My boyfriend and I are thinking of taking a trip to the big apple to celebrate my 40th birthday next april. Has anyone been, and what are the best things to do / places to visit / places to stay etc?

My advice..... go shopping!!!!!


Bring back loads of designer gear , then stick it on Ebay


Consider it a (nearly) free holiday.

:thumbsup:

Well I went 4 years ago..

Places to see

Times Sq Brewary
Bloomingdales
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge (an awesome experience)
Macy's
Empire State Building (85th or 86th Floor is the observatory)
Statten Island
Helicopter to Statue Of Liberty
The All Night Lightening Bowling (10pm to 4am)
Hooters (maybe thats a guy thing)
Central Park
Madison Sq Garden
Washington Sq (I think :? )

Did all that in 6 days.. Phew!

Enjoy, its something I've never forgotten!

Top tips:

1. You must view New York from the top of the Empire State Building. Start your visit 1 hour before sunset, and watch the sun go down......and the city lights come on. Magic.

2. Take a Circle Line boat tour around Manhatten. The commentary will give you an idea of what you might want to visit on land, and you get superb views for photos, especially of downtown Manhattan.

3. A guided tour of the United Nations building is worthwhile.

Then on day 2.........!

P.S . The height of the sky-scrapers give an illusion that buildings are close by. They are not! So, plan your location visits and catch the metro - unless you like walking a lot!

Empire State Building - go up it at night as well as the day time, but get there early to avoid queue.
Forget Statue of Liberty - it's closed now - just see it close up from the Staten Island Ferry or one of the river boat tours.
Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn Heights - find the Promenade and look back towards Manhattan.
Take advantage of the open top bus tours (sart in Times Square) - see a taster of all the areas and then go back for a longer visit to those you liked.
Grand Central - go to the food hall in the basement.
Take very comfy walking shoes.
Leave a tip in the restaurants - it's a recognised part of the wages.
Oh! apart from the sides of the trains the only vandal graffitti we saw was "***** from Sheffield UK".
Enjoy it - bet you'll want to go back again.

ENJOY! It will be a wonderful experience, personally I dreaded it, but I was sorry we hadn't allowed more time.One thing which is a must is the harbour cruise in the evening,it's spectacular,Times Square is another, our hotel was in Times Square, it's name was "The Milford Plaza" but it's nickname was the lullaby of Broadway, one day We were lost so I stopped two policemen to ask the way,and I've never felt so daft in my life, this wonderful big black bloke started to sing to me in full voice The song Lullaby of Broadway, so I'll never forget him.

Don't stay at the Malibu hotel on Broadway!

It's an experience but you might be shocked by beggers who look like they are at deaths door.

Empire State building is fab. It was raining above us when we were at the top but the rain was going back up again before it reached us, I'd never seen anything like that before.:)

I used to live and work there and regard myself as a New Yorker at heart. I would endorse most of the suggestions above, particularly the circle line boat tour of Manhattan - its the best and cheapest way of getting an insight into what New York (mainly meaning Manhattan) is all about. The subway is good, but if you are only going for a few daysI would rely on taxis - they are relatively cheap. Remember also, that the tip for restaurants is 15% not 10% - most waiting staff rely largely on tips, so be generous.

Here is a website that may help
http://www.travelads.com/travel/print.asp?action=redirect&url=www.travel-travel.co.uk&ad_id=6545

check out the destination guides at the bottom left of the page.

Best way to see it is on foot, so be prepared to do loads of walking!

Also, you can arrange helicopter flights over Manhattan and around the Statue of Liberty, it was about £60 when we did it 8 years ago.

Originally posted by bensonhedges
Going to New York - any advice?

1 - Don't wipe your ar.se with a broken bottle.

2 - Don't eat yellow snow.

















:D

The helecopter ride to the Statue of Liberty is excellent, however my camcorder battery ran out when we got 2 feet off the floor :mad: oh well it's an excuse to do it again.

I stayed in the Ameritania Hotel which is above the David Letterman studios on Broadway near Times Sq, it was nice and not too expensive.

I went up the Empire State twice, once during day once at night. I also enjoyed going on a trip to Harlem and going to a gospel church, the music was great

The only bit I wasn't so keen on was China Town, thats the only bit I wouldn't visit again. (nothing against Chinese people)

I echo all of the above. One of the most fun things we did was Ice Skating in Central Park at night - they play disco music while you skate and it was really good fun.
Also got up early one morning and took the Staten Island ferry as the sun was coming up - amazing.
The Subway is excellent and really good value for money.
And of course the shopping...leave plenty of time for that!
Enjoy - it really is one of the best things I have ever done.:)

Well i seem to be the only person not too impressed with New York City, but the again i don't care much for London either.

Think i've been maybe 3 times to NY City, saw "CATS" thought it was a waste of 3 hours, couldn't wait for it to finish !

Went to see the NY Ballet last weekend, very dissapointed, i think i expect too much when i go to these places, although i did hear someone else comment that it wasn't the best Ballet they had been to, was my first!

Shopping is good if you know where to go, i stopped and asked a couple of girls, they pointed us to the best places, the girls were from England, knew more about the City than we did living only 50 miles from it.

