New York, New York

[Cordelia]

Hi

I'm going to NYC and Boston in early Nov for work and will be extending for 9 days for vacation in NYC afterwards. It's my first time in the city that never sleeps and I'm excited. Will be staying at midtown Manhattan.

Here are the things I'm thinking of doing:

- Must-see attractions: e.g Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Rockefeller Centre etc
- Chill at Central Park (preferably with a bagel and hot drink in hand)
- Catch at least one Broadway show (probably Wicked)
- Visit Times Square
- Museum hopping
- Watch an NBA game
- Shopping (Macy's, Bloomingdale's, H&M etc)
- Browse at The Strand
- Buy portfolios at DickBlick
- Day trip to Tarrytown for antiques via Grand Central station


I have a few silly questions I hope someone can help me with:

- how much to tip? Shd I do so if service is poor? (sorry I come from a place where tipping is not the norm) besides waiters, porters, anyone else I shd tip?

- any recommendations on how to get the cheapest deals, say discounts for admission fees? (these will go a long way since NYC is so expensive ) Where are the good places to eat etc.

- anything else I missed out from my list of activities above? anything else I need to know?


Any comments/ suggestions/ sharing of past experiences are most welcome. You could also PM me if you wish. Thanks in advance!

[zerospace]

Don't forget Ellis Island!

I was at the Statue of Liberty a few years ago myself, and I'd highly recommend you be prepared for quite an ordeal. Security is really tight (they were using bomb sniffing machines to screen everyone). Maybe someone who's been there since then could provide more info, but I recall spending a good deal of time in line(s) just to get into the statue.

[iceman57]

- Shopping (Macy's, Bloomingdale's, H&M etc)

November, time to think about Christmas gifts, visit FAO Schwartz is a must !

[dude_moose]

Statue of Liberty is cool. I went to NYC for the first time in college (even though I'm from upstate... ), so I was on a budget. If you want to avoid the hassle/cost of going to Ellis Island, you can ride the Staten Island ferry back and forth (just make sure you get back on when it arrives or you might have to wait 30-60 minutes for the next one). It gets pretty close to the Statue and you get an awesome view of downtown. And also... it's FREE!

http://www.newyork-visit.com/images/sta ... rry-02.jpg

As for tipping, generally you want to tip somewhere between 15-20% when you are eating out (maybe more for really fancy restaurants. I don't have experience here.). To figure this out easily, just double the tax! Tax in NYC runs at 8.875%, so if you double it, it's 17.something%. You should still tip if service is poor, but feel free to dock it a bit. I try and throw cab drivers a couple extra dollars, and I usually leave one or two for the maid (this is optional though). You can avoid tipping porters by carrying your own bags, haha, but otherwise a couple bucks would probably be fine.

[Shampoo]

Columbus Circle is snazzy place for shopping too!
I never left NYC w/o visiting the circle at least
once LOL!

The lounge upstairs is really nice for drinks and
people watching at night. Masa has yummy sushi and
kobe beef flown in from Japan.

If jewlery is your thing, definitely check out the diamond
district-- super deep discounts at the mom-n-pops
for bling. I can get you the names of some I've shopped
at w/ good prices if you are interested.

Theres also some great indie shops in Soho and
some on canal street. If your into Japanese street fashion
(punk and lolita) there is a store called Tokyo Rebel in east village.

As for touristy things to do, you gotta see the Natural History
Museum! Its just awesome! In both size and exhibits. ^_^

[Sky Rat]

I tip in NYC the same as everywhere else usually 20%.

My favorite part of New York is the Village. I prefer shopping at all the random little unique boutiques. Bleecker St, and St. Mark’s are in particular favorite areas or me to hang out.

If you don’t mind expensive shopping there are pricier boutiques in SoHo (Prince St area.)

Strand is awesome. I definitely recommend hitting there. Plus it’s on a section of Broadway that has a lot of designer stores so there’s more good shopping there.

You can get discount tickets for theater shows through a lottery system. They usually save a few extra tickets and if you show up at a certain time (about an hour or two before the show starts) you can put your name in for the lottery and they’ll draw a few people and sell them discount tickets for about $20 a piece. They also sometimes sell standing room only tickets for some shows at a discount.

What I can most make specific recommendations for is food….

