Going to New York for vacation, suggestions?

[JohnyGT]

Im planning a trip to new york for 5-6 days/nights, for a vacation.

Can anyone whod been there suggest fun-oriented places to go/visit?

[prinsesa]

OMG! I was just there recently and I cant wait to go back!!

Check out my review on the London NYC, thats where I stayed at.

MUST GO PLACES:
5 Napkin Burger (BEST..BURGER..PLACE..EVER)

Statue of Liberty (Take Staten Island Ferry to see the SoL, you will go on a boat, GO TO YOUR RIGHT and go behind the railings. If you go to your left, you wont see anything. When you're taking off, you will also see the city so take pics! You will get off the boat and go onto another one thats going back to Manhattan so dont get scared if they tell you to get off :D)


Top of the Rock Observation Deck (Mention you are from Ontario, Canada or they usually ask where you're from, and you get an extra day to go back to the TotR when you purchase the Sunrise Sunset Package, you must go in the day and at night for pictures!!)

Times Square (This is obvious lol You will also see the M&M Store and Hershey's store there, etc.)

Grand Central Station (Perfect for pictures!! And it's a landmark)

Century 21 (Designer Mall, it's also beside the World Trade Center site)

Central Park (Go there during the day and night)

Brookly Bridge (Walk the bridge!!!And take pictures :D)

Do not go on the crazy tourist buses! Wasteeeee of time, take the subway, it's easy to understand.

Wear comfy shoes :D You can also sign up to have a BIG APPLE GREETER during your visit, google it, its free and a volunteering service, you will have the service of a New Yorker for tourist spots, etc.

[Thrizzl3]

harlem mcdonalds..i dare you lol

[S.F.W.]

Check out Hogs & Heifers. It is the bar that Coyote Ugly was based on, and a lot of fun.

[JohnyGT]

Woah, your suggestions are so detailed, i really appreciate :)


OMG! I was just there recently and I cant wait to go back!!

Check out my review on the London NYC, thats where I stayed at.

MUST GO PLACES:
5 Napkin Burger (BEST..BURGER..PLACE..EVER)

Statue of Liberty (Take Staten Island Ferry to see the SoL, you will go on a boat, GO TO YOUR RIGHT and go behind the railings. If you go to your left, you wont see anything. When you're taking off, you will also see the city so take pics! You will get off the boat and go onto another one thats going back to Manhattan so dont get scared if they tell you to get off :D)


Top of the Rock Observation Deck (Mention you are from Ontario, Canada or they usually ask where you're from, and you get an extra day to go back to the TotR when you purchase the Sunrise Sunset Package, you must go in the day and at night for pictures!!)

Times Square (This is obvious lol You will also see the M&M Store and Hershey's store there, etc.)

Grand Central Station (Perfect for pictures!! And it's a landmark)

Century 21 (Designer Mall, it's also beside the World Trade Center site)

Central Park (Go there during the day and night)

Brookly Bridge (Walk the bridge!!!And take pictures :D)

Do not go on the crazy tourist buses! Wasteeeee of time, take the subway, it's easy to understand.

Wear comfy shoes :D You can also sign up to have a BIG APPLE GREETER during your visit, google it, its free and a volunteering service, you will have the service of a New Yorker for tourist spots, etc.

[coriolis]

If you have money to burn, Ninja Restaurant is a pretty interesting place, the food is great, the staff is amazing but the ambiance is awesome haha.

[prinsesa]

No problem :D I know the tourist bus may sound tempting since its like $54 per person and you can do the whole trip of Manhattan.
But the downside is for example there are basically 209472597345 stops, lets say you start at Stop A, then you get off the bus at Stop F, then you go back to Stop F to get back on the bus.
You have to wait it out, you have to go from Stop F to Stop Z to be able to go back to Stop A. How annoying is that?! If you get a day pass or weekly pass from Subway, its easy to get around and ITS CHEAP
Also, New Yorkers are helpful in giving out directions if ever you get lost :D Do not ever take taxi because its way too expensive unless you have money to blow :D

Also nycgo.com is a very helpful site :D

[sp3GT]

Is it your first time to New York? Are you planning to shop?

A co-worker of mine just like you went to NYC for 6days 5 nights, he hit up quite a few outlet malls and spent $700 just on clothing.

