New York – tips, tricks & must dos

[TJ]

I’m heading to New York in May for the first time in 15 years and have booked the St Regis, Park Hyatt, and Hilton Conrad Downtown on points. Any tips, tricks or must dos at any of these establishments would be appreciated. Likewise, any top value-for-money tips for NY in general.

[masaccio]

If you’ve not been in a while then the High Line walk is a must-see. Other than that it depends upon where you have already been.

Aside from the obvious stuff, the Morgan Library is worth a trip. I’d stay away from Times Square unless you are with somebody who has never been. It’s trashier and more zoo-like than it’s ever been.

We took a tour with a 9-11 survivor not long after the attack and seeing all the names around the endless pools was so emotionally raw that we could not face the memorial museum. So be prepared for that.

Broadway show booked?

[Shazza12]

Book a table at Peak – admission to the Edge skydeck is included

[jj]

A couple of less obvious attractiins were the highlight of our recent trip. One was the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side; the other was Small’s jazz club in Greenwich Village. Other things we really enjoyed were the Circle Line boat trip all around Manhatten, and PJ Clarke’s diner (make sure you get the original restaurant and not one of the newer sites). If you’re fit enough, walking from the tip of Manhattan in the FiDi to the far end of Central Park is a great experience, too.

Now for some expectation setting: we were surprisingly disappointed with the shopping (almost entirely chains with no individual character – you could have been anywhere in the world) and the food scene – again, you can find better restaurants in most Mediterranean villages than we found in NY.

And beware of the prices. Our hotel bar charged $10 for a 12oz can of beer, for example – plus 20% service, of course. And I didn’t see a bottle of wine below $55 on any menu anywhere.

• This reply was modified 54 years, 3 months ago by .

[Grant]

I found the Infatuation app very good for food and drink recommendations.

[Richie]

The Neue Galerie is $12 entry at the moment due to the 3rd floor being closed.
The Vessel is very interesting.

[Richie]

Shazza12 wrote:

Book a table at Peak – admission to the Edge skydeck is included

The Edge is $38 for entry on its own.

[NorthernLass]

It is expensive – you need to go out of town for bargain shopping. I like visiting museums and galleries to see exhibits you obviously won’t find anywhere else – there are often special exhibitions you can pre-book. Wandering around and enjoying the architecture is fun and free, including spotting the locations of scenes in films (though I think Washington DC is better for this). You can get cheaper tickets for shows if you’re prepared to queue on the day but I can never be bothered to do this on a short break, and the shows will eventually make it over here anyway!

[dougzz99]

Lower Broadway has some interesting shops. But most of Manhattan is just the normal chains and not much is discounted. If you want bargain shopping at chains then NYC is not great. There’s a big outlet mall about an hour away, Woodbury Common. To be honest outlet malls are a Florida speciality.
For me NYC is all about feeling the vibe, midtown in rush hour, upper west side in the evening. I’d recommend doing the Rockefeller centre, and definitely the High Line. I agree if you’re able the walk from Battery Park north is good fun, do as far as you can. If you get up to Central Park checkout Strawberry Fields the John Lennon tribute, it’s near 72nd St and CPW. That’s where the Dakota building is where he lived. You get great views of lower Manhattan from the SI ferry, but if you have time the Circle line boat is good with bits of history and who lives in which tower.
Try to get into Brooklyn, walk across the bridge if you’re able. I enjoyed the Brooklyn Brewery tour. I’m a bit of a broken record on sports, but a Yankees or Mets game is an experience if you have the time, one or other should be home. Walk as much as you can, it’s a great way to just feel it all happening around you. 20 streets are a mile, and six avenues, so working out how far something is pretty straight forward. That’s the grid part, below about 14th that breaks down.

[Aston100]

I enjoyed Ellens Stardust Diner.
Some pretty talented waiters/singers.
https://www.ellensstardustdiner.com/

[Keely]

We booked a walking tour , it’s pay what you think it’s worth . Did the Brooklyn tour, really interesting , brilliant guide .
https://freetoursbyfoot.com/new-york-tours

Also enjoyed Ellen’s stardust diner but thought it was starting to look a bit shabby – hopefully it’s been refurbed since I’ve been. We went for breakfast as apparently the queues get longer throughout the day . Fun experience but the food is nothing special.

Echo what others have said about the shopping.

[Benilyn]

Rent a bike and cycle Central Park!

