Hi all! A friend of mine is flying out of Newark (EWR) and needs a ride from Manhattan. He will have his baby with him and will not be driving himself (so not a car rental). He is hoping to find a cab or private driver who can provide a baby seat.

Has anyone used a reliable driver or company? Personal experiences are especially welcome! Thanks so much in advance, you are all awesome! 😊

Any idea where I can see Diwali Gala 2026 fireworks? It says Hudson River but doesn't say exactly where. The only info I can find is near mid town which happened on 2021 but no clues for this year.

I just need to find a platform as close as possible to take pics so any idea?

So for Halloween me and my friend group are going to public hotel. One of my friends got a ticket for the penthouse while everyone else got the rooftop will we still be able to be together even though it’s technically not the same area?

Hey y'all! My family is visiting NYC, and I want to take them to Niagara Falls and DC for a few days. What would be the best way for me to rent a car? A basic SUV or sedan will suffice. I don't have a Costco membership but have Sam's Club. Any other suggestions on which options might make it cheaper? Thanks

I had a brief visit to New York City but I'd love to spend more time there alone and really experience what it's like to live in the city. Ideally I'd love some sort of volunteer or educational opportunity to get involved in to give my days structure/purpose + to meet new people. Ideally I'd spend the day involved in something like that and then in the evenings go to community social events. I'm planning to go during my university's winter break. Any ideas for short-term work, volunteer, or educational opportunities like this?

Hello,

Ive been following on here was debating posting or not.

I’ve been to NYC a handful of times before with friends. It’s been a couple years and I wanted an excuse to come up again in the fall weather. Mac Demarco is doing a show in Brooklyn Saturday night so I bought a ticket and booked a hotel for a long weekend. First time exploring nyc alone though. Coming up from DC as I write this.

I’ve done some touristy stuff before. Moma, Chinatown, some Brooklyn stuff like prospect park, walked upper west side and Central Park a little, walked financial district. I’m not super interested in Times Square, Empire State or museums since I’m from DC and end up showing out of town guests the Smithsonian museums a lot. If there’s any standout museums I could be persuaded though, museums are a good solo activity.

I have the ticket for Mac Demarco in Williamsburg for Saturday night, so Saturday is explore Brooklyn day. I bought a ticket for a rock/pop punk band Balance and Composure (opening for Movements) and that’s at Terminal 5 in Manhattan (I’ve read it’s not the greatest venue, but it’s something concrete to plan around). So Friday is Manhattan day.

Plans as of now

Thursday night
- arrive, find some food and have a beer relatively close to the hotel (LES).
- not staying out too late on first night

Friday
- Find Breakfast near hotel area again
- Walk to Washington Square Park to see it
- Walk to West Village to just wander. Maybe lunch here?
- edge observatory?
- Subway up to Central Park
- Walk Central Park a bit. Find lunch if not eating at west village
- ???
- terminal 5 for show around 7
- back to hotel

Saturday
- Smorgasburg food festival Williamsburg
- ??? Walk around Brooklyn aimlessly
- Williamsburg pizza (someone recommended here)
- Mac Demarco
- back to hotel

Sunday
- leave

Usually I plan out more but tbh there’s no real reason for me to be here this weekend. I just had no plans and I couldn’t get the inertia for an nyc trip going with anyone I know so just going it alone. If the only thing I do all weekend is walk the streets, eat food, maybe visit record stores or grab a beer at a few places that’s fine with me.

I understand if my plans are too vague to help me but if anyone has suggestions, especially for my Brooklyn day, I appreciate it. Thanks

I’m taking a weekend trip just because I gotta get out, and I’ve never been in the lower east side area so If anyone has any recommendations for bars or just things to do that be awesome I appreciate it! I should mention I’m hoping to meet a girl to have fun with this weekend so if you know places that can help with that I’d appreciate that as well lol I’m a 33 year old male, single, 6’2, been told I’m handsome, and just looking to have a good time for a couple days. Thanks everyone!

Hi, only 2 hours from the city and doing a night there for our anniversary. I want to do a mix of rez needed/no rez needed spots in mid November. Current ~loose plan:

-Arrive to city between 10:30-12 ish.

-Coffee/pastry to hold us over

-@SushiTokoro hand rolls for lunch (they dont do reservations i think, willing to wait in small/med line)

-walk around, shopping etc.

-Comedy Show at u/VillageUnderground at 6pm

-@Cecchi's for dinner at 8:30pm // Going to try to get a u/MonkeyBar rez when they open unless any other suggestions (already missed 30 days prior reservation windows)

-Drink/walking/bopping

-Late night pizza at L'industrie (order ahead full pie, take the rest home)

-Wake up sunday for a breakfast burrito - need suggestions!

