First time in NYC

City Climb

When are you coming?

Dress up in red, white, and blue and carry a small American flag with you everywhere you go.

See if you can catch a mannequin in a store window who looks just like you in a fabulous gown--she may wink back at you!

Twirl a trimmed sun parasol in the Lincoln Center Plaza.

Go fly a kite sporting a caricature of yourself in Central Park.

OP, anyone coming her and using the terms "plethora" and "cuts the mustard" in her first sentence asking for "advice" deserves what's waiting for them in the Harlem River.

If you’re into museums go to the Guggenheim and the Whitney. Can combine the Guggenheim with the Met.

Try to go to MOMA on an off time. It’s miserable when crowded.

If you have any interest in venturing to Brooklyn - Domino Park in Williamsburg has great views of Manhattan and you can walk from the L train.

In terms of Central Park, enter at 72nd street (either east or west side) and walk straight across - you’ll hit the Bethesda Fountain and lake etc.

High line can be combined with the Whitney. If you going during the week, will be less crowded obviously. It’s very touristy, but not a trap.

Avoid the area around Penn station. Stay below 96th street. Times Square is crowded and shitty - only necessary for seeing theater.

Go to the west village during week days to avoid the crowds. Walk down Perry Street, Barrow Street, Bank Street. Wander around.

Area around NYU is boring and filled with students. Union Square has a great farmers market but otherwise not much.

Tenement Museum in the lower east side is good. You can combine that with Chinatown if you have any interest in Chinese food.

If you have the time, metro north from Grand Central up to Beacon to visit Día: Beacon and walk around Beacon, NY, is worth doing on a Saturday.

Bryant Park is nice if you’re in that area.

I find Rockefeller Center crowded and very annoying, but if you care about SNL or TV or radio city, I guess it could be interesting? Otherwise skip.

Where are you staying (neighborhood)? Can be more specific if you give more details. If you have any interest in vegan food (just putting that out there lol) can also give recommendations.

New York Historical Society is a cute little museum with a nice gift shop. Can go there, then walk over to Zabars on Broadway and check out the food.

In terms of subway, avoid the JMZ line. Q train is great. Be mindful with A/D trains because they run express from 59th street up to 125th. Crosstown buses at 79th street and 86th street are very fast, otherwise avoid the buses.

Enjoy! You’ll have fun!

I think OP is hardly tinsel on a dream, r3.

I like The Museum of the City of New York at - I think - 105th St and Fifth Avenue.

What do you like, OP? If you’re interested in the fine arts, there have been a few good suggestions so far.

If you’re interested in natural history, the American museum of natural history has lots of famous holdings.

Sadly, many of the legendary movie theaters of Manhattan have closed over the past few years. It was always fun to go to a movie at the Ziegfeld or the Paris.

If you’re not exactly sure what you want to see or where you want to visit, take one of those potted tours on a bus. Then if something strikes your fancy, make a note of it on your phone. You can then go back and visit it at length later.

To experience the skyline you need to actually get out of Manhattan. You might want to walk across the Brooklyn bridge and hang out in the park on the other side — you get a good view of lower Manhattan from Fulton ferry park, as well as the bridge itself.

The Wall Street area is interesting — in addition to being one of the worlds financial centers, it also used to be the entire city! They called it Wall Street because a wall was built there to protect the town from the Indians in the woods to the north.

Soeaking of woods, definitely check out Central Park. Safe in the day. Plan a little excursion to the Central Park zoo. Go into the park at 64th and fifth and you’re right there. After the zoo walk northwest a bit and you’ll get to the sheep meadow, although that’s closed during the winter unfortunately.

You might want to do stuff like the UN and Statue of Liberty as well. It’s already been suggested you go up some of the buildings.

Be sure to wear a marcel wave in your hair!

Be sure not to miss surprise anal.

Dress warm, bring lots of layers and a beanie. Even if you're going in April. You must see the Moma, and eat at Sylvia's in Harlem. Times Square is so overrated but your going to see a Broadway show so you'll walk through and experience it. Try one of the diners in the Village, and go shopping in Tribeca. Just walking around the lower east side will be fun and an adventure.

R5 has some great suggestions. I also enjoyed the Neue Galerie last time I was in NYC.

If you like being on the water, I recommend one of the Hudson River/NY Harbor cruises. The boats get right up to the Statue of Liberty (which is 10000x better than spending a day going to see the SoL), Brooklyn Bridge, etc. Sunset is the best time to go, and if you time it right, go if there will be a full moon. I also recommend the Tenement Museum, American Indian museum, and the other major museums mentioned.

