baysidegirl

I'll be in NYC over Thanksgiving and have been before and seen most of the top sights. What I'd like to know is what 'must' you do in NYC - eg. have a drink in the Rainbow room at sunset, skate in Central Park, see Macy's parade? I'd love to hear from native New Yorkers or others with their favorite 'must dos'.

NeoPatrick

Have you entered this in the search function here? There are long threads on this exact topic nearly every week. So most locals and visitors have given this information many, many times. Nevertheless, I'm sure some will be happy to repeat it again.

By the way, be aware that many "native New Yorkers" wouldn't be caught dead in midtown Manhattan or anywhere near Times Square and the "tourist zoo". Many would never thing of doing any of those three things you mention. You'd probably be better off asking tourists rather than locals what THEY'D do.

nstevey

If you're into music:

Carnegie Hall (plus Zankel and Weill)
Opera @ the Met/NY State Theater
Lincoln Center
Village Vanguard
Rose Theater
Bowery Ballroom
Irving Plaza

etc etc etc...

nytraveler

IMHO Macy's Thnksgiving Day parade is best seen on TV. And Times Square best avoided unless you're doing a show.

Without knowing your interests it's hard to make recos.

But - if you haven;t done the Top of the Rock do that. Check out Lincoln Center - the season for most everything is in full swing (and if things are sold out you can often get tickets for rehearsals at bargain prices).

Also check out the New York Magazine web site - which lets you search thousands of events by date and category.

And if you haven;t done some of the smaller museums (City of New York, Frick, New York Historical Society - there are dozens of smaller ones) check out their exhibits to see what might interest you.

If you're interested in the zoo check out the the special lit up night time displays at the Bronx zoo - and there are also special exhibits at the botanical gardens.

baysidegirl

So sorry to repeat things asked previously but I am new to the site and just getting into the swing of things.
I've done the tourist things, the ones I want to anyway, and now I'd like to try something not considered touristy. Sorry to use such poor examples but I didn't know how else to get my point across. If the 'locals' wouldn't do anything I have mentioned what would they do?
Thanks nstevey - going to the opera this trip and will check out others you mentioned.
Thanks nytraveler - planning on going to City of NY museum and have been to the others. Thanks for the website. Appreciate your help.

NeoPatrick

Speaking of opera, take a backstage tour at the Metropolitan. This is NOT the same as the general Lincoln Center tour. The opera backstage tour is very good -- you must book ahead. And you might consider having dinner at the Met if you're seeing an opera there. The food is good, the service is nice and you can return to your table at intermission for dessert and coffee. It makes a special evening even more special.

The backstage tour at Carnegie Hall is pretty interesting too.

Aduchamp1

Check Time Out NY, Village Voice, and New York Magazine websites for music.

There is no way someone can answer that question unless they know what music you like.

nstevey

Since you mentioned opera, this is not a must do and it might not be your thing, so I'll mention it anyway.

http://www.amato.org/

In a nutshell it's an opera production squeezed into a tenement in