crowds in the city (New York)
 

Having read so much about how crowded the city is, I am wondering what's it like after New Year's Eve? I will be there from 31st DEC til 6th JAN. Will it still be so bad?

I've been in NYC on New Year's Eve and on many other occasions and, while I studiously avoided Times Square ;), I can't say it was perceptibly more or less crowded than usual. NYC tends to have a lot of people milling about year-round, but I've never had trouble finding a place (park, etc...) to sit and escape the rush. Remember: even the most populous borough Manhattan is quite large and offers opportunities for escape. Also, while the tourist quotient may go up filling up the city, that some of the workforce might be taking a vacation, emptying the city a bit.

We went last year for a week starting the 4th. Everyone we spoke with told us what a great time of year we picked because it is so much quieter. We were able to get great seats to all the shows we wanted to see without buying in advance (except for Wicked which we did pre purchase) No waits for Empire State Building at all. We went on Good Morning America and after the show there was several other shows trying to get us to go because they couldnt find enough people. As a bonus all the xmas decorations were still up so we got to enjoy them as well. Good Luck!

It depends on what you mean by crowded. Obviously the Holiday crowds are gone, the 1.1 milion kids (and parents trying to amuse them) are back in school and tourist attractions will be less busy (shorter lines, easier to get play tickets and restaurant reservations).

That said - Manhattan is the center of a metro area with 20 million people - and any time of the year transport centers (airports or train stations) and central business and shopping areas will have a lot of people hurrying to and fro.

You'll be fine. The only real crowded conditions in NYC on New Year's Eve are in the Times Square area. And, after that night, the crowds are not pretty much not to be found in the city.

I now avoid Times Square all year long. It is always insanely packed and almost impossible to walk through.

I'll do just about anything to avoid Times Square.

I was in midtown & Times Square with tourist friends today and I have never seen NYC as crowded.

Unbelievable! So many people ...

But after 12/31 ... much, much smaller crowds.

The first week in Jan. is typically a very quiet time with holiday visitors gone and many locals not yet back from vacation. But this year may be different as <i>everyone</i> seems to want to be here. But it won't be anything like it is now. You'll have a great time.

I'll totally agree with Gekko about the crowds in midtown yesterday. I, too, have never seen such mobs. I'm not exaggerating when I say that you could barely walk on the sidewalks on both sides of the street on Fifth Avenue near Rockefeller Center.
And, if you wanted to go to the American Girl Store, forget it. The line to get in was a block long around noontime!

A heads up too - this year, because of the way the holidays fall, many schools do not start again until Jan. 8 - I would think the first week of the year may be even more crowded than usual . . .

A lot of this is extra european visitors due to the disastrous state of the dollar. There are 2 hostels and 2 budget hotels not far from my apartment and the number of people asking for directions or dragging back-packs around is way more than usual

Crowds are better today ... not as unbelievable as yesterday ...

As an aside, the weak dollar is the USA's policy to keep our manufacturing competitive with China ... NY Times article last Sunday did a good job explaining it ...

http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstra...AB0994DE404482