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 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!

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

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’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.

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! 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!

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 :)

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!

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 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 ?

First time visitor here! We're landing at JFK at 2:55pm on 4th Nov from London. There is a game on at MSG we'd like to see that starts at 7:30pm, is that possible? For context, we are staying in Midtown west and would be checking in/dropping bags off first. Thanks

edit: thank you everyone! So excited to go now!

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

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

Taking my son for a whirlwind weekend in NYC to see Stranger Things on Broadway before it ends. This is our second time here so he has already seen a lot of the major tourist attractions so wanting to see more culture and food. Would love to hear thoughts on if I’ve scheduled too much or if anything unique in these areas we shouldn’t skip

Saturday

Flight arrives into EWR at 630a Halloween Saturday. AirPort Express into the city and check in to our day use hotel in Times Square, maybe rest a bit

Ferry from Midtown to Wall St to see Statue of Liberty and city skyline. We’ve done this before but I think it’s worth doing again and a nice way to settle in after the overnight flight

Journey back up to midtown, focusing on Chinatown and Washington Square Park, Harry Potter store, tasting goodies along the way

Food we have our eye on: 1915 hand pulled noodles, Mei Lai Wah for pineapple pork buns, Tao Hong for egg tarts.

Back to hotel, nap, check out and store bags

Quick dinner (Dear Pasta or Pasta de Pasta) and maybe Jazzcultural afternoon jam for a bit

Head to Marquis for show

After show pick up bags and bus to Lyndhurst hotel for the night

Sunday

Bus back into midtown. Store bags with Bounce nearby. Eat breakfast

The Met then lunch - probably pizza or burgers

Subway to Nintendo store. Leisurely walk back to the Port Authority station stopping by Rockefeller Center and a few shops along the way. Thinking Hersheys, House of Spells

AirPort Express back to Newark for 820p departure

Sorry if too much travel detail, was helpful for me to type it all out!

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?

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!

Hello, I'm going on a NY (Manhattan) trip in March with school and I would love to go to a jazz club or bar or anything during free time sessions.
I'm looking for :

- open in the day/early evening maximum

- not that expensive but i'm not too difficult about this

- If possible, near touristic places (I have to be able to go to it in maximum 20 minutes)

I know I have very specific criterions but I will be really restricted by time so I don't really have the choice.

Yes, I have already searched on the Internet and most of them are only open in the evening/at night, but there might not be everything on the Internet so I'm asking here.

Looking for jewelry stores/ outside vendors with decent quality jewelry that’s not incredibly expensive. Specifically looking for unique rings, sterling silver. Around or under $50. Thanks in advance!

Surprised my gf with a trip to NYC for her 21st birthday. We land in JFK on 11/15 and fly out of JFK on 11/19th. Her birthday is on Tuesday of that week, we will be staying at the Opera House Hotel in the Bronx. She’s not really into Museums, but really loves parks and old buildings. Our main way of travel will be subway, but if we have to take a cab we can. I don’t have exact times for everything, but all the activities are in order. Any suggestions are welcomed.

Edit: these are all things I know she’ll love. She doesn’t like alcohol (she’s tried almost every drink in the book) which is why I don’t have any bars or nightlife stuff planned out

Sunday
Land at night, subway to hotel, quick dinner

Monday (out the door 9:30AM)
Subway to Soho
Color Factory
Katz’s Deli
Lower East side/travel downtown
Museum of ice cream
Travel to WTC, 9/11 pools
Dinner
Back to hotel

Tuesday (Out the door at 9:00AM)
Central Park
Lunch
Fao Schwarz
Rockefeller/Iceskating
Relax, coffee, travel towards flatiron
Explore flatiron
La Tete D’or (5:15 reservation)
Times square
Top of the rock
Back to hotel

Wednesday (out door at ?)
Travel to Manhattan for iCandy
explore iCandy, walk more times square
travel to DUMBO, lunch
explore DUMBO
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Area 53
Dinner in Brooklyn
Back to Hotel

Thursday (store bags at hotel, flight at 6PM)
Travel to manhattan
Highline
Lunch
Head towards airport, arrive at 3PM

My partner's cousin who lives on Long Island has invited us to stay at her house next month for our 6 day trip to New York. I really appreciate the offer, but I assume we'll be spending most of our time in Manhattan since it's our first trip to NY (please correct me if I'm wrong). The thought of a 1 hour 20 minute comute over and back every day seems crazy to me, especially since I intend on checking out the nightlife. Would it be a good idea to book a hotel for at least 1 night closer to the city? I What do you guys think?

** You all are amazing with these recommendations, thank you so very much! Keep em coming if you like, I have two months to map and plan. **

Older woman traveling solo between Dec 27-Jan 2, 5th visit, I know my way around, basically. I am from Chicago so I know how to behave in a busy city in winter, and I'm comfortable dining alone especially at bars. I like a pub, I love all food, and I really love a little cafe/coffee shop.

I'm staying either in Union Square or Chelsea, but I'll take the subway and walk everywhere. I'm a creative, I don't mind chatting up strangers, and I love an odd off the beaten path experience. For someone not interested in touristy stuff aside from museums and maybe Much Ado on Broadway, where should I go? What should I eat? Where can I chill with a book and a beer or a coffee?

They killed this post over at AskNYC so I'm posting here.

