Had a bizarre incident on the subway in November. Was just pulling into a station when people started stampeding towards one end of the car shouting "he's got a gun..." The doors opened, everyone piled out, through the barriers, people were getting knocked over, up into the street. Approx 50 people.
Gave it 10 mins, walked a block and rejoined the same line at the next station. Trains running perfectly and the station master hadn't even heard of a problem. A proper WTF incident.
Thanks Sam. Brought back memories. Among our favourite things to do was have a walk in Central Park which you mentioned, also to park ourselves in the bar upstairs in Grand Central Station and watch the hordes below.
If you’re into jazz and get the opportunity, try the Blue Note Club. I don’t know if Studio 54 is still going, but well worth going given it’s history of depravity in the disco years.
Thanks Sam. Brought back memories. Among our favourite things to do was have a walk in Central Park which you mentioned, also to park ourselves in the bar upstairs in Grand Central Station and watch the hordes below.
If you’re into jazz and get the opportunity, try the Blue Note Club. I don’t know if Studio 54 is still going, but well worth going given it’s history of depravity in the disco years.
Thanks Sam. Brought back memories. Among our favourite things to do was have a walk in Central Park which you mentioned, also to park ourselves in the bar upstairs in Grand Central Station and watch the hordes below.
If you’re into jazz and get the opportunity, try the Blue Note Club. I don’t know if Studio 54 is still going, but well worth going given it’s history of depravity in the disco years.
Grand Central Station gets my vote too. Have also visited New York Botanical Gardens - under half an hour by train from Grand Central. Staten Island Ferry - free ferry that gives you a great view of Statue of Liberty.
Some places that I went to that were worth it include:
The Rockefeller Center/Top of the Rock Circle Line Sightseeing Katz' Delicatessen Bleecker Street Pizza Katana Kitten Double Chicken Please Liberty Bagels Bethesda Terrace Empire State building American museum of natural history Intrepid S.A.S Museum Roosevelt Island Cable car Brooklyn Bridge parks and piers
Been a few times - always work related. Was on the observation deck of the Twin Towers about a year before they were targeted - scarily high. What I'd recommend if you want a good overall view of the city is one of the open top bus tours - they tend to be old British Routemasters - although it's about 20 years since I did it so probably newer buses now. Get a great running commentarry and a chance (if you are upstairs) to peer into peoples apartments in the village!
Spent a lot of time in NYC as both a tourist and for work and, over and above everything else, get yourself to the Other Half Brewery Taproom on Centre St, Brooklyn and enjoy all their beers. You're welcome. Cheers.
Been a few times - always work related. Was on the observation deck of the Twin Towers about a year before they were targeted - scarily high. What I'd recommend if you want a good overall view of the city is one of the open top bus tours - they tend to be old British Routemasters - although it's about 20 years since I did it so probably newer buses now. Get a great running commentarry and a chance (if you are upstairs) to peer into peoples apartments in the village!
I second your suggestion about a bus tour. They take you places - like parts of Harlem - which you wouldn’t necessarily want to go on your own. Our guide told us the story, when we were going past the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, about a young girl turning up for a dance audition. The girl in front of her was so good she thought “I won’t dance, I’ll sing instead”. The name of the girl was Ella Fitzgerald.
We went to Harlem for dinner one night, just to see a different part of town.
Didnt feel unsafe, but can see why one wouldn’t feel completely comfortable walking around alone. Similar vibes to Woolwich actually, in the sense that you can see the pockets where there are clear attempts to gentrify, but it sits in complete opposition to everything around it.
By the way, another area of interest is Strawberry Fields, dedicated to John Lennon opposite the apartment where he was shot. It’s in Central Park and silence is observed.
Spent a lot of time in NYC as both a tourist and for work and, over and above everything else, get yourself to the Other Half Brewery Taproom on Centre St, Brooklyn and enjoy all their beers. You're welcome. Cheers.
I agree, but if you enjoy all their beers you’ll need someone to carry you home. I’ve started staying in Brooklyn, as it’s closer to the breweries.
Lots of good suggestions already on this thread. I've been quite a few times as both our tourist and work with tourism added on.
Depending on the ages of your family and where you plan to stay I would say:
1) do a bus tour or tours (there are different routes and iirc, the main companies do three, south and north of Central Park and Brooklyn. South of. Central park on a hop on hop off basis allows you to see a lot. Do hop off though.