My favorite restaurant anywhere in the world is Café Mogador (101 St. Marks Place 212-677-2226 They have a $15 min credit card charge, just as a heads up.) It’s a Moroccan restaurant and their breakfasts are fantastic.

Some other food recommendations:

Hagi – A good Japanese restaurant, you can get authentic harder to find dishes here like okonomiyai, etc, if I remember right.
152 W 49th St. (Between 7th Ave, and Ave. Of the Americas 212-764-8549)
To get there take the F or V line of the subway to 47th St. It’s underground and easy to miss, you have to walk down a set of stairs to the left of Iroha)

Alice’s Teacup (An Alice in Wonderland themed tea house)
Really excellent sandwiches and kind of a fun setting.
220 East 81st St. (Off 3rd Ave. between 3rd and 2nd)
(Theres a second location but I don’t know the address)

The Winter Garden (Good Italian Restaurant)
(Corner of W 3rd St and MacDougal)

Magnolia Bakery – Famous (for good reason) cupcakes
http://www.magnoliabakery.com/home.php

Oh and forgot one:

Red Bamboo
http://redbamboo-nyc.com/site/
Vegetarian resturant (there is another vegetarian resturant right next door which is also very good, can't remember the name of it though.) These places have had some of the most convincing fake meat I've ever had, much better than any vegetarian resturants I've found in the Baltimore/DC area (where I live.)

[Killua]

Definitely visit FAO Schwartz. You'll not regret it. The Gugenheim is also a good idea if you're into art.

Where do you come from where tipping isn't standard? Anywho, I tip 15-20% depending on the level of service. Approximately 16-17% is probably my standard. In the US service has to be really poor to justify not leaving a tip, especially since the waiter isn't responsible for everything that can go wrong with a restaurant visit.

If you're feeling fancy, 5-10 dollars per day (left at the end of your visit) is standardish for the hotel maids, if it's a nice hotel. A lot of people don't leave any tips though. Buffets are 10%. A few bucks for a taxi driver or porter service is standard. 3-4 for food delivery people.

Here's a good list for tipping standards: http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/tipping/

Although when you venture away from waiters, people get rather fractious about exactly how much one should tip. Also, part of me ponders whether those in the tipping industry use a good portion of their time posting around online inflated tipping guidelines.

For discount prices on things, I'd just search around online for the best deals. There are also booths in Times Square that sell discount tickets for same-day shows. You might be waiting in line for a while though. There are also random people standing around there hawking tickets for various things. If you're a good haggler, you might get a good deal there too.

Have a fun trip!

[Shampoo]

Where do you come from where tipping isn't standard?

Actually alot of countries in Asia dont have a tipping
standard because its already included in your bill.
I know tipping is frowned upon in Japan and Vietnam, and in Singapore
and China its already figured in.

[Killua]

Where do you come from where tipping isn't standard?

Actually alot of countries in Asia dont have a tipping
standard because its already included in your bill.
I know tipping is frowned upon in Japan and Vietnam, and in Singapore
and China its already figured in.

Yeah I know in Asia there are many countries where tipping isn't standard, but her English seemed so good I was curious if she came from somewhere else where people don't tip.

[Cordelia]

Thanks for all the great advice! I've now expanded my itinerary to include some of the places you've suggested.

FAO Schwartz sounds like every child's dream...will check it out. Was contemplating if I shd land on Ellis Island, now that I've found out abt a museum there, I shall visit it. Haha Diamond District...I hope I won't be tempted to buy anything expensive...so much shopping places but not enough $$$!

NYC is such a happening place, I think staying a year is not enough.

Thank you for the tips on tipping. I will get loose change ready. I live in Singapore. Over here, tipping is not the norm unless the service is very good. There is already a service charge factored into the bill.

[dude_moose]

Service charges are occasionally included if you are eating at a really nice place or if your party has a lot of people in it (like 6 or more). There should be a sign or something explaining that somewhere and in these cases you don't have to tip. When I've encountered it, it's usually fixed at 18%

[Joost]

Take a day or two for The Met and MoMa
Art until your feet and eyes hurt

[MGarza145]

If you get a chance to see a show, I recommend watching Next to Normal. It's an amazing rock musical that won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama!

[Cordelia]

Yea I'm prob going to MoMa and Met twice - once with my colleagues, once with my hubby. May get an overdose of museums hehe

Thanks, Next to Normal seems interesting, will read up on it.