A city with so much to do and see - put it on your list of places to see before you die (New York City)

Member Name: emmajt81

Product:	New York City
Date:	26/08/09 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The skyline is breathtaking, the nostalgia hits you when you get out of the taxi

Disadvantages: Expensive!!!

I have only been to New York once but am off there again in two months time as I loved it so much the first time. I went the week before Christmas which made it an even more magical trip.

I flew out with British Airways from good old Terminal 5 at Heathrow. I had booked the flights before the terminal had opened and before the saga of the lost baggage had been played out so was suitably worried we wouldn't have any cases when we got to the other end. But outward and return flights were both fine in that respect. Terminal 5 is nothing to write home about - it's just like any other airport terminal. Places to eat and places to spend your hard earned money and that's about it! The flight itself was fine, about 8 hours long and we managed to check in online on BAs website the day before and bag ourselves two seats at the back of the plane so we didn't have anyone sitting next to us which made the journey perfect. No need for upgrades when you have those seats as they are a bit more spacious than most economy seats. We did have a drunken passenger on the way back who was stealing alcohol off the trolley and generally being quite scary and annoying but he was swiftly dealt with and once we landed at Heathrow armed police boarded the plane (which was a scary and surreal end to the trip!) and escorted him off.

We flew into JFK and had arranged it so we got there just after lunch time. Out of the terminal building and across the road is a taxi point for yellow cabs. And that is very exciting if you've never been in one before! The taxi journey was about half an hour and some of these New York taxi drivers do like to put their foot down and bounce along so suffice to say I wasn't feeling my best when we reached the hotel about half an hour later! If you arrive in rush hour though be warned the journey may take an hour or so - our journey back to the airport when we went home took an hour and a half so lucky we left enough time for that.

--HOTEL--

We were booked into the Westin Times Square which I cannot fault really. It's a brilliant hotel and I have a separate review on it on here. It's on 42nd Street and is right in the middle of everything. You are a one minute walk from Times Square, a one minute walk from the subway (if that) and its next door to Starbucks, a cinema, a supermarket and a McDonalds so you have a lot of stuff right on your doorstep. There's even a subway entrance inside the supermarket (really!). The hotel is slightly expensive (about $300 a night or £200 a night) but well worth the money. We had a twin room with 2 double beds (they don't do single beds in America) and whilst the room was small it is the same everywhere in New York so I have read. The beds are called Heavenly Beds and are literally heavenly - the most comfortable beds you will ever sleep in, trust me! We were on the 41st floor and despite being in the middle of Times Square did not get disturbed once by any outside noise. The lift to the floor however made your ears pop it goes that fast! More info on the hotel in my other review.

--THE SIGHTS--

OK so things to do in New York - there is so much! One reason I am going back is that we didn't manage to go everywhere but we managed to fit in quite a bit in 7 days. One thing we did do which I highly recommend is a helicopter trip over New York. It cost about £150 each and you can book before you go, and have a choice of what trip to do. You turn up 15 minutes before you allotted time, get briefed on safety and then taken onto the heliport to board. It's very exciting if you've never done it before. Your pilot is also your tour guide and gives you info about everything as you fly over it. It starts on the Hudson River and flies you down the coast of Jersey to the Statue of Liberty, then back up the coast of Manhattan and across the city to take in views of the Empire State Building, the Yankee Stadiums and lots more. It really is a must. We went on a somewhat foggy day so I am determined to do this again! The heliport I will say is in the middle of nowhere so you should get a cab there and ask the reception there to call you a cab when you leave. We decided to walk into town afterwards and got caught in a snowstorm (lucky for us it was after our flight or it would have been cancelled!).

