New York Trip Tips/Recommendations

The big A.

Have you booked it yet leefee?

Yeah booked it just before chrimbo Harry...... going for 8 days and the penultimate day is the easter parade through the city so that days already booked up

nice....Which arline you going with? went with virgin...the comfort was worth the extra £££

Went and watched the new york red bulls..my brother coaches with the youth academy...was very humid when I went...going after the masters this year

Funnily enough i can't remember who we fly with

My brother has all the paperwork...... could be united or air canada.

I really should know this souldnt i?

Is it as good as i think it's going to be?

Yes you really should know

Been 4 times now...I like chicago as much.  Less chance of a subdural haematoma from a chinese tourist waving there cameras about   but yes it is very good.  Enjoy.

I live in NY for a while just off Houston Street on the lower East Side

It is by mile the greatest city on the planet

Food: you will be spoilt with Little Italy / Greenwich Village ( Tony Roma's all you can eat ribs mmmmm )

Sunday Morning in "The Village" is great , be sure to enjoy the traditional All American Diner breakfast....great one on 19th St between 6th & 7th Ave.

DO NOT pay to go the the Statue of Liberty , it's long and oh so boring , simply pay a dollar and ride the Staten Island Ferry which goes right past it so you can take all the pictures you like but be prepared to be dissapointed as you will expect the SOL to be towering over the harbour but it doesn't.

You can get the ferry from the South St sea port , plenty to see around there with restaurants and shops in the harbour , Ground Zero near by.

The boat rips around Manhatten are brilliant but just do the HALF trip as the full trip goeas all the up to the Bronx and beyound where there is bugggger all to see , the half trip goes from the Hudson near mid town around to the East river then turns and goes back ( I did the trip 1 month after 911...still smoke rising )

Shopping 5th Ave for all the "Labels" and Nike Town just off there near the corner of Central Park..( Sunday afternoon is best in the Park )

Macy's on 34th  is great and across the road from Madison Square Garden ( the only ROUND building in the city )...just up the street from The Empire State Building so you can do all three together but don't go up if the visibility is craap.

If you go to Macy's the best Burger joint on the Planet is right next to there in the square opposite Little Korea, it's a Mexican joint that serve all steak Sirloin Burgers...amazing

If you like night life check out the Limelight Club in the Village , it's a bit crazy ( its a converted church ) but is a great laugh

My 2 best tips and trust me it is awesome is to get up early one morning (6.30) ish and just take a walk around the streets and watch the city come alive, the steam coming out of the man holes ate and the sounds, its a brilliant time

Also

If you can gain access to a rooftop ( terrace or other ) go up there with a beer and listen to the sounds of New York at night, it's incredible with all of the lights and noise, great memories

The Taxi's from the Airports are the best way into the city as they are set price to ANY destination in Manhatten from ALL of the Airports, do NOT get taken in by the Limo salesmen at the Airport as they are NOT set fairs and will charge you toll money too.

The greatest city ever and you will love it.

Regards

Ed

leefee I think ed has covered it for you.

Thanks guys, any more recommendations?

Ed, 6.30 sounds alarmingly early

But i shall attempt to do it!

I went watching the Rangers at MSG and that was great, took the WAGs and even they loved it.  Sports bar on Central Park is Mickey Mantles, ok for catching a game and a snack.

Seafood restaurant at Grand Central Terminal is all a nice stopping point if you are into you Oysters.

Going Friday. If I discover anything worth telling will post when I get back. The only thing I will say with regard to Ed's excellent post is that taxis from Newark are now charging more to offset the empty return journey - NJ taxis are not allowed to pick up in Manhattan so make their money on the initial journey

How was the trip Reg?

It was excellent thanks. Was touch and go whether would get there at one point because of the weather but flew with United to Newark which was not as affected by the snow.

Get yourself $29 weekly metro passes if you're planning to use the subway. A single trip costs $2.25, but with each station having 4 entrances at each intersection you find yourself walking down the stairs to discover that the one you've gone down doesn't have a booth to buy tickets from an agent. You then have to walk up again, cross the road and go back down just to buy a ticket, and you can only put 4 singles on one ticket.