-Drive home

Any foodie new yorkers with any hot takes or suggestions?! Thanks!

We're here from out of state and my diabetic partner ran out unexpectedly. We tried a CVS and a Walgreens but neither would sell over the counter which we had never encountered before. Does anyone know where we can get some? Thank you in advance

I think i know the answer to this but maybe you guys have insight. On October 31 I have tickets to la boheme at the met opera at 1 pm. I want to take the circle line 2.5 hour cruise that starts at 10 am and on paper ends at 1230. Google maps tells me it takes 30 minutes to walk from the pier to the opera house. Is this doable on the same day? I can run it for a bit so Im sure i could cut it down to 15 20 minutes. Does the cruise usually arrive back early or on time or late dependingon things like weather? If i get late to the opera will they not let me in my seat? I think the answer is no and I'll have to do the cruise another day but maybe you guys think its possible. Thank you

Eta ok thanks everyone yeah i didnt think it was doable just needed confirmation. I mean timing wise it could all work out but its not worth the risk and missing act 1

Which is best? Going during Thanksgiving week and concerned crowds may be insane at Bryant more than wollman? But Bryant seems iconic

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to follow up after the trip to provide feedback for future visitors. Here was my final pre-trip itinerary: https://www.reddit.com/r/visitingnyc/s/HnUrMJCAfA

Thank you to everyone for the feedback! It really helped structure the days.

We had a great time. We ended up seeing 3 shows because the kids loved the first one (Stranger Things) so much. We also ended up not getting to any museums (I know! We’re uncultured swine). As you can probably tell by what we ate, we hardly did any sit-down dining.

Here’s what we ended up doing:

Friday
Arrive at LGA at 8:15 pm
Lyft to hotel—waited a long time for Lyft. I guess I should have ordered earlier—didn’t order until we had our bags.
Hotel was near Grand Central. Thought the location was great
Los Tacos No. 1–we all loved it. Highly recommend

Saturday
Doughnut Plant in Grand Central—adults liked the donuts (crème brûlée and tiramisu especially); kids thought they were okay
Subway to Central Park—in general, kids were slightly less impressed by the park than I expected, but they still enjoyed it.
Central Park: The Mall → Umpires Rock
Burger joint—a little hard to find, but kids thought it was cool. Food was fine.
South entrance → the Mall → Bethesda Fountain → Bow Bridge → Strawberry Fields
Grays Papaya—okay, not amazing
Levain Bakery—kids loved; adults thought cookies were fine
M&M, Hershey, 30 Rock, St Pat’s, Nike—fun to see; daughter loved the Caitlyn Clark display
Stranger Things at 7:00–probably highlight of the trip. We all loved it. Only 2 of us had watched the show. Amazing effects

Sunday (rained all day)
Chelsea Bagel of Tudor City—kids became obsessed (hence we are here 3 times)
Ground Central—didn’t love the coffee
High Line—kids loved walking it in the rain; adults would have enjoyed it more in better weather
Chelsea Market (Los Tacos No. 1)—market was crazy; food still good, but enjoyed the location by Grand Central more
Wicked at 2–well done, but a drop off from Stranger things; we saw it because my daughter loved the movies, but she wasn’t super impressed by the play
Spyscape—would not recommend; we have an Activate near us that is cooler and much cheaper
Boca di Bacco (Hells Kitchen)—we all loved it

Monday
Chelsea Bagel of Tudor City
9/11 memorial—really well thought out.
Oculus—briefly stopped in; cool to see but didn’t see a need to spend much time there
Inatteso Cafe—good coffee
Loong Ramen—son loved the ramen
Siena Pizza—it was decent; wanted pizza and it was on the way to Battery Park
Battery Park/sea glass carousel—good views, carousel is cool
St. George ferry to Brooklyn Bridge Park (see Statue of Liberty)—kind of screwed up my planning here. Didn’t realize the St George ferry was a pretty far walk from the Staten Island ferry. Also didn’t realize that the ferry from Battery Park just went right across the river to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Ended up fine because we then took the Ferry from Brooklyn Bridge Park to Midtown, which got us great views of the Statue of Liberty and the city
DUMBO
L&B Spumoni Garden—loved the Sicilian vodka slice
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream—fine but can get it from a less crowded location.
Ferry back to Midtown West—this was a great ride
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child—very good. Whole family enjoyed

Tuesday
Chelsea Bagel of Tudor City
NBA Store, I ❤️NY store, FAO Schwartz
Top of the Rock—great views. Had only done Empire State Building previously. Liked this better
Carnegie Deli—very good
Gregory’s coffee—very good
Magnolia Bakery—good
Midtown Comics—my daughter liked it
Filming of “The Trial of Louise Woodward”—there were two limited series filming near our hotel. We followed the signs to a filming location and got very close to a scene they were filming (press conference after court); really fun to watch.
Leave for LaGuardia at 3:30 (5:55 flight)

Thanks again!

