Omega on 2/9/2008 at 21:10
I'm sure it's been asked, but I figured I'd start a new thread anyway. I'll be visiting New York on Friday and you need to tell me what I need to see when I go there. I'll be staying for 5 days (unless the airport security personel thinks I'm interesting somehow and I get to spend a few of those days in some holding cell) so time is limited.
Telll meeee.
Oh yea.. first time to the US. </newbie>
WAREAGLE on 2/9/2008 at 21:11
I spent a good hour just being flabbergasted in Times Square on my first trip. If you're going to NYC, I definitely recommend that above all else.
rachel on 2/9/2008 at 21:38
Seconded. That place is crazy.
I loved Washington Square Park and more generally the whole Greenwich Village area.
Battery Park was kinda cool in a "I'm a Deus Ex character"-way. ;) Five minutes from there, you've got the Staten Island ferry, awesome views of Liberty Statue, and it's free. A winner! :)
My own experience of the Empire State was that of a tourist trap, I wouldn't recommend it. YMMV
Also try and spend at least a couple of hours strolling in Central Park, it's really nice.
[edit] forgot to add, Brooklyn has some good spots too, if you don't want to limit yourself to Manhattan.
N'Al on 2/9/2008 at 22:01
I recommend just picking out a general area (or areas) you want to visit - with maybe some general important sights you want to hit along the way - and to just take a stroll. TriBeCa, SoHo and Chinatown may be one idea, or the East side of Manhatten (Upper East Side to Lower East Side). Manhatten isn't all that large, all things considered, so it's easy to take in the majority by walking.
That's what I did when I was over there in July this year, and I found it a great way to soak up the general atmosphere of the town (altough, admittedly, this was my 3rd time in NYC, so I purposely tried to avoid all the big tourist attractions I'd seen before). This way, I got to see Alphabet City incl. Tompkins Square Park, for example, which I would never have done had I just stuck to the general touristy sites (then again, I did also spend about 4 hrs on Roosevelt Island, which is not something I can recommend... :erg:)
Whatever you do, don't just walk from one tourist attraction to the next, oblivious to everything in between. The town has so much more to offer than just those (which is saying something, considering that most of NYC's tourist attractions are pretty mighty impressive already), so it'd be a real shame if you only did those.
Oh, and maybe think about seeing some sights outside Manhatten. Went to a great beer garden in Queens myself, for example. ;)
demagogue on 3/9/2008 at 00:23
You should get in a Broadway show, of course (or an opera at the Met if that's more your bag).
Around Rockefeller Center, you can hit the shops down 5th Ave. Also around 35th street around the Empire State Building...
And I agree walking around the Village is nice ... Start maybe around Union Square on 14th Street (Barnes & Noble, Union Street Cafe), then either walk down Broadway to 5th Street and turn right/west (the scenic route) or more directly down 5th Ave to Washing Square Park, then (a few blocks west) walk straight down Greenwich Ave (novelty shops, bookshops, Murray's Cheese, and John's Pizza!), maybe cut to Bleeker street & 11th st. for the best cupcakes ever at Magnolia Bakery... and that's a cool day. Eat at John's Pizza on Greenwich or Waverly Cafe on 6th Ave and Washington Sq North. In the evening, if you like jazz, watch a set in the Blue Note on 6th Ave & 4th Street (one of the cradles of bop), or you like rock then Cafe Wha (where Jimi was discovered) walk south on MacDougal from 4th st.
FWIW, my favorite restaurant in the City is Keen's Steakhouse. Also great esp in the summer is Tavern on the Green in Central Park ... get a reservation first if you're going to any restaurant like that, though.
D'Juhn Keep on 3/9/2008 at 08:32
Omega. I thought you were in Hong Kong.
Jackablade on 3/9/2008 at 13:33
I was in New York for about a week in June. I enjoyed almost everything I saw, but the one place I would recommend is St. Patrick's cathedral. It's just a short walk from Rockefeller Place and it is breathtaking. I'm not religious, let alone catholic, and I was taken aback at its beauty. I just stumbled upon it from walking around too.
Other than that, I enjoyed Chinatown quite a bit. It felt like the real New York you don't get from the touristy spots. You should also go to the Metropolitan Museum of art, and The Museum of Modern Art if you have time.
Omega on 4/9/2008 at 09:46
Quote Posted by D'Juhn Keep
Omega. I thought you were in Hong Kong.
What ever gave you that idea? :) (I wish I was though! ;))
Things that were already on my list before starting this thread:
* Central park (not at night though?)
* Time square.
* Statue of Liberty
* SoHo/Chinatown (both if they're not the same)
Thanks for the recommendations guys! I'll post my experience. (If I'm still alive when I get back.)
rachel on 4/9/2008 at 11:01
Quote Posted by Jackablade
the one place I would recommend is St. Patrick's cathedral. It's just a short walk from Rockefeller Place and it is breathtaking. I'm not religious, let alone catholic, and I was taken aback at its beauty. I just stumbled upon it from walking around too.
And it's funny how when you just see it, although it's a friggin'
cathedral, it looks tiny compared to all the skyscrappers around... :)
infinity on 7/9/2008 at 13:59
I concur with everything that was said here, but I stress Central Park a little bit, and also Columbus Circle (Southwest of the Park). You can't really go wrong unless you stay in your hotel the whole time. :D
