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So I WENT To New York (First Time)
- Thread starter fireb0x
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I agree, don't take cabs at all, NYC public transportation is great and very cheap it will get you anywhere(pretty muhc)
I personally made it a habit that I'd go to Ground Zero every time I go to New York.
NYC IS a mall. 
That being said...
1- Ed Sullivan Theatre where Dave Letterman has his show
2- Fifth Avenue to Washington Square Park -- walk this
3- Empire State Building
4- Times Square
5- Broadway - walk this, taking pix of all the signs and theatres
Of course, there are tons of other places to visit. Stay a month!
That being said...
1- Ed Sullivan Theatre where Dave Letterman has his show
2- Fifth Avenue to Washington Square Park -- walk this
3- Empire State Building
4- Times Square
5- Broadway - walk this, taking pix of all the signs and theatres
Of course, there are tons of other places to visit. Stay a month!
Holy crap, thanks for all the information. Like I said, me and my wife are from San Antonio, where there is no subway and taxi cabs are harder to find than unicorn ****. Because of that, nobody here ever takes cabs, so they are very expensive.
I will definitely be hitting up so many places, thanks for the $75 dollar city pass, that sounds sweet. I noticed a few posts up there was somebody who listed some MUST east restaurants, are there any more?
I really do appreciate all the suggestions, believe me when I say I am writing them down.
I am worried about getting ripped off for cab rides downtown. How much SHOULD these cost?
Also, how can I keep from looking too much like a tourist? I would imagine tourists get taken advantage of... tell me if I am wrong.
I will definitely be hitting up so many places, thanks for the $75 dollar city pass, that sounds sweet. I noticed a few posts up there was somebody who listed some MUST east restaurants, are there any more?
I really do appreciate all the suggestions, believe me when I say I am writing them down.
I am worried about getting ripped off for cab rides downtown. How much SHOULD these cost?
Also, how can I keep from looking too much like a tourist? I would imagine tourists get taken advantage of... tell me if I am wrong.
no worries man, Also, I don't know how long you are staying for but you can get a Metrocard and load it with a weekly fare, it's unlimited for the whole week and you can use all public transportatio subways and buses and it's just 25 bucks, but then again i don't know if you and your wife would enjoy that, i do, even when i drive to NYC I always take public transportation, I am from Toronto and i don't take public transportation much, but in NY it would kill me not to, you know how many funny crazy people you encounter on the subway lines(i know not nice) and buses it's awesome (no offense to any new yorkian either by the way)...
no worries man, Also, I don't know how long you are staying for but you can get a Metrocard and load it with a weekly fare, it's unlimited for the whole week and you can use all public transportatio subways and buses and it's just 25 bucks, but then again i don't know if you and your wife would enjoy that, i do, even when i drive to NYC I always take public transportation, I am from Toronto and i don't take public transportation much, but in NY it would kill me not to, you know how many funny crazy people you encounter on the subway lines(i know not nice) and buses it's awesome (no offense to any new yorkian either by the way)...
Where do you get metrocards at? We will be there for around 4 days total. How much are individual rides on the subway and city bus?
At most subway stations there is a booth were you can just ask the operator for an unlimited pass. or there also are machines touchscreen pretty much do it yourself ones and it will give you the card which you'll just swipe every time you go in subway or bus... i believe individual rides are 2.50.. but since I've always used the unlimited ones I am not sure..
Sounds like a good deal. Thanks very much for your help, I really do appreciate it!
I say skip the Empire State Building. It's busy, cramped at the top and is expensive to get in.
There is a much nicer alternative further north called "Top of the Rock". It's the NBC Studios/General Electric building and the view you get from the top is magnificent. Much better view of Central Park than you get from Empire State and they have glass around the top instead of fences. Hey and as a bonus you can actually see the Empire State Building from the top!
