I’m losing my mind over my trip to NYC.

[Deleted member 8752]

I also need to find a hotel. Not hostels or shared rooms.

I found one yesterday for $450(4 nights) but the location wasn't good. I would prefer a hotel near the bridges or a subway station. How is the commute on the subway? Never been in one before....

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Subway is generally easy as pie anywhere in Manhattan. Don't even worry about it.

In other burrows, it becomes more limited and difficult to get to places.

Since you clearly want to see as much as possible, I recommend you stick to midtown for accommodations.

 

[xxracerxx]

I also need to find a hotel. Not hostels or shared rooms.

I found one yesterday for $450(4 nights) but the location wasn't good. I would prefer a hotel near the bridges or a subway station. How is the commute on the subway? Never been in one before....

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Why by the bridges? Where are you looking?

 

[Waffle-Stomper]

I've only been a few times but I usually just plan out my food/restaurants and base my plans around that... tho the times I've gone are for concerts in brooklyn and plays/musical on broadway.

 

[Slipknot666]

This is madness. Are you staying in Brooklyn? Is that why you're starting and finishing your stay with sights there? Why so many parks there?

Random advice. Too many parks. While planning this, look at a map of NYC and try to schedule your visits around destinations clustered in the same area, but NYC is dense and fascinating, give yourself space/time to experience new things accidentally also.

FRIDAY Drop Hoboken. Maybe worthwhile for a much longer trip, but for a 3-day trip, unless there's a special, personal reason to head there, that's too much. Everything you want to do on Friday seems focused on downtown-ish Manhattan. So, you can combine Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, Greenwich Village, the High Line (add this as a park, drop some of the other parks on your itinerary) on this day too. Think of Union Square (around 14th st) and Battery Park/Statue of Liberty as two end-points on your schedule for that day, and plan to do a lot of walking. Look at a map, and walk through the neighborhoods, plan a route or circuit. Almost accidentally, you're going to find yourself meandering through a variety of neighborhoods already on your list.

Side note: Manhattan's Little Italy is really small and not what it used to be. The closest thing to a real Little Italy in NYC is Arthur Avenue in the Bronx which makes a nice pairing with the nearby NY Botanical Garden also in the Bronx, but that's too far for your already packed 3-day schedule.

THURSDAY Drop Flushing Meadows Corona Park. That's really far out. Again, if you had more time, the NH which has a huge Taiwanese/Chinese presence would be interesting to check out. But the park alone is not worth a visit. Again, unless you have a compelling person reason to see the globe or the small museum there or something, cross out that park.

If you want to go to Queens, and check out probably the most concentrated place of diversity in the United States, I recommend heading to one or two of the many cool museums in western Queens.
The Museum of the Moving Image
The Noguchi Museum
PS1

But on a day where you want to do Times Square, U.N., Empire State, Central Park all that stuff, a trip out to Queens might be too much, and you might have to save it for another trip. Or you could replace one of your Brooklyn days for a mini-excursion to Queens.

The world's greatest museums are in NYC. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MOMA (the main one - not the subsidiary PS1), Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim, the Morgan Library & Museum, there are lots. Try one. For grandness of scale, you can't top the Metropolitan. But it gets super crowded, and if you're feeling overwhelmed/stressed, a smaller museum can feel just as exquisite but more special with more "insider" bragging rights.

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Thanks for the advice. I will look NYC on google earth tonight for a better itinerary. My main reason to go to Corona park was to see the sphere.

This is my first time in a megacity so I don't know what to expect lmao.

 

[I Don't Like]

When are you going to bars and doing happy hour and brunch and eating and getting hammered? You know, the fun stuff?

 

[Slipknot666]

Why by the bridges? Where are you looking?

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I guess because it seems easy to hop between Manhattan and Brooklyn that way.

 

[Teiresias]

Thursday: Flushing meadows corona park, Central Park, Time square, Madison Square garden, Radio city hall, Empire State, Grand Central terminal, United Nations

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So for Time Square, Madison Square Garden, and Radio City, do you mean just like walking by them? Because I can't think of what else you'd do at those (besides eat somewhere in Times Square) if you don't have a show to go to at Radio City.

I know it's not really light and "fun" but I can't imagine not going to the 9/11 Memorial museum despite that.

 

[Deleted member 17402]

I find it so funny how often tourists sight-see more than the people who have lived in a city their entire lives. People staying here for a week have probably seen more landmarks than me, and I've been here for 30 years.