I had family visit from Northern Europe last summer during our hottest NYC heatwave in decades. Between the jet lag and the heat, they never really acclimated and didn't have the right clothes (mostly jeans and heavy leather shoes and sneakers). If you will be here in summer pack as if you were going to Dubai in July. And if it's that hot, do not go to a Yankee day game, make sure you go in the evening. Take an Uber or cab to Yankee Stadium. It will cost you about $35 but will save you from sweating your ass off getting to the stadium by subway.

Also - if it's your first time, then sometimes the super touristy stuff IS fun!

I love that r5 said to "stay below 96th Street." Hilarious. Don't ever change, r5.

I love the Cloisters, the advice about layering clothing is important and don't try to cram too much into each day. Wandering around is part of the whole thing, don't miss it.

New Yorkers hate it when tourists start sentences with “So”, OP.

Haha noted R17. We are going in late May (around Memorial Day weekend) so will plan for all kinds of weather I guess.

R3 Thats one of the most random and brilliant answers ever. 👏

*

Are you traveling from the 1950s, OP? I mean “what cuts the mustard”?? Surely that archaic expression isn’t being used in London?

If the Neue Gallerie r12 suggests is of interest, you should get tickets to see Leopoldstadt.

Thanks R22 saw it in London. Great play.

If I were in nyc, from Europe, I’m not sure I’d go to the cloisters. It’s like coming from Newcastle and going to see a lump of coal in Central Park. :-)

r21...

Ha R21 it's actually my fav cafe in London

Diamonds. Daisies. Snowflakes.

That OP!

One other thing is, don’t try to see everything. You can’t. Go see some things that interest you, and enjoy the uniqueness of being in a different country. That’s most of the enjoyment of travel anyway.

People beat themselves up trying to do All The Things One Does, and get home exhausted.

Oh and I forgot to mention — New Yorkers like the British. You’re likely to be well received here. Have fun!

The Staten Island Ferry is free and gives you a great view of Manhattan from the water.

You should hit a deli. I'd recommend 2nd Ave Deli (which is no longer on 2nd Ave but that's its own story).

Do a self-guided walking tour of Greenwich Village (there are guides online). Stop and have a drink at Julius; don't bother with the Stonewall Inn.

The Brooklyn Botanical Hardens and NY Botanical Gardens are both really nice

As a non-New Yorker, I always thought the Russian Tea Room was supposed to be one of the big attractions. Is it still open?

Russian Tea Room is Turmp-fancy and overpriced. Go to Katz's Deli for the pastrami after the Tenement museum.

The Met is great, as are the other art museums, but frankly if you live in London you already have access to better art museums, Tenement museum and the Museum of the City of NY are more unique.

Guggenheim is a better building than the art on display most of the time. The Whitney is an interesting building with decent rotation of their permanent collection of American Art -- both are small enough to do in two hours.

Top of the Rock has better views than the Empire State bldg. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Dive bars - Rudy's 627 9th Ave in Hells Kitchen (free hot dogs) & The Library Bar 7 Avenue A in the East Village (80's punk holdout)

Pizza - Joe's Pizza 7 Carmine Street

Fancy Bar - King Cole bar in the St Regis -- Two E 55th St

Guys, he really wants to know where he can drop in for a quick BJ through the afternoon each day.

OP:

Like London, NYC is a series of neighborhoods, each with its own vibe and features. The best way to tackle the city is to tackle each neighborhood. Do your research to find out what's happening where, and be prepared to walk everywhere, once you use the subway to arrive in a neighborhood. Lots to discover while you walk. Thankfully, NYC is easier to navigate than London, and our subways aren't a problem if you have conquered London's Tubes. And if you recognize tourist traps in London, you'll easily figure out the ones in NYC.

Theatre is expensive, so use the TKTS booth, just like in London. Don't be afraid to check out some of the boroughs as well. Brooklyn Heights and Williamsburg are two of my favorite sites. See something at Lincoln Center, or Carnegie Hall, or City Center. Brooklyn Museum is a treat, as is the Bronx Botanical Garden. Take the Staten Island Ferry (free). My list could go on and on.

Be on the lookout for a man pulling a Samsonite suitcase with one bum wheel. Goes by the name of Danny. Or Denny. If he asks to crash in your hotel room, tell him no.

[quote]Brooklyn Heights

Be sure to say hello to Patti Lane. If she's with her cousin, you can tell them apart because Cathy speaks with a British accent.

Shtart shpreading the newzh...

Groundbreaking and hilarious, R38!

The media are not giving enough coverage to this threat that is paralyzing gay New York nightlife.

I love Liza's pop-up cameo comments in the most unlikely threads.