[Donutz]

Scores.

[prinsesa]

Scores.

Are you talking about the restaurant?
There's Scores in Mississauga by Winston Chuchill.

[S.F.W.]

Are you talking about the restaurant?
There's Scores in Mississauga by Winston Chuchill.

I don't think he is referring to the restaurant. More likely the "gentlemen's club".

[blackmica10]

totally have to go to white castle, what would a trip be without some mini burgers?

i would suggest trying out some local pizzaerias, downtown and especially in manhattan, when i was there i lived off the pizza lol.

[prinsesa]

:chuckle
I don't think he is referring to the restaurant. More likely the "gentlemen's club".

Ohh! Hehe :chuckle :blush
Theres a gentlemen's club right on Times Square on 52nd or 53rd / 7th

[bman13]

First american pizzeria

http://www.firstpizza.com/

[Default User]

I'm really into visiting movie set locations (Like seeing Tony Montanas house in Miami)

2 places I really want to see is Craig's house in "Friday", and the block from "Do the right thing"


In NYC - you should really hit up all the corny Tourist areas. Brookline bridge, Statue of Liberty, WTC, etc. Cause you never know if there'll be a next time.

[mazdabetty]

Get a picture of the naked cowboy.

http://photos.upi.com/view/d41751ab145ed2f11ea22a1d4f1d6be2/THE-NAKED-COWBOY-NEW-YORK-CITY-STREET-MUSICIAN.jpg

[JohnyGT]

thank you all for your suggestions :)

P.S - Ashley, where do i find this naked cowboy guy? hahaha

[mazdabetty]

Pretty sure he hangs out around times Square ;) And make him hold up a sign that says "HI ASH!!!!" :chuckle

[JohnyGT]

Pretty sure he hangs out around times Square ;) And make him hold up a sign that says "HI ASH!!!!" :chuckle

Hahaha, ill make sure i do that too :p

[prinsesa]

Pretty sure he hangs out around times Square ;) And make him hold up a sign that says "HI ASH!!!!" :chuckle

Yup! He's always there.

Look out for the Naked Cowgirl too lol She has a shiny red bikini on. :P

[She_Prime]

Johny! If you are into steak you must go to Keen's Chophouse. When I went to NYC in June with my bf we ate there. It was over $100 for the two of us but the portion sizes were HUGE! (bf's prime rib cut was the size of his head and about two inches thick!).

It's wonderful, wonderful food! Really enjoyed it!

[JohnyGT]

Yup! He's always there.

Look out for the Naked Cowgirl too lol She has a shiny red bikini on. :P

Then thats not a naked girl...

[prinsesa]

Then thats not a naked girl...

I know but she stills labels herself as the Naked Cowgirl.

The Naked Cowboy isnt naked either, he has tighty whities on

[nitsuji]

If you're into cupcakes go check out Crumbs. Best cupcakes ever.
http://www.crumbs.com/

If you want the BEST ramen you'll ever have (or at least I've ever had...and trust me, I've had a lot of ramen) check out --
http://www.ippudony.com/

[crono06]

Oh god, last time I went to NYC, I blew way too much money on sneakers and clothing. SoHo ftw!

Bathing Ape, KidRobot, Supreme, Stussy, Tokidoki. And then of course you have all your classy shops like Gucci, LV, and the works!

[mazdilla]

... bring a big gun.

[prime]

Hi guys - I'm interested in taking a trip to go to NYC Manhattan for 3 days 2 nights next month.
What I'm really interested in is if it would it be worth it to drive down to buffalo and fly from there. Opinions?

[prinsesa]

Me + bf drove from TO to NY, 9 hours. It was fun :D
Check threads about the drive and what's cheaper on Tripadvisor.ca

A lot of older people will tell you to drive to BUF and fly from there because you will save on airfare from TO-NY and parking in NYC.

A lot of YOUNGer people will tell you to drive from TO to NY..I think I paid $100 for gas and $160 for valet parking for four days :)

If you are going to drive to NY, book your parking spot @ http://nyc.bestparking.com/index.php You get a discount if you book through the website :D

[prime]

Me + bf drove from TO to NY, 9 hours. It was fun :D
Check threads about the drive and what's cheaper on Tripadvisor.ca

A lot of older people will tell you to drive to BUF and fly from there because you will save on airfare from TO-NY and parking in NYC.

