New York for DH’s 40th

[Mumofgirls12341]

I’ve just booked a 5 night trip to New York for DH’s 40th birthday.

Usually he is the one who books and sorts the Itinerary, however this time it’s a surprise trip and I don’t want to tell him until a few days before we fly.

Can anyone share any top tips/must dos/great restaurants etc (we are staying at the Knickerbocker if that helps)

thanks 😊

@Mumofgirls12341 Do not forget the ESTAS! Do you have them already? Poor weather might scupper a helicopter flight. Personally I think walking over the Brooklyn Bridge is as iconic as it gets. Plus going up Top of the Rock.

Walking along the High Line is great but it will be freezing in Feb! Walking shoes - yes plus duvet coats!

In Feb, I would add in the great museums and art galleries.

As for Ellen’s diner! No. Hells Kitchrn ditto. Times Square? You will wonder why you bothered! There are great buildings and sights in NY. Tourist trap restaurants are best avoided. Lonely planet has great recommendations and I like the Wallpaper books. Definitely group sight-seeing together. It’s a long way from from top to bottom!

I haven’t got the Estas yet. I thought there was plenty of time yet?

@Mumofgirls12341 assuming there are no issues then yes but if there is I believe it's a wait of several months for a visa appointment.

Are you planning on going to the US again? If not in the next couple of years I'd get the ESTA boxed off.

You should've said in your OP that it was early feb. It'll be fucking freezing. Not sure I'd want to walk the high line and the bridge tbh. Definitely wouldn't get me on a helicopter these days although I've done it before.

Learn how to use the subway, it's easy once you know how, make good use of it. You'll want to dip inside places regularly, it might even be covered in snow. A good tip is to have a list of places you can eat and drink within your wants and budget and keep the list by area. Then if the weather turns you can quickly find somewhere.

The bars and restaurants aren't always obvious and you need to go inside before you find them.

Chelsea market
TriBeCa tavern
The oyster bar at grand central station
Judge Roy Bean

It will be freezing.much colder than here.

Lol at Ellen’s haters. It’s so naff.
went to a nice Thai seafood place in hells kitchen, but to be honest we just googled and looked at a restaurant reviews. It will be very cold there in February. We did 43 miles in five days

So do DO start with this https://www.mcny.org/

Also, do
go to the 911 Museum

I’ve just applied for the Estas. It’s pending - how long does it usually take to get approved? I

Within 72 hours. Probably within 24 tbh

I was looking for a romantic and trendy restaurant last year. Have been to NYC many times. Highly recommend the Mary Lane restaurant in Greenwich Village. Not overly fussy but full of couples. It was recommended when I put a thread on Trip Advisor.

Subway is easy and cheap and we brought a 7 day pass even though we were only there for 5 days (unlike eating out. Add 20% tip plus sales tax to any menu prices).

We have been approved. Glad that’s out the way :)

re: the weather, it might not be that cold. Winter in NYC this year has been mild, and I wore a dress in Feb this year.
I wouldn't do Ellens. The food isn't very good.
Try Emily's restaurant, it has one of the best burgers in NYC (apparently some people prefer the Brooklyn one). St Tropez wine bar is excellent, and is around the corner from carriers apartment. I think the Pedi cabs are worth a go.
My favourite Mexican is in the UWS, called Pico de Gallo.
The New York City Library in Bryant park is worth a visit.
I like to walk back to Manhattan over the Brooklyn bridge rather than walk to Brooklyn.
Love the Moma. I can speak hours there. Statue of Liberty is great, we had a wonderful day and Ellis island is interesting.
There is a great jazz club in Harlem (its Bring you own booze) called bill's place which is worth a visit. Red Rooster does a good gospel brunch.

Feb will be lovely!! I've been in dec, jan and Feb - been lucky with the weather and it's much nicer imo than the height of summer when it's mega hot and a bit stinky.

Does your DH like steak or anything for a special 50th meal? We'd definitely recommend hawksmoor (uk company with a restaurant there, delicious as always) or Peter Luger (an NYC classic!) which is incredible. We did Au Cheval when we went last month which was really good too. If you prefer Italian Via Carota is incredible and I would definitely recommend! Eatily near flatiron is a great easy place to grab tea, there's a nice cocktail bar part and they do nibbles or there's a few restaurants in there (tasty pizza and pasta) and great snacks.

