Good areas for late night walkabouts?
 

Just wondering if there are any good areas/neighbourhoods to walk through at night (10am-2pm)? I'm taking my brother to NYC at the end of the month and he is determined to sleep as little as possible while we're there lol. Neither of us drink or are interested in the bar/clubbing scene, and we're open to suggestions. Thought there might be a few interesting places to visit late on in 'the city that never sleeps'?

We're staying in midtown (E 42nd St I think).

Well end of Nov will be kind of chilly out late at night.

From 10pm to midnight isn't late night and you will find people on the major street in all areas except the midtown business districts. Try Times Square, avenues (not side street) on the upper east and west sides which has tons of restaurants and bars. You will also find quite a few restaurants, delis and some stores (Barnes & Nobel) open until midnight.

For the later time I would head to the village and the east village which tends to have smaller shops open later as well as late movies and lots of restaurants and bars.

For a list of late night eating spots check out menupages.com and it will list places open 24 hours as well as those open late. For instance, PJ Clarke's serves until 3 am. In case you decide you need a hot drink or dessert or snack in your travels.

< to walk through at night (10am-2pm)>

That's only night in Alaska and Iceland in December.

If you mean 10 pm to 2 am, then midtown to the Park, the village, much of soho and tribeca should be alive and well at those hours.

The Empire State Building is open until 2am. If you're looking for a late-night destination, head there. It's an easy walk from that hotel on east 42nd, though you'll find very little open in between. You might want to walk down Park Avenue and then turn right on 34th. It's nice to see the city late at night from above.

I am not a big fan of the ESB, finding it overly commercialized and ridiculously expensive. However, late-night might allow you to skip most of the ridiculous lines. Avoid the stupid motion simulator rides and just go to the top. That's the magical part.

Assume the OP meant 10 pm to 2 am.

Also check out the Top of the Rock, which I believe is open until midnight.

And the Staten Island ferry runs 24/7/365 - I think every 30 minutes late at night. The trip across the harbor and back will take more than an hour - and the views of the floodlit city skyline on the way back is fantastic.

Actually the Staten Island Ferry might be a better option. Then you can walk back up to the 9/11 Memorial (not a short walk mind you, but the plaza there is open 24 hours). Again, you avoid the ridiculous crowds, which is the best reason to do this.

However, I don't recommend walking up through Battery Park. That is likely to be really quiet and while it's a safe area, I am always hesitant to walk through parks really late even in NYC, which is safe ... and this is one of the safer parts of Manhattan, though it may be utterly deserted after midnight.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I did indeed mean 2am lol. I hadn't thought of the Staten Island Ferry - I think that's a real possibility. I also like the idea of exploring the village/east village/soho etc at night.

Thanks again.

The Meat Packing District will be full of life at those hours, nearby West Chelsea too.