New York!

My very thoughtful SO surprised me with a super amazing birthday surprise - he's taking me to New York for a long weekend!
I know there are some TCS members who live in NY, so, what must we see when we're there? And ideas welcome from other people too, of course!
I really want to do the Sex and The City tour, as that's my favourite show.
I'm so excited! This is my belated 30th birthday celebration, as i was unable to celebrate at the time.

I'm not from New York, but know there are some TCS'ers there, some may ask when you will be going, as weather will play a part in rather you want indoor or outdoor activities!

Of course! Thank you! Winter! X

I use to live in NYC.

I love the Plaza. I would not be able to go without visiting the gift shop to grab some Eloise memorabilia. But I'm a kid at heart so maybe that's why. I'm not at all into fashion so yea, no help there. Sorry!

Woooo, awesome gift!! Have fun!

That sounds like fun!  We went in January a few years ago.  It was the coldest weekend of the season; but we bundled up and enjoyed it.  We stayed with FIL's girlfriend who lives just outside the city and went into the city for just one day.  Just taking the subway was an experience in itself.  We passed Yankee Stadium and got off in Grand Central Station, which is beautiful.  We went to the top of the Empire State Building.  Expensive if you ask me, but it is NYC.  (FIL paid for that for us.)  It was neat to see the different sites of the city from there though.  We could see over toward Times Square with the ball from New Years.  That was not too long after the plane had landed in the Hudson; so we could see where that happened.  We had lunch in a restaurant in the basement at Macy's.  Dh's dad liked the place; I was excited to walk through Macys. LOL  We didn't do any shopping.  We got kind of a late start; so we didn't get to do much else.  We did spend a little over an hour in the Museum of Natural History.  If you've ever seen Night at the Museum, it doesn't look like the movie set. LOL!  I would have loved to spend longer there though!  Then we got to drive through Time Square after dark.  It was bright and noisy and chaotic, but very interesting to see.

I'm definitely not an expert on NYC.  I'm not even a big fan of the city.  If I had to do a "city" trip I'd rather go through the museums of DC.  And the monuments.  More my style.  I would like to visit Ground Zero since the memorial is open now though. 

Hope you have a great trip!!

Oh!  I think my cousin's favorite restaurant is called Carmines.  She got married in NYC at the courthouse (weird dream of hers, lol) last spring.  I'm pretty sure thats where they went to eat after the ceremony.  And she's been there a bunch of other times.  She doesn't live too far out of the city either.

ETA: I just checked her FB page; and it's Carmines at Times Square.

Carmine's is fantastic, no doubt.

My favorite restaurant was Noho Star (http://nohostar.com/)

If you want to go to the 9/11 Memorial, you'll need a visitor pass, I believe it is free but it is also required at this time I heard (http://www.911memorial.org/)

I'm a bit odd but I like Canal St Jeans (http://www.wix.com/canaljean/canal-jean-co#!) and Yellow Rat ******* (http://www.yrbnyc.com/) which has more of an urban flare but is not found where I live now which may be the reason the stores still resonate with me.

SubconsciousMe said:

Carmine's is fantastic, no doubt.

My favorite restaurant was Noho Star (http://nohostar.com/)

If you want to go to the 9/11 Memorial, you'll need a visitor pass, I believe it is free but it is also required at this time I heard (http://www.911memorial.org/)

I'm a bit odd but I like Canal St Jeans (http://www.wix.com/canaljean/canal-jean-co#!) and Yellow Rat ******* (http://www.yrbnyc.com/) which has more of an urban flare but is not found where I live now which may be the reason the stores still resonate with me.

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If you are going to the 911 memorial site, don't bring any packages, and make sure you have good id. I've been there twice, and the airports have nothing on the security they have there! There is also the 911 memorial museum around the corner from L10 E10, up the block from the trade center entrance. It's a beautiful tribute, I cried but they have boxes of tissues everywhere. 

Rockefeller Center is great, if you are going this weekend, they take the tree down after Epiphany I believe (jan 6), but the ice skating is fun and the shops there are cool. The windows at Macys, and the other large department stores are decorated this time of year, really neat displays. Times square is nice on weekends, and there's alot of theme restaurants that are nice and touristy. I love Jeckyl and Hydes, Go to 5th avenue and you can catch a horse and carriage ride through central park. The Museum of Natural History is phenomenal. The Empire State building is really marvelous, and you should also check out South Street Seaport for loads of shops and a charming little town feel. 

During Christmas there's so many things to see and enjoy! Have a fantastic time!!

We were born and raised in NY but have been in Florida for 39 years.      You should try to see a Broadway show while you are there.  They're expensive, but there's nothing like the excitement of a nice show.     I still miss that.    Look at the stores along Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center is beautiful.

Have a super time!!!

I'm a New Yorker!! I was born in NYC and live just outside and go there all the time. 

Carmines is great but pricey! I like Ninja if you are into sushi.

What are you interested in? 

I went to NY a few years ago, I dont know how much it is but a helecopter  flight over the city is wonderful, well worth it if you can afford it (my sister paid as a treat) . 

