I will be traveling to New York City for the first time in October. I am curious to find out the general basics of NYC life, i.e. don't go to this area at night; be careful of ____; ___ will take advantage of you; etc. I have read a lot about NYC and have my itinerary down. Many of the books that I have come across vaguely mention safety. What is your best opinion in things to do/not do? Are there any areas a stranger to the city should stay out of?

New York City is the safest large city in the US and one of the safest cities in the country overall.

Use your normal street smarts, and you'll be OK. NYC is relatively safe (as far as large metropolitan areas go)and I feel as safe here as I do any other big city in the world.

Some areas that can be dicey depending on time of day and exact location include East Harlem and the lower east side (LES). In the LES, the outer fringes of Alphabet City can be sketchy at night, although I haven't been down that way in quite a long time, so someone please correct me if I am wrong.

If you will be traveling alone late at night, you may want to opt for a taxi rather than a subway (as I do, being a woman alone late at night I err on the side of caution).

Chances are as a tourist, you will be confined to the better parts of the city, so really, just use your normal insticts you would in any city. Have fun exploring!

NYC does have a few areas, unfortunately, where crime is more common - but they are generally low income residential areas - not areas where tourists would generally spend a lot of time. (IMHO LES and East Harlem are not among the especially risky areas.)

You may be more comfortable if you take a cab vs the subway in the small hours - we generally do so - but more for the time factor than any fear of crime (from 1AM or so on the subway runs less frequently - and you might have to wait 15 miutes or so for a train.)

I agree. I love going to the city quite a bit and the sense of safety is always there, no worries! just use common sense that's all! You'll find so many places to visit, walk around, the many diverse ethnic restaurants to go to......I'm getting hungry already!

The scariest thing I've ever seen on the LES at night was a tranny with bad makeup.

Three rules: Don't play 3 card monty. Don't buy anything from a vendor whose store is a cardboard box, except an umbrella in a rainstorm. Don't fear the subway.

Have a great trip!

Great! Thank you for all of your advice! Coming from Oklahoma City, you never know what to exactly expect of larger cities. Thanks again.

My general rule of thumb as a female woman when I'm in NYC (I lived there for 5 years) is that the more people around the better. If you find yourself alone late at night on a deserted street, try to go to a street where there are more people around. ON the subway, go on the train that has more people on it. In other words, safety in numbers.

As for the Lower East Side/Alphabet City, I lived there for 4 out of my 5 years in NYC (just moved last year). The neighborhood has changed immensely and is hopping with restaurants, nightlife, and people. I just wouldn't go as far east as Pitt Street and wouldn't venture past Avenue C (Avenue B maybe if you don't know the city well).

You will be fine. Just use common sense. Don't count your money on the street, try to know where you are going in advance and not stand on the street corner with a map trying to figure out where you are.

When we found ourselves standing on a corner looking at our tattered map--in midtown, in broad daylight--a nice guy stopped to help us. We were on our guard--would he try to run some obscure scam on us?--but no, he just wanted to help.

GoTravel and acwsf: look out for those male women! ;-)