Ask the taxi to take you to Soho, and get something to eat there!

Not worth it – going to the top of the Empire State Building. It’s expensive, and during tourist season (like July), it’ll be crowded. The view isn’t all that great for the time and money invested.

Denise suggests taking a taxi to Soho – I’d just take the subway. Soho is a great neighborhood just to walk around in.

The boat to Statue of Liberty is worth it. Get a ticket with a stop at Ellis Island – also well worth it.

More people will suggest more, I’m sure.

Definitely walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at least once. Williamsburg (in Brooklyn) is quite nice, as is downtown Manhattan.

Central Park is also an absolute must! There is always something happening there, and it’s also just nice to see trees. :)

If you have time, I’d suggest taking a ride on the Staten Island ferry — it’s free, and you get a nice view of the Statue of Liberty.

Cruise on foot through Chinatown and window shop – people watch, then head to Little Italy and Mulberry Street. ( side by side in the same neighborhood ) Sit on the street in Little Italy and have a great meal!

Stays open VERY late.

If this is your first trip – take one of the boat cruises around the Island of Manhattan and see the sights, a bit corny but if you can get past that, it’s a lot of fun for the tourist.

South Street Seaport is another place to people watch.

Make sure to take advantage of the Subway for travel, although some people will warn you it’s dangerous, I’ve never had any problems. Get a MAP!

Some of the museums are a must! The Met. Guggenheim. MOMA.

Some charge quite a bit for entrance (Space Museum) – standard museums don’t.

Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Depends on what you like to do… shopping on 5th Avenue ( window shopping since shops are very high end!) Skating rink and the Today Show at 30 Rock – again is fun for people watching. Those would be my places to hit if it was my first trip.

Warning – don’t buy knock offs from street salespeople.Be careful because there are VERY few restaurants or shops that offer public bathrooms.. if you purchase coffee, bathrooms are at all Starbuck’s. Also, be sure to wear good walking shoes – keep your money in a safe place.

Enjoy! You should have a great time.

You could probably see most of the attractions in one day but 3 days you will have plenty of time.

Well, first off, you must see Times Square. Both during the day and at night! Times Square make sure you stop inside the Toys R Us (has a ferris wheel inside). You can also see MtV (don’t think they do any tours or not but I’ve just seen the outside). Also, the M&M Store is fun to go in as well!!!

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island’s are a must see as well. If you go to this website www.statuecruises.com you can buy tickets to walk up to the crown in the statue of liberty if they aren’t booked already!

Empire State Building is also a must see. You can do a tour up at the top of it.

Ground Zero is where Sept 11th twin towers were struck. It was a major part of history. They have information surrounding the site to check out.

Canal Street is a part of Chinatown! Lots of street vendors selling things for really cheap. If you go down Mott Street there is a restaurant called Wo Hop that serves awesome chinese food. They have two restaurants though so make sure you go to the one that is downstairs because they are the good one!!!

Fao Schwartz is fun to play around in as well. It’s like a Toys R Us.

Fifth Avenue has all the expensive shops!

Catch a musical on broadway!

Check out Rockefeller Center.

Walk around Central Park or take one of those carriage rides!!!

Check out Central Station!

There are many museums: American Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), etc.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is gorgeous!

umm…off the top of my head that’s all i can think of! I love NYC!!! I go there several times a year!! Hope this helps. If you need any more info, feel free to email me at lullabystar@aol.com

Do you want to experience touristy things or soak up some New York flavor, or both?

I would definitely suggest visiting Central Park and the MOMA museum (i believe friday nights are free). During the summer many parks around the city show movies, which is a fun way to relax on a hot summer’s night: www.nycgovparks.org/events/free_summer_movies.

I also suggest the Staten island ferry as a cheap way to see New York Harbor and the statue of liberty.

You should check out www.yelp.com to see what things might be happening in the city while you are here and get reviews on where to eat, shop, etc. Check their message boards and lists as many people have compiled itineraries of things to do.

Final notes: Don’t fear the subway and you can get around easily by foot too. Just walking around I guarantee you’ll stumble on interesting stuff and people. Also, beware Soho, Time’s Square, and Chinatown—they will be packed with people. My suggestion is to snap some photos then head somewhere else.

Have fun!

I’ve lived in New York for a few months now, and Central Park & the Met or MOMA (depends on your tastes) are the only musts. I’d mostly skip other tourist attractions (not worth it) and find unique places to eat, shop or listen to music.

I agree. The statue of Liberty is much more memorable than the Empire State Building, but if you do decide to do both, try going very early in the morning before the tourist rush. Also Chinatown and Little Italy are very charming areas. Definitely take a walk in Central Park but do it in the daytime when there are more people. (Safety in numbers!) Also, make sure you don’t look obvious as a tourist.

if you are there around 4th of July, don’t miss the spectacular Macy’s Fireworks display over the Statue of Liberty..:-) Hope you have a great time!

When I went to NYC, I did it on the cheap. There are so many things to do but here are my top five:

1. China Town (eat at Joe’s Shanghai—get soup dumplings!—if you have a chance)

2. Empire State Building—it’s touristy, but worth it for the view!

3. Metro—It sounds weird, but this is one of the most fun parts about NYC as a tourist; and you can get ANYWHERE you want to go for about $25 per weekend pass.

4. (Parts!) of Central Park. It’s too big to do it all but walking around is super fun—find the Alice in Wonderland Statue and hear great live music.

5. Times Square (at night AND during the day). It’s absolutely awesome!

I did all of this and more in three days, you can too. And if you like hotdogs, try one of the Grey’s Papaya locations (easy to get to from several Metro stations)

Have FUN!!!

-C

The great thing about NYC (and maybe not as much some other American cities) is that you don’t have to go to the “attractions” to have a good time. The neighborhoods where locals live, shop, and eat are more unique and lively than the places for tourists. Of course if this is your first visit, you’ll want to see a couple museums and historical sites during the day, but if you’re planning to stay up all night, you may want to pick up a Village Voice or New York Press to help pick a neighborhood to go out. You may have to go home at 4am, unless you meet someone who tells you about a secret bar.

The subway does run all night, but not every line, and with less frequent service, so a cab might be more reliable if you’re trying to get back to where you’re staying at that time.

Here’s a list of must see/do bits and bobs in NYC.

Ride the Staten Island Ferry

Visit Governors Island

Eat at Shake Shack

Visit Coney Island

Eat at Barney Greengrass

Have a drink and listen to music at The Frying Pan

Go to the Museum of Natural History

Check out the P.S. 1 warm up party

Eat at the Red Hook ball fields

Climb to the crown of the Statue of Liberty

See the Cloisters

There are plenty more if you’d like.

Avoid the tourist nonsense such as Times Square. That is so not the NYC you want to experience

I spent my 3 days in New York wondering around on the streets admiring the skyscrapers, took the ferry to Staten island, walked over Brooklyn bridge and Manhattan bridge, spent time in Central park etc. Just go with the flow ;)

thank you everybody i had a great trip :)