New York City

Im looking at travelling to the States some time next year, my first trip abroad alone, and New York is the place i'd love to visit

Anyone thats been can you recommend a good hotel/ place to fly from and how much in terms of ££ im gonna be looking at needing

It’s a dump don’t bother.

Cheers for that Whicker's World.

Quoted from Hagrid

Im looking at travelling to the States some time next year, my first trip abroad alone, and New York is the place i'd love to visit

Anyone thats been can you recommend a good hotel/ place to fly from and how much in terms of ££ im gonna be looking at needing

You can check out the price on the sites below, don't forget to have some holiday insurance, we don't want to do a crowdfunding to get you home.

Skyscanner for flights  https://www.skyscanner.net/

Travel Republic for Hotels  https://www.travelrepublic.co......BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have been a few times as my daughter lived there for a few years, stayed in Manhattan but can be very noisy even in a decent hotel, we stayed in Hoboken once which is just across the river and technically New Jersey but  still connected to the subway and really liked the comparative quiet and great view of the Manhattan skyline. As a tip and a great way to catch your first view of New York I would say catch a train in from the airport to Grand Central Station, a fantastic old station with a catch your breath moment when you walk out and see the scale of the skyscrapers outside. Also catch the Statten Island ferry, it’s free and gives a great view of the Statue of Liberty. Go early if you want to go up the Empire State Building as you get long queues. Central Park is a great park with great walks and always lots going on, go and see Chinatown, and the Greenwich village area. Yellow cabs are cheap but they like everyone there expect a tip. Don’t listen to Humbercod(as if anyone would) New York is a great City especially if you have a good itinerary. Also we never felt unsafe there

We spent 10 days in NYC this past Feb and it was far more costly than previous visits.

It’s an incredible city and I don’t want to put you off but it’s hideously expensive at times. But then so is London, Paris etc but the £/$ exchange rate isn’t great at the moment.

It’s the tipping that bites. We were tipping 20% and still getting dirty looks. I have friends who’ve been chased down the street for tipping less than that.

Bars -
- Cocktail bars - most are getting to $20 (+tax+tip) for an admittedly brilliant drink. A couple of sprit forward, craft cocktails and you’ll be struggling to see anyway.  
- Normal beer bars - cheaper outside Manhattan but somewhere like the famous McSorleys in East Village is $6 a beer + tax + tip. In general you’ll be $8-$10+t+t
- Put the word ‘Craft’ in front of any beer and you’re looking at at least $10+t+t.
- Wine - insanely expensive, even for US wines

Food -
- Again, it’s the tipping that hurts, as you’re adding generous tips on to London base prices
- In general, the unhealthier the food, the less expensive it is. Asian food tends to buck this trend.
- For instance, somewhere like the recommended, ten location chain, Xi’an Famous Foods does Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles for $8 a bowl and tipping is actually discouraged by management there
- If you go out to somewhere like Flushing (Queens), the Asian food will be cheaper still.
- A burger place, like Burger Joint is $9+t+t or Shake Shack $8.
- I’d steer clear of European food in NYC as it tends to be poor, expensive and, as much as it disgusts Humbercod, Europe is only a budget flight away from us so you might as well save your money for the real thing.

Sights:
- Empire State Building - at least $45. Personally I prefer the view from The Top of The Rock or the new experience of Summit One Vanderbilt (similar prices) and you can see the iconic ESB from there
- Statue of Liberty - $50
- The Met - $25
- Obviously, the more tourist stuff you do, the more your drachma will deplete.

Transport:
- Taxis are expensive. JFK to Manhattan is about $60 once you add on tips, baggage etc
- The subway is actually fairly cheap but scary in places. Any public service or public funded service in the US that isn’t profitable is generally left to decay like Blundell Park.
- Staten Island Ferry - free!

Personally, a lot of my favourite days in NYC have been spent wandering around the streets for free, taking it all in.

Places like The High Line and the Bushwick graffiti streets are free.

I would advise staying near (or even visiting) Times Square. It’s more expensive and a complete dump. I’d stay in the East Village, Lower East Side, Brooklyn or Queens if you don’t mind taking the subway.

There’s some great tips from Codcheeky there.

Central Park and Grand Central are free and ‘must sees’.

If you stand on any street corner for a couple of minutes you’re bound to see something bizarre or memorable.

thank you guys!

Its a bloody year away but i'm extremely excited, think i best start saving a bit more though

Quoted from Knut Anders Fosters Voles

If you stand on any street corner for a couple of minutes you’re bound to see something bizarre or memorable.

