New York

The Society of Illustrators Museum is fantastic.

societyillustrators.org/

Oh yes, LOUISA forgot about Ellen’s.
The queue is massive, so if it’s possible, book ahead.
We saw the best ever rendition of Always on my Mind (other than Elvis). A chap on the next table cried throughout a waitress singing Wind Beneath my Wings!

Ellen's stardust diner in times square is fantastic....all the servers get up and take turns singing songs from the musicals ( they are all musical theatre trained) ....we were in there nearly 2 hours and it felt like we had seen a Broadway show for the price of a meal .

Wish I could have seen New York. Never did and never will.

www.bigapplegreeter.org/

Contact Big Apple greeters at once. They're a voluntary organisation that provides individual volunteer guides to show you around. It's personalised and fabulous.
Our guide was a retired Broadway singer. He came to our hotel to collect us and took us to places we'd never have thought of. We ended up.with coffee and pastries at the oldest bakery in NY and he wouldn't even let us buy him a drink. Seriously, check them out.

Grand Central Station is also worth a visit if you have time.

😂. I’m free if you want a bag carrier/guide!!

I loved the Museum of Native American History, I could have stayed there all day, instead of the half a day we were there.

Definitely get the Staten Island Ferry, I couldn't believe it was free, but it's great for stop offs, including Ellis Island and Staten Island itself.

Last time we were there we stayed right next to Ground Zero, the time before that the Twin Towers were still in existence.

I love the Empire State and the Chrysler Buildings, wonderful examples of that Art Deco period. Also Grand Central Station, particularly the way one glass area lets the light in and the way that light falls, really quite beautiful, lots of marble, or at least that's how I remember it.

Penn Station for the hustle and bustle, we got an Amtrak train from there all the way down to Savannah. It's a hub to travel across that vast continent.

Seaport area for fish restaurants.

I think NY parks are somewhat underwhelming, Central and Battery were the ones we saw, compared to London's parks, my feelings were they were nothing to write home about. We did see the John Lennon memorial in Central Park when we had the kids with us. Last time we were there, I found I didn't really like the area around Times Square, just too much of a sensory overload and their subway is really dirty and quite horrible. I did like their SoHo, much better than London's that's for sure, nice shops and coffee houses, and the Tribeca district was also nice.

It's a great city, my very first impression when riding in from the airport, wow! it's like being in a forest of tall buildings, and it's somewhere where I think many of us feel we have been before we ever go there due to how filmic it has been over the years. Do the open top bus such a good way to see everything it has to offer, great for hopping off and on.

Have a great time it'll be a splendid experience.

I have been many times, so much to see, probably my favourite City.
I totally agree do the bus tour, you can hop on and off at interesting sites, and not miss much.
Have a fabulous time.

We took the open topped bus from Times Square. It was great. It takes you all around the city and you can get on and off them as you please. They take you to the boat stop for Liberty and Ellis islands. The little church at Ground Zero was incredibly moving.

I have never been but I will give you the tips I have when visiting London:

Limit yourself to a few sites or whatever that are close by to whhere you are staying and give them your full attention, as well as finding place to eat and drink nearby.

If you go without a plan you will waste time and energy and not focus on what you are seeing if you are worried about missing something.

Book and pay in advance if you can as this will keep you focussed- look up the things you really want to see and not what everyone goes for as it may be very busy- so I try to keep away from busy times and the places everyone else goes. Avoid tourist traps if you can, but maybe this is what you want?

Make sure you have factored in transport times and costs also do some walking in order to soak up the atmosphere.

Don't look at everything as a photo op- but your camera away as much as you can and just enjoy the moments as you experience them.

Plan well and enjoy your trip.

Enjoy Dogsmother one of my favourite cities

Just a word of caution the museum dedicated to 9/11 is well presented but extremely poignant, it still has the twisted girders on show.

Central Park is a must, if only to get away from the hustle and bustle.

Thanks everyone, all very useful I will let you know how we get along.

You could consider buying a day ticket for one of the open topped tourist buses - stay on for the entire circuit, then on the second circuit, get off and on at places that interested you on the first pass.

That would be my suggestion. Start with that - you will see a lot of famous Manhattan landmarks on your way around - some of which you'll be glad to have seen but don't necessarily need to stop at. Then decide which ones to return to.

Ellis Island if you've got the time or Staten Island Ferry for the views.

If you do want to see a show you could try the ticket booths - Times Square (gets very busy) or Lincoln Centre.

Grand Central Station is a good stop off - fabulous building, lots of shops and eating places from diners to "posh".

We visited St. Patrick's Cathedral. We were staying near Times Square so took the subway to Ground Zero, very poignant and thought provoking.
Grand Central Terminus was impressive. We also had a look inside Trump Tower if that's of any interest. Quite tacky I thought.

The Natural History Museum and Planetarium,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art - free, but donations are welcomed.
Try the Little Zoo at the far end of 5th Avenue, just inside Central Park - after you’ve window shopped (or more) at Tiffany, then walk across Central Park to come out at Strawberry
field and The Dakota Building where John Lennon lived and died.
Pop into Grand Central, far more than a railway station. The food market is sensational and there’s an oyster bar below ground.

The Freedom Tower and the 2 massive fountains on which
The Twin Towers stood - it’s humbling.

St Patrick’s Cathedral is also on 5th - beautiful blue stained glass window.

Lots of open places like Bryant Square to stop for a coffee. For fun you could visit the Firehouse where the original Ghostbusters was made, or find Carrie’s apartment (sex in the city).
Hudson’s Yard and Chelsea Market are good to wander. How about a Reuben (sandwich) in Katz Deli, scene in When Harry Met Sally?

Take the Staten Island Ferry from Battery Park - there’s a good view of Liberty from the water, if you don’t want to actually visit Ellis Island, although it’s fascinating.

At night - try 1 Vanderbilt with spectacular views of the city and try a cocktail there. (lethal).

Most New Yorkers walk - the buses and taxis are painfully slow, because of all the congestion, so get a good map. You could consider buying a day ticket for one of the open topped tourist buses - stay on for the entire circuit, then on the second circuit, get off and on at places that interested you on the first pass.

Tickets to a show are expensive - we’ve done both Wicked and The Lion King twice - the NY audiences don’t hold back!

However, beware of people trying to sell you expensive tickets near The Empire State Building or Rockafella Centre to ‘avoid the line’. The line is the line - you won’t jump it.

Beware street sellers late at night - it’s all counterfeit stuff, unless you want a plastic Hermes bag!

A final word of warning is tipping - a minimum of 15% up to 30% or more! Meals also tend to be rushed - the servers are on a low wage and rely on tips, so the faster they get you served and out, the more time for another few bums on the seats.

The taxi fare from JFK and Newark is fixed, but if the traffic is bad, the driver won’t be happy unless you tip well - we usually budget $100 each way. Just keep remembering it’s an expensive city.

As Norah says - it’s spectacular! 🍎

What’s your mobility like and what interests you?

The Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island. Tickets reserved. Ferry.

Boat tour.

A Broadway or off Broadway show. We'd like to see George Clooney 'Good Luck, Good Night'. We enjoyed 'Lion King' and 'Hamilton' recently.

Tour of the Lincoln Center. Neighborhood is gone, basis of 'Westside Story'.

The Metropolitan Opera. Wide range of offerings.

Eataly is a favourite restaurant.

Have fun, NYC is spectacular!