Where should it go? Looking for NYC vacation recommendations

[mentalbreak]

Heading to NYC for a vacation week in August. I’m not sure what forum I should post in to ask for recommendations?

 

[Luanne]

I would suggest using the TripAdvisor travel forum for New York City. There are lots of knowledgeable and helpful folks there.

 

[clifffaith]

Google walking tours. They are free (you tip the guide), the guides are wonderful, many topics to choose from. We took one or two a day for our entire stay.

 

[tombanjo]

Where to stay or where to tour ? Probably knowing how many people and ages will help with both questions. I own HGV in midtown, so close to museums and central park. I like the subway to get around, it is very easy to get uptown, downtown all around town.

If you have never been to NYC, a ferry past the Statue of Liberty is worth a few hours time to say you saw it, but to actually go there takes more planning and money.

Top of the Rock - never been there, would be fun, but not worth the time and money to me. Same with Radio City.

Here is a list of museums and website also has other popular attractions

List of Museums in New York City

Here is a list of all Museums in New York City, the free museums as well as the ones with paid admission.

www.nycbynatives.com

Go to Brooklyn, have a bagel. Buy a slice of Pizza. Coney Island will be packed in August, a spectacle of the great unwashed public you can become one with and ride the second oldest wooden roller coaster, a feat that Mayor LaGaurdia should present you with a medal for.

 

[Janann]

We always get a City Pass which includes tickets to a few attractions. If you really don't know what you want to do, it will give you some structure and cover the highlights of the city.

Official New York CityPASS®, New York C3® and New York C-All™ | Which One Is Right For You?

CityPASS® tickets offer three amazing options to visit the best New York attractions. Find out which is right for you.

www.citypass.com

Other things to consider:

• Buy a subway pass, even if you won't completely get your "money's worth" out of it. It is much easier to have a pass than deal with buying tickets all the time.
• Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. Take the subway to Brooklyn, then walk back to Manhattan on the bridge.
• I haven't been to the New York City Museum yet, but it's on my list for my next visit. https://www.mcny.org/
• If you only want to see the Statue of Liberty, the Staten Island Ferry is a great way to get it done. There are plenty of other people who ride the Ferry for that reason, and you'll just have to get off the ferry at Staten Island, walk a short distance, and get back on. Trust me, there are plenty of other people doing the same thing.

 

[ScoopKona]

I go straight to a deli. Then I go straight to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. And then I go to Chinatown for the best dim sum outside of Hong Kong/Taiwan. When I'm not eating Deli, Italian or Chinese, I go to the Met, MOMA and similar. That's pretty-much all I do in New York.

 

[sun starved Gayle]

When we go to a new city we like to do a double decker hop-on-hop-off city tour the first day to get an overview of the sights and figure out where we would like to return to explore in depth.

 

[louisianab]

• Buy a subway pass, even if you won't completely get your "money's worth" out of it. It is much easier to have a pass than deal with buying tickets all the time

Re Subway Pass : NYC now has Omny, which means you can tap in and out with any card that has contactless tap, similar to London and Vancouver. Super easy. There is a max amount you will pay. https://omny.info/

 

[Luanne]

We always get a City Pass which includes tickets to a few attractions. If you really don't know what you want to do, it will give you some structure and cover the highlights of the city.

Official New York CityPASS®, New York C3® and New York C-All™ | Which One Is Right For You?

CityPASS® tickets offer three amazing options to visit the best New York attractions. Find out which is right for you.

www.citypass.com

Before investing in a City Pass be sure it includes the places you want to see, and doesn't have a lot that you won't use. Also be sure to see what exactly the pass covers. Does it allow you to skip any lines? Do you need advance purchase for any locations? Will you still have to line up with everyone else in the ticket line to redeem your pass. Many times it's more economical to just visit the places you want without a pass.

 

[mentalbreak]

Thanks all for the recommendations so far (and please keep them coming).

So far we have accommodations, Statue of Liberty crown tickets, and plan to get a membership for the 911 memorial.

Our other ideas list so far includes:
- attend a Mets game (Yankees not in town and no stadium tours during our dates)
- attend 1-2 Broadway shows - Mets game might be husband and oldest, with an extra show for youngest and I who has tolerated sporting events on vacation his entire life.
- Van Gogh exhibit at the Met
- pedicab tour of Central Park

We usually eat one meal per day “out”, but I don’t see us trying any high-end restaurants. We hope to pick up groceries too.

 

[Luanne]

I'm confused. What does a membership for the 911 memorial do? The memorial is free.

If you like Italian food we really like Nocello, we go on every visit. Prices are not outrageous. A good place for sit down pizza is PizzArte.

Where are you staying?

Don't recommend a pedicab, their prices can get outrageous. You can see more by walking.

 

[mentalbreak]

I'm confused. What does a membership for the 911 memorial do? The memorial is free.

If you like Italian food we really like Nocello, we go on every visit. Prices are not outrageous. A good place for sit down pizza is PizzArte.

Where are you staying?

Don't recommend a pedicab, their prices can get outrageous. You can see more by walking.

Staying near Columbus Circle for 7 nights.

Maybe I should have said the 911 museum? From what I can tell, membership is entry for 4 for 1 year, plus 4 guest entries, includes one-time guided tour, audio tours, and no timed entry required. Since 2 of us are likely heading back within a year with my father, it should be pretty easy to break even. Plus I was thinking we could visit after the Statue Crown, and then return a different day if desired.