[masaccio]

+1 for the tenement museum

[jj]

@dougzz99 lower Broadway was mostly boarded up when we were there in December. Locals told us that independent businesses mostly closed during covid due to huge restrictions with little government support.

[dougzz99]

jj wrote:

@dougzz99 lower Broadway was mostly boarded up when we were there in December. Locals told us that independent businesses mostly closed during covid due to huge restrictions with little government support.

That ain’t great, had no idea. My mate moved to Brooklyn a few years back, and doesn’t travel much. The company I work for moved to Brooklyn too. So my Manhattan info is admittedly out of date.

[Rob]

masaccio wrote:

+1 for the tenement museum

Agree. Did these years ago and it has stayed with me.

The Whitney Museum has now moved to its new base at the foot of the High Line.

I personally always like a walk around Greenwich Village and the Meatpacking District. In fact, a lot of people don’t realise how easy NYC is to walk – even from Wall Street to Central Park is very manageable over a morning.

We have an article of St Regis NYC butler service and what they can/can’t do. I’m also at the Park Hyatt in mid-May for 2 nights!

[TJ]

Thanks all for the suggestions. I’ve added a number of these to my itinerary. Note that The Vessel has been closed indefinitely due to a spate of suicides.

@Rob I’ve read the StR article…appears that you actually do get something in return for the ubiquitous destination fee unlike many other resorts (Kimpton comes to mind). I’m actually at the Park Hyatt towards end-May so look forward to reading your review.

[Richie]

TJ wrote:

….Note that The Vessel has been closed indefinitely due to a spate of suicides…

You can still get close to it and take excellent photos, as I did last week.

[Aston100]

“Note that The Vessel has been closed indefinitely due to a spate of suicides.”
You can still stand inside, on the ground floor.

[Hilda M]

I see there is a HfP meetup happening in the Park Hyatt – I too have a sojurn in mid May: well, early-ish mid May 🙂

[Erico1875]

Highlight for my wife and daughters trip was
NY Knicks basketball game at Maddison sq Gds

[T_London]

Hi TJ!

I go to NY a couple of times each year and have some recommendations for food – I disagree with the person above who said the restaurants aren’t that good.

I’d recommend Olio e Piu Italian restaurant – popular with locals and nice atmosphere, for a New York slice you must visit Joe’s Pizza (many locations), for a New York chunky cookie you need to go to Chip City – absolutely divine (many locations). Clement restaurant at the Peninsula is lovely for breakfast, and something more casual would be Carnegie Diner which has a very extensive menu and they do unlimited mimosas for 2 hours at $19.95 I believe – that was a lot of fun! I have been to Ellens’s stardust diner as mentioned above but do check out videos of a dining experience here before you decide to go – it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Max Brenner cafe is a must visit if you are a big fan of chocolate – try their fondue.
If you want to go somewhere with a buzzy atmosphere at night check out TAO downtown. Polo Bar is also nice and upscale with a quieter vibe. Cipriani (downtown) has delicious food but a slightly pretentious atmosphere as with many Cipriani locations. Worth it though. Bluestone Lane is a nice casual brunch place. If you go to Brooklyn try the Cecconi’s Dumbo it’s wonderful, as are the views of Manhattan from Dumbo in general.

The way things are right now, please do avoid using the subway where possible. It is alright in the daytime but absolutely should be avoided at night especially when alone. The state of the subway has worsened in recent months – feel free to do a google search on it for more context but please try and walk or Lyft/Uber where possible. Weather will be nice when you’re there so hopefully you’ll want to walk around! I was warned about the subway before going and quickly understood why.

Another thing, unless your taxi back to the airport has already been prebooked or something, please allow a lot of time to get one. I almost missed my flight because there were no cabs available or accepting my app requests due to high demand at the time of day.

I hope you have an amazing time!

[T_London]

Also on Broadway we saw Mrs Doubtfire which was excellent. If you like the film I’d recommend seeing that. Top of the Rock is a typical tourist attraction but honestly so worth it – try to go at sunset! But honestly the best activity is walking around!

[Aston100]

I disagree with the previous person about restaurants.
I felt New York restaurants were overrated and overpriced.

London is superior in my opinion.

[dougzz99]

Erico1875 wrote:

Highlight for my wife and daughters trip was
NY Knicks basketball game at Maddison sq Gds

Not in May. Playoffs only by then, the Knicks haven’t troubled those in years. There may be Hockey at MSG, I think the NHL season is running then.