A giant Rat the size of a small dog springs to mind😲

Quoted from Humbercod

A giant Rat the size of a small dog springs to mind😲

I thought comments about Boris were on another thread.

Quoted from Humbercod

A giant Rat the size of a small dog springs to mind😲

flipping hell…bet you’re a barrel of laughs at parties.

In response to the initial question, most has been answered. New York is mega but different to say London or Rome. It is expensive but then so are all major cities. I know that the American government have been poor at supporting businesses so I’d imagine price increases post covid are linked to that in some way.

Great place though and try and take in some sport while you’re there. Massively different to watch football here but still great…

Quoted from aldi_01

flipping hell…bet you’re a barrel of laughs at parties.

In response to the initial question, most has been answered. New York is mega but different to say London or Rome. It is expensive but then so are all major cities. I know that the American government have been poor at supporting businesses so I’d imagine price increases post covid are linked to that in some way.

Great place though and try and take in some sport while you’re there. Massively different to watch football here but still great…

Sorry but it’s an overcrowded shithole just like London but without any history. I had 2 full days there and couldn’t wait to get out, do yourself a favour jump on a bus or drive to Toronto (approx 8hrs) taking in Niagra Falls on the way. Toronto a much nicer, safe, friendly and cleaner City. CNN tower a lot better than the Empire State.

There is only one place to stay in New York, and that is Times Sq. Expensive, but just yards from the Theatre, bars and Jazz Clubs. Been there too many times to mention, last was April.

Be prepared that everything is expensive, beer is $8, burger bars are available, but restaurants are expensive. Expect to pay $30-40 for a meal in the hotels, and if you go to a bar around $20 a head. You will have to tip as well. If you use the same place, make sure you tip at least 15%. Then when you pop back in you will get decent service again!

Book you tours from the UK, Statue of Liberty, and others are available top book from here. The is quite a wait for the Statue of Liberty on the NPS website, only a limited number of tickets to get to the crown are available each day!

Get your MTA card on arrival and pay for a 7 day ticket was $33 in (Card costs $1) April, but gives you all travel on MTA. They take cash or use your travel card in $$$.

Expect to spend around $300 a day! Any less and you will be short!

Quoted from Humbercod

Sorry but it’s an overcrowded shithole just like London but without any history. I had 2 full days there and couldn’t wait to get out, do yourself a favour jump on a bus or drive to Toronto (approx 8hrs) taking in Niagra Falls on the way. Toronto a much nicer, safe, friendly and cleaner City. CNN tower a lot better than the Empire State.

Two days and you’re an expert on the place…

Nobody said it was like London, because funnily enough, it’s called New York…

I have no personal knowledge of New York, but some of my family went for Christmas 3 years back and they loved it.

They were going to revisit but lockdown put paid to that.

Been a couple of times

My first visit was when I stayed with my pen pal who lived in Perth Amboy New Jersey ( where Bon Jovi is from )

We were only 30 minutes or so away in her car, so she took me to all the usual Manhattan tourist sites and also in to Brooklyn to see relatives & get a feel of the community

I loved it.... had some great times at street fairs and some good street food. I was early 20s at the time so it was all news

Second time I went was with the ex Mrs for a big birthday of hers.... stayed at the UN Plaza hotel and I noticed the difference in holidays. Food was expensive and without a local(ish) guide I didn't enjoy it as much

I'd go back again though.... the recommendation to go in by train to Grand Central Station sounds great ( there is or was a great seafood restaurant there ) and I'd definitely spend more time on Ellis Island. It fascinated me but in a group of friends who didn't share my enthusiasm I felt a bit cheated at not having enough time to take it all in

All in all I'd heartily recommend it.... it might have its downsides but so do other capital cities like Paris & Milan,

Quoted from Humbercod

Sorry but it’s an overcrowded shithole just like London but without any history. I had 2 full days there and couldn’t wait to get out, do yourself a favour jump on a bus or drive to Toronto (approx 8hrs) taking in Niagra Falls on the way. Toronto a much nicer, safe, friendly and cleaner City. CNN tower a lot better than the Empire State.

I know you probably think I purposely take the opposite view to you on everything but I didn’t think much of Toronto. Admittedly, it was the New Year’s weekend but I found Toronto a bit insipid.

Personally I found Niagara Falls a bit underwhelming too. It looked man made with the amount of concrete around it. Like Milton Keynes when the sewers flood.

Quoted from exiledmeggie

There is only one place to stay in New York, and that is Times Sq. Expensive, but just yards from the Theatre, bars and Jazz Clubs. Been there too many times to mention, last was April.