Wow! Thanks everyone, there are so many brilliant ideas on here, I want to do them all!
We love Sushi, so thank you for that too!
As for my interests, what I'd like to see, I'm fascinated to go to New York, to see what it's like. I want to see what it's like to live there, I want to do so much! Go shopping, go to a bar, go to a show, go to a restaurant, go get Sushi, go on a helicopter ride, go to a place called Tasty Delight for ice cream, does that exist? Go on the subway and go in a yellow taxi!
Ok, so I'm going to need a lottery win plus a lot of extra time!
I have a few weeks to plan our trip yet.
We went to a shop yesterday here in the UK that sells American produce, so I got excited all over again! I bought some "Goldfish", very tasty! And a twix, which has peanut butter in. Very nice. I noticed before that American chocolate bars almost always have peanut butter in, whereas in the UK, this is so rare, I wonder why?

Oh, and go in a horse and carriage across central park!

You mean New York City, right? (there is more to NY than NYC, just to clarify )

I like to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art when I visit NYC.

Hi Otto, yep, NYC :-)

Yup Tasty Delight exists. If you like the 80's a fun bar to go to is called The Joshua Tree. Hershey has a chocolate world store in Time's Square if you are interested in Hershey's chocolate. 

It's funny that Goldfish are sold as "American food". Probably not what I would think of as a major American snack :lol3:. Mostly they're for little kids (although I like them too!). And Twix here don't have peanut butter. . .it's a cookie with caramel on top covered in chocolate. They may have a PB version but it's not the normal one. Funny! Makes me wonder about the "British snacks" they sell at World Market. . .:tongue2:.

Have fun in NYC! I went back in 1999, so of course I went to the top of the WTC, but that's out now . And a Broadway show and Central Park and the Staten Island ferry. And Carmine's.

Ha ha, tell me, what are the "British Snacks"? Maybe they chose to sell the Twix because it was different? Our Twix are caramel with a biscuit base, I'm not sure if that's like your cookie base? I went to Florida a few years ago, and so far, I'm loving American snacks! Whoppers? They are awesome! And Milk Duds. We can get some things over here, but they cost so much more! I have a feeling I will be bringing a stash of goodies home with me from NYC!

I just heard that the statue of liberty is closed, that's such a shame, I would have loved to go up there.

My SO wants to go to a food cart called The Halal Guys, on 53rd and 6th. It's supposed to be really good, does anyone know it?

Jessy said:

Ha ha, tell me, what are the "British Snacks"? Maybe they chose to sell the Twix because it was different? Our Twix are caramel with a biscuit base, I'm not sure if that's like your cookie base? I went to Florida a few years ago, and so far, I'm loving American snacks! Whoppers? They are awesome! And Milk Duds. We can get some things over here, but they cost so much more! I have a feeling I will be bringing a stash of goodies home with me from NYC!
I just heard that the statue of liberty is closed, that's such a shame, I would have loved to go up there.
My SO wants to go to a food cart called The Halal Guys, on 53rd and 6th. It's supposed to be really good, does anyone know it?

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Wow. You've definitely been doing your research....The Halal Guys (?!) LOL! Yes, they're on 53rd and 6th, and now I know why they always have long lines waiting by their cart... they're actually recommended as a tourist attraction!

And there are some great suggestions and ideas here.

I've lived in NYC - Manhattan - Midtown for 40 years.... definitely a New Yorker, so here goes:

Walking around is the best free way to see New York City. If you have a good map, which points out the attractions, walking through Times Square is fantastic. If you like parks, there are alot of things to see in Central Park. It's my favorite place in the city, and there are so many things to see there - things, incidentally, that you won't see on a carriage ride. To my mind, the carriage rides are absolute rip-offs. There's so much more to the park than what they show you on that short and expensive ride. Get a good map of the park and put on your walking shoes and visit the carousel, the old dairy, the skating rink, the Delacorte Theatre, which is up by The Great Lawn, where you can get a fabulous picture of the skyline, standing at the north end of the Great Lawn. Also in Central Park, there's the Shakespeare Garden, Belvedere Castle (which is by the garden, and used as a weather station.... and also a great place for pictures. Once you're in that neighborhood, you can walk west and you'll find the Museum of Natural History.

Ground Zero is definitely a must, but, as resqchick mentioned, no packages and i.d. I also think (not sure, as I haven't done it yet) you need to make an advanced reservation to get inside the memorial.

Greenwich Village is a great place to walk around and explore - great restaurants, great history, and great shops. If you're looking for shopping, SoHo is very trendy. Lots of bars and pubs around in the city. I would recommend, if you're in the Times Square area, O'Lunney's. Right off Broadway, on 45th Street. My favorite place. Also, if you want to see any theatre, the TKTS booth has great bargains. There's one in Times Square, right under the big red steps, and there's one downtown at the Southstreet Seaport.

If you want that view of the city from up high, definitely the Empire State building, or The Top of the Rock, which is the top of 30 Rockefeller Center.

There is so much to see here, I can't imagine trying to get it all in in a few days - which means you'll definitely want to come back! :lol3::nod:

Bring walking shoes!!