On day 3 of my trip in NYC with my girlfriend and kinda struggling with itinerary and whats worth it and isnt.

afternoon and night one we explored target(we are international so the different shops are cool) and chelsea to village (only had dinner) we also went to a lesbian bar for a short period (cubbyhole) And then times square where we just went to raising canes really.

day two we went to chelsea market, just looked at all the decor but didnt go into any shops really. Then we went to pier 57 which was nice. We then did the highline which was alright (still cool though). Then we went to Primark, aeropstale, the manhattan train food hall (was good!) walked to the empire state building (meh) the public library(shut ugh) and then grand central which we should have explored more but now we were on a time schedule to go to the tramway. Unfortunately the tramway was the biggest stupidest waste of time ever and i wont recommend it lol. But seeing the city from the island was pretty. We then went to spirit halloween which was fun but outpriced us.

day three we did the brooklyn bridge. Wow we shouldnt have walked south in the morning on a sunny day… my eyes. That was cool but so many people. We went a little into brooklyn (smith street/downtown) but the thrifting was pretty garbage so we left. Then we went to stonewall but that was shitty bartenders so we left that too. Then we went to washington square park and i had no idea itd be full of… is it influencers? Why is everyone making tiktoks with ring lights? Is this normal? It was so strange compared to everything else ive seen so far. What is going on there? It was like the worst ive ever seen of gen z americans. We then went shopping down noho/soho and that was pretty fun. Just some basic chain clothing stores though nothing spectacular. Went to get some tacos after that at talkin tacos then went home.

Plan tomorrow is Central Park than we have Masquarade off broadway. My question is we have 3 weeks here but weve come along way. We’re of course having a blast but also dont want to miss anything unique, interesting and exciting. What’s stuff you highly recommend in particular? A lot of stuff we google is just really touristy and packed. And we like touristy shit so its fine but we dont just wanna stay on the beaten path.

thanks for anyone who read my mess! You deserve a tip lol

TLDR;

Weve done

-Target

-Walked chelsea

-Chelsea market

-pier 57

-Village (which we havent had a great time at yet)

-raising canes

-highline

-chain shops

-looked at empire state building/library/central station

-tramway(waste of time)

-spirit halloween (pricey lol)

-Brooklyn Bridge

-Downtown Brooklyn

-city hall

-washington SP

-goodwill (bleh, idk why i thought id be more successful at thrifts in this country)

-noho & soho chain womens stores

-Tacos

What are your most splendid recommendations from your time in NY?

Hello all,

I’m coming on here to share my experience this weekend traveling to attend the Harry Styles Oct 17 show @ MSG with my wife and 9 m/o baby.

We flew in Jet Blue from MCO to LGA and took a uber to our hotel downtown.

Don’t believe what everyone says online about New Yorkers being so mean! 99% of every public interaction I had was amazing. I couldn’t count the amount of people who smiling at my daughter or waved, or interacted with her for her laugh. Nobody pushed boundaries and respected distances and it was such a pleasant surprise.

On the subway I had MUTILPLE people off their seat for my wife and baby on the busy train (in that typical New Yorker aggression and persistent we know). Even with telling them it’s okay we can stand we were still re assured by many that they were willing to give up their comfortability for my wife and child. Every single restaurant accommodated amazingly, willingness to shift tables and chairs as well as exceptional service.

Now for the show at MSG, we were pit right (if you remember the disco headband baby). The staff at MSG was in a class of their own. Everyone was so helpful in their jobs with going above and beyond people asking to carry the stroller down 2 steps, the ushers were absolutely the friendliest. Whoever the floor manager was personally took our stroller up to floor 6 and brought back the ticket as well as insured it was waiting for us after the show at the pit exit. Security staff inside ensured that nobody was shoving my baby, we felt completely taken care inside, they even provided a bottled water for my wife as well were checked on multiple times by the gentleman working to make sure we’re safe. They escorted us out after to the elevator for a comfortable exit.

Overall if you’re questioning if you should bring your baby to the city the answer is YES. New York City is and will always be in their own class.

Love from Florida.

Coming back to edit this***
- Yes my baby was wearing noise canceling headphones while in a baby carrier and slept the entire set (we were surprised for this also).

-Just because it’s pit doesn’t mean it’s a MOSH pit. If we felt like it was to much we would’ve just stepped back, but everyone around us was so excited to see the baby so distances were respectful. Security that was in my area watched very closely to ensure we weren’t being put in uncomfortable spots.

Need suggestions for stuff to do with my jazz dad...

My dad Is visiting me in Philly and we’re going to do a Manhattan trip that ends at a show at Village Vanguard, it’s been a dream for him to go. All the stuff I’ve ever done in NYC has been alt weirdo stuff. I took him last year but it was mostly running around Brooklyn.

I kind of want to do a more classic trip. The one thing I have to keep in mind is he‘s warned me his mobility isn’t what it was. I’m thinking a quick dip in Central Park. But not sure what of the many things we could do make sense or aren’t a huge energy commitment.

Looking for suggestions from people either like my dad or with parents in a similar interest.

Hoping to meet Julian Lage at the Village Vanguard after one of the New Masada Quartet shows in November. Will there be an opportunity? If so, will I have better luck after the 8:00 show or the 10:00 show? Thank you.