Things to do / places to visit in New York in April

My wife and I are off to New York next month for our joint 50th birthdays – apart from the usual touristy stuff, does anyone have any other recommendations for places to visit, things to do, places to eat & drink etc?

I went last September and took my grown up kids after promising them for years. The ferry trip on Hudson river is great. This takes you along the financial district, Brooklyn bridge and past the statue of liberty amongst other things.  The open top bus is good value for taking in the sites too and tickets are easily obtained from ticket agents on the streets everywhere.

The Natural history Museum (we had a lovely walk through central park to get there) and grand central station is worth a trip.

Get ready for deep pockets it’s so expensive in Manhattan. A 330ml bottle of beer from an oitside shack in Times Square was about 12 dollars. But you’re in Ney York!

Top of the rock (Rockefeller) and Empire State are great views.

We stayed in the theatre district in an apartment which was great in terms of location. The architecture there is an amazing site to see when you first step out of the subway. It was raining when we got there and what with the steam rising from roads it looked like Blade Runner 😃

I’m of Irish stock so I hit their great downtown bars, if you like a drink you’ll love em. We walked around most places (Hells Kitchen etc) as most of it felt safe now it’s gentrified.

Have a great time!

Haven’t been for a while but used to drop by Dave’s for cheap Carharrt (proper) workwear (check online) and drink in the Blind Tiger and the Half Pint (Greenwich village).  West Fourth  St is where Bob Dylan lived in the early 60s if that’s of any interest (album cover shot there). The Williamsburg bridge is entertainingly wobbly and the other side you have the Brooklyn Brewery and a great second hand clothes place. The Chelsea Hotel is iconic (rock star connections, Brendan Behan, Dylan Thomas, Robert Mapplethorpe etc). There used to be a great fish restaurant on Bleecker St called Fish (!),now closed, but something similar may have opened. Research restaurants with care as I used to find much US food absolute carp. Amy’s Bakery is quite good for breakfast. Moma’s good (but not as good as the Tate galleries and the National over here).

If you take the Hudson ferry you can leg it round the other end (even though you’re not meant to) and come straight back. Bryant Park is a pleasant little stop with access to free newspapers.

I went to Daves too BillMC. Bought some of their own brand tees n sweaters.  Great family run shop.

The Highline is a pleasant walk not too far from there too.

High Line is a nice walk and there are some nice places at the meatpacking end.

If you like Concorde, they’ve just repainted the one on the west side.

You can easily spend a day at the Met.

Electric scooter rental in Central Park is really fun.

Brooklyn great for cheaper dining and good beer.

Los Tacos No1 near Times Square.

Wah Fung No1 in Chinatown for lunch.

There’s a great Belgian bar near Times Square that does draught Chouffe.

Crown tickets on Statue of Liberty, but you usually need to book months in advance.

Edge is a cool thing to do; also there’s a nice bar at the top of the Freedom Tower.

A tour with a local (GetYourGuide) plus entry to the 9/11 museum is well worth it.

Me and the Mrs go every couple of years and love it every time. In no particular order;

1. Grand Central and some oysters sat at the bar with a pint of IPA in the Oyster Bar (assuming you like oysters that is.)
2. Walk the High Line.
3. Go to a 24hr diner (Remedy Diner in East Village is our favourite)
4. Go to the Met (if you like museums and art)
5. Go to the Guggenheim (if you like modern art)
6. Little Island was a nice place to sit if the weather is nice.
7. Go for a cocktail at Starbucks Reserve or LB in Greenwich for somewhere more low key
8. Go up the One World Observatory.
9. Take in some music at Le Poisson Rouge.

In Grand Central, look at the ceiling in the main hall and take photos – it’s hugely impressive.

If you don’t like the smell or taste of fish/shell fish – avoid the Oyster Bar.

More museums than you can shake a stick at – choose a few at random.

Little Italy is now very little compared to what it was – but still, IMO, atmospheric.

Go to the 9/11 memorial and museum; the names carved into the surrounds of the reflecting pools…

Central Park.

Carnegie Hall.

Walk the Brooklyn Bridge on a Sunday morning when it’s pedestrians only.

Ride the A train.

Go watch baseball and basketball.

There are a million things to see and do

Also, if you don’t fancy booking for Top of the Rock, speak to the concierge and ask if you can go up to Bar 65 for a drink. No entry fee (but drinks are pricey), but you basically get the same views off the balcony as the viewing platform. Sunset is of course the best time to go. Oh and the view from the gents is one of the best in the world.

Things to do:

Chelsea market (lower west side), is a fabulous spot with loads of cafes restaurants and shops selling things you didn’t even think would exist, but do, and you want them!

MoMA is Museum of Modern Art. Plenty of Van Gogh, Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Monet etc. Even if you’re not a big art fan, it’s worth it.

Hudson Yard. Got a glass bottomed viewing deck that’s higher than the Empire State Building. Wild stuff.

Brooklyn Bridge and a stroll around DUMBO, over in Brooklyn. Great place down there for a wander and plenty of food/drink options.

Levain Bakery, Upper West Side. Best cookies you’ve ever had.

McSorley’s, E7th St. hard to know what to say about that place. Just head on in, and see what happens.

Don’t try to pack in too much – pick a couple of things a day, and allow plenty of time for exploring in between.

