New York...3 or 6 nights?

EssexExile

I suspect you've realised by now that it's no good asking other people how long to stay somewhere. For some people one day in New York is too much (that's me) but others choose to live there. Personally I'd rent a car & drive up into New England but I suspect that's not what you're looking for.

Marmiter

From your post, you say that it's probably the only time you will get to go there. The way I see it, is that I didn't want to come home thinking "I wish I had done that".

I went early November 2016 for 3 nights.

Our itinerary was (very briefly!):

Arrive at hotel 2.30pm and check in, wander to Times Sq to get bearings and find somewhere for dinner. We planned a route that took us past the main sights - Radio City, Grand Central Station, St Patricks Cathedral, Trump Towers, Chrysler Building etc.

Day 1: full day of sightseeing - Statue of Liberty; Wall Street; walk to and across Brooklyn Bridge; 9/11 museum.

Day 2 - central park; Bloomingdales (& a couple of other shops for souvenirs); Broadway Matinee; Macy's.

Day 3 - High Line; MOMA; Top of The Rock. Subway to the airport for 8.30pm flight.

We were up and about very early each day because we wanted to cram in so much.

Be prepared to walk and walk and walk some more. Depending on your level of fitness, would you need to take more time to walk around or are you Speedy Gonzales and happy to do everything on foot at a good pace?

We could have spent more time in each place, particularly Central Park (we were so lucky with the weather).

If we had had the budget, I would have stayed longer as there is so much to do. I would have liked to have been to more museums, and the One World Trade Centre.
I would also have liked to have done a few more "foodie" things.

6 days may seem a lot, but as other posters have pointed out you may lose a day each side of the holiday due to flight times.

pollypenny

I wouldn't get excited about the likes of Macy's or even waste time there. With the dreadful exchange rate, plus tax, there's little that cheaper than in the UK.

For the rest of a visit, if you want to do museums etc, you'd probably be better with six nights. It's a great place to stroll around, too, so plenty of time would be good.

FBaby

It really depends what you want to do. We did a three days only in NY because we then moved on to the other part of our holiday. I expected that this would mean being able to see only a limited side of NY, which I accepted. I was surprised to find NY downtown smaller than I had imagined and able to do all the main tourist attractions during that time.

Saying that, it involved no visits to museum and only a quick stroll to Center Park. I do hope to go back one day and have more time to do the non as touristy attractions, but for an overall look of NY, it can be done in 3 days.

PeacefulWaters

Three days in NYC and two days in Washington DC.

vintner55

Have to second going to Washington. Loads of interesting stuff to see. The National Mall, The Smithsonian, Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln memorial, the beautiful and meaningful war memorials, the White House, Georgetown, the Pentagon, Mount Vernon and Alexandria.

We went by Megabus for a couple of dollars (a few years ago!) It takes about 4 and a half hours.
Hotels cheaper at the weekend in Washington, the opposite to New York.
I would personally spend more time in DC and just a couple of days in New York.

pogofish

Duckyduck wrote: »

What do you do in New York for so long? I've been quite a few times, generally for 2 or 3 nights and it always feels like enough, and tend to do the same things every visit.

There are a huge amount of things to do and see in NY and its hinterland - For starters, each neighbourhood has its own colour and character that makes each worth a visit.

If you are interested in history, there are so many places connected with world-scale events.

A huge nightlife - you can easily be doing something different every night - and more after.

Museums, galleries, cultural destinations - much more than you can shake a stick at.

Scouring the local listings can get you into live broadcasts/recordings of TV shows, concerts, film premieres etc - often for free or not a lot. Which is how I managed to end-up face to face with a certain orange/huffing/smiling, proto-presidential type.

The MTA/regional transit area is big, so with a Metro Card you can get out of the city to places like the Long Island beaches, or into the towns on the Hudson. Then there are other destinations outside MTA area by bus or train.

And yes, the odd day chilling and pottering about is fun and TBH, although I have done some of the main tourist things, there are still plenty more I've still got to do because I've been far too busy doing other stuff never felt the need to do the "big shopping" stuff though.

And to second the above - you will probably do a lot of walking, so good comfy shoes are a must. All that walking on sidewalks, esp in hot summer weather can give you quite impressive blisters.

And a side trip to DC is another thing I hope to do next time, so a couple of days for that needs to be factored-in.

jackieblack

vintner55 wrote: »

Have to second going to Washington. Loads of interesting stuff to see. The National Mall, The Smithsonian, Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln memorial, the beautiful and meaningful war memorials, the White House, Georgetown, the Pentagon, Mount Vernon and Alexandria.

We went by Megabus for a couple of dollars (a few years ago!) It takes about 4 and a half hours.
Hotels cheaper at the weekend in Washington, the opposite to New York.
I would personally spend more time in DC and just a couple of days in New York.

I agree, much prefer DC to NYC.

Duckyduck

DC is great for museums, but if you're not fussed about them then it's pretty boring. Philadelphia is interesting if you like history and an easy day trip from NYC.

ERICS_MUM

Unless we know the timing of the flights we can't really advise in any useful way.

You will move around a lot quicker on your own, and use the subway to travel from mid-town to the financial district. I suggest you do a lot of research before you book, plan what you absolutely must see and work out the routes and timings. Also depends on the whereabouts of your hotel. If you stay for 6 days you could stay in New Jersey and get the commuter train in. No use for three days, just wouldn't give you enough time in Manhattan.