What do I need to see in NYC? Greenwich Village? Soho? The Empire State Building?

How many times are you gonna visit NYC for the first time and ask what you should see? You post this thread at least once every 5/6 months.

You can walk over the Brooklyn Bridge from lower Manhattan by the courthouses. It can be quite busy but special nonetheless.

Taking the ferry out to Ellis Island is really cool, but being Canadian it might not mean much. The Statue of Liberty is pretty cool as well

I took a tourist boat ride around Manhattan Is. Great way to see the city from a unique perspective

Don't miss the Hippodrome.

[quote]After looking at Google Maps I see that I'll be relatively close to Greenwich Village, Soho, Union Square and Manhatten. What are some things to see there? Are these nice areas? I

The dangerous streets of Soho lol These are all very expensive neighborhoods to live in and are very safe to walk around. Just practice basic street smarts.

Prepare for the energy of Manhattan, it's packed with people. It's literally one of the densest concentrations of people on the planet. Try to be cognizant when you are walking, sidewalks are basically roads in Manhattan. When you are looking at your phone trying to navigate move off to the side.

Bring comfortable shoes, it's a city for walking. Spend time just walking around neighborhoods, the West Village is a very charming place to explore.

In terms of the Stature of Liberty, I recommend the Staten Island Ferry. It's a free ride and it will pass right by it. You don't need to for the formal tour IMO.

Yes to the Tenement Museum, do pre-book. And the Met has the Karl Lagerfeld exhibit.

[quote]Is the Bronx, Queens or Brooklyn safe to walk around in these days?

You realize these aren't neighborhoods, each one is a borough of a couple million people which could stand as its own city.

But why would you be wandering around somewhere in the Bronx when you have a few days to explore. Honestly most tourists just do Manhattan and a couple neighborhoods in Brooklyn because they walk the bridge.

Greenwich Village? Go to Julius...possibly the oldest gay bar/pub in the US. And WSP of course.

A smaller neighborhood that I love is Nolita. Sandwiched between the Soho and the East Village, above Little Italy. Though all those neighborhoods are worth individual visits really. Don't miss the Elizabeth Street Garden and the McNally Jackson bookstore there.

Thierry Mugler exhibit at the BK Museum closes on the 7th if fashion is your bag. Reserve a spot below.

OP, you will really enjoy The Tenement Museum, at least I love it.

I'd get on the subway and get off in Brooklyn Heights/Downtown, and walk down Montague Street to the waterfront, it is so gorgeous. I still love having lunch at Junior's on Flatbush Ave. It's a real trip and they have everything!

Christopher Street

Nothing to see OP. Everybody left.

Central Park is fantastic, I spent a day hiking around it when I visited New York some years back. Really beautiful... and free. Might not be your thing though, although it does have several historical monuments etc, I love being out in nature (although it isnt entirely natural as in wild etc for sure) so if that isnt your thing you may want to pass in favour of something else

Take a tug boat ride.

The High Line!

I knew a girl who took her first trip to New York and then she died.

Olive Garden, Times Square. The.Best.

[quote]Is the Bronx, Queens or Brooklyn safe to walk around in these days? Anything I must avoid?

This is where OP tips his hand and reveals that he's a troll trawling for outraged responses from New Yorkers castigated a "rube." Tourists don't go to NYC to "walk around in" the outer boroughs.

I'm going to second the suggestion made earlier that you visit Ellis Island.

Back in 2005 I spent over 5 hours there with a family of friends from the UK and, given our mutual interest in history, we found the place to be fascinating!

I had been to NYC twice previous to that visit but Ellis Island never made my trip itinerary until the occasion when those friends came over. I am thankful that they suggested that we spend the better portion of a day at Ellis Island.

The ferries to Ellis Island and also the Statue of Liberty at that point in time departed from docks near to Castle Clinton down at the lower tip of Manhattan. I assume that to be the case today.

@r18, "Olive Garden, Times Square. The.Best. "

Oh, please, you haven't lived until you've enjoyed your KFC with a Pyramid view 🙄

@r20, Ellis Island certainly has an impact on anymore descendant from immigrants who came through there. I found my great-great grandfather's records and was completely blown away by the fact that I was standing on the exact spot as he when he first stepped foot in America 😢

- r3

^ *anyone* 🙄

Washington Square Park is usually lively with young people.

Rockefeller Center has a better observation deck than the Empire State Building because it's in the middle of the midtown skyscrapers. Here Be Barr recommends the observation deck at One Vanderbilt (next to Grand Central Terminal) more for the experience than the views. The one at the Edge (Hudson Yards) might be worth a look. All are very expensive. Choose one.

You might enjoy the views of Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn Heights.

SoHo is cool for the cast iron buildings. It's busy on weekends with shoppers.

The dangerous neighbourhoods tend to be off the beaten path for tourists.

You could walk up Fifth Avenue from about 40th Street to 60th Street.

Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are worth a look.

Go to the meatpacking district with a medium and summon the ghosts of fisting past.

Sometimes certain tourist sites are popular for a reason. It's worth wandering around the Oculus, One World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial.

It’s going to be cold and rainy/overcast all week so look at the forecast before making plans.

I second the WTC. Spectacular views.

One of the New York livestreamers took a ferry that made various stops in Brooklyn and the east side of Manhattan at sunset. It was cool to see the skyline light up after dark. If the weather is warm, this would be worth doing.

^^^ Actually it looks like the weather will be too cool this week. Better in summer.

Oculus & the just reopened Natural History Museum (if you enjoy being awed by breathtaking architecture

Highlights of the Met. The art history professor is interesting to listen to.

For a quick lunch or stroll, close to your hotel is K-town: Korean shops, restaurants (especially dumpling or bbq spots) and Karaoke.

