New York - first time

[justasmalltownmum]

First time in the USA. Planning a week in New York with 2 DC, 8 and10.

Want to do all the sights and try good food.

Is the west village a good place to stay?
any recommendations?

TIA

The West Village is beautiful and would be a great place to stay, but try to be close to a subway station as that will make getting around Manhattan easier. Hope you have a great time.

My favourite area is the west village. We always stay there when we go.

You can’t beat the west village.

Do as many of the big sights as you can and some of the lesser known stuff. My favourites:

Ellis Island
Tenement Museum
The High Line
Brooklyn Bridge
Top of the Rock

Take more spending money than you expect because it’s an expensive city to experience, partly because of tips.

When are you going?

July

Thanks! Any specific place?

Thanks! Any particular place?

Thankyou - any rec of where to stay? Thanks

Thanks! Which hotels do you recommend?

We stated at the SoHo Grand which is just south of the West village which, essentially, is Greenwich village.

Agree with being near a subway station but it’s more difficult to get to grips with than the London Underground in some respects! It’s very grubby too.

@justasmalltownmum We usually start by considering what we want to see. We’ve stayed in mid town near Times Square, and in SoHo to see a different NY. Manhattan is huge and it takes a while to get to The Met museum and Central Park from the west village. Like any other holiday, check Booking.com and Trip Adviser for hotel recommendations. Few have breakfast included and you will be tipping at least 20% plus the local tax. Any meal is at least 30% more than the advertised price.

So make a list of what you consider to be must sees. There’s so much! My dc at that age liked Ellis Island, MoMa, Top of the Rock, Central Park, Tiffany’s, Brooklyn bridge, Radio City musical hall, Tenement museum, High Line etc etc. Zone your sightseeing! Dont try and do Central Park and the high line in the same day. I always found lonely planet guides useful but I cannot over-emphasize the high cost of New York. It’s an iconic city though.

I’d maybe look at the Washington square hotel and the Sheraton SoHo. Both handy for transport. You could look at Chelsea too. More options than West Village.

What you are going to New York for will determine a lot. And when you say good food do you mean family style Italian American, big American chains or smaller independent restaurants off the tourist trail?

There are about 30 different ways to experience the city. The west village is beautiful in parts (lovely brownstone houses and tree lined streets) but wouldn't hold much appeal for children. Has some good food options.

Do you want to stay somewhere right in the middle of the craziness and tourist stuff like Broadway and M and M world or somewhere a little more chilled out? Chelsea is a good shout I think, the Innside new york nomad is a lovely hotel in a good location.

Soho is more fashion and food and quite chilled.

It really depends what vibe you want.

I personally preferred to look at the Manhatan skyline for free from Brooklyn than paying for overpriced top of the rock etc.

@Toastforthewin I agree Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn is iconic (itv using it as a studio base for the World Cup but the Top of the Rock or the Empire State is an event for dc. You can see some great buildings for free!

It will be incredibly hot so you will need to take that into consideration with young kids. Maybe plan some museums etc to get over the hottest part of the day. The natural history dinosaur exhibits are terrific. The Guggenheim museum is a giant spiral, really fun to roam around. A boat trip up the Hudson lets you view manhattan island from a distance and is breezy.

Sorry - I didn’t mean the Top of the Rock or Empire stare were free - but you can see grand central station, The Vessel and the Flat iron building are worth a look.

Remember as well you have to pay for museum entry there too, so budget for that as well.

It will be so hot. We were there in July and it was boiling. We stayed in midtown which was good for sightseeing. We did a pedicab tour of Central Park, Elis island and Statue of Liberty, a boat trip (shit and a rip off), MOMA (loved it), High Line (loved it).

We went to raisin cains one night as it was the only thing my older son wanted to do and then we went and had drinks in Byrant Park which was nice.
We ended up getting a lot of taxis as my son struggles with walking. It was expensive as the tipping adds up.

No need too pay for a boat trip to see Statute . Take the Staten Island Ferry there and back . But a nighttime boat is cool. Also water taxis go along the river. West Village has Little Italy and Chinatown all within walking distance . It will be really hot too so prepare for breaks . Check out museums for their free entry days . The Whitney museum is nearby and is a modern museum with a nice rooftop space for eating . There may be free concerts around in the public park . And Washington Square is always a big people gathering space .

July in NYC will be HOT.

Also don't over commit, I am a Londoner and found New York A LOT, it is just so busy, large and full on in a way you cannot really.comprehend until you go there.

What’s your accommodation budget? We like the Dominick but it’s expensive. The one bedroom suites are great for a family with a sofa bed in the lounge. The views of the river are amazing and it’s close to the Hudson River for a cooling breeze and good playgrounds. Also has a pool for a nice cool down after a day of sight seeing. It’s more soho than west village but we love that area.

Recommendations for eating round there include Bubbys for breakfast (my kids still rave about this place), Arturo’s for pizza (the jazz is fun too) and the Dominique Ansell bakery for the most ridiculous pastries.

Very close to two subway stations so easy to get around. Subway ac is genuinely amazing.

But my god it’s all expensive.

Staten island ferry with the return at dusk is unreal!