With that said, I really don't recommend packing a schedule with so much sightseeing like that. Maybe that's due to my own personal preference, but speaking as a New Yorker, I think the best experience here is aimlessly walking around without a goal in mind. Freely stumbling onto something interesting is way more satisfying because you don't feel pressed for time to see the item you planned on your itinerary.

 

[krazen]

Subway is generally easy as pie anywhere in Manhattan. Don't even worry about it.

In other burrows, it becomes more limited and difficult to get to places.

Since you clearly want to see as much as possible, I recommend you stick to midtown for accommodations.

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Yes and no.

Imho, if I had to tell a tourist to come to NY and they planned on seeing alot of BK, I would recommend they stay in downtown BK. Atlantic Terminal has a zillion express trains to 42nd street and is as close to downtown Manhattan as Midtown.

 

[Slipknot666]

When are you going to bars and doing happy hour and brunch and eating and getting hammered? You know, the fun stuff?

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meh. I can do that in my town.

 

[xxracerxx]

I guess because it seems easy to hop between Manhattan and Brooklyn that way.

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Eh, not really. And especially not if you think you will just walk over when you want and be somewhere that interests you. Just stay near a subway stop.

 

[papermoon]

Thanks for the advice. I will look NYC on google earth tonight for a better itinerary. My main reason to go to Corona park was to see the sphere.

This is my first time in a megacity so I don't know what to expect lmao.

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The sphere isn't worth it. If you're staying in Brooklyn or Manhattan, it could eat up hours traveling back and forth just for that one sight.

 

[shnurgleton]

How is the commute on the subway? Never been in one before....

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If you want to make your schedule even partially work, you need to use the subway. You should use the subway anyway as it's the most true New York experience. It's the best public transit system in the United States, for whatever that's worth. Don't be afraid to ask people for help navigating the system, New Yorkers are generally happy to help on this front because it makes them feel like real New Yorkers

meh. I can do that in my town.

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If you're not eating and drinking in New York then why even go? There is insane variety and ridiculous high quality and I guarantee you can't experience even a hundredth piece of that in gulf coast Florida

 

[Deleted member 8752]

Thanks for the advice. I will look NYC on google earth tonight for a better itinerary. My main reason to go to Corona park was to see the sphere.

This is my first time in a megacity so I don't know what to expect lmao.

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Expect the unexpected haha. Let yourself get swept up in it a bit.

As all of us are saying, plan a little less and give yourself some more time to explore.

Oh, and whatever you do, please make sure you see Greenwich Village. It's probably the most important neighborhood to walk around in and see from a modern day cultural perspective. Don't walk around in midtown too long as it's mostly office buildings.

I only recommended you stay there since it's a transportation hub that lets you access all other boroughs and neighborhoods pretty easily and should be fairly reasonable price wise if I had to guess.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Subway is generally easy as pie anywhere in Manhattan. Don't even worry about it.

In other burrows, it becomes more limited and difficult to get to places.

Since you clearly want to see as much as possible, I recommend you stick to midtown for accommodations.

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He's still pretty Brooklyn-focused though. If he stays in downtown Brooklyn he can hit all those BK spots easy and still be 20 minutes from midtown manhattan.

 

[Woolley]

You can easily stop by some museums while visiting Central Park.

 

[Lumination]

I mean, the real answer is to extend your trip lol. You haven't even booked the hotel yet. Or come back in a year. There's more than enough to do to warrant two trips. Come in the fall.

 

[shnurgleton]

You can easily stop by some museums while visiting Central Park.

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I'd say just hang around central Park the whole time and spend a day or two at the museums that directly touch it. Museum of Natural History, the Met, and the Guggenheim. The rest of the time, eat food, mostly downtown (or in Flushing if youre into Chinese and Korean food). If I go back I hear the tenement museum is great and I really wanna go. Not too far from Katz' deli too

 

[Deleted member 8752]

The sphere isn't worth it. If you're staying in Brooklyn or Manhattan, it could eat up hours traveling back and forth just for that one sight.

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Agreed. Don't go there. It's dumb.

 

[Teiresias]

I also need to find a hotel. Not hostels or shared rooms.

I found one yesterday for $450(4 nights) but the location wasn't good. I would prefer a hotel near the bridges or a subway station. How is the commute on the subway? Never been in one before....

Click to shrink...