Since gay bars are deemed small businesses, let's see if George Santos(R) NYC makes theIr fears a priority before his colleagues on the House Committee on Small Business.

Remember that your machete needs to go in your checked baggage.

Why do people never give any relevant details?

What neighborhood are you staying and how long are you staying for? What is the time frame here? Is this happening soon during winter or is this a later spring trip?

Overall coming over from London won't be a difficult adjustment, no reason to be nervous. You are familiar with navigating big cities and metro systems.

There's a thin line between concern and stalking, Denny (R44).

[quote] What neighborhood are you staying and how long are you staying for? What is the time frame here? Is this happening soon during winter or is this a later spring trip?

In a city as large and populated at NYC, I don't consider these questions stalker-ish.

You've not yet meet our Denny have you, R47?

Heh heh, go ahead and provide your whereabouts; do you have roller luggage accessibility?

Are there popular restaurants OP should check out besides Sylvia's?

I'm honestly laughing at the thought r47, what on earth are you talk about r46.

Yes, if OP tells us he is staying in the East Village we practically have his social security number!

You’ll have a ball. It’s a great walking city. Don’t over plan. Walk up and down Manhattan and you’ll stumble on so many treasures.

Last time i was there i went to the Noguchi museum in Astoria by the river, was very impressed. Also visited the Met Breuer which is an incredible building but I believe it’s now the Frick collection. Both nice easy places to see. Food wise I ate casually, had great Chinese food, great sushi and obv great pizza. Stayed in Williamsburg and didn’t feel the need to go into Manhattan all that much. Did make the trip to the Dia;Beacon and it was kinda meh? Nice train journey tho.

Be sure to check out the Hudson University campus. It is lovely!

If you do go to a Yankee Game DON’T take a cab / Uber OP - assuming you are traveling from mid-town the traffic will be brutal - it will take an hour (or more) to get there - express trains stop right at the Stadium, and you know how to navigate the Underground.

If you’re on the west side take the A Train to 145th - (3 stops from Times Square) at 145 you walk down to the lower platform and take the D two more stops to the Stadium. On the East Side the 4 Train goes directly there. You will save time and money.

Even if the subways were remotely as dangerous as The Post / Fox News makes then out to be, on game days the trains are packed with people in Yankee Jerseys heading up to the Bronx - you’ll be fine.

The most unique thing about NY is its people. Go to art openings, concerts, lectures, especially things you wouldn't ordinarily try out back home. Make small talk with strangers. Nuyorican Poets Cafe, small club comedy shows, etc. Take at least one day to walk as much of the length of Manhattan as you can, from the Battery north. During the day, go to the north part of Central Park (yes, above 96th St.) It wasn't bulldozed /dynamited, and you get a better sense of the natural landscape there. Rent a bike to go through the park if you're short on time. It's worth it.

You must take the "A" train to go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem. If you miss the "A" train, you'll find you missed the quickest way to Harlem. Hurry, get on, now it's coming. Listen to those rails a-thrumming. All aboard, get on the "A" train! Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem.

You could spend years in NYC and not see enough. Don't put too much pressure to "see a lot" on yourself. Soak it up. Wander around. Sit and watch people. Drink. Stay out late. Eat something amazing.

Heavy boots. The tourists are looking up at the skyscrapers. The locals down trying not to step in shit or vomit or on a passed out bum.

Go past John Lennon’s residence, Yoko still lives there. 1 West 72nd street, across from Central Park. The Dakota.

And then go to see the tribute to John Lennon in Central Park.

And maybe visit the Central Park Zoo or The Russian Tea room for lunch :)

How much does it cost to see Yoko herself? And can I buy tickets in the TKTS booth?

You’re waking on thin ice with that comment, Wisenhemer R60.

Sylvia's Restaurant is not worth the trip unless you are otherwise going to be in Harlem, e.g. visiting the Cathedral of St John the Divine, and Marcus Samuelsson's "Red Rooster" is far-superor to Sylvia's.

Cafeteria (in Chelsea) is a good eatery in which to see and be seen.

Our Hell's Kitchen neighborhood offers so many food and drink establishments; just stroll down Ninth Avenue from 60th Street and explore all the side streets you pass. 47th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues is our "Restaurant Row." Catch your PL matches at Hibernia Pub on 50th Street. Brunch at Vice Versa on 51st Street.

Take a ride on the Staten Island ferry where you can get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty in passing before she heads back to France.

Use caution in "making new friends" at the bars (for now) and you will be fine.

It's touristy, but if you're in Midtown and want that mid-century What's My Line vibe, have a drink at Sardi's.