2) agree that getting closer by boat to the Statue of Liberty is good as the vJew from Battery Park, the closest park of Manhattan island is shit. I did this by getting on the Staten Island ferry, it's cheap, you get to see Staten Island ?not a highlight) for the time it takes to get on the next ferry back
3) good to do one of the two main high view platforms. Having done both a couple of times, I would recommend top of the rock vs Empire State Building, better views (including of the empire state), cheaper and at least when I went, less horrendous queuing to get to the highest vantage points
4) most recent trip we were in Greenwich Village and walked the High Line stopping at few places in Chelsea Village before cutting back through to Empire State which was GF choice on that trip
5) Chinatown and Little Italy run into one another and are both worth a saunter through or some food. Quite a buzz around them and while they aren't the same as they were in decades gone by for authenticity, in some ways that no bad thing as you don't feel like the mafia are about to take you out, well not if you just walk through and have food anyway:
6) Central Park, one of my favourite memories is going to the Met and then walking through Central Park to the boating lake. Taking a rowing boat out in early spring sun. Difficult to beat.
7) I have t been for a while but the museum created for the 9/11 bombings in the craters there was surprisingly moving. Not my normal cup of tea but a work colleague was keen and I would recommend.
As to decent venues as in places to eat, listen to music, go for coffee, I've got a few but New York I've found is all about what you want to do with the people you are with at the time and, there's so much crammed into so small a space, you can find whatever you want. Some of the best places I have been are by chance or local recommendation (have breakfast out, chat to the staff about what they like, what you like, they say well what about here or here).
My main recommendation is to leave enough time outside of your planned activities to do things you haven't planned.
I know I like different places to many people, but New York is very low on my list of favourite cities in the world. My preferences in the USA would be Chicago, San Francisco or Boston.
3) good to do one of the two main high view platforms. Having done both a couple of times, I would recommend top of the rock vs Empire State Building, better views (including of the empire state), cheaper and at least when I went, less horrendous queuing to get to the highest vantage points
We did the observation deck on the Rock. We did what I think was called a sun and stars tour which basically means you get two entries, one during the day and one after dark. Both were worth doing and seeing the different perspectives was great. Think we may have reserved timeslots, but we hardly had to do any queueing.
Comments
Gave it 10 mins, walked a block and rejoined the same line at the next station. Trains running perfectly and the station master hadn't even heard of a problem. A proper WTF incident.
If you’re into jazz and get the opportunity, try the Blue Note Club. I don’t know if Studio 54 is still going, but well worth going given it’s history of depravity in the disco years.
Have also visited New York Botanical Gardens - under half an hour by train from Grand Central.
Staten Island Ferry - free ferry that gives you a great view of Statue of Liberty.
The Rockefeller Center/Top of the Rock
Circle Line Sightseeing
Katz' Delicatessen
Bleecker Street Pizza
Katana Kitten
Double Chicken Please
Liberty Bagels
Bethesda Terrace
Empire State building
American museum of natural history
Intrepid S.A.S Museum
Roosevelt Island Cable car
Brooklyn Bridge parks and piers
Didnt feel unsafe, but can see why one wouldn’t feel completely comfortable walking around alone. Similar vibes to Woolwich actually, in the sense that you can see the pockets where there are clear attempts to gentrify, but it sits in complete opposition to everything around it.
1) do a bus tour or tours (there are different routes and iirc, the main companies do three, south and north of Central Park and Brooklyn. South of. Central park on a hop on hop off basis allows you to see a lot. Do hop off though.
2) agree that getting closer by boat to the Statue of Liberty is good as the vJew from Battery Park, the closest park of Manhattan island is shit. I did this by getting on the Staten Island ferry, it's cheap, you get to see Staten Island ?not a highlight) for the time it takes to get on the next ferry back
3) good to do one of the two main high view platforms. Having done both a couple of times, I would recommend top of the rock vs Empire State Building, better views (including of the empire state), cheaper and at least when I went, less horrendous queuing to get to the highest vantage points
4) most recent trip we were in Greenwich Village and walked the High Line stopping at few places in Chelsea Village before cutting back through to Empire State which was GF choice on that trip
5) Chinatown and Little Italy run into one another and are both worth a saunter through or some food. Quite a buzz around them and while they aren't the same as they were in decades gone by for authenticity, in some ways that no bad thing as you don't feel like the mafia are about to take you out, well not if you just walk through and have food anyway:
6) Central Park, one of my favourite memories is going to the Met and then walking through Central Park to the boating lake. Taking a rowing boat out in early spring sun. Difficult to beat.
7) I have t been for a while but the museum created for the 9/11 bombings in the craters there was surprisingly moving. Not my normal cup of tea but a work colleague was keen and I would recommend.
As to decent venues as in places to eat, listen to music, go for coffee, I've got a few but New York I've found is all about what you want to do with the people you are with at the time and, there's so much crammed into so small a space, you can find whatever you want. Some of the best places I have been are by chance or local recommendation (have breakfast out, chat to the staff about what they like, what you like, they say well what about here or here).