I used to go to Manhatten two times a year or so, but haven't been in a few years at this point, but I stayed at the Arthouse Hotel at 2178 Broadway a number of those times. It's changed names since the last time I was there, but the reviews still seem ok and the hotel itself was nice at the time.

 

[Martinski]

You will burn yourself out by day 2 afternoon with that itinerary. I speak from experience. Having planned too much on some days when traveling. Its better to stay a while longer if possible and do things in a relaxing way.

 

[Deleted member 8752]

He's still pretty Brooklyn-focused though. If he stays in downtown Brooklyn he can hit all those BK spots easy and still be 20 minutes from midtown manhattan.

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True true. Good point.

 

[DashReindeer]

This does not sound like a very fun way to experience New York in my opinion. All you're doing is looking at parks and buildings. I feel like those exist in every major city. The things that make New York special are the music, art, food, theater and fashion scenes in my opinion. If you really want to have an interesting time in NYC, I recommend signing up for something like Nonsense NYC. You'll get some inside tips on some of the more off-beat events happening while you're in town. I'd also look more at planning things to do rather than places to see, but maybe that's just me.

Go see a concert, watch some stand-up, catch an off Broadway play, eat some bomb food, go to an underground art party in Brooklyn. Don't just like walk across a bridge and stare at buildings.

 

[Deleted member 2145]

meh. I can do that in my town.

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lol, first time in New York I take it

 

[papermoon]

If you're walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, on the Manhattan side: Wall St/Financial District/Battery Park City/the ferry to the Statue of Liberty is right in that vicinity. So, another option could be to organize your Wall St/Statue of Liberty stuff with your Brooklyn Bridge/Promenade stuff on the same day.

 

[wenis]

Good luck buddy.

I just winged my trip to New York. Had a very enjoyable time.

 

[Deleted member 8752]

If you want to make your schedule even partially work, you need to use the subway. You should use the subway anyway as it's the most true New York experience. It's the best public transit system in the United States, for whatever that's worth. Don't be afraid to ask people for help navigating the system, New Yorkers are generally happy to help on this front because it makes them feel like real New Yorkers


If you're not eating and drinking in New York then why even go? There is insane variety and ridiculous high quality

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Quoted for truth. OP, New York is an incredible place when the sun goes down and has a nightlife and food scene unmatched by anything.

 

[Cow Mengde]

OP, you left out drinking with NYC ERA and gaming with the local e-sports celebrity.

 

[sangreal]

And Hoboken...no. I have nothing against Jersey but I just don't see why it'd be worth the obnoxious hassle getting there for a tourist.

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I also don't think a tourist needs to go to Hoboken but it's just a trip on the path from the WTC when OP is already visiting wall street so it isn't that much of a hassle

 

[Martinski]

This does not sound like a very fun way to experience New York in my opinion. All you're doing is looking at parks and buildings. I feel like those exist in every major city. The things that make New York special are the music, art, food, theater and fashion scenes in my opinion. If you really want to have an interesting time in NYC, I recommend signing up for something like Nonsense NYC. You'll get some inside tips on some of the more off-beat events happening while you're in town. I'd also look more at planning things to do rather than places to see, but maybe that's just me.

Go see a concert, watch some stand-up, catch an off Broadway play, eat some bomb food, go to an underground art party in Brooklyn. Don't just like walk across a bridge and stare at buildings.

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Honestly it's what most people want to do when first visiting a city is to see the buildings and sights. Second or third time then you start doing things off the beaten path.

Even if it's cliche you wanna check off shit like biking in Central Park or stand in times sq. I did those things first time in nyc but not my second time, then I went to broadway and a concert. I also arrived by train from Boston which is not so touristy being from Europe.

I can recommmend one of those guided trips on foot that is like a whole day. You see lots of sights and you're guided by a local and you are seeing much more stuff compared to a sightsee bus.

NYC in a Day Walking Tour | ExperienceFirst | New York City in a Day Walking Tour

If you have one day in New York, this is the best way to see it all and truly get to know the city, from Times Square to Wall Street to Grand Central Terminal.

www.exp1.com

 

[Deleted member 8752]

Yes and no.

Imho, if I had to tell a tourist to come to NY and they planned on seeing alot of BK, I would recommend they stay in downtown BK. Atlantic Terminal has a zillion express trains to 42nd street and is as close to downtown Manhattan as Midtown.

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Yea, I see that. I agree.