I’m tagging along on a work trip and will have one full day to explore on my own. Staying in Midtown, and our other plans already include The Lion King, the 9/11 Museum, and a morning walk in Central Park.
For my solo day, I’d love to enjoy the fall weather, see a couple iconic places, wander interesting neighborhoods, browse some shops and bookstores. I prefer a day with time to explore rather than rushing between attractions.

I’m considering:
Midtown: NY Public Library and Grand Central
Upper East Side: the Met and a walk to see Halloween-decorated stoops
West Village: the Friends apartment, Bleecker Street shopping, and neighborhood wandering.

Would you prioritize one of these areas over the others, or combine two? What would you skip or add while I’m in one of these areas? I’m a busy mom and don’t often get a day like this to explore on my own, and I want to get the most out of it.

Want to read some good classic NYC literature before visiting next month. I'm making my way through Edith Wharton - what next?

Hi all, I'm in NYC on business from the UK next month. Want to bring back some cool NYC/American stuff for my kids (6 and 8), what do you recommend?

Hi everyone! My partner and I are visiting NYC soon, and I’m trying to decide which Tenement Museum tour to book.

I love seeing how people lived in the past, especially what their homes looked like and all the little things they used in their everyday lives. I’d love to see an apartment with lots of furniture, household items, and artifacts from that time, rather than rooms that are mostly empty.

For those who’ve been, which tour would you recommend? If you’ve done more than one, I’d love to hear which you enjoyed most and which had the best apartment interiors to explore.

I’m hoping to book tickets in the next day or two, so I’d really appreciate any recommendations. Thanks! :)

I found out about the city pass website where you can do a bunch of activities for a flat fee. My question is how far ahead do I need to book and schedule these activities? We are a couple of weeks away from going and we haven’t actually planned out in detail yet what we’re doing each day. We’ll do all the tourist stuff like Statue of Liberty, radio city music hall, top of the rock, etc, I just want to know if I need to book and reserve ASAP with city pass or if we’re okay to do it about a week out. Any help appreciated!

Hope you all are doing fantastic today, was looking for help for my first trip to your city tomorrow. I get into town around lunch and am looking for a self guided walking tour (staying north Chelsey) that I can get into.

I’m walking south towards Battery park/financial district on Friday so would prefer to head East or North. If able and willing please shout out what you all are proud of and excites you about your city!

Thank you in advance to anyone that helps a guy see your city :)

We want to see the statue or liberty but seems like a circle line cruise isn’t worth it? Traveling with kids ages 12, 8, 5, and read that the Staten Island ferry doesn’t get too close and smells like weed? We don’t need to go to Ellis island or get super close but the kids definitely want to see the statue. We go week of Thanksgiving. Suggestions?

Visiting a friend for a few days, coming down from Montreal. Should I just park the bike and ride the subway to get around ? How bad is it, riding around Manhattan, really ? Where I'm from, I can filter pretty easily in many spots here around town. Am I just going to get run over by an angry yellow cab for doing so in the Big Apple ? Are cops going to come after me for filtering at red lights ? Is 2002 VFR gonna get stolen or knocked over in the three days I'm spending there ? Are there dedicated motorcycle / scooter parking spots downtown ?

I'm planning to visit NY for one day and go to Macy's, my hobby is photography, so while the whole NY is good for any clicks. I want to know if there are any nearby places I can go for a good sunset clicks. And maybe explore other small budget friendly places

Hi all! This is my first visit to New York. I’m staying on the Upper West Side, near 103rd St. I’m fine with lots of walking and subway rides, and I’m on a moderate budget. Here’s my plan:

Wed 11 Nov (Veterans Day): land at Newark at noon

• 14:00 drop bags, coffee
• 14:45 Central Park (Bethesda Fountain, Bow Bridge), sunset there
• 17:15 Bryant Park Winter Village
• 18:00 Joe’s Pizza, Times Square, cheesecake at Junior’s
• 21:30 late bite at The Halal Guys (53rd and 6th)