Staten Island ferry is free. I walked around trying to find a ticket booth and asked a security guy to be told "this is free". Go south from the 9/11 memorial and when you reach the tip of the island go to your left towards the massive glass building you can see. When you get back off the ferry the subway is as you step out the building and takes you back up town.

If you get the chance do The Ride. Tickets are bought from a booth next door to Madame Tussauds. It's not cheap - $69 per head but it is quite possibly the best 80 minutes you will spend there, if you don't mind making a fool of yourself and getting involved. Google experiencetheride.com. It's part bus tour, part show.

With regards to 9/11 - it's free but you need to book a slot and print tickets off before you go. Make sure you keep your ticket in your hand until you're actually in the site as security guards keep popping up asking to see it.

Best pizzas in NY are at Grimaldis in Brooklyn. Cab from Times Square cost about $20. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge back into the city afterwards - you'll see a fantastic view of the city not often seen by tourists.

If you're catching a game at MSG you will not get a cab afterwards and the subway is packed. You can walk from there to Central Park in 20 minutes so nowhere is really too far to get to. I saw the Knicks on the night Carmelo Anthony had possibly his worst game all year.

If you want somewhere fun to eat and the teenagers in your group like a laugh then give Ellen's Stardust Diner a visit for lunch. It's on Broadway opposite The Late Show. 2 doors down is an excellent Asian fusion place called Nanking also worth a visit.

I'm no expert but any questions give me a shout and I will try to answer while it's still fresh in the memory.

Have a great time. I did

Many thanks for the post and tips Reg.

May post some questions i or my travelling companions have over the coming few weeks.

You're welcome.

If there's a few of you going it might pay to look here

http://www.supershuttle.com/

Newark (which is where you'll be if flying United) to Manhattan return 11 seater minibus cost me $114 for 3. My sister paid $140 return for 2 using cabs. They don't get there any quicker.

If you are flying United download their app and get the mobile boarding pass for the trip back. Terminal C is purely United and they fly everywhere, with the result that the queue is about a 1000 long. With the barcode on your phone you avoid the aggro and jump straight into the baggage check area where you print out your boarding pass and are out into security within 5 minutes

Just wondering about the tipping...... is it really as bad as its rumoured to be?

Only a month to go leefee...enjoy......this should clear up any questions regarding tipping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qV9wVGb38

Cheers Harry......oh believe you me i'm gonna enjoy it!!!

I hope the link gave you some advice on how tipping works over in the states.

I'm gonna do a Mr Pink

Great scene that is from a top draw actor.

Every place I ate in put a standard 18% on the bill before tax. You don't have to pay it but personally didnt have a bad experience. The one occasion the waitress was a bit sh1t she forgot to put a couple of beers on the bill, so where I might have knocked her down a bit I got a couple of free drinks by way of recompense.
Most menus I saw had a bit on the bottom saying "parties more than 6 people will be automatically charged on their bill" but there were only 5 of us and we must have stood out as tourists, despite my sister having a N.American accent and her boyfriend being 100% Yank. They do it to ensure that they don't get shafted by bigger groups of visitors.
Just make sure you don't tip twice - check the bill for the magic word "gratuity"

Thanks again reg

NY City - Big thumbs up from me!!

You been already?  decent weather for you? get to see many sights?

Yeah went from 24th to the 1st.

1st day was sleety/rainy but adrenaline made us ignore that!!
Then the rest of the week was nippy but sunny and getting warmer each day until the easter parade when it was pretty warm.

Saw tons (and I mean TONS LOL) of stuff Harry ..... and did lots of walking!!

Already miss it....... and the Tick-Tock diner at breakfast lol

There's a Malaysian Restaurant called Penang - used to be on Broadway but its moved since I was last there. Food there is better than in KL if you like Malaysian food.

sorry too late i see - didn't read the whole thread.