Sardi’s bar isn’t Touristy-touristy so much as Theater Queen Touristy. Middle aged couples from Birmingham up for a few shows. It can be quite charming in that regard, they’re all chatty as hell. It is a wonderful piece of old school NYC. The room is great but the food only so-so. Get a drink at Sardi’s but then walk up a few blocks and eat at Joe Allen’s.

Are you going to get it on?

Are you the guy who went to hamburger university?

R58 has never left Pittsburgh

R58 came to New York but didn’t come while here

Keep to the right when walking; pass your fellow pedestrian on the left. This alone will endear you to us locals.

Best pizza: Sacco's (Hells Kitchen at Ninth Avenue and 55th Street, around the corner from the Alvin Ailey School of Dance).

The main branch of the public library (Fifth Avenue @ 42nd Street) is noteworthy for its beautiful rooms and for Patience and Fortitude, its stone guardians.

For real old ny vibe go to the Carlisle. Woody Allen plays with his band there I think it’s Monday nights but you can find out online. And if he is there because it’s not all the time.

You might also want to see go see Times Square, I mean just to see it’s no big deal other than an intersection. Same with the Village, say Washington Square.

For nighttime dining try Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Very pricey, but your visiting from London. OP, what do you do for a living.

The best boat tour is the AIA (American Institute of Architects) circumnavigation of Manhattan. You literally see the city from all sides, and the commentary is excellent. I learned so much. It’s about three hours and there are drinks and nibbles. It’s a splurge for about $100 a ticket, but the experience is worth it. It’s adult oriented and isn’t overcrowded. You can move around the boat easily for photography.

Check out the Big Onion Walking Tours as well. There are loads of topics and destinations. I’ve been on many and always enjoyed unless they weather is awful.. If you’re from London, they’re like the London Walks tours where you just meet up at a location and go.

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge and High Line are best to me early in the morning. Another vote for the Cloisters. People watching in Bryant Park is also good.

Leave yourself enough free time each day to randomly explore or just park somewhere and chill. It’s one of those places where you’d still not see all the sights even if you lived there for years. Don’t try to do it all.

Avoid the Hudson University campus...

We're not allowed to say anything more at this time.

Op, are you Muslim? I want to know whether I should fly that day.

[quote]Be sure to say hello to Patti Lane. If she's with her cousin, you can tell them apart because Cathy speaks with a British accent.

You can also tell them apart by dangling a hot dog...

A hot dog makes Patti lose control

Beware of the C.H.U.D.s

Avoid Blank Street coffee - they are all over NY and started by some hedge fund assholes even though it looks like some NY independent chain.

Shitty coffee.

[quote]but your visiting from London.

Oh, dear!

Spend the whole time in Staten Island. Take the ferry and keep put.

THAT'S where reality lives.

R79, wow. Just wow. No words. Not only is that false, Staten Island might be the most bland burough in NYC. Your either a troll or a Maga. NYC has 5 freakin boroughs and Staten Island would be the only you select to visit for a week's vacation.

Another mama who should have swallowed.

r80's sarcasmometer is busted.

R79 was joking, I think.

R80 he’s kidding

R81, oh my bad I feel so dumb.

Staten Island does tend to elicit that horrified of a response though - so don’t apologize.

Fuhgeddaboutit, r84.

Mistakes: we all make ‘em.

Did you say you're getting fucked by your brother, OP?

Maybe I misunderstood. I do that a plethora of times.

One of my very favorite museums is presently closed I think. The Frick Collection is a wonderful house museum.

For something interesting, visit the Tenement Museum.

Oh! I also recommend Bill’s Place if you like jazz. It’s a Harlem jazz speakeasy. And you can bring your own alcohol.

Here’s a good little video on Bill’s Place and Bill Saxton.

r88, the Frick moved a good deal of its collection to the old Whitney building as they remodel.

I third Bryant Park. Get a coffee from Bluebottle across the street, find a nice place to sit, and volubly lament the loss of the Crystal Palace in 1858 to anyone who will listen.

Tenement Museum. Then go to a newly and rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in Brooklyn or Queens for an expensive hipster dinner. Not an already gentrified one. But somewhere that remains a bit sketchy. And try to find the most preposterous and overpriced hyped out eatery or bar in that neighborhood. This will add up to a New York experience and will connect you to New York history.

R93 Is HAGS still open?

R94, not that you asked me, but HAGS is indeed still open.

HAGS is safe. The OP should go someplace located a bit sketchy.

Find fentanyl free coke and be a desperate, bottom coke whore for a day or two.

Rough trade abounds in the Big Apple.

Have fun!