It depends on what you want, how much time you have and how willing you are to use the Subway / walk / cabs.

Personally, anywhere near Times Sq would be the last place I would want to stay as it reminds me of an ugly mix of Freeman St, Leicester Square and Blackpool on a bad day (no, I haven’t been hacked by Humbercod).

But it is very handy for theatres, art galleries, museums, main sights etc so I can see the attraction.

I much prefer the East Village or Lower East Side in Manhattan or Brooklyn (preferably Bushwick, Park Slope or Williamsburg).

Only just seen this thread, but I went Christmas 2018 and 2019, flew from Gatwick both times.

For taxis, use Uber or Lyft app, yellow cabs are alot more expensive.  Also at JFK airport there's chance you will get fake taxi drivers come upto you asking if you want a picking up in flashy cars/humvees, they will more than likely try scam you and charge you double the price of a yellow cab! You will get warnings about them inside JFK on the speaker system.

I stayed in an Airbnb the second time I went, in a basement setup, it had basic kitchen, shower, main room, tv with netflix etc. Cost was £73 per night and was excellent, not too far from JFK around 20 mins.

IHOP >> https://www.ihop.com/en/menu (Will need a VPN to view the menu etc)

Red Lobster >> https://www.redlobster.com/



I went to East New York one day, that was an eye opener, the station looked like it hadn't been touched since the 1950s, zombies high on fentanyl or whatever, some pissing without a care in the world for passersbys.

Quoted from Nelly GTFC

Only just seen this thread, but I went Christmas 2018 and 2019, flew from Gatwick both times.

For taxis, use Uber or Lyft app, yellow cabs are alot more expensive.  Also at JFK airport there's chance you will get fake taxi drivers come upto you asking if you want a picking up in flashy cars/humvees, they will more than likely try scam you and charge you double the price of a yellow cab! You will get warnings about them inside JFK on the speaker system.

I stayed in an Airbnb the second time I went, in a basement setup, it had basic kitchen, shower, main room, tv with netflix etc. Cost was £73 per night and was excellent, not too far from JFK around 20 mins.

IHOP >> https://www.ihop.com/en/menu (Will need a VPN to view the menu etc)

Red Lobster >> https://www.redlobster.com/

thanks Nelly

I went to East New York one day, that was an eye opener, the station looked like it hadn't been touched since the 1950s, zombies high on fentanyl or whatever, some pissing without a care in the world for passersbys.

Been a couple of times and loved it, was much better second time around though once you’ve kinda got your bearings and know how to get about a bit easier.

First time (2010) went with mates and stayed in a hostel in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn (https://www.expedia.co.uk/New-York-Hotels-The-New-York-Loft-Hostel.h2877334.Hotel-Information). The whole area was really chilled out and has since become even more gentrified in the last 12 years. It felt completely different to downtown Manhattan and I preferred it out there in some respects.

The last time was in 2017 and I stopped with the missus in midtown Manhattan (https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/.....k_City_New_York.html) not far from Times Square. This was a lot more expensive and I didn’t really see too much benefit. Like mentioned above, Times Square is a bit tacky and overpriced, which is probably to be expected from one of the most well-known tourist traps on earth.

The city is amazing though and you’ll have a great time. Whatever you go for, you’ll be able to find it. Scenery, entertainment, food, shopping, sports, nightlife, shows & theatres, music - the place has it all.

Make the most of the stuff that is free. Things like the Highline and Central Park are great, as are the views walking along Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Greenwich Village & Washington Square Park are sound, and really lively early in the evening. You can hire a boat and row around one of the lakes in Central Park, very good if you’re trying to get your end away.

Don’t get bogged down going for sit-down meals in chain restaurants if you’re short of time or cash, there’s real quality street food all over the place. Check out the markets and events like Smorgasburg which runs on a Saturday. Obviously the place is expensive but nothing too different to London or any other similar city - if you’re doing $300 a day you’ve gone mental.

Get some decent shoes because the place is really walkable and you’ll end up doing about 20-25k steps a day easy. The subway is decent, reliable and cheap. Just generally plan where you’re going each day, I know a couple who went and spent hundreds on Ubers & cabs just because they were always miles away from wherever they next wanted to be.

The 9/11 museum is mawkish and boring (sorry!) and a waste of time unless you’re a grief junkie. Museum Mile worth a look if you’re that way inclined, didn’t think much to the Guggenheim but that’s not really my scene either.

