Everything & Anything New York City

springdreams

Ganga wrote: »

Sorry about that i thought that Manhatten was classed as long Island.

Nope. Manhattan is in New York City, New York. Long Island is a separate part of the state of New York. Takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get to using the Long Island Rail, depending on which stop you get on / off at.

John259

Brooklyn and Queens are on Long Island, but not Manhattan. These maps show it quite well I think:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/New_york_long_island.jpg/800px-New_york_long_island.jpg

https://www.inthenewyork.com/photo/nyc-map-boroughs-en.jpg

zagubov

phatbear wrote: »

Things to do, have you walked the highline? You can get some decent pics from there as its a dis used subway track which is above street level.

You mention youve been up totr however have you done it at sun down. If not get up there an hour before sunset and watch the sunset and manhattan light up, this is the one thing i always do when i take people to new york.

Also i highly recommend pre organising a big apple greeter, they are totally free and they arent even allowed to take tips, my last one wouldnt even allow me to buy him a coffee. When you request one you can mention you wish to see some unusual places to take photos and they will hook you up.

If you let us know a tad more about you then someone may be able to suggest some different things to do

We did some of this but I'd add a warning that you need ideally up to four weeks notice to book a Big Apple Greeter. Some events like the Liberty island tours, the tenement museum, etc. get fully booked quickly (sometimes days ahead) so the more notice you have the better it'll go.

The day trip to Washington D.C, with Academy tours worked out well for us. Bring a brolly - it doesn't half rain on the US coast. Allow yourself a lot of time to get to the airport if it's rush hour. Traffic's dead slow and stop at the best of times.

mintster

I have been reading all sorts in this thread and am very grateful for all the info!

I am travelling with my family (OH and 13 year old son) for my 40th birthday in October (will be 40 when there). I was thinking of booking a big apple greeter for my birthday as I thought they might be able to show us somewhere a little different to celebrate. Do others think this is a good idea or should I do it earlier? Does anyone have any suggestions of somewhere to go, something to do that won't break the bank (we are currently moving house and booked this before a house move was ever on the cards)?

hollie.weimeraner

zagubov wrote: »

The day trip to Washington D.C, with Academy tours worked out well for us.

We last visited NYC in 2011 and landed on the Friday afternoon before Hurricane Irene hit on the Saturday. All public services closed down on the Saturday and Sunday but we had a reasonable time. We are going back out there shortly for my sons wedding so hope we can avoid the same thing happening again:rotfl:

Anyway this time we have booked a day trip to DC via Amtrak. It's going to be a long day but I can't see us going back again so thought it would be worthwhile. Return train fare was £75 each and we will get about 9 or 10 hours in DC. We did look at a few of the tours but decided against them for various reasons not least the extra 90 minutes travelling each way.

zagubov

hollie.weimeraner wrote: »

We last visited NYC in 2011 and landed on the Friday afternoon before Hurricane Irene hit on the Saturday. All public services closed down on the Saturday and Sunday but we had a reasonable time. We are going back out there shortly for my sons wedding so hope we can avoid the same thing happening again:rotfl:

Anyway this time we have booked a day trip to DC via Amtrak. It's going to be a long day but I can't see us going back again so thought it would be worthwhile. Return train fare was £75 each and we will get about 9 or 10 hours in DC. We did look at a few of the tours but decided against them for various reasons not least the extra 90 minutes travelling each way.

There's good public transport in D.C. including buses and, even better, a metro. It's well worth a visit. If you watch House of Cards, The Americans, the West Wing, Veep, Designated Survivor, etc. you'll find loads of good sites to see.

trixxi

Hi,
I am currently trying to navigate my way around all of this information!Flights are booked for 4th Jan for 4 nights flying into JFK.
Ive provisionally booked RIU Plaza TS (which I can cancel) having started reading some of the info it looks like we should be looking elsewhere to stay.
There's 3 adults going (taking our son for his 21st) I would love to know where M4RKM thinks we should stay or if anyone else can recommend area, that ideally has nice places to eat, good food not necessarily posh restaurants.
Thanks

lolamancity

Hi all... Off for a pre-xmas trip at the end of Nov (my 2nd time) for a surprise for my fellas 30th (he's never been, and I'm telling him we're going to Dublin, until we get to check in at the airport!)

Couple of questions if anyone wouldn't mind....

Last time I went (10 years ago) I stumbled across a diner called Empire diner. It was everything I expected and loved about a traditional US diner, but it appears to have gone now. Does anyone know of any really traditional and good quality diners, ideally near Times Square, or within a 30 min walk?

Secondly, we both have Halifax clarity credit cards and I was planning to withdraw cash as soon as we land at JFK, can anyone foresee any issues with that? I normally do this in Spain etc but flying to USA without cash makes me slightly nervous!

Also, we heavily rely on Google maps and tripadvisor where ever we go.... Does anyone know the best way on EE for this not to cost me an absolute fortune? I don't trust using offline maps as we got in a mess relying on that on one holiday once. We would use WiFi wherever possible, but as we're using trains and subways to get to and from the airport, I'm keen to make sure we have data available to make things go smoothly!

I'd also like to do a horse and carriage ride round CP, and was about to pre-book tickets but noticed a few bad reviews stating bad treatment if you turn up and don't pay them cash. Any views?

In fact, is it actually worth the effort of prebuying any tickets for any of the 'usual' attractions, or is it the same price on the day while there?

Also, does any know of any house/techno music clubs /locations within manhatten?

Many thanks in advance!

zagubov

lolamancity wrote: »

Hi all... Off for a pre-xmas trip at the end of Nov (my 2nd time) for a surprise for my fellas 30th (he's never been, and I'm telling him we're going to Dublin, until we get to check in at the airport!)

Couple of questions if anyone wouldn't mind....

Last time I went (10 years ago) I stumbled across a diner called Empire diner. It was everything I expected and loved about a traditional US diner, but it appears to have gone now. Does anyone know of any really traditional and good quality diners, ideally near Times Square, or within a 30 min walk?

Secondly, we both have Halifax clarity credit cards and I was planning to withdraw cash as soon as we land at JFK, can anyone foresee any issues with that? I normally do this in Spain etc but flying to USA without cash makes me slightly nervous!

Also, we heavily rely on Google maps and tripadvisor where ever we go.... Does anyone know the best way on EE for this not to cost me an absolute fortune? I don't trust using offline maps as we got in a mess relying on that on one holiday once. We would use WiFi wherever possible, but as we're using trains and subways to get to and from the airport, I'm keen to make sure we have data available to make things go smoothly!

I'd also like to do a horse and carriage ride round CP, and was about to pre-book tickets but noticed a few bad reviews stating bad treatment if you turn up and don't pay them cash. Any views?

In fact, is it actually worth the effort of prebuying any tickets for any of the 'usual' attractions, or is it the same price on the day while there?

Also, does any know of any house/techno music clubs /locations within manhatten?

Many thanks in advance!

You'll need a different card for withdrawing cash, and as for credit cards you may need to memorise your hotel's zip code as the machines don't always ask for a PIN.

Some things get booked up fast, so yes, I would book in advance. The Statue of Liberty boat ride broadway shows, tours etc. A three PAYG SIM from here might be cheaper than EE while you're in the US.

The best app for getting around is probably Citymapper. Worked a treat for us.

Dumbledore55

We have the recommended Barclaycard for spending abroad but whilst Barclays don't charge for cash withdrawals at ATMs , we found most American banks charge $3 per withdrawal. However an ATM in McDonalds only charges $1.19 and if you can find a Santander ATM, it's free.