The Met is definitely worth a day trip too, so many beautiful things to see in it!

A weekly subway card is always worth it for us ($30 something dollars) but I'm sure when we were there last they're phasing them out in preference omny (contactless tap in tap out).

I'd make sure when you go you take some cash, easier to tip housekeeping / cabs / street vendors if you need to.

I am hoping to get there again over christmas. It's a marmite city. People seem to love it or hate it. I love it but stayed in new Jersey when I stayed there for extended periods of time so could dip in and out with no pressure.

I'm sure you've sorted it, but I'm just chiming in to remind about travel insurance and make sure you get the one that includes USA.

Have a fantastic trip!

I'd get the travel insurance now, tbh. My friend had a holiday booked and hadn't booked insurance (three weeks beforehand) and became very ill; all of them lost their holiday.

Media Boat Tour of its dry/clear - just fabulous.

We were in New York last month and had a wonderful time. Got home and 2 days later the smoke from Canada happened!

One tip I can give you is to open a Monzo bank account as they don't charge any international fees and I was able to use my card for contactless payments, including tap and go on the subway.

We were there in February. I spent a fortune on coats and thermals and winter boots. It was shorts and t shirt weather most of our week bar the Friday afternoon and Saturday when it changed and was Baltic. We were so lucky with the weather.

I've been in late January, it was absolutely freezing, but still great. Warm coat, hats, gloves etc. a must.

For views, top of the rock and one world observatory. Do one at daytime, one at sunset. You get a better view of the Empire State Building than going up it.

The highline won't be so great that time of year, but that's not to say don't do it.

Can totally recommend walking the bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan at dawn, but if not, go to Brooklyn to explore Dumbo and eat pizza and walk back over it at night.

Hillstone restaurant - great burgers and steaks and nice Californian wine.

The meatball shop was good for lunch.

Really enjoyed the Met.

The tenement museum is interesting if you like history, but need to book.

I haven't been to Edge as it opened since my last visit, but a friend enjoyed it recently.
Plan your days in location clumps so you're not cross crossing the city all day long. Walk as much as you can, remember to look up!

The Knickerbocker is a fab hotel, so you've made a good choice!
I'd recommend Carmines if you like Italian. It's 5 minutes walk from the hotel & we really enjoyed it. We had arranged to meet with family who live in New York & they booked this, so I reckon if locals think it's good then that's a positive.
If you like steak then we enjoyed Keens and Wolfgang's.
A helicopter ride is a fabulous experience. Last time we went our original booking got cancelled due to weather conditions, but they re-booked us no problem for the next day. The company we used was Adrenaline.com who we found excellent, but there are others & they all go from the same place. We did ours early morning & I think (from memory) the last flight was around 5pm , but maybe other companies do a later/ sunset type thing?
We also bought the New York pass which gave offers to lots of things. We also tried to maximise on doing things that are open late like Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building. I personally found the 911 memorial very moving (especially as I'd been visited the original twin towers). Also Ellis Island is fascinating as part of a visit to the Statue of Liberty. If you're considering going up the statue you will need to book in advance. I'd also do one of the hop on/off bus rides so even if you don't visit everywhere you at least see it.
What time of year are you planning on going? There's lots to recommend specifically at different times of year, but I would say in general plan and book as much in advance as you can, including restaurants & take your comfiest footwear because whatever you do it's hard on the feet

Agree with monzo. I had starling which is similar. American banking is prehistoric. Apple Pay is still a novelty there

Also don't underestimate how big/spread out NYC is compared to cities in the U.K. In London you can easily walk from the City to say, Notting Hill Gate or Camden Town to the South Bank in a couple of hours. In New York you'd take pretty much all day if you tried to walk from Battery Park to Central Park! So do what a PP suggested and plan your activities in location clumps.

@Mumofgirls12341 You have the estas out of the way now!!

I would suggest looking at Time Out for restaurant recommendations. You need to be aware that taxes are added and tipping is at least double the tax. We find Time Out or Lonely Planet give decent recommendations for all price points.

We really like the SoHo area. It’s got the old buildings with fire escapes and is low rise. 911 museum is a bit grim. Not for a celebration trip in my view. The museums and art galleries are better.

You are going to need snow boots and warm, down-filled coats for a Jan/Feb trip. Your boots should be waterproof. Bring hats and gloves too. NYC is cold enough to freeze a brass monkey at the end of January.