 

[RedMercury]

Check out Momosan Ramen, it's not far from the UN, just a couple blocks

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Let's not hassle the OP over his itinerary beyond giving him advice on what's feasible. He's obviously very interested in sight-seeing and even has personal / nostalgic reasons for it and it's a perfectly fine way to visit NYC especially for your first trip. Of course there are a billion other "experiences" to have here but that's for another trip, then.

 

[Huey]

Definitely agree you've overbooked, OP... but power to you.

While you're at it, I absolutely adore the American Museum of Natural History. Outstanding exhibits.

 

[CrankyJay]

Did a day in Brooklyn in November...did Peter Luger for lunch, walked over to Brooklyn Brewery, some other bar hopping including Barcade (really cool place) and then stuffed my face at Fett Sau.

 

[Jag]

I find it so funny how often tourists sight-see more than the people who have lived in a city their entire lives. People staying here for a week have probably seen more landmarks than me, and I've been here for 30 years.

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Yeah after living in NYC for so many years we had kids there but then moved to FL for work when they were young. Took them back a few years ago and did the touristy stuff we never did while we lived there. Some of the bigger attractions do take time. The Empire State building took much longer than expected even with a high price express pass.

 

[Deleted member 8752]

OP, just to get the point across, the reason why people keep telling you to have a bit more "aimlessness" in your plans is because there are litterally hundreds of individual street blocks/avenues in a grid, densely packed together, with stuff you'll find interesting literally every way you turn your head. Like, literally tens of thousands of shops, restaurants, and scenic things that are squished into every block and avenue that you can see.

Landmarks are important on every trip, but the sheer scale of attractions everywhere you turn is on a different level than most places you're used to travelling to. It's worth just experiencing the city itself.

 

[C.Mongler]

You have an extremely packed itinerary. You're basically budgeting only an hour or less at many of these places just due to the amount of travel you'll have between them. Thursday is going to be especially tough. Central Park is gigantic; you're giving yourself enough time to basically walk in, see one park landmark, and walk out.

I would ditch the itinerary completely honestly. Don't go to NJ. Decide what parts of the city you want to spend what days in. Make an aimless list of the things you want to do in said areas. Decide on one or two things that you must hit and hit those, and then go with the flow for the rest. If you're anything like me, your itinerary as its set right now will just leave you feeling extremely stressed the entire trip as you end up basically walking up to a building, looking at it, and hurrying off to the next one. There's tons to see, and there's things that you haven't even thought of that you will undoubtedly stop and look at too. Pace yourself, enjoy yourself.

 

[TransEuropaExpress]

Definitely agree you've overbooked, OP... but power to you.

While you're at it, I absolutely adore the American Museum of Natural History. Outstanding exhibits.

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I just took my new girlfriend there. Was the first time I went in maybe 10 years and the place is still fantastic, seconded.

 

[The Albatross]

It's too much, you could spend 3 days in midtown Manhattan and still not see everything within a 5 block radius.

I think you're going to spend so much time trying to get everywhere you might not really enjoy being anywhere.

If you're at Radio City I'd recommend skipping Empire State and just doing the 30 Rockefeller Tower instead. It's still a big fucking tower that you get to go to the top of in Manhattan and see all of New York, and you get some good views of Central Park. Sure, it's unique to go up Empire State building and all, but... you can see mostly the same sights from Rockefeller, including the Empire State building, and there's virtually no wait to walk in and go up to the top of it, where as Empire State Building can have a long wait depending on the day.

Likewise, like I don't really see the need to go to all of these parks, and it seems like you're doubling back a lot.

I'd cut out 90% of your plans, focus on doing one thing in the morning/mid-morning and one thing in the afternoon/mid-afternoon. Get a long lunch every day. Get a bottomless brunch one day. Explore the bars and restaurants around your hotel/wheerever you're staying at night.

 

[Incandenza]

I'll also add: You really don't need to visit Little Italy.

Chinatown is neat though (sure, many will tell you Flushing's Chinatown is better, but it's hella far and not really as flashy). If you go you should eat at Wah Fung No 1.

 

[Deleted member 8752]

You have an extremely packed itinerary. You're basically budgeting only an hour or less at many of these places just due to the amount of travel you'll have between them. Thursday is going to be especially tough. Central Park is gigantic; you're giving yourself enough time to basically walk in, see one park landmark, and walk out.