There is a much nicer alternative further north called "Top of the Rock". It's the NBC Studios/General Electric building and the view you get from the top is magnificent. Much better view of Central Park than you get from Empire State and they have glass around the top instead of fences. Hey and as a bonus you can actually see the Empire State Building from the top!
by the way if you end up getting the city pass you get "V.I.P" entrances to all the attractions it entitles you to, meaning you don't have to line up... or if there is a line it's avery very short one,, i went to teh empire state building on a weekend, it was paaaacked, we were up at the top in about 15-20 minutes, mostly slowed down by security and elevators... something to keep in mind too if you get the city pass (geez i sound sliek a city pass salesman now, i should get paid for this....)
Yup.. very sobering experience. Also there is a fire station right at ground zero that has not been repaired at all. Right next door to it is a memorial that is also very sobering.
Time square, went on a Tuesday night around midnight. The place was packed.... pretty darn cool to see.
Little italy, there are some great places to eat... especially if you like pizza and the such.
Little china (or what ever it is called) great shopping. Stay away on the weekend freaking crowded as hell.
Don't take a cab, waste of money. The rail system their rocks. Takes you pretty much anywhere you want to go.
Battery park, pretty cool. Statue of Liberty is ok..... Empire, is ok. Go during the week in the morning. We found it not to be so crowded, that is if you plan on going up it.
If you are a baseball fan, go see the old yankee stadium. Pretty cool. I don't know if they are still doing the tours or not but it is pretty cool to see even from the outside.
There are so many clubs and restaurants it is tuff to nail them all down.
If you like plays and the like, go to the "Shakespeare in the Park" production. You have to get there pretty early to get a ticket but it is pretty cool.
Not sure if this is still true, but when I lived there (2006-2007) the Staten Island Ferry was free and on a nice day you get a heck of a view and go right by the Statue of Liberty for FREE! Don't bother go on Ellis Island if you are there for a short amount of time, just cruise past that area on the Ferry and bring a camera. The Intrepid is pretty cool too, it just got back from a long stay on the dry docks. SoHo is a cool area to walk around. Chinatown is awesome if you want to laugh at the knockoff counterfeits. Check out the restaurant shown in Seinfeld (uptown area). Go into the Marriot Hotel in Times Square and ride the elevators up and down. They are featured in the movie True Lies with Arnold. It is hard to describe the amazing feeling in the glass elevators, just worth the ten minutes it takes. Don't get suckered into all the typical tourist things, there are tons of cheap/ free cool things to do. Most importantly... don't stop and stand in the middle of the sidewalk to look up at the buildings.
If you're at all interested in seeing a broadway play, I recently saw:
August: Osage County which was absolutely incredible (but quite dark, course of the language front, and leaves you a little gutted)...not a date play by any means. The writing...just amazing.
Hitchcock's 39 Steps. Funny, quite entertaining and inventive. I thought I was going to hate it since it seemed slap sticky but was really very enjoyable.
If you like Indian food Vatan is fun. The food is quite good but not amazing. I think they've renovated since I was there last, so it could be a little less...interesting.
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind is hit or miss, but you're definitely not going to run into a lot of tourists there.
I thoroughly hate Times Square, especially on weekend nights.
If for whatever reason you're interested in art supplies (hey, who knows), Pearl Paint in china town is great.
August: Osage County which was absolutely incredible (but quite dark, course of the language front, and leaves you a little gutted)...not a date play by any means. The writing...just amazing.
Hitchcock's 39 Steps. Funny, quite entertaining and inventive. I thought I was going to hate it since it seemed slap sticky but was really very enjoyable.
If you like Indian food Vatan is fun. The food is quite good but not amazing. I think they've renovated since I was there last, so it could be a little less...interesting.
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind is hit or miss, but you're definitely not going to run into a lot of tourists there.
I thoroughly hate Times Square, especially on weekend nights.
If for whatever reason you're interested in art supplies (hey, who knows), Pearl Paint in china town is great.
