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Visiting New York City for the first time, advice and recommendations please!
Hey all, hope you're doing well today. I'm visiting NYC for the first time with my wife in January (she's been a couple of times already), and I would greatly appreciate any advice or recommendations you could offer! Of course I have to do the obligatory Broadway show and pizza, and I have this nifty little guidebook, and wow as I write this I am such a tourist.
Thanks!
My recommendations, many of which are touristy but if it's your first time, that's ok:
Or, ask your uber/taxi driver for some advice and you may wind up at some random hole-in-the-wall Sudanese/Turkish/Russian/Puerto Rican restaurant with amazing food.
Or or, just walk down the avenues and streets until you find a bar or restaurant that looks interesting and pop in. If you don't like it, leave and keep going until you find another one. Some of my best memories in NYC are in random places of which I can't remember the name or if they even exist anymore.
The Metropolitan museum! Honestly, you could spend a week just there to explore it fully. The incredible craftsmanship of the works on display is awe inspiring, especially when you consider the tools used to create them.
My last trip to NY, I spent eight hours over two days in the Met. Such an amazing place to get lost in.
I asked this same question recently
https://tildes.net/~travel/1aw4/trip_suggestions_for_a_week_in_new_york
For my part, I enjoyed the Empire State Building, Central Park, the museum of natural history, Times Square, and some broadway shows.
Something that might be off the beaten path is Friedman’s, which is a restaurant where the waiters sing show tunes and serve a surprisingly wide selection of gluten free food. Really nice people there.
I also did a river cruise and a bus tour to see most of the major sights, and I’d say that was worthwhile, as a first time visitor. Gave me a sense of where everything is for when I go back next time.
In addition to pizza, you have to try the bagels and chicken and rice as well. Hot dogs are also kinda up there. Honestly most of my suggestions would probably be about food because NYC probably has the best food in general, and the most diverse. Chinatown for dim sum and stuff like that, you can even hop across the river for good Korean food lol.
There are so many museums around here and I'm sure you'll get a lot of comments for the Met!
You absolutely have to visit central park (partition more time than you think, it's MASSIVE) and go on top of the Rockefeller building to see the city from above!
Some other things I personally had fun with are going to the Nintendo store (right next to Rockefeller), the Intrepid museum (air, space, and sea museum aboard an aircraft carrier), grand central station, and riding the subway!
You should also go down to the financial district. You can see the statue of liberty from the southern edge and The Battery a beautiful area.
Honestly though, the best part about NYC is just walking down the street and seeing such a variety in people, shops, restaurants, etc. When I was there, I just let my feet carry me to wherever they wanted to go.
For food, make sure you get some $1 pizza in times square just for the experience (many, many slice shops to choose from) and a bagel from a non-chain, at the very least, but there are so many options in NYC for all sorts of food that you really can't go wrong.
I wrote up some advice in this thread from 2018. Much of it still holds up.
Another more recent similar topic too:
Is anyone here in or familiar with NYC? Going on a trip and have zero idea what to do as a non-tourist...
My suggestion to tourists is generally to explore and discover things naturally. In a dense part of the city (like basically all of Manhattan), you can generally just walk around and find interesting things: landmarks, museums, parks, restaurants, bars, etc. The vibe of what you find walking will be different than what you find at some pre-arranged tourist destinations, but to some extent it may feel more "real." Central Park is excellent.
Your wife has probably already mentioned this, but I will give one suggestion on what not to do. I'm not sure what your background is or whether you've traveled to metropolitan areas before, but when you are walking by yourself, try not to look clueless in an area that gets a lot of tourists. Malicious ne'er-do-wells in Times Square will prey on you if you look lost or confused and give them an opportunity. Feel free to take pictures and be an obvious tourist—it's perfectly safe—but don't speak to or make eye contact with the people in costumes in that particular part of the city or you may be accosted in an uncomfortable way. They specifically target nervous and unconfident-seeming people, though typically not pairs or groups.
Even when walking aimlessly/leisurely, if you can make it seem like you're traveling with relative intention, that tends to deter people from picking on you. New York is a great city and I go there all the time, it's just that my worst travel experiences to any large city (in any country) have always been because I was harassed or felt threatened by someone trying to intimidate me into giving them money. It can and has ruined my day. This has exclusively happened to me in areas where tourists are known by locals to accumulate.
P.S. the subway can be a little scary for first-timers. All the different lines, local/express trains, directional terminology, etc. In Midtown, where I'm guessing you'll be, stations are particularly large, busy, and labyrinthine. It's OK. Just remember that Uptown and Queens are the same direction, and Downtown and Brooklyn are the same direction. I suggest looking at the MTA's Subway Guide and other such resources. If you get lost in Penn Station (terrible layout) or the subway, just keep walking until you eventually find a sign that points you in the right direction. It is fine to approach someone and ask for help (they WILL help, almost always, if you ask), just do so with relative forwardness and intentionality. Also no need for a MetroCard anymore: just tap and pay!
This is a very out there question regarding the MetroCard, but do they still offer physical 7 day passes? I loved opening my wallet a month or two after I had visited and seeing that card! It's something I always thought would be a cool memento from the city since it would remind of all of the wonderful memories when I did have one.
You can still buy a physical MetroCard at a machine in any subway station. I have one in my wallet, though I almost never use it. They only installed their OMNY card-reading machines within the last year or two.
As far as I know, the seven-day MetroCard passes are still available. Since not everyone has access to credit cards or cell phones, the city knows that they need to continue offering alternatives.
I flew in and taxid into, i think, the holiday inn right in the middle of the financial district. I thought it was super charming to be on the 30th floor of a hotel almost immediately. The digs were alright but the feeling of hoping out and being within walking distance of a bunch of stuff from the movies was neat.
There are so many bars and a lot of them have a considerable amount of charm. The waiters/waitresses are always great regardless of where you go just because of the sheer amount of people they churn through i think. They all have a "whatever" attitude about them thats fantastic as long as youre not high strung.
Pizza and jewish deli were the only thing that i refused to budge on. I knew what i wanted and by god did ny deliver with sarge's deli. I cant remember the pizza places i hit up.
Im a walk around and look at the weirdos kind of guy and ny is amazing for people watching. Theres so much going on in every corner of the city at all times of the day that there was never any lack of entertainment.
One definite cool experience that I recommend is a piano karaoke place called Sid Gold's. The pianist is so skilled, the amount of songs in their book is RIDICULOUS and its just a really fun time.
https://youtu.be/D6xd6YvoHLM?si=Z5zZypb1AFD8aI-e
Especially the bit about being in the way during rush hour.
Some previous suggestions
If you like Comedy I definitely recommend the Comedy Cellar, it's a really unique venue and a great laugh. Make sure to book in advance though, otherwise you have to go and hope they'll let you in as a stand-in (which is what I had to do...).
As for viewing platforms, as well as the Rockefeller (as others have suggested), don't give One World Trade Center a miss either; my suggestion is to go up around sunset and stay through out - then you get a great view of the city both in light and at night. It's enclosed unlike some of the other viewing platforms in the city.