I Loved New York when we went last September!
We crammed the majority of whats been said further up into 5 days!! I would love to go back one time so can fill in the odd bits we didnt get chance to do! Definitely be prepared to do lots of walking, we stayed on 51st and 8th and walked it all the way down to Battery Park and back one day, was lovely to walk through all the different districts, but it is very tiring!

Have some amazing pictures, especially from the top of the Empire State, I personally would still go to the Statue Of Liberty if you've never been before! It is still open, you still get to go inside it, just not right to the top! We got to see through glass plates that showed the insides of her, and how she's all put together, was interesting! One thing amused me though, it was tighter security to get in there than it was getting on the plane!!

Im sure whatever you decide to see and do you'll have a brilliant time! I think it'd be hard not too!! :)

Stay out of Brooklyn and the Bronx at night, if you think the Manor's rough, you ain't seen nothing on the Bronx, reputedly anyway.

Just dug this thread up from the back of the filing cabinet!! We are going - we fly out on Friday and it's my birthday on Sunday. I am so excited (about the trip, not about being 40), I've wanted to go to New York ever since I can remember and now it's finally happening. We have booked the helicopter trip and we're seeing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway! Don't know if I can keep off the forum for five days, although I'm sure the hotel will have internet access. Thanks to everybody who gave advice - I'll let you know how we got on.

Quite an old thread, but just wondered if you had a good time b & h?!

As a New Yorker whose left :( :(
Places to go, things to do, etc

1. Yes visit the Empire State Building
2. Ellis Island where pretty much who entered the US from the 1870s to the 1930s came through. You can look up family names and see who entered (and left!) pass through here.
3. See a play either off Times Square or down in the Village (14th Ave n south is the village)
4. See a concert or a comedy act. High profile names are always passing through the area
5. Go to Brooklyn and eat here: Authentic Fish & Chips in Brooklyn (http://www.chipshopnyc.com/)
6. Get a REAL hotdog at Grays Papaya (http://www.hollyeats.com/Grays.htm) $3.50 gets you 2 dogs n a fresh juice
7. PIZZA at any of the Two Boots. Some of the best Gourmet Pizza in NYC.
8. Grab a drink at Grassroots in the Village. Great little local that welcomes strangers. Though its definitely a place for those between 21 and 35.
9. Central Park
10. If its the summer head out to Robert Moses/Jones Beach. Screw the Hamptons, this is where real Long Islanders spend their summers. You can catch the LIRR out to Freeport or Babylon and catch a bus to the Beach from those stations.
11. Do the Yankee Stadium tour. Its $15 and runs every day the Yankees ARENT in town. You get to walk on the field, sit in the dugout, walk around the lockerroom and more.
12. Catch a Basketball, hockey or baseball game. If you can drive out to East Rutherford, NJ try to catch a Jets or Giants game. Be forwarned, youll have to pay about $150 a ticket for a game through a scalper - season ticket holders only. Or if you can take the subway out to Brooklyn and catch a minor league baseball game.
13. Dont be afraid to ask the front desk where they like to go to relax or eat. Theyll give you some of the best places to find. Youll probably find a few Mexican and Puerto Rican hideaways. The best Chinese this side of the world. Maybe you fancy some Russian or Polish food? Theyll be able to point you in the right direction
14. Go to a Deli, and make sure they serve Boars Head - the best cold cuts in the WORLD. My fave sandwich? Hot Pastrami on toasted rye with deli mustard and pickle with cole slaw on the side. Wash that bad boy down with a Snapple and youre good to go. Damnit now Ive made myself drool :(
15. If youre DVD player is region free, hit up Kims Video. Asshole staff - amazing selection of current and hard to find films.
16. MUSEUMS - Guggenheim, Natural History, its all here.
17. Eat in Little Italy, but not in the heart of it. Better restaurants and you wont be overcharges are located on the edges.
18. St Johns the Divine Church in Harlem.

Tips so you dont get spit on:
1. Dont suddenly stop in the middle of the sidewalk in Times Square. Its crowded and there are people who live there who need to get to work in a timely manner. Plus some people push tourists into traffic.
2. Try not to look up and take too many pictures. Quickest way to get your wallet STOLEN. Keep credit cards and cash to a minimum (take one CC with you, little cash) so if you do get nabbed, you have other things to rely on. As usual whenever on holiday, get a safe and keep it locked. iPods, cameras, extra cash, etc keep locked away from housekeeping.
3. Know where the British Embassy is. Its your best friend while youre away from home if you ever get into trouble
4. Dont wear your souvenir tshirts till you get home. Yeah I know some locals do it, but they look trashy.
5. Get a map of the subway. Try to plan your route before you leave for the day. Remember most trains meet at Times Square and Grand Central, so if you get lost, you can get back to where you came from there.

I also recomend buying a Time Out NY (http://www.timeout.com/newyork/) guide from a newstand. It will have pretty much everything thats happening in town in there. Picking up a Village Voice (http://www.villagevoice.com/) for those who are looking for something on the off beaten track is a good bet. Also reading their everything and anything section is worth a giggle or two ;)

PS theres shopping. Lots of it. Try to get into West Chester, Jersey or out onto Long Island, the sales tax is almost a ful percent lower in those regions ;) In fact, NJ has tax free shopping on all clothing purchases

Hope this helps future tourists!