galanthusgal Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Yeah, I went to New York in June for 5 days & bought a City Pass. It was great! My friends and I didn't have any particular attractions that we wanted to visit, so it helped us make our minds up. If I remember correctly we paid around $95 (£70) to see 6 attractions (you break even after around 4 attractions). There were: empire state building observatory; american museum of natural history; Guggenheim Museum OR Top of the Rockefeller Building (we did top of the Rock just before sunset but be aware that it takes 20 odd minutes to get up there & it is busy at sunset); museum of modern art; metropolitan museum of art; statue of liberty & ellis island OR circle line sightseeing cruise (we did the cruise - you get very close to statue of liberty but get a decent tour around the edges of NY on the boat too, including the 'typical' shot of NY's skyscrapers). You do avoid the queues to pay (apart from buying the pass at the first location but it is usually at a separate window). My friends & I really enjoyed these attractions. There is too much to see in one day in the museums. We split up to see what we wanted to see & arranged to meet up at a particular spot at lunchtime & the end of the day. The other attractions were busy but you could always find a place to point your camera! I'd recommend one attraction per day & then use the rest of the time to mooch around & see what you can see! We bought a week's subway ticket to hop on & off (the track & train details are on the side of the train - you'll soon get the hang of it). That way we could nip all over the place, but much of it is walkable (just). (but why walk when you can have more time at your destination?!). Ask at the ticket office for a free map of the subway (or you can buy a laminated one at many shops). We had one of each - both were useful from different perspectives! We got a taxi to & from the airport. Traffic was horrendous but it is a fixed price so not too bad (around $51 plus tip each way). As stated previously, you should pre-book tickets to Statue of Liberty because the day's tickets sell out VERY quickly. Your hotel may have a concierge - ask them. Oh, and if you happen to be in the area, there is currently a small (free) museum next to the site of the twin towers. It tells you what happened during & after that time & shows what is going to be built there. Very moving, very interesting. And if you/your party like shopping, there are Bloomingdales & Macy's, some great shopping centres & also some trips to outlet malls. We went to one that was about 1 1/2 hrs away. Cost about $40 for transport but you then got some discount coupons. Again, ask your concierge for details (or look at the literature racks that you can see all over). Got some great bargains!!!!! Bookshops are great too - prices tend to be the same in dollars as they are in pounds here (so the same book would cost £7 here or $7 there). Make sure that you leave plenty of space in your suitcase for purchases! Enjoy your trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galanthusgal Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Forgot to mention - we 3 females felt safe walking around together after dark (though probably not on our own!!!). There is a HUGE crackdown on crime & it shows (although graffiti is awful!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky0000547 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Galanthusgal - You have squeezed alot in the 5 days you were there. Taxi fare to and from JFK airport is a fixed rate of $45 + toll + tips which is about $60. Or the cheapest way from JFK is to use the AirTrain for $5 and catch the subway for $2.25 or use your 7 day unlimited ride metrocard. Many have said taking a trip to Woodbury Common outlet is not recommended due to the travel costs and the time it takes to get there. In many cases you can still find a bargain in Manhattan. On top of the Bloomingdales and Macys, take a look at Century21 next to the World Trade Centre site or Filene's Basement. These two are very good discount stores selling branded items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul2412 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Galanthusgal - You have squeezed alot in the 5 days you were there. Taxi fare to and from JFK airport is a fixed rate of $45 + toll + tips which is about $60. Or the cheapest way from JFK is to use the AirTrain for $5 and catch the subway for $2.25 or use your 7 day unlimited ride metrocard. Many have said taking a trip to Woodbury Common outlet is not recommended due to the travel costs and the time it takes to get there. In many cases you can still find a bargain in Manhattan. On top of the Bloomingdales and Macys, take a look at Century21 next to the World Trade Centre site or Filene's Basement. These two are very good discount stores selling branded items. I'll second the Woodbury Common, it isn't that great to be honest. I think I bought some shoes that I could have easily found in Manhattan for just a little bit more. When you factor in the travel expenditure, and that it would take a day out of actually being in New York I didn't think it was worth it. On another point, the 5th avenue rooftop bar is a must: http://www.230-fifth.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galanthusgal Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Woodbury Common - that's the one we went to! If you really like shopping at malls, as I do, then I recommend it, it is worth the $40 & 1 1/2 hrs each way. The quality of the stuff there was so much better than the quality of many of the outlet malls here. Otherwise, it's not worth it! Perhaps the party can split up! We didn't take the AirTrain to New York 'cos we were tired & confused when we got to the airport & took the easy option! Perhaps you could research it on-line before you go - you'd save yourselves a fortune! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
size13 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 i was in NYC a year and a half ago and both me and missus loved it. in terms of crime and what not, totally agree with everyone else - felt safe, but always be aware of whats going on. the customer service over there is amazing. every time you walk into a shop you get a hello. places id recomend - central park. greenwich village. empire state and the rockefeller. the meat packing district for the shopping and night life. the brooklyn bridge for the amazing views. theres also a 9/11 tribute museum at ground zero that we visited that was very moving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gijoebloggs Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I went and the one thing I would recoment is a helicopter tour! the firm we went with was liberty and they were very very good! http://www.libertyhelicopter.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shefscot Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Never been, no intention of going;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buck Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 If you do go, make sure you wear a bullet proof vest! If you thought crime was bad over here, it's nothing compared to New York.That's utter garbage, I go into town about 30 times a year, everywhere from Queens to the Bronx and Long Island. If you invite trouble you can find it. Isn't that true about Sheffield too. Don't use 50 year old facts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
size13 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Never been, no intention of going;) you should, its amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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