32nd St btwn Broadway & 5th Ave.

For day drinking, do you like storied old NY bars, dives (these sometimes overlap), or modern mixology?

Another reason to check out Julius, r34. Have a cheeseburger with your drink.

I second the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I wished I had done it but I thought it would be underwhelming. After watching various YouTube videos, I realised I was wrong.

Check out the Ramble in Central Park at night. an underappreciated tourist attraction 😆.

Just kidding. Despite the gay cruising, it's probably too dangerous - thieves, undercover cops.

[Quote] I love history

Downtown •Fraunces Tavern (colonial pub museum) •Museum of the Amer Indian/Alex Hamilton Customs Hse* •Seaport Museum (East River) •Wall St History Tour •Statue of Liberty Ellis cruise (Hudson River) •Charging Bull statue with the balls

Uptown •Museum of the City of NY (5th/105th St) •NY Historical Society (Central Park W near Ntl History Mus)

*5/7 American Indian Museum there is a Canadian film about Canadian Mohawks who occupied Gowanus, Brooklyn.

Downtown

•Fraunces Tavern (colonial pub museum)

•Museum of the Amer Indian/Alex Hamilton Customs Hse*

•Seaport Museum (East River)

•Wall St History Tour

•Statue of Liberty Ellis cruise (Hudson River)

•Charging Bull statue with the balls

Uptown

•Museum of the City of NY (5th/105th St)

•NY Historical Society (Central Park W near Ntl History Mus)

*5/7 American Indian Museum there is a Canadian film about Canadian Mohawks who occupied Gowanus, Brooklyn.

And if you want to step back in time, don't forget the Townhouse bar on E58. You can do some shopping there too, as I understand it.

Fun fact: It’s the east village or the west village. No one in NYC calls it Greenwich village.

sing along with the village people

Well OP? Was this thread legit, how did it go?

R5 really had the best advice -see a show! It just wouldn't be a trip to New York if you didn't catch Phantom of the Opera or, if you can't get a ticket, Cats!

You could take the Roosevelt Island tram.

Stay out of Chelsea. Too many stroller moms.

Oops. OP has probably already been to New York and is back home by now.

“ What do I need to see in NYC?”

My dick.

Gaetan Dugas? Patient Zero?

I don't know if they offer guided tours, but i love Grand Central Station. It just feels right, and the modern day upgrades are kept to a minimum. The Whispering Wall right outside The Oyster Bar is fun for tourists . . . oh wait, you ARE a tourist, you'll love it. Enjoy.

And you don' have to go anywhere, just go there for lunch.

If you ever go again in the summer on a longer trip, OP, go to Cherry Grove and The Pines on Fire Island.

The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx is worth a look in the summer.

Danny/Denny would have the best recommendations for where to stay, what to do and such. He's a walking Damron Guide. You can't miss him. He's pulling a three-wheeled Samsonite around Times Square. Used to be off-white, but as he's been there twenty-plus years, might be a little banged up.

Well, there is the "Friends" building at 90 Bedford Street. Just don't be a jerk and don't write graffiti on the outside walls.

Well, it SURE is a good thing that OP stayed at a hotel near the Empire State Building, which put him "relatively close to Manhatten (sic)".

R54, a thread about what's worth seeing or experiencing in New York interests a lot of people. Don't worry about it.

I was watching Portrait of Jennie last night, a movie from the late 1940s - they showed the actual sign out in front of the Metropolitan Museum Of Art, and it had the days/times it was open, then underneath it said “Admission is free on all days”.

What the hell happened to that? I looked it up and admission is now 30 dollars.

The High Line can be skipped, unless you enjoy walking practically single file among throngs along a crowded narrow "park."

The 'That Girl!" intro sums up everything you should see and do.

Don't forget your white gloves and your tiny flag.

Brownsville, Brooklyn is dangerous, OP, but I'm not sure why you'd be wandering around that neighbourhood in the first place.

Manhattan north of Central Park can be sketchy.

R57 The Highline has got to be one of the most overrated spots in the city, I have no idea what'sso great about 4 blocks of concrete surrounded by what look more like weeds than trees, just because they're somewhat elevated (I find mostly everything in Chelsea overrated including the Chelsea Market, the Little Island and the neighborhood itself).

I've only see the High Line in livestreams on Youtube, not in person. I think it's worth it. The only problem is the crowds in summer, as others have mentioned. I like the streetscape looking east from the High Line at the Whitney Museum end.

Try checking out the Museum of Sex. Or, go to Union Square and start walking south.

You’re in luck, OP, pizza rat is in town

On one trip I went through Spyscape and then took the cable car to Roosevelt Island. The two combined were like a little Disneyland trip in the middle of Manhattan, only with heaps less waiting.

Yes, OP, you'll be relatively close to ManhattAn, considering that you'll be staying IN Manhattan. I'd suggest you seek out any old-school stores and restaurants that remain, to get a feel for the pre-Disneyfied, pre-corporatized New York: places like Zabar's, the Strand (bookstore), McNulty's Tea & Coffee Co., Katz's Deli. Get a list of Art Deco sites (e.g. Rockefeller Center) and make that a focus of one walk. Walk around Central Park, hitting the lake, the Belvedere, Cleopatra's Needle, etc.

R56 that is suggested! The Met is built on public property; by law it must offer free admission, and anything else is voluntary.

“New York State residents and NY, NJ, CT students: The amount you pay for tickets is up to you. If you wish to pay less than the general admission ticket prices, you may purchase your ticket at one of The Met’s locations with a valid ID. No advance reservations are required.”

[quote]What do I need to see in NYC?

The ceiling of my bedroom.