The best way to get around New York and see the sights is by subway. It's not as crowded as the London Underground by any stretch and a hell of a lot cheaper to use and much more reliable. The subway is a little different to London's though. You are either going Downtown or Uptown from your starting point (no matter when in the city you are) and you have different numbered or lettered lines to get on, for example the A train or the 7 train. Also you don't just get one train arriving at one platform - some are also express trains and don't stop everywhere. All trains stop at 42nd Street though! There is a painted box you can stand in on the platform which is where the conductor's carriage pulls up next to so you can ask them any questions about where the train stops. A Metrocard (like a Travelcard) is $27 for a weeks ticket with unlimited rides which saves a lot of money on taxis which are about the same as black cabs in the UK - expensive. Do be aware though that you can't use it at the same subway station within 18 minutes. So if you get off the subway, pop out and get a coffee and want to get back on you'll have to wait 18 minutes. And if you get on the subway and go the wrong way, get off at the next stop to go back, you'll have to leave the station, go up to street level, and cross the road to find the subway heading back in the other direction. They aren't in the same place and again you'll have to wait 18 minutes. More confusing that London Underground but cheaper and better! Get a free subway map from a ticket booth operator there - you'll need one!

The most cost effective way to see the sights is to buy the New York Pass which is about $80 per person at the moment. This allows you into 6 different attractions and if they are 6 you are planning on seeing will save you a lot of money. Otherwise you can just pay when you get to each place. The Statue of Liberty is a must see and you can now go back inside her 'crown' which was stopped after 9/11. You should travel down to Battery Park (plenty of subway lines stop at stations around there) and then buy tickets for the Liberty Island Ferry. You can decide what ferry you want to come back on. There is a café and a gift shop on the island as well as plenty to see - not just the Statue herself but the amazing views of Manhattan. The New York skyline is breathtaking. If you want to go inside the crown you will need to reserve this in advance. It's $12 to go to Liberty Island and an extra $3 to go inside the crown.

The Empire State Building is another must - the views of Manhattan are breathtaking. Again it's easily accessible on the subway (although we did get a taxi to this one as it was snowing). If you pay a little extra you can go up from the 86th floor to the 102nd floor for an even better view. It's around $19 to go to the 86th floor and the extra ticket to go up to the 102nd floor can be bought on the day from the downstairs building as you go through security or up on the 86th floor itself. I have done both floors and they are well worth the money. There's also a Skyride in the building which is basically a simulator and takes you around Manhattan. I haven't done it as it's expensive (about $30) and seems like a bit of a waste of time to do a simulator when you are already in the city!

Central Park is a great place to have a walk around, grab a coffee or a hotdog from one of the stands and sit and watch New Yorkers get on with their daily lives. If you're there in the winter head over to Wollmans Ice Rink in the park - I can't ice skate but if you can it's definitely worth doing. It's been used in many movies and has the backdrop of Manhattan all around it. Central Park is also host to Central Park Zoo if that's your kind of thing. If you are in New York in the winter it's also worth going to Rockerfella Plaza where they put up the big Christmas tree. There's also a skating rink there.

I will mention Ground Zero because some of you may be curious to go and see how it's developing. Be warned though that you get a lot of tourists down there taking pictures of the fire station where a lot of the firefighters who died worked, and pictures of the shrine and plaque they have up. It's quite sad as you walk past it and see all the names of the ones who perished and it does anger you to see people using it as a tourist spot for pictures. We only went past it on our way to Century 21 (more about that below).

Times Square and Broadway are must visits. You'll recognise Times Square from the many movies filmed there, and at night it's buzzing with people and bright lights. Broadway stretches for miles and is home to theatre land. It's worth going to see a musical while you're there - I saw Hairspray which isn't running anymore but was a brilliant show. We were also there the time when Katie Holmes was in a play on a road next to our hotel so we managed to see her coming out one night which was good fun in the snow! There's some big record stores in Times Sq, loads of shops you can buy tacky souvenirs and such like. And also a great shop on Broadway that sells discounted jeans - all real - well worth a visit and the staff are lovely! There's an M&M World shop which is wall to wall M&Ms - go and see for yourself.