Take comfy shoes, as you’ll be walking. A LOT!

That’s as much as my sleep-deprived brain can give at the moment, but enjoy it, and have a blast! 😊

We went in September and echo a lot of the above, it is very expensive. We had the rather unusual (apparently) feature of breakfast in our hotel so made the most of that to get an early start everyday. The one thing I would recommend is a guided walking tour. We had one and although we would have found most of the areas we visited the routes we were taken on we would never have followed and we saw some really interesting places and gained lots of local knowledge.

The Met, then take the bus up to the Cloisters and gain free entry with your ‘badge’. Lovely day out and an interesting bus ride up through Manhattan. (We did this 22 years ago so bear that in mind 😉).

It is worth trying to find things to do in relatively close proximity – NYC is a big place.  High Line, Empire State Building, Circle Line boat tours, Grand Central Station, MoMA and the Met all worth it.  Katz’s Deli is cheesy but a bit of fun.

One off the beaten track art gallery I was recommended and wholly endorse is the Frick on Upper East  – some seriously good old masters in there and it is free on some Sundays.

I was going to suggest Bleeker Street Records to add to your New Wave record collection but see it closed (in 2016!) but it lives on as Generation Records

Forget to say we tapped on Ladder 20 Fire departments door in the Soho district during one afternoon and asked politely if we could buy some of their merchandise and make a donation. To our suprise and excitement we were then offered a great tour (they let us look around the fire truck cabs and everything). They also have a cool dog to keep morale up called Tank 😁

We were told they lost a few of their crew during the 9/11 attacks and shared some incredibly personal stories of bravery and loss. It was one of my highlights that bit of the holiday. We also booked the 9/11 tour, which was left to the end of the holiday as it was so impactful, but so glad we went.

Had to visit the Rapha shop too, loads of lovely stock and people faffing about inside with weak mustaches. 😃

Like others have said, just walk everywhere if you can and take it all in. So much to do in such a short time.

The Edge at 30 Hudson Yards. It’s a huge viewing deck cantilevered out of a skyscraper 100 stories up. Way better than ToP of the Rock IMO. 360 views, glass floor, even the lift up is awesome. Bit spendy but worth it.

Didn’t find new York expensive compared to mid west and Seattle!

We stayed in Brooklyn which was great

Mikes diner for a proper cheap new York breakfast.

Walking over Brooklyn bridge into Manhatten & the park/shops Brooklyn side

Montesacro Brooklyn is a great modern Italian place.

Empire state building is great, but will be crowded. I think we queued for about an hour in total

Echo lots of the above. The Frick is the personal collection of a railway magnate, and he built the villa to house the pieces as he wanted them displayed, makes it very special.

Oyster bar is great at evening rush hour for people watching, and lots of other great seafood besides oysters.

If you are in Grand Central, seek out the Campbell Apartment hidden inside the building, proper classic cocktails. Bit spendy and they ask for a jacket, but always had a couple of loaners.

Trip to Liberty 🗽 gives you a great view of the Manhattan skyline, or you can get a subway to Jersey City in 5-10 mins from the world trade center for a similarly good view.

Rosa Mexicana for frozen margaritas and the best (guaca)mole made at your table

Sparks steak house in the mid E40s is a typical NY steakhouse, and a mafioso got whacked there back in the 70s. Also Gallagher’s in the 50s off Broadway

If you wanted to go easier on the wallet, lots of small deli places who do great warm food and salads that you buy by weight and take back to your room. Same goes for beers and water

Highline
Walk or ride the Brooklyn bridge.
Joes pizza on carmine st for a slice
Johns pizza Bleeker St for a whole ‘pie’.

LE BAIN AND THE ROOFTOP SITUATED ON THE TOP FLOOR OF THE STANDARD, HIGH LINE FEATURES EXCLAMATION-INSPIRING VIEWS & SUNSETS, DANCING, AND COCKTAILS.

It is as described above, and will make you feel like you are in a NYC film.
Downtown was always much more interesting to me than up (not interested in designer ships) although now downtown is swanky I think, and not as much like a Lou Reed song.
MOMO is ace.

OP here – wow, so many great things to check out – thanks so much to everyone above for taking the time to post 🙏🏼

As mentioned previously, take decent, comfy shoes for walking. We went last October and walked 54 miles in 5 days.

Third time in NYC for us so we have done all the usual tourist things. Would second most things already mentioned above except MoMA. It was massively disappointing when we visited a few years ago.

Last time we saw more of ‘Down town’ and really liked it. More relaxed and fewer high rise buildings. Brooklyn was nice and we’ll probably stay there if we go to NYC again. Cheaper than Manhattan but now has plenty of good bars and restaurants.

One of the newer attractions is SUMMIT One Vanderbilt. It’s next to Central Station and has a great viewing platform and a bar overlooking the Manhattan skyline.

We had a very boozy evening in a bar called The Liberty NYC on W 35th St. It’s run my a Welshman and serves great Moscow Mules as well as decent bar food.

A visit to The Intrepid followed by a walk along the High Line and food from one of the many eateries in Chelsea Market is a good way to spend a few hours. Los Tacos No.1 gets rave reviews and has long queues for good reason.

It’s a bit tacky but you should have at least one diner breakfast in somewhere like Junior’s just for the experience.

Have a great time. NYC is a brilliant place to visit.