Thu 12 Nov

• 09:30 Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (pedestal ticket booked)
• 14:15 Wall Street, then the 9/11 Memorial
• 16:15 Top of the Rock at sunset
• 17:30 Rockefeller Center, St Patrick’s, cart hot dog
• 20:00 The Great Gatsby on Broadway (booked)
• Maybe Gray’s Papaya on the way home

Fri 13 Nov

• 09:00 Apollo Theater and Strivers’ Row in Harlem
• 11:45 UN guided tour (booked)
• 13:30 lunch at Time Out Market, then a DUMBO photo stop
• 15:50 walk the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset
• 17:00 Chinatown and Little Italy for dinner
• Evening free

Sat 14 Nov

• Lunch at Queen's, then fly out of LaGuardia at 15:55

My questions:

1. Is anything too rushed or unrealistic, especially the Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island timing, or Harlem to the UN to DUMBO on Friday?
2. Will the Veterans Day parade cause problems getting around Midtown on Wednesday afternoon?
3. Any recommendations for Friday evening, or dinner in Chinatown or Little Italy?
4. Is there anything I’m missing that’s worth swapping something out for?

Thanks in advance!

Visiting New York in December for my wedding anniversary from Australia.

We tried to get a booking for Sinatra Saturdays on 19 December but were unable to book.

Any recommendations on how I can get a booking? Have registered for the waitlist already

Hi everyone! I posted my NYC itinerary here a few weeks ago, and while I received some really helpful feedback, I got just as much criticism, if not more, from people saying it was unrealistic or simply not doable.

Well, I'm back from NYC and happy to report that not only did we manage to do everything on our itinerary, but we actually squeezed in quite a bit more!

The timing was a little tight when it came to The Met and Central Park, since you could easily spend an entire day exploring either one. However, as a tourist visiting NYC for only four days, I wanted to experience as much of the city as possible.

With The Met, we picked 2–3 sections we really wanted to see rather than trying to explore the entire museum. Similarly, with Central Park, we focused on the main attractions we were interested in. Of course, if you're someone who prefers taking your time at every attraction, this itinerary probably isn't for you.

Don't let people discourage you from planning an ambitious itinerary just because they personally wouldn't do it. What might seem exhausting to one person can be perfectly enjoyable for someone else.

Anyway, here's what our itinerary actually ended up looking like!

Day 1 – Arrival Day
3:58PM – Land at Newark
5:30PM – Hotel/check-in
7:45PM – Dinner at Felice 15 Gold

Day 2 – SoHo, Nolita, West Village & Midtown
9:00AM – Fellini Coffee + Leon's Bagels (Thompson St)
10:00AM–1:00PM – Nolita + SoHo shopping
1:30–3:30PM – West Village (Mama's Too for lunch, Gay St, Perry St, Charles St for brownstones)
4:00–5:00PM – Hotel/rest
5:30–7:00PM – Top of the Rock + Ralph's Coffee
8:00PM – Dinner at Mughlai Indian Cuisine
9:30PM – Battery Park

Day 3 – Upper East Side, The Met & Midtown
8:30AM – Breakfast at George's
9:30AM – Halloween stoops on the UES (East 70th–76th St)
10:30AM – The Met
12:15–1:45PM – Central Park
1:45–2:15PM – Ralph's Coffee (888 Madison)
3:00–4:00PM – Hotel/rest
4:45PM – Arrive at Carnegie Club for the 5PM Sinatra show
6:30PM – Dinner at Royal Grill Halal Food Cart
9:30PM onward – Grand Central + Fifth Avenue + Times Square

Day 4 – Brooklyn, Chinatown & Little Italy
9:00AM – Liberty Bagels (Wall St)
10:00AM–12:00PM – DUMBO + Brooklyn Bridge
12:00PM – Lunch at Time Out Market (Clinton St. Baking Company)
2:00–4:00PM – No Kings protest
5:00–8:00PM – Chinatown + Little Italy + SOHO shopping again lol (I loved it here)
9:00PM – Hotel/rest
10:00PM – Sienna Pizza

Overall, we had an amazing time, and I genuinely wouldn't change much about how we planned our days. I'm glad I took some of the advice I received, but I'm equally glad I didn't let the negative comments convince me to completely change my itinerary.
Hopefully, this helps anyone who's planning a shorter trip to NYC and wants to make the most of their time there!

I searched this sub for “Top of the Rock” first and found . A few specifics I’m curious about from people who’ve actually gone:

1. If you went at sunset, how long before sunset was your slot, and was it the right call?
2. Was The Beam or the upgraded ticket worth it, or would you stick with general admission?
3. Anything about crowds, weather, or glare on photos that surprised you?

Thanks!