Question by Penny Lane: What all is there to do in New York City?
I live in Canada and in August my boyfriend and I are going to NYC for a couple days. We are seeing Wicked on Broadway, that’s our only big plan so I’m wondering what else there is to do?
Best answer:
Answer by star813
you have to go to the big toys r us. i know its for little kids but trust me its amazing. also chinatown is really fun shopping experience. ESPN zone is also a really good restaurant and your boyfriend will love it in there. the empire state building is also fun to see. they have this ride in there that a lot of fun and you can take an elevator to the top. the staten island ferry is a good relaxing trip. you go around and see the statue of liberty. if you go down to time square theres a ton more things to do. have fun!
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Since you’re only going to be here for a couple of days, you’ll probably be tempted to spend most of your time walking around Times Square and the midtown area. If you can, try to branch out a bit in one direction or the other (uptown or downtown) or consider taking a bus tour that will cover different areas of NYC. If you do find yourself sticking in midtown, you definitely have plenty going on. There’s the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, The United Nations, Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, tons of corporate bars (Rock Hard Cafe, etc.), Bryant Park and much more. You can get tips and more info about tours & attractions here: http://www.nyctouristcenter.com
NYC has so much to do. I’ve lived in NYC my whole life, and here are some of the highlights:
- Central Park. You and your boyfriend can walk around, go to the zoo, pack a picnic, rent a rowboat, or do so much more! It’s especially great in the summer, and it can be romantic. Here’s a link: http://www.centralparknyc.org/
- When you visit Times Sq., I would go at night, as that is when it’s the most remarkable.
- Ripleys: Believe it or Not, and Madame Tussuads wax museum are both great attractions in the Times Sq. area.
- NYC has great shopping. I would recommend 5th avenue, Macy’s (the largest store in the world), Manhattan Mall, South Street Seaport, the century 21 in Tribeca, and Soho for shopping.
- Boat tours are abundant in the NYC harbor, and they can be a great way to tour the city.
- You can kayak on the Hudson River, and then lounge on the grass in Battery Park City.
- NYC is a concert hot spot. Check and see if any of your favorite music artists are playing. If so, you may be able to get tickets.
- China town is a great place to go. There’s stores, food, and lots of Chinese culture. In small stores you can bargain with the sellers to get cheaper prices.
- The World Financial Center and The New York Stock Exchange are in NYC. The World Financial Center also has an amazing winter garden with palm trees and white hot coco.
- Ground Zero, and the World Trade Center 1 construction site is downtown. It’s sad and has lots of historical value, but i wouldn’t recommend it if you’re short on time, because it’s basically a construction site.
- The Empire State Building and Top Of The Rock are both skyscrapers that offer amazing views of the city. If you do visit, buy tickets online, so you don’t have to wait in line as long, and they can also be cheaper.
- You can visit one of the city’s many zoos and botanical gardens.
- The Statue of Liberty is a great attraction. Now you can go up to the crown. I would buy tickets in advance for this as well, because it’s a very popular attraction.
- You could visit Coney Island and ride the Cyclone, and the other Luna Park rides, and then go for a walk on the boardwalk and a dip in the ocean.
- You guys could rent bikes, and bike aorund the city.
- There are multitude of museums in NYC. Besides Ripleys: Believe it or Not, and Madame Tussuad’s Wax Museum, I would also recommend The American Museum of Natural History, MOMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The New Museum, The Tenement Museum, and The Intrepid Air and Space Museum. If you are older then 18, there is also the Museum of S E X.
- You guys could walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, have lunch at Grimaldi’s Pizza, and come back.
- Some great restaurants are:
Il Corallo trattoria in Soho
Pop burger, near the Hudson River
Ox Cart in Brooklyn
Joe’s Pizza on Bleecker
Philio’s Fro Yo on Bleecker.
Honestly, take the New York City pass for three days. i think its about 153$ BUT theres a bunch of things you can do that are free with it, such as the Empire state building, the skyride, the bodies exhibit, botanical gardens, Museum of Modern Art, the Met, Top fo the Rocks, ect. Theres TONS you can do with it, and its honestly worth it. You can definitly do them all in 3 days, just make sure to plan ahead. Also with the pass you get in front of the big lines for ticket buying (big plus). Theres also a pompeii and Harry Potter exhibit in Times Square that I also highly recomend.
As for Broadway, i highly recomend the Lion King, but also War Horse and/or Jerusalem. If you want good broadway tickets, off broadway or off-off broadway, in times square at the tkts center, you can buy half priced tickets for matinee showings. They have a ton of stuff, like Billie Elliot, Avenue Q, Phantom of the Opera ect. However, tkts does not do it for Lion King or Wicked. If you want to see Wicked, they do a lottery drawing at 4;30 to 5:00 at the Wicked theater. You can only get up to 2 tickets, but if you win you only pay 30$ instead of 150$ . Everyday they show different performances, so if one of them us not up there, go back the next day. Make sure to get there early though because lines can get very long. (We tried to get there at 10:00 when they opened, got the tickets and went on our way to do whatever it was planned with our day and go back and see the perfomrance).
I would also recomend going to chinatown, little india and little Italy. All three are fantastic!
I also highly recomend eating lunch at Stardust (its right next to the Mama Mia Theater). Its a bit expensive, but it gives you a good feel for New york, and how stars become part of braodway.
As for the hotel go to the International hostel. Theres a grocery store not far away and you can store the food you buy in the kitchen in the basement. I loved staying there.
http://www.hinewyork.org/
Its cheap, really really REALLY nice, clean as heck and great. We paid 30$ a night, a I really recommend it! Your a block away from the subway and 15 minutes from times square with the subway. The beds are also SOOOO comfortable.
From what I heard, Wicked is an awesome show. Other things you could do while in NYC are go see the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Also I recommend shopping around Times Square. Here is a link for other things I didn’t list. I hope this was helpful and I hope you enjoy your show.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60763-Activities-New_York_City_New_York.html