NYC - Manhattan Advise

sdl811

I know , I know , your all sick of seeing NYC posts......

I'm off om my holidays in 2 weeks to guess where...lol (no prize for getting it right althou I suspect a lot of you will get it wrong)...

I'm after advise on what to do/see, where to go/eat , should iItake a boat lunch/dinner cruise in? etc.

I'm going to take the grayline all-loops tour. recommended I believe, is it worth buying online , or waiting till I get over there to see what deals i can get with it?

Had a look at the newyorkpass but I don't think I would use it much.

How about a good show in broadway? (thats where i'm staying..Milford Plaza) hoes best to get the best price on a ticket?

Also re statue of liberty, do i need to book now? or wait till over there?

I'm 32 & my partner is 29, were do young at heart and like dancing/clubing as well? anywhere to go cheaply?

Can you tell I'm eager.....

Hows best to travel around metro/underground/cab?

Where to aviod like the plague , during the day/night...

Is China Town worth a visit? Whats best to buy out there at this time?

err what else...food? drink? how much does it cost? how do i tip?? how much?

oh and what about discount cards,etc , can I ask for them in large shopping centers as customer services? anywhere i can order some now online?

aaarrggg any thing else i've missed let me know...lol

lastly when over there i want to buy a PSP any ideas on cost where to get one?

alison74

I stayed at the Milford Plaza and you couldnt get more central, you can walk to Times Sq etc from there.

Get your cheap discount tickets at the TKTS (red and white) booth in Times Square on day you want to go (2 for 1) normally a good selection.

You dont say how long you are going there for, but if it is for 5 or so days, get a tourist tickets for the metro/buses (7 day ticket $21 or $25 I think) and you will more than use that zipping up and downtown.

If there are two of you, subway is always safe, esp since you will be getting off at Times Sq to go back to Milford Plaza, but obviously have your wits about you.


Dont know what you were planning to do re cash, but if you take American Express trav cheques, they are accepted EVERYWHERE like they were cash. You could buy a bottle of coke for 79c with $100 trav cheq and no-one would bat an eyelid and give you all the change (saves you going to banks)

one of my favourite quirky things to do (might not be your cup of tea) is to go into visitors centre and go to the HSBC kiosk there. get your photo taken, you wait 5 minutes, go outside and then look up to your right at the HSBC screen in Tmies Sq (it is the biggest one) and your picture comes up - so you can say you have appeared on Times Sq !

Have your camera ready for when you appear !

I am sure others will come on with other tips, that's all I have time for

Have fun

Chris25

The Sony Wonderlab is fun and free and not a blatant ad for Sony! It's near Rockefeller Plaza I think. It can get busy though and sometimes it's necessary to book a day in advance.

You get given a swipe card for interactive exhibits. As you leave and use the card for the last time your photo appears in bubbles on the wall both in and outside the building.

I'll see if I can find more details.

Re the NewYork Pass - there's one I think called New York CityPass and that only has 5 or 6 attractions, so costs less. Guggenheim, Metropolitan Museum Art, Natural History Museum(fantastic), Empire State Building (including virtual tour), a boat trip and the aircraft carrier museum (USS something) which is huge - there are even 2 McDonalds on board and a moving tribute to 9/11.

nelly_2

alison74 wrote:

one of my favourite quirky things to do (might not be your cup of tea) is to go into visitors centre and go to the HSBC kiosk there. get your photo taken, you wait 5 minutes, go outside and then look up to your right at the HSBC screen in Tmies Sq (it is the biggest one) and your picture comes up - so you can say you have appeared on Times Sq !

Have your camera ready for when you appear !



Have fun

Alison Ive been after this for a bit, I wanted its a suprise for my girlfriends birthday, do they have to use their own picture equipment or can you take your own photo in? Do you know?

GlennTheBaker

A nice place to go while you're there is the South Street Seaport. It has been restored to how it was about 200 years ago and it is really quiet and relaxed compared to the hustle and bustle of Midtown Manhattan.

alison74

Nelly, I have PM'd you with details

wishingwell

Just got back from NY and would recommend MOMO. I booked these tickets in advance (via expedia) so that we had vouchers. It meant we could bypass all the queues down the street and inside at the normal ticket counters for the 10.30 opening time.
Whilst the galleries are quiet first thing they do get really busy so if you enjoy modern art it is a must see.
Also recommend the Staten Island ferry if you don't want the Circle Line ferry which does allow you to visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Its' free and you get great views of both of the sites and the view back to Manhattan is superb on a clear day. You do have to get off at Staten Island but most people just go into the terminal and head straight back on board again. Takes about an hour.
Also went to visit ground zero...a moving experience.

sdl811

Great stuff guys, keep it up...how about answering some of my questions?

alison74

I hope you are being tongue in cheek with that last post, most people ask one or two questions, not advice about their WHOLE trip, you can buy travel books for that :rolleyes: You have been given a lot of relevant advice already.

stinky101

When i was in new york i saw the broadway shown Avenue Q, winner of musical awards. It is RIGHT next to the Milford Plaza.
Its a puppet show, but for adults the warning says 'full puppet nudity'. Its really funny. Its a mix of Seseme Street and South Park. Some of the song titles are 'You can be as loud as the hell you want when your makin love', 'The internet is for !!!!!!', 'Everyone's a little bit racist' and 'If you were gay'. Gives you an idea of what topics are covered in it! It is currently the 'in' and 'cool' show to see! You wont find these tix reduced due to its popularity, but we got the cheapest tix and had a good view (quite a small theatre)

Alternativly there are some shows which do Lotterys. Basically you turn up about 2.5 hours before show time, put your name in a tombolla then the first 20 or so (depends on the show) people called out 2 hours before show time can buy 2 tickets for about $20 for that nights show. Some lotteries are more popular that others. We tried a show called Wicked (more on this later) 5 times and each time there were at least 500 people there for about 15 names to be called out. Never won it. On our last night i tried the rent lottery, about 70 people there for 20 names to be called, and my name was the first out.

If you want to see a big BRoadway show try Wicked. Its been open since Oct 2003 and has sold out a huge 2000 seat theatre every night, so buy tickets in advance. It is meant to be a prequel to the wizard of oz movie and it shows how the wicked witch and the good witch used to be friends before they turned on each other. It's better than it sounds! It's a typical huge broadway spectacular. If you can try getting the restricted view seats near the front sides. You wont miss much, plus the people next to you will be paying over $100 for their seats! Book early for this too.

Try https://www.ticketmaster.com for more details

bluemorph

Go to Grenwich village and have a wonder round, there are some great bars and Resturants there, i went to china town and enjoyed bartering for fake watches, handbags etc, we didnt book the statue of liberty tour, we just turned up, alot of people recommend the helicopter tour, havent done it myself though. Enjoy !