New York Tour Experience
Discussion
Got back home just before Sandy hit thank god... best way to see NYC in my opinion is on foot so make sure you take good walking shoes, we walked miles! Use the Subway too, not as comprehensive as the Tube for getting around but still gets you and down Manhattan quickly enough. Book 9/11 Memorial in advance, doubt you will need to book anything else other than the newly re-opened Statue of Liberty if you want to go there; I think we queued about 10-15 minutes to get tickets to the Top of the Rock so no biggie. Walk the High Line, explore the Village, SoHo and the Meatpacking District, go to Shake Shack for a burger/shake and go to PDT for cocktails (you will need to book though).
I think a lot of the best parts of NYC are free so don't go spending all your money on admission tickets... walk, immerse yourself in the place and enjoy, it's a fab city!
I think a lot of the best parts of NYC are free so don't go spending all your money on admission tickets... walk, immerse yourself in the place and enjoy, it's a fab city!
ChrisBMW said:
Pretty hard to beat the hop on/off bus tours, get to see everything with the added bonus of being able get off when you want if you would like to see a perticular sight for a bit longer.
I'd agree with this. Its the best way to see the city, plus the top deck will be pretty empty due to being so cold. Worth having a walk around a few areas.For ESB and Rockafella you can just turn up.
Me and my OH also done a helicoptor ride. It lasted about 10 mins I think, can't remember how much, but it was brilliant. We went at sunset and got some great photos. If you chose to do that, it may be worth booking before you go. Also theatre tickets might be worth ordering before you go if you knew you wanted to see something. Worth checking out if theres anything on at the garden as well...
If you do go to the empire state, buy in advance, and spend the extra for the express pass and also the 102nd floor.
You will be up, have seen the 86th and 102nd floors, and be back down before people who entered the building at the same time as you have even got through the security check. And no, I'm not exaggerating- you can cut to the front of ALL lines and elevators, which given how insanely busy it is, is worth every cent.
You will be up, have seen the 86th and 102nd floors, and be back down before people who entered the building at the same time as you have even got through the security check. And no, I'm not exaggerating- you can cut to the front of ALL lines and elevators, which given how insanely busy it is, is worth every cent.
ESB only took us 20 mins to get up to the top, mostly because I was reading the stuff about the construction etc that is viewable on the way up.. This was mid afternoon on a Friday, stayed up the top for a couple of hours (alternating between being outside and then back inside to warm up a bit!)
No point rushing about.
We bought ESB & top of the rock tickets before we went. Top of the rock do a dawn & dusk ticket which lets you go up twice in a day, definitely worth seeing it all in the night and day time.
Fed Bank does a tour, we didn't do it but might be something I'd try and do next time.
Ground Zero is free (you can make a donation if you wish) but you do need to book. It costs to get in the museum (I think, it wasn't open when we went).
USS Intrepid is worth a look, they have the space shuttle there at the moment, hopefully it will be open when you go as it took a bit of a battering from the hurricane.
Given the traffic I saw I wouldn't get a bus unless you want to sit around in the traffic listening to the cab drivers blasting their horn lots !
No point rushing about.
We bought ESB & top of the rock tickets before we went. Top of the rock do a dawn & dusk ticket which lets you go up twice in a day, definitely worth seeing it all in the night and day time.
Fed Bank does a tour, we didn't do it but might be something I'd try and do next time.
Ground Zero is free (you can make a donation if you wish) but you do need to book. It costs to get in the museum (I think, it wasn't open when we went).
USS Intrepid is worth a look, they have the space shuttle there at the moment, hopefully it will be open when you go as it took a bit of a battering from the hurricane.
Given the traffic I saw I wouldn't get a bus unless you want to sit around in the traffic listening to the cab drivers blasting their horn lots !
Top of the Rock is awesome first thing in the morning when it opens (great view over Central Park) and the view from ESB is amazing as the sun sets.
As has been said previously, walk everywhere - you will stumble across so many things that you never knew existed, including dog parks (yes, really!) and some amazing buildings. While we were there, we took one subway from Grand Central to South Ferry and one cab, purely to say we had. Other than that, we went everywhere on foot.
Staten Island ferry is worth doing as it is free and then walk back through Battery Park, Wall Street (make sure you do this during the week rather than the weekend, as we did, as it will be nice and busy, rather than deserted!) and on to Ground Zero and then up to SoHo for a bit of lunch/people watch and then work your way back to wherever you are staying. Then the next day, start at Central Park and work your way back down, via 5th Avenue etc etc.
Take loads of pictures! I took hundreds, even of some really random stuff - it truly is an amazing city and when my wife is not quite so ill, we will be going back and this time, I'd like to take the kids as it is probably the best place I have ever been to and I want them to share it with us - I'd quite happily spend as much on a weekend there as I would normally for a fortnight in the sun.
I'll post up a couple of pics when I am back at my computer
ETA - forgot to mention the helicopter ride. Booked on a whim from one of the touts outside South Ferry - about $150 for a 15 minute flight from near the Staten Island ferry terminal, up to and over Central Park and then back down the river and over the USS Intrepid, Concord and the Statue of Liberty - flipping amazing and (IMO) worth every single dollar.
As has been said previously, walk everywhere - you will stumble across so many things that you never knew existed, including dog parks (yes, really!) and some amazing buildings. While we were there, we took one subway from Grand Central to South Ferry and one cab, purely to say we had. Other than that, we went everywhere on foot.
Staten Island ferry is worth doing as it is free and then walk back through Battery Park, Wall Street (make sure you do this during the week rather than the weekend, as we did, as it will be nice and busy, rather than deserted!) and on to Ground Zero and then up to SoHo for a bit of lunch/people watch and then work your way back to wherever you are staying. Then the next day, start at Central Park and work your way back down, via 5th Avenue etc etc.
Take loads of pictures! I took hundreds, even of some really random stuff - it truly is an amazing city and when my wife is not quite so ill, we will be going back and this time, I'd like to take the kids as it is probably the best place I have ever been to and I want them to share it with us - I'd quite happily spend as much on a weekend there as I would normally for a fortnight in the sun.
I'll post up a couple of pics when I am back at my computer
ETA - forgot to mention the helicopter ride. Booked on a whim from one of the touts outside South Ferry - about $150 for a 15 minute flight from near the Staten Island ferry terminal, up to and over Central Park and then back down the river and over the USS Intrepid, Concord and the Statue of Liberty - flipping amazing and (IMO) worth every single dollar.
Edited by pincher on Tuesday 13th November 20:29
Check out www.bigapplegreeter.org they are free and run by locals who give you a tour of the real New York.
Edited by 897sma on Wednesday 14th November 00:04
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