A lot of YOUNGer people will tell you to drive from TO to NY..I think I paid $100 for gas and $160 for valet parking for four days :)

If you are going to drive to NY, book your parking spot @ http://nyc.bestparking.com/index.php You get a discount if you book through the website :D

Yeah that was the alternative I was looking into. To drive down there but I've heard horror stories of confusing highways, missing turns and one way streets making it difficult to navigate. Is it true? Did you rent or bring your 3? I'm gonna have my gf with me to navigate so hopefully we'll make a good team. Getting lost a few times might be fun, but when it happens too often it results to frustration and arguments which I'd like to avoid rofls

Thanks for the help btw!

[horto]

one other option is to fly porter out of the island airport into newark and take the NJ transit train to manhattan. i do this sometimes. it's not as daunting as it sounds, and it's very convenient if you live downtown. and, porter gives you free alcohol!

[bman13]

Stay in Secaucus, NJ...(drive of course). Can spend less on hotel, free shuttle all day to Secaucus station and one train (like 10 mins) into Penn station. Can spend more of your money in the city.

[ZeroChalk]

I was in NYC a couple of weeks ago.. Porter is great. You can pay $20 bucks and take the Supershuttle from Newark to any place in Manhattan.

Get a subway multi-day pass and avoid those pesky tour buses.

See a broadway show - ie. Wicked.
Empire State Building - only $19 to go to the top (avoid those guys that try to sell you a package combo for ~$40
MET - Metropolitan Muesum of Art (world famous)
Rockefeller Center (it's near Grand Central Station)

there's tons of shopping - NYC is such a great place. Grab some halal food from the street vendors and sit in Time Square / Union Square and people watch! Hot dogs suck BTW in NYC.

If you a camera guru - go to B&H

[openuser]

Me + bf drove from TO to NY, 9 hours. It was fun :D


The Drive
I've driven to/from NYC and Toronto 4 times.. It always took longer than 9 hours, but drive is doable..
I always stick on I-90, I-87 route(link added) (http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Toronto,+Ontario&daddr=43.1065567,-76.1918542+to:42.56343,-73.78882+to:40.86316,-73.91139+to:Times+Square,+7th+Avenue,+New+York,+NY ,+United+States&geocode=FZQVmgIdXbtE-ymlO8bXkMvUiTF3xLQqUFU1Mg%3BFfzAkQIdkmd1-yn1tkEEHe7ZiTHVS4LnuAUYbg%3BFWZ3iQIdbBKa-ylBnTQiIuHdiTFGcTZDQhXP7A%3BFbiFbwIdojOY-ynvYupujPPCiTGztqll8f9SlQ%3BFQjdbQId7geX-ykBFqX2pVnCiTEvKR3OsaRyGg&hl=en&mra=dvme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=12&via=1,2,3&sll=43.039285,-76.137314&sspn=0.200492,0.528374&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=12) instead of some obscure route GPS tells me to take. This route will cost you (if I remember correctly) around $14 each way for toll.. (from Bufallo to the last toll near NYC on I87).
This route is very easy to follow: Stick to I90, then I87 then I287 then I87 again. (It is like staying on a single highway, but the numbers change for some reason). This will take you from buffalo, syracuse, albany then down to Manhattan.
Plus you will find service stations along the way every 30~40 miles on this route for the entire way to NYC (this is definitely a biiiiiig plus because the route the GPS told me to take had no service station/small town through out entire length of the old highway that followed mountainside all the way to NYC).

Within NYC, all bridges and under-water tunnels will cost you as much as $8 each time you cross it.. So make sure you have enough change in your car,wallet, etc.

Getting Around Town
I find that in Manhattan, there is always something interesting going on.. I suggest leaving your car in your hotel if you are staying in the hotel in Manhattan, and take subway to get around the town. The parking can be very expensive (I remember paying $53 near 6th ave and 36th street). Although the metro is rather confusing at first, you will quickly learn to use it (just remember that NYC metro has express and local lines. Express line skips less popular stations.).. Oh, make sure not to end up in some sketchy station in Brox, this could be quite an experience, if you know what I mean.

Notes
Lastly, the highways in Manhattan and Brooklyn are in horrible condition (especially on/off ramp), so I suggest taking extra caution.