Love the place but the people can be VERY eccentric, it’s like most of them think they’re the star of their own individual movie at times. Never had any trouble mind apart from the time my mate got a ticket for píssing up the side of Cafe Wha.

Anyway, have a goodun!

Quoted from Nelly GTFC

Only just seen this thread, but I went Christmas 2018 and 2019, flew from Gatwick both times.

For taxis, use Uber or Lyft app, yellow cabs are alot more expensive.  Also at JFK airport there's chance you will get fake taxi drivers come upto you asking if you want a picking up in flashy cars/humvees, they will more than likely try scam you and charge you double the price of a yellow cab! You will get warnings about them inside JFK on the speaker system.

I stayed in an Airbnb the second time I went, in a basement setup, it had basic kitchen, shower, main room, tv with netflix etc. Cost was £73 per night and was excellent, not too far from JFK around 20 mins.

IHOP >> https://www.ihop.com/en/menu (Will need a VPN to view the menu etc)

Red Lobster >> https://www.redlobster.com/



I went to East New York one day, that was an eye opener, the station looked like it hadn't been touched since the 1950s, zombies high on fentanyl or whatever, some pissing without a care in the world for passersbys.

Reminding me of "The Message"...

It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from going under  

Quoted from Knut Anders Fosters Voles

It’s an incredible city and I don’t want to put you off but it’s hideously expensive at times. But then so is London, Paris etc but the £/$ exchange rate isn’t great at the moment.

The fx rate was 1.36 $/£ when I went to NYC in Feb ‘22 (1.57 when I first visited in Feb ‘12).

After today’s economic self-harm Mini Fudge-it, by the time you go to the US Hagrid it might have inverted to 1.36 £/$.

Another vote here for not staying in or around Times Sq.  You'll pay a premium just for the fact you're near it.  I went in 2018 and paid over the odds for basically a cupboard that had the right address.  Booked a few years later (got cancelled) for a place in New Jersey via Airbnb that looked a thousand times bigger, nicer, quieter and just better all round.  Significantly cheaper and the bus that takes you straight into Times Sq runs pretty much constantly and is a 7-8 minute trip.  Wherever you're staying is going to effectively be somewhere you crash out on the bed, have a shower and that's it.   If you're there to enjoy luxury trappings of a 5* hotel then you're either doing it in the wrong place or got more money than sense.

Can only echo the bits other people have said about using your feet to be your tour guide.  The temptation will be to do the traditional touristy things but there's so much you can do for free that are better.  

Don't get caught into the trap of going to the likes of Planet Hollywood for food.  They're vastly overpriced and so average.   The only named place I would go for food is Ellen's Stardust Diner.  You'll need to queue to get in but it's honestly amazing.

skaface is bang on with the 9/11 museum.  It's harrowing at times but intercourse me it's tacky.  My abiding memory is listening to this really awful and chilling last phone recording right at the end of the museum (complete with idiots taking photos of every thing too...) which leaves you feeling incredibly sobered, before turning a corner to find yourself in a gift shop that sells tea-towels with the names of all the victims on it.

Just seen this thread.

NYC is great. I've been 4 times (2013, 2015 and twice in 2018 )

We've flown in to JFK 3 times and sailed in once on a transatlantic cruise. JFK is a massive pain in the bottom. My youngest daughter went with a mate a year after we'd taken her and she flew in to Newark (NJ) and said it was less crowded, cheaper to fly to and quicker and cheaper to get to Manhattan on the regular shuttle bus.

We've stayed in The Watson Hotel (W 57th St) 3 times. It's OK has a pool on the roof and is a 5 minute walk to Columbus Circle which is at one corner of Central Park and a large subway station.

The other time we stayed at The Stanford on W 32nd St. A block from Madison Square Garden, a block from Macy's and a block from The Empire State Building which means you can get there early doors and beat the queues. Literally a 10 minute walk to Times Square. By midtown NYC standards they were pretty reasonably priced.

So many things to see and do. The High Line is great for a lovely walk especially if the weather is nice. Central Park is really good too. I like the Empire State Building and we did the Top of the Rock at night which was brilliant. The Staten Island Ferry will give you a view of the Statue of Liberty but we thought the official trips were good value plus you get to visit the very interesting Ellis Island too. You can pick tickets up at the booth in the middle of Castle Clinton. Grand Central Station, the Brooklyn Bridge, 5th Avenue, all free. You will do a lot of walking.