--SHOPPING--

Talking of shopping there is lots of that you can do! Bloomingdales and Macys are massive department stores and great fun to look around especially at Christmas when they have all their branded decorations for sale. You must get yourself a little brown bag from Bloomies - go in and ask you'll see what I mean! If you're into Ugg boots there are two Ugg stores in Manhattan - the biggest is uptown next to Central Park - much cheaper to buy these in the States than in the UK. They are the same price (£140 compared to $140) but because of the exchange rate you get them much cheaper. I bought 3 pairs and visited both stores! The best place to shop though is Century 21 which is right by the Ground Zero site. It's a discount department store and beware that if you go on a weekend it will be packed with locals who will push you out of the way for a bargain! Prepare to fight for that handbag! They have designer gear at remarkable prices and I bought so much from this store - I went back twice in a week. Of course Fifth Ave is worth a look too - especially the Abercrombie store with its staff who podium dance some of the time! And even if you don't go in the Louis Vuitton store looks amazing from the outside! Topshop has just opened on Broadway as well and there are H&Ms dotted around.

--FOOD--

After all that shopping you'll want to eat. Unfortunately unless you research before you go you'll end up eating burger and chips every night in New York. TGIs are everywhere and although they are OK you wouldn't want to go in there more than once in a trip. Olive Garden in Times Sq is an Italian which is worth going to - it has a lovely bar while you wait for your table if there's a line and the food is very good. Outback Steakhouse is good too - but it's not in Times Square. You'll need to get in a cab as it's in the Chelsea area and it is in the middle of nowhere so you'll want to get in a cab to go somewhere else if you want a drink after, but the steak is good and worth the cab ride! Saying that we did go for a drink in a lovely little bar down the road - we asked the waiter where was good to go and he gave us directions - very helpful. Can't remember the name of the bar but it was like a London sort of atmosphere and we felt quite at home in there.

Justin Timberlake owns a restaurant called Southern Hospitality on the Upper East Side, about 70th Street and the food there is delicious. There is no mention of him anywhere in the restaurant so you wouldn't think he owned it - that's the reason we went - but the food is so delicious - good southern food! We'll be going there again for sure. If you want to spend a bit on Chinese food go to Mr Chows - again it's a cab ride away on the Upper East Side but the food is good. For two people though it is about $250 so beware. We treated ourselves and the food was excellent. You might even spot a celeb or two. Of course you also have the Hard Rock Cafe and all those kind of places in Times Square too but like I said it's worth researching before you go. Robert Di Niro owns a steakhouse downtown which I am going to go to next time I go - the steak is meant to be delicious. We never visited Chinatown either or Little Italy which is full of little Italian bistros. They're all the list for the next trip!

For breakfast it's well worth going to Ellens Stardust Diner which is in Times Sq on Broadway. It's just a diner that does all the usual American foods (pancakes, fry ups, burger and chips for lunch if you go later etc) but get this - the waiters all sing at you! They get up with a microphone and sing musical and Broadway hits at you while you're eating! Some of them are very good singers actually and it's quite a mad, but fun experience. This place is right next door to the discount jeans store I mentioned earlier. The tables in the diner are very close together so if you like you own personal space you'll want to go early and get an end seat or a booth. But this is place is generally always busy - but the food is good and its brilliant fun.

This is all we managed to do in the 7 days we were there - we were shattered by the end of it as well as freezing cold (it got down to minus 12 in the snow a couple of days). When I go back I shall be visiting other sights like Grand Central Station, Coney Island (the fair that's in a zillion movies is on this island and you get the ferry over there - the fair is only open in the summer months though), Long Island, and much more besides.

--OVERALL--

I hope this guide helps you decide whether to visit the city or not. It's a great city - I would highly recommend going there. The first thing you'll think when you get there is that everything is so tall!!! The skyline is amazing and something you have to see once in your life and the people of New York are also so friendly and helpful! We stood on the corner one day after getting out of the subway and a guy just wandered over and asked if we needed help - we weren't even looking at a map or anything. Everyone we encountered was very helpful. All in all I loved New York - if you live in London its a similar sort of place - it's very busy and if you're not used to it then don't go during the summer months or Christmas as it gets extremely busy around then!! But do visit the city - it's amazing.

Summary: An amazing city with so much to offer - save up and go!!