New York

[Fluffball]

Going to New York for 4 days middle of December. Any tips on what to see, where to eat,what NOT to do,where NOT to go and basically opinions on what you lot reckon on NY.

[dotcom]

I posted a similar question further down the page............and this is the one reply I got from luckystrike.

Might be helpful to you also.....

If you only have a long weekend, then I would consider the following:

Shopping at Woodbury Common, about 1 hour outside of the city, but very, very well worth it - take the bus from Port Authority Bus Terminal on 8th Ave.  There are 220 shops, and the bargains are truely unbelieveable.  Bloomingdales is also superb, as are shops like J Crew, Banana Republic, and lots of others you will come across.  Despite what others may say, Century 21 Department Store down by the World Trade Centre is totally rubbish.  It was probably the worst shop we visited in the whole city.

Central Park is nice, maybe on Easter Sunday.  Also, the Empire State Building is worth while, assuming you haven't been before! Greenwich Village is a lovely place to wander around and stop for coffee.  The city is very easily navagated on foot, and a good map will be handy.

If you want to visit a museum, then go for Ellis Island.  It is a full day out, and includes the Statue of Liberty, but it is very good.

Also, you could go to the Times Square Information Centre, have your photo taken at the HSBC booth, and then go outside to see your face on the massive electronic billboard 5 minutes later!

New York has countless restaurants, so it is really pointless me recommending any in particular.  Between 45th and 55th Streets on 2nd Avenue there are lots of nice bars and restaurants, which are a lot cheaper than the more central areas - I suppose it really depends on where your hotel is.

Have a good time.

[JinxtheCat]

where abouts are you staying fluffball? there was a really lovely italian restaurant run by genuine italians. it was called daniela's andm i think it was onthe corner of 38th and broadway. when i went in 2001 i got really cheap tickets to see a show on broadway on that day, however i got these tickets from the WTC so i'm not sure where you'd get them from now.

[luckystrike]

New York City is fantastic all year round, but at Christmas it is magical.

Those things mentioned above still apply, but don�t miss the Christmas Market at Byrant Park, near the Empire State Building.  Ice skating at the Rockefeller Centre is also a must.

I would recommend visiting the beautifully decorated main lobbies of both the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel and Grand Central Station � they are both on Park Avenue, and within a few streets of each other.

There is excellent shopping, and a Christmas Market, at the new AOL Time Warner Centre at Columbus Circle, and all of the main department stores have special Christmas displays.

We loved the Radio City Rockette�s Christmas Spectacular, which we went to instead of going to a Broadway shop.

If you have children, check out Toys R Us in Times Square.  We don�t have any kids, and still loved it!  There is a fully operational 40 foot Ferris wheel, and a two-storey life size Barbie house.

Downtown (i.e., Wall St. area and the WTC site) and the Financial District are quite dull, and whilst we were glad that we went, they were not the highlight of our trip!  Also, we had to queue outside for at least two hours to get the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and it was freezing!  That trip was a complete day out, and well worth it, even though we didn�t actually get off the boat at the statue!  Also, the view of the Downtown skyline as night falls is not to be missed.

Remember to wrap up warmly, and be patient when queuing, as the city will be packed out.

[cdmj2111]

The museum of modern art (MOMA) is great. It's full of wonderful peices of art and warm after a day sight seeing. If you go on a Friday afternoon, after 4 pm (i think), it's donate what you like to get in. Bargain.

Empire state building, if you go an hour before sunset and stay up there till dark, (it only takes an hour or so). It's just two lovely views for the price of one.

Get a hotel from a recommendation only, as some of the hotels out there are yuk!

Have a wonderful trip