Thanks for the perspective on pedicabs and restaurant recommendations!

 

[Luanne]

Okay, the 911 museum makes more sense.

From where you are staying both restaurants I gave you are within walking distance.

 

[stmartinfan]

We're hoping to visit NYC for a few days in October so really appreciating the comments on this post as well.

 

[Luanne]

We're hoping to visit NYC for a few days in October so really appreciating the comments on this post as well.

We'll be there for our annual visit in October as well. Staying at the Manhattan Club, through a timeshare trade, for the first time. Since we go every year we don't feel the need to do "everything". The things we always do though are MOMA and the Met. Oh yeah, and just immerse ourselves in the city.

 

[tombanjo]

 

[Luanne]

No, you won't regret the view. (From TOTR)

 

[Glynda]

We've been visiting NYC for many years. My daughter and I went the end of March this year. The coolest thing we did this time was do the Summit One Vanderbilt tour! You access the tour from Grand Central Terminal. Make reservations!I don't want to spoil it so just go! Summit One Vanderbilt

 

[Luanne]

One of the fun things we did a few years ago was take the Staten Island ferry. Actually the most fun was this great man we met while we were trying to negotiate our way from the subway to where the ferry left. "Follow me" he says and takes off in his walker. We had a hard time keeping up with him. When we got to the terminal he told us where to stand so we'd have the best view. Turns out he lives on Staten Island and rides the ferry back and forth probably daily. He said he meets lots of great people doing that.

View from the ferry back towards Manhattan.

Statue of Liberty from the ferry.

 

[louisianab]

Thanks all for the recommendations so far (and please keep them coming).

So far we have accommodations, Statue of Liberty crown tickets, and plan to get a membership for the 911 memorial.

Our other ideas list so far includes:
- attend a Mets game (Yankees not in town and no stadium tours during our dates)
- attend 1-2 Broadway shows - Mets game might be husband and oldest, with an extra show for youngest and I who has tolerated sporting events on vacation his entire life.
- Van Gogh exhibit at the Met
- pedicab tour of Central Park

We usually eat one meal per day “out”, but I don’t see us trying any high-end restaurants. We hope to pick up groceries too.

If you're not picky about the shows, the TKTS booth will have same day, next day Broadway show tickets. https://www.tdf.org/discount-ticket-programs/tkts-by-tdf/tkts-live/

 

[e.bram]

MET OPERA Family circle box tickets $25.99 to $35.00.

 

[lockewong]

The Empire State Building is timed and on the City Pass. You might want to go near sunset when everyone is up and taking pictures. Give yourself time for the lines even if you pre-book the timed tickets. Same for the Chrysler building. The lines to the Met are insane unless you are a member and go a separate entrance. The Statue of Liberty will take all day and it is a lot of walking around the island. The line to the ferry is very long at the most popular times. Go early. Don't forget to walk through Central Park and maybe see an outdoor play. You could wait in line at TKTS at Times Square and score Broadway or off-Broadway shows for a discount. Very worth it.

 

[ambere]

Just got back from a quick visit to NYC: Our favorites:
1. Walking the Brooklyn Bridge (free)
2. Walking the High Line (free)
3. The Met (the Van Gogh exhibit there now is amazing, but check it all out)
4. Seeing a play or musical
5. Eating some great food, doesn't have to be expensive (bagels, pizza, all good)
6. Checking out a jazz bar or finding some live music or comedy
7. I actually like the hop on/hop off trolley/ bus tours where you get to see everything and get an overview
8. Walking through Central Park
9. If you have a day or two for a side trip, you can take the LLIR to Bay Shore for $11, then ferry to Fire Island for $25 RT. Ocean Beach is very family friendly, beautiful beaches super fun. Would be a lot to do in 1 day, one overnight there would be perfect.
10. Just exploring by subway, walking, cab, and doing whatever strikes you.

Have a great trip!

 

[Luanne]

The Empire State Building is timed and on the City Pass. You might want to go near sunset when everyone is up and taking pictures. Give yourself time for the lines even if you pre-book the timed tickets. Same for the Chrysler building. The lines to the Met are insane unless you are a member and go a separate entrance. The Statue of Liberty will take all day and it is a lot of walking around the island. The line to the ferry is very long at the most popular times. Go early. Don't forget to walk through Central Park and maybe see an outdoor play. You could wait in line at TKTS at Times Square and score Broadway or off-Broadway shows for a discount. Very worth it.

Thanks for the info about the separate entrance for members. We will be going in October. Last time we went I don't think there was a separate entrance (or maybe we just didn't know about it). We had timed tickets for the opening and we only had to wait because we got there before they opened. But the line behind us was pretty bad. As least once you get in the museum is so large it doesn't feel packed.

We must not have gone on the Staten Island ferry during a popular time as there was no line that I remember when we went. Again, we just had to wait for the boat to come in and unload before we could get on.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

I haven't been back to Manhattan since I moved away in 2002 (iirc), but I am sure the ferries to Staten Isl & Ellis Isl (statue) are two different things.
"The Statue of Liberty will take all day" ... is it still narrow staircase where a single incredibly slow person going up defines "all day"? I did it once. Was right behind that person. Never again.