R62 46th Street (not 47th) between Eighth and Ninth Avenues is our "Restaurant Row."

If you must eat in the theater district, I would recommend the Glass House Tavern on W 47th Street or Becco on West 46th Street. Reservations are a must at most restaurants. And don't be afraid to try any of the Diners in the theater district, like the Galax or, Westway, where lots of theater people eat.

Someone mentioned Vice-Versa for Brunch, and I agree,

Go to Junior's in Shubert Alley for a nice piece of cheesecake and a cup of coffee.

The Cathedral of St John the Divine is a good place to see an event but a modern Gothic cathedral of no particular distinction except to Americans who are short on them. England has 42 cathedrals; Europe has 600+.

The Cloisters as mentioned upthread is another example of Coal to Newcastle unless you have a specific interest in Medieval art and architecture and the late 19th/early 20thC American taste for collecting it. The Morgan Library, the Frick Collection are better places to get a sense of the great American collectors and collections of the period (and the Hispanic Society, but the big treasures from that collection are currently in view in London.)

The Met is fantastic but vast; allow a full day to take in a small survey of select parts. Take some time to plot out at least a core route to take in some major interests.

The AIA, American Institute of Architecture offers tours and info; also the Municipal Art Society. There are also tours of Midtown landmarks and Art Deco architecture, and of the art and architecture of Rockefeller Center, either of which is an emblematic aspect of NYC's appearance. Rockefeller Center is crowded but I'd argue it's a particularly American and NYC place with some superb architecture and sculpture. A trip to the Top of the Rock is touristy as any alternative, but the views are fantastic and intimate day or night and worth a bit of queuing to arrive; it's a memorable perspective.

The Upper East Side, the lower end of Central Park and the streets along the park; a long approach to the Flatiron Building and then down to Union Square and on to Greenwich Village to wander about and get lost; the Wall Street area (the Woolworth Building is quite interesting and there are short tours now I think where you can view the amazing lobby.)

It's best to plan a few things you definitely want to do and have a long and flexible list of other things in mind, then wander around everywhere on foot (cabs or subway back to your hotel if you're exhausted), and stumble upon your own places to eat or to have a drink.

There are lots of great suggestions on this thread.

As an alternative to Sylvia’s if you want soul food that is less fusion than Red Rooster go to Melba’s. And if you go to Harlem consider a walking tour and/or a show at the Apollo.

If you get homesick for Brick Lane curry head out to Jackson Heights in Queens.

If you go to one of the northern Fifth Avenue museum like the City of New York or El Barrio and it is a nice May day go wander around the conservatory gardens afterward.

The Statue of Liberty isn’t much, but I find the museum on Ellis Island fascinating if you are interested in American history.

Unfortunately you’ll be in the City a month too early to see American Ballet Theater at Lincoln Center.

I always visit the World Trade Center when I go to NY to pay my respects. Even though many years have went by, it still seems so current and the pain doesn’t really ever go away.

The WTC Oculus is also a very cool building to see r102.

If you do go to Fidi good eats are Los Tacos No 1 and Pisillo which might be my favorite sandwich place in all of NY. And if you are in the neighborhood might as well ride the free Staten Island Ferry.

Does NYC still have button and notion stores? If so, that's amazing. The heritage ones with ancient stock of ribbons and buttons that are no longer manufactured. Loved them decades ago.

There are still button stores in the garment district.

Skip Little Island - looks cool from a distance, but once you actually walk over and go onto it - there's nothing there. Just people posing for photos. This could have changed, I went last summer, but very underwhelming.

Governor's Island is nice if you're visiting in the summer. I think they've set up some winter activities there too actually.

To avoid:

Times Square - not worthwhile as a destination; if you happen to pass by it, fine, but it's a big intersection that decades ago lost its few charms.

The High Line -- a nice urban design feature for making something of disused rail lines, but not worthwhile as a destination unless you are an urban planner.

Empire State Building - Top of the Rock is more interesting and better value as a tourist site; otherwise find a rooftop bar with a view (there are many)

For someone's first time ever in New York, yes they should go by Times Square at some point.

Tourist stuff is fine when you are indeed a Tourist.

Gotta stop in Times Sq and climb the red stairs.

Times Square is just America's great unwashed and uneducated turned loose in a mall parking lot, angling to make a goofy face for some TV camera, en route to the M&M's World store.

Yeah, Times Square wouldn't be on my list.

OP, I highly recommend Sleep No More with dinner at the rooftop restaurant first.

Enjoy your stay here!

Also, R5 is right about the vegan places; they are amazing here.

NY isn't what it once was. I wouldn't bother coming.

Mind you friggin' business R133

^^Seer.