In case you are wondering, for the first trip, I took an SUV, then the for second trip, I took a Mini, then for the third, MS3, then for fourth a Mini again.

P.S. Woodbury has a really large outlet mall with all major brands.. I suggest you visit their website and see if there is a store you'd like to visit (most likely you will)

[prinsesa]

Me and the bf bought GPS and returned it when we came back lol We're a pretty good team when going places, but yeah..no confusing highways, I would've been able to drive all the way to NYC lol And I'm a noob driver ahah. I brought my 3! =)

This is your first time right? Don't stay OUT of the city! Please dont ruin your first trip to NYC!! lol. I stayed at the London NYC Hotel which was a 2-3 minute walk from Times Square. They have a pretty good concierge who will print out maps for you and tell you how to get to where you need to go by subway or walking. I have pictures of the room as well lmao.

1.) PLEAAASE Check out "First Napkin Burger" and take your girl to "Serendipity" !! =D
2.) Do NOT take the dumb tour buses, unless you would want to spend hours on the bus to make it's whole TRIP of Manhattan before reaching your stop where you got on initially.
3.) Take the subway! and the occassional cab when you're going somewhere nice and far =D
4.) Order Papa John's Pizza! $13 for cheesesticks, large pizza with 10 toppings, 2L drink lol (Hotel was kind of iffy when we got pizza ahah it IS Gordon Ramsay's hotel)
5.) Always always make reservations for everything if you don't want to be disappointed
6.) Have a caricature drawn of you and your girl @TimeSquare =P // Take a picture of you both on the F21 big screen in Times Square
7.) Go to ChinaTown and check the original ice cream factory! (It's on the street across the Haagen Dasz one so don't get confused) (http://chinatownicecreamfactory.com/)
8.) When I booked the hotel, we got an appointment at Saks with a personal shopper stylist (whatever she's called lmao), they would bring you to designer stores, and the perk is that if you buy anything, you don't have to carry it around as it will be delivered to your hotel room =)
9.) Go to Grand Central Stn, it's known for the whispering corners, it's very romantic =D (You and your girl will stand on opposite side of the hallway and she will hear anything you whisper into the corner)
10.) Go to Central Park <3

Sorry this was so long =/ lol I love NYC =P

Btw, it took us 9 hours and we even had a stopover at McDonalds. I remember taking I-90 and I-87.

Edit: Oh I just read that you're staying there for only 3 days =/ I think flying would be better since driving will basically take up a day =/ I know a site that has offers on NYC hotels like Gramercy Park, Ritz, etc.

[prime]

Wow this is great you guys. I'll discuss these options with my gf. I really appreciate it.

[ShortBus]

OMG! I was just there recently and I cant wait to go back!!

Check out my review on the London NYC, thats where I stayed at.

MUST GO PLACES:
5 Napkin Burger (BEST..BURGER..PLACE..EVER)

Statue of Liberty (Take Staten Island Ferry to see the SoL, you will go on a boat, GO TO YOUR RIGHT and go behind the railings. If you go to your left, you wont see anything. When you're taking off, you will also see the city so take pics! You will get off the boat and go onto another one thats going back to Manhattan so dont get scared if they tell you to get off :D)


Top of the Rock Observation Deck (Mention you are from Ontario, Canada or they usually ask where you're from, and you get an extra day to go back to the TotR when you purchase the Sunrise Sunset Package, you must go in the day and at night for pictures!!)

Times Square (This is obvious lol You will also see the M&M Store and Hershey's store there, etc.)

Grand Central Station (Perfect for pictures!! And it's a landmark)

Century 21 (Designer Mall, it's also beside the World Trade Center site)

Central Park (Go there during the day and night)

Brookly Bridge (Walk the bridge!!!And take pictures :D)

Do not go on the crazy tourist buses! Wasteeeee of time, take the subway, it's easy to understand.

Wear comfy shoes :D You can also sign up to have a BIG APPLE GREETER during your visit, google it, its free and a volunteering service, you will have the service of a New Yorker for tourist spots, etc.

i'd suggest you not go to central park at night.

i usually go everyother summer and make myself a burden with family there.

most people already mentioned the usual stuff, soho, jersey outlets, tourist stuff, but next time i go i'm going to try to checkout all the places anthony bourdain did on his episode in nyc.