New York

walk around a lot. sounds obvious but you get a real feel for it.

Budget things to do :-

Visit to Fed Bank (free but book in advance) Great tour down to the vault to see 7000 tons of gold bullion ($190 billion)
Trip on Staten Island ferry (free) Great views of Statue of Liberty and City Skyline
Tour of Grand Central Terminal (free) Very interesting info on history
Central Park (free) Relaxing place to go if the weather is good
Go up Rockerfeller 'Top of the Rock' - Slightly less money than Empire State with coupons but better views and no massive queues. Plus view of city has Empire State Building smack in the middle so makes for better pictures plus a better view of Central Park.
Buy theatre tickets from TKTS booth on Times Square - 50% off most shows

MMG, have a look at this thread in the archives:

http://site.forum.betfair.com/jive3/betex/ThreadsFrameset.jsp?forumID=58&threadID=1815423

For loads of other opinions, just type 'New York' in the searchbox and select 'Chit Chat' on this site:

http://www.gubbed.com/forum-search.fcgi

musts ;
- wear an expensive suit and carry a briefcase on the subway
- run around central park naked shouting 'free afghansistan'

Reyes 24 Jan 18:00


walk around a lot. sounds obvious but you get a real feel for it.

good advice

i agree about the walking. i always do that wherever i am if ican. burns a few calories so you won't have to feel guilty about their big meal portions. I walked all the way from harlem, along central park down to lower manhattan when i was there.

Also walked 8 miles from Buffalo trainstation to buffalo centre. wouldn't recommend this one.

thanks chaps - excellent advice. I'd heard the bit about walking around and expect to be tired after a few days, so I'm booking a cruise back. One last thing - I'd like to visit a great steakhouse and a great Italian - any suggestions? I'm tempted by Sparks, mainly because I love history and it was where that mafia guy got mown down, but if it's rubbish please speak up.

i had a great steak at Michael Jordans place in Grand Central Station. sit out on the balcony and see all the goings on too. there was an impromptu concert by some army/navy band, playing the national anthem on the steps too, was superb!

Sparks and the Michael Jordan place both excellent shouts (albeit for different reasons). However, the correct answer is Peter Luger in Brooklyn.

Been to Peter Luger in Brooklyn. Strange place, very basic and sparse but cracking steak.

Talking of Brooklyn and things you can do in New York on a low budget, the other thing worth doing is getting the subway to Brooklyn then walking back into Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge is fantastic and ahead of you you can see the iconic skyline and if you look to the left when crossing you can see the Statue of Liberty across the water. We did it as the sun was going down and got some spectacular shots from the bridge of the sun disappearing near the statue.

Was there last year.

Smith and Wollensky for the steak. Carmine's for the Italian.

Not often I get beaten by a meal but the portions at Carmine's were huge!

go and see the bronx..:)

Head to Woodbury Common if you want to shop. About an hour on the bus, but well worth a visit.

don't just stay in manhatten. i visited in the early 90s and saw all the boroughs except staten island, went to harlem, the bronx, south bronx, visited a down an alley boxing club in queens, which was like something out of a rocky film, did italian, hispanic and irish neighbourhoods in brooklyn, you can literally cross a street and move from one to the other, went horseracing, took in a mets game and clubbing in greenwich village

Coney island is a must, go on the old fair there and go for a beer on the front, place not been done up for 20 years plus, but well worth a visit, even more if you have seen the film the Warriors.

Don't miss the Statue of Liberty, Grand Central Station, Ground Zero & The Empire State Building. The National History Museum & the Guggenheim are both excellent too, as is a massive stroll thru Central Park. Macy's is massively over-rated & a bit tatty, however. Slightly off the beaten track there's a superb/slightly weird store which does sci-fi/horror costume hire & sells mad stuff called Abracadabra (19 West 21st Street). I thought Greenwich Village was a bit over-rated. Overall, though, a fantastic place & impossible not to enjoy. Have a great time.

take her for brunch at the boathouse in central park

http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/chili-thai/

Best restaurant I went to there, and indeed the best Thai restaurant I've been anywhere (not been to Thailand yet before anyone pipes up).

The touts on Times Square annoyed the life out of me. Everywhere's accessible via the subway so it's easy to get around Manhattan as a whole.
I hate shopping but loved Macys, Bloomingdales, etc mainly cos you'll get quality threads at half the cost of the UK, so if you're into your shopping make sure your suitcase going out is only half full.

visit the metropolitan but allow at least half a day. walking around central park always entertaining.
best steak in the palm. pier 14 touristy but nice also has quieter ticket office for the shows. st.patricks cathedral worth a visit. go online before you go and see whats on when your there and plan accordingly. for shopping try century 21 on cortland st for lots of discounted designer labels also central to world trade centre and wall st . enjoy your trip.

You want Little Italy for the Italian - looks lovely lit up at night with all the fairy lights etc. You may be bothered by a voilinist etc at some point but throw em some change and they'll pizz off.

Is there anything like the Oxo tower, that sounds similarly akin the the anal passage, that he could take his partner up, mostly for comic effect?

Oh yes:

Take her up the Trump tower.

If you are going with the missus and she is a Sex and the City fan, take her to the Magnolia bakery on Bleecker Street - that should get you enough brownie points to do anything you want

You could then insist on going to see the Knicks play basketball at Madison Square Garden - buy tickets online at Ticketmaster. You can't call yourself a sports fan if you've never been to an event at MSG

I recommend the Tribeca Bar & Grill for a meal. Owned by Robert De Niro but not flash or expensive. Lovely building, great food and great service. Usually necessary to book a table at most restaurants - do it online before you go saves hassle and wasting time when you are there

There are some fantastic museums - MOMA, Metropolitan, Guggenheim are all worth a visit. Staten Island Ferry, helicopter ride, Empire State, Top of the Rock, Central Park, 9/11 monument, Brooklyn Bridge.

Get a decent map/guide book - try to walk as much as poss and don't forget to look up