I would ditch the itinerary completely honestly. Don't go to NJ. Decide what parts of the city you want to spend what days in. Make an aimless list of the things you want to do in said areas. Decide on one or two things that you must hit and hit those, and then go with the flow for the rest. If you're anything like me, your itinerary as its set right now will just leave you feeling extremely stressed the entire trip as you end up basically walking up to a building, looking at it, and hurrying off to the next one. There's tons to see, and there's things that you haven't even thought of that you will undoubtedly stop and look at. Pace yourself, enjoy yourself.

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Yea, it's clear this is the case. I'd ditch like 90% of that itinerary. It's stretching him too thin.

OP, also, like don't spend an hour in Central Park. Spend a day there. Seriously, look at the scale of the park:

Don't just dip a toe in and leave. it's tremendous.

 

[roflwaffles]

You need at least like 3-4 hours at the park to appreciate it.

 

[chronos4590]

You're gonna get better views of it from Brooklyn

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Or Long Island City in queens too. But if you go to jersey I'd go to Liberty state park

 

[sleepnaught]

Thinking of going on a solo trip to NYC as well. When do the trees and such in Central Park really start blooming? Want to go right before the huge crowds and hot weather, but I want to go when the foliage in the parks aren't dead

 

[captmcblack]

You can't plan to be in the city like that. The city just happens, to you and around you.

Plan on being in a part of the city, either at or near one of the important targets you think you want to see. Then... just be there, observe the people, see what's interesting to you, walk around, etc.

Eat stuff, not just the NYC staples but make a good-faith effort to try stuff you couldn't get (at all or easily) wherever you're from. Absolutely have a drink in a bar (hopefully in Brooklyn, lol). Ride the subway, and honestly...just go from the end of one line to another, just to see the people and the neighborhoods you wouldn't casually come across.

Just be here. Don't worry too much about the rest. You at least have all the big ticket items like museums and such, so you're way ahead of the curve OP.

 

[Martinski]

Also if you want the best view of the city, top of the rock beats Empire State.

Xi'an Famous Foods was one of the best places I discovered on my last visit and I kid you not I ate there like 3-4 times on my 7 day visit. Hand pulled noodles in delicious broth and so on.

 

[GuEiMiRrIRoW]

I'm sorry about these many thread about my trip but I'm beyond excited.

I'm arriving 03/04/20(Wednesday morning) and leaving 03/08/20 and this is my itinerary


Wed: Brooklyn heights pomegranate, Brooklyn bridge park, Brooklyn bridge, Vietnam Veterans plaza

Thursday: Flushing meadows corona park, Central Park, Time square, Madison Square garden, Radio city hall, Empire State, Grand Central terminal, United Nations

Friday: Statue of Liberty, Battery park, Wall Street, Hoboken NJ, Washington square arch

Saturday: Fort Greene park, prospect park, west Brooklyn.

I need to cram a visit to a museum, Chinatown and little Italy somewhere.

Is this too much? Overkill for 3 and a half days?

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It's o overkill and it may even cut your enjoyment. Focus on Central Park and the museum there (the Metropolitan).
Brooklyn Bridge is beautiful! Go there, cross the bridge on the direction of Manhattan. Have a snack at Whollefoods and go to the west part of the island. I did this and it was amazing. It a really beautiful part of the city. If you go early, you can even take some pictures of the statue of liberty on the shore.

 

[Martinski]

A park area that were quite chill for me was Governors island and you can see some realt nice views from there too. But it takes like half a day...

 

[chickenandrofls]

For subway a 7 day pass + Apple/google maps is really all you'll need to get around with no issue. You can buy one from a MTA Booth and it's like $30 for unlimited rides. Don't waste money on an Uber imo unless you have to get to/from somewhere specific and are too tired to walk to a station.

Nothing wrong with doing the touristy stuff for your first trip imo. Me and my wife went for our honeymoon about 8 years ago. We stayed with friends that lived in Harlem at the time (we were pretty broke then so couldn't really afford to spend $$$ on room). They had lived there for quite a while and never did the tourist stuff so it was fun for them too. It was also nice to have guide for some of the local food/drink places and just getting around in general.

We've been maybe half a dozen times since then and would also recommend cutting back some so you can spend time just wandering around some of the neighborhoods. So much stuff to see & do that's almost impossible to plan for. Recent trips we normally just plan a few things and spend rest of the time just walking around areas we haven't been to.