The MTA (NYC public transport) has pretty much laid off all of the attendants at the stations, but they've implemented a ton of straight forward machines that get the job done. Individual rides are $2 for an adult. As someone suggested you might be better off with a weekly card if you will be using the subway often (by far the best way to get around). But, when you use one of the weekly or 30-day unlimited cards you can generally only use them once every fifteen minutes. If you are going with your wife and you have one unlimited card, you would have to wait fifteen minutes before it can be used again and the other of you can go through.
The 'yellow' taxi drivers aren't allowed to name whatever price they want, they have a meter that runs at a specific rate:
I put an emphasis on yellow taxi, because there are other taxi cabs (generally black Lincoln vehicles) who will rip you off.
I've lived in NYC all my life, and believe me, it isn't that difficult to tell a tourist from a native. I'm not sure what you mean by taken advantage of though.
You mean the radio cars? From what I understand they are only supposed to pickup people who called the dispatch, you aren't supposed to hail one down.
I have wanted to visit NY forever! This thread is great as it gives me some ideas on what to do when I actually get my chance.
Keep the ideas/tips coming!
Keep the ideas/tips coming!
Yes, they aren't "supposed" to, but some of them do for some extra cash on the side I assume.
Check out the restaurant shown in Seinfeld (uptown area). Go into the Marriot Hotel in Times Square and ride the elevators up and down. They are featured in the movie True Lies with Arnold. It is hard to describe the amazing feeling in the glass elevators, just worth the ten minutes it takes. Don't get suckered into all the typical tourist things, there are tons of cheap/ free cool things to do. Most importantly... don't stop and stand in the middle of the sidewalk to look up at the buildings.
Thanks for the advice. Doing those things like visitng famous places from shows/movies is a GREAT idea. Thanks for that.
Thanks for suggesting all those restaurants. I will most definitely be visiting Yankee stadium. Being from South Texas, I HATE baseball, but I am a sports fan and can recognize how historic and important seeing Yankee stadium will be. My grandma (born in 1909) is a HUGE yankees fan, maybe I can bring her back a souvenir.
I have heard about doing this after the NBC Studios tour. Your suggestion has put me over the edge to make sure and do it.
Thanks for all your advice. Those night/peak hour surcharges, are they per unit or per ride? Like is it all the units added together + 1 dollar? or does it become $1.40 per unit?
I meant being taken advantage of mostly on the end of cab rides and tours. Maybe I am just paranoid.
Ugh. I would avoid actually eating there. Worst food I've ever had in my life. Just disgusting. And horribly overpriced.
Get a picture or two of it, but for the love of all things holy... don't eat there!
Agree with this - might be uber touristy but the bus tours are great for orientating and getting your bearings in the city. NYC is generally super easy to get around once you figure out streets and avenues and the subway.
One thing I find is that if you get off the double decker buses, it can be difficult to get back onto them (certainly back onto the top deck) and you have to stand on the lower deck which is not the greatest way to see things.
If it's a nice day, I would also recommend the Circle Line boat tours - the three hour tour which goes all the way around Manhattan Island is a great way to spend a sunny afternoon.
If you're going with significant other, then the Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of the Rockefeller Centre for cocktails is a very romantic spot with views over Manhattan, go on a weekday though as it is difficult to get a table by the window without a lengthy wait on weekends.
We've just got back from New York. An amazing place.
We had the city pass and they are a great deal, plus you should be able to skip any queues.
Don't worry about looking like a tourist, the place is full of them.
We had no issues with cabs, even with our English accents. They are all metered and pretty cheap and quick. We got one from Wall St to 27th & Broadway and the bill was $15 (excluding tip)
If you really want to impress your wife, book a meal at The View. Great food and the best view of the city while you eat. We spent around $300 for a meal and all drinks (inc. tip)
The Empire State Building is stunning, go at night when there are no queues.
MoMA has a Van Gogh exhibition on at the moment, well worth seeing. Just make sure you get your free pass for it as soon as you get in there.
And my final tip. Haggle if you buy anything expensive, they are open to offers.