Quote Him="Him"New York -
Loved every minute. Obviously there's some iconic things to see like the Statue of Liberty etc but I just enjoyed walking around, going to a few bars and taking in the atmosphere. It's difficult to explain, it's just a feeling of an atmosphere, but I loved it.
A few little tips though, don't bother actually going on to the island that the Statue of Liberty is on, when you're on it you don't actually get a great view of the statue! We got some cracking views of both the statue and Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry.
Don't, unless you're desperate just to say you've done it, go up the Empire State Building. You get better views, and IIRC it's a bit cheaper and has smaller queues, from the top of the Rockefeller Centre.
Visiting the UN might not be everyone's idea of fun but I'm a geek so I loved it.
Don't bother visiting the USS Intrepid (aircraft carrier on West side of Manhattan) it's expensive and a bit rubbish.
If you're flying in or out of New York don't use the taxis to get either to or from the airport. They're expensive and rather uncomfortable if there's more than 2 of you or you're 6ft+ tall. There's a perfectly good bus shuttle service to the airports in and out of New York. Or, if flying out of New York, your hotel concierge can book a "black taxi" that is effectively a pre-booked taxi service but in a much nicer, more spacious car that was actually a bit cheaper than the regular "yellow taxis".'"
Pretty much matches my experience. NYC is an amazing place and you could spend a lifetime exploring, but the tourist traps are just that.
Been several times on leisure, and unfortunately had to do the Statue of Liberty twice and Empire State twice (the express tickets were worth skipping the queues
), amongst others, and I have fond memories of a brass band tour which took us to the top of the Twin Towers in about 1990 and to the UN, which was an amazing experience not least because we met Bill Clinton.
What you say about having a walk is spot on. The last 2 times I've stayed with a family member working on Broadway, which meant I had plenty of time to myself. One of my favourite walks was Upper West, past the Intrepid, up through Hell's Kitchen, through Theatre District and probably on to either Little Italy or the Village, stopping for a few slurps and nibbles on the way. The backstreet places are the best by far, I'll never forget an Irish bar in Hell's Kitchen where the locals made me very welcome apart from a loudmouth prick who got all "Ireland for the Irish" aggressive because I was English. That is until I told him not only was I part Irish, I had relatives over there and had visited many times - unlike him, who had never left the USA. He got shouted down. That was a great night.
Philly is worth a visit, as is Boston, but NYC is a unique beast.