Food is cheap enough from the street vendors usually because it's awful. Try getting a slice of pizza (they're huge) from any of the million pizza places you will see. If you want your fix of football try Legends on W 33rd St also known as the Football Factory, they have live games on from all over the world at very strange times. Barmys special tip: If you're going into a diner type place, read the menu outside and make your choice, then go in. The wait staff do not take kindly to being kept waiting by some Limey who can't make up their mind.

Last but not least try to take in a baseball game. I had already watched baseball when it was on Channel 5 and so I knew I'd like it. I was surprised that the rest of the family enjoyed it too. I have become a massive Yankees fan since going on my first trip and we've been lucky enough to be able to see them on all our subsequent trips. Of course you could always watch the Mets. I checked the fixture list on line and booked my tickets well in advance and just picked them up at the stadium. Of course if you've got phone coverage you can get them sent to your phone. It's a really good evening out even if you find you don't like the game. Yankee Stadium and Citi Field (Mets) are both easy to get to on the subway.

It's not cheap but it is still worth whatever you spend.

Quoted from BlackandWhiteBarmy2

Just seen this thread.

NYC is great. I've been 4 times (2013, 2015 and twice in 2018 )

We've flown in to JFK 3 times and sailed in once on a transatlantic cruise. JFK is a massive pain in the bottom. My youngest daughter went with a mate a year after we'd taken her and she flew in to Newark (NJ) and said it was less crowded, cheaper to fly to and quicker and cheaper to get to Manhattan on the regular shuttle bus.

We've stayed in The Watson Hotel (W 57th St) 3 times. It's OK has a pool on the roof and is a 5 minute walk to Columbus Circle which is at one corner of Central Park and a large subway station.

The other time we stayed at The Stanford on W 32nd St. A block from Madison Square Garden, a block from Macy's and a block from The Empire State Building which means you can get there early doors and beat the queues. Literally a 10 minute walk to Times Square. By midtown NYC standards they were pretty reasonably priced.

So many things to see and do. The High Line is great for a lovely walk especially if the weather is nice. Central Park is really good too. I like the Empire State Building and we did the Top of the Rock at night which was brilliant. The Staten Island Ferry will give you a view of the Statue of Liberty but we thought the official trips were good value plus you get to visit the very interesting Ellis Island too. You can pick tickets up at the booth in the middle of Castle Clinton. Grand Central Station, the Brooklyn Bridge, 5th Avenue, all free. You will do a lot of walking.

Food is cheap enough from the street vendors usually because it's awful. Try getting a slice of pizza (they're huge) from any of the million pizza places you will see. If you want your fix of football try Legends on W 33rd St also known as the Football Factory, they have live games on from all over the world at very strange times. Barmys special tip: If you're going into a diner type place, read the menu outside and make your choice, then go in. The wait staff do not take kindly to being kept waiting by some Limey who can't make up their mind.

Last but not least try to take in a baseball game. I had already watched baseball when it was on Channel 5 and so I knew I'd like it. I was surprised that the rest of the family enjoyed it too. I have become a massive Yankees fan since going on my first trip and we've been lucky enough to be able to see them on all our subsequent trips. Of course you could always watch the Mets. I checked the fixture list on line and booked my tickets well in advance and just picked them up at the stadium. Of course if you've got phone coverage you can get them sent to your phone. It's a really good evening out even if you find you don't like the game. Yankee Stadium and Citi Field (Mets) are both easy to get to on the subway.

It's not cheap but it is still worth whatever you spend.

thank you very much!

Fantastic city went 7 years back some great advice on here

https://www.bigapplegreeter.org/

Sign up for this program and spend some time with a local, getting the inside story.

We managed to get a greeter who took us round some great sites when we were there with our kids.  Obs, they match you with a potential greeter.

https://www.royaltonparkavenue.com/

We stayed here in park avenue last time . Higher price end but great hotel with rooftop pool and cocktail bars.
Irish bar across the street if you fancy a Guinness and burgers.
As others have said a good pair of walking shoes and you can get everywhere. Try back streets for authentic burger joints as they taste the best.
Times square Blackpool on steroids and not for us .
New York is more like a museum of times past. It’s dirty smelly but still worth going just for the experience. You will walk lots and be knackered but it’s worth it.

Personally we think Chicago much nicer place.  Again walkable and you must do river architect tour as amazing history.
Deep pan pizza born here so good  .. Chicago hotdog finest there is.

Be warned
If you hire a car avoid the South west side.  Nasty as intercourse with sometimes over an hundred shootings on a bank holiday weekend . Nearly all the city’s crime reputation is there.  Stay off high line train at night.

Painting a dark picture but city centre same as other world cities . Just be careful,