GoingBacktoSchool123 Brilliant reccomendations. Never heard of that app, but it's a great idea.

@Knittingnanny2 I've put the tenement museum on my list thanks!

@allfurcoatnoknickers what's wrong with Times Square?

@HollowTalk I did! It's super out of date now though because it was 2019: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/AMA/3574465-I-live-in-New-York-City-Ask-Me-Anything feel free to give it a bump if you have any questions though.

@mamaes Expensive, crime ridden, touristy dump full of chain restaurants where no resident New Yorker goes unless they absolutely have to. It's overcrowded, dirty, stressful and horrible. BUT if you have to go, go very, very early or very, very late when no one is there.

As a previous poster said, book The Ride. Don't research it, just book it.
We booked thinking we were doing an air conditioned bus tour of Manhattan ( it was BOILING)
Really loved it.
Go up Empire State first thing before it gets busy.
Walk across Brooklyn bridge just before dusk and watch the sunset over Manhattan skyline
9/11 memorial and museum is an absolute must

Expensive, crime ridden, touristy dump full of chain restaurants where no resident New Yorker goes unless they absolutely have to. It's overcrowded, dirty, stressful and horrible. BUT if you have to go, go very, very early or very, very late when no one is there
@allfurcoatnoknickers is it really that bad? Or is it the London equivalent of Leicester Sq/Piccadilly Circus? We’re going in July en route elsewhere so have 3 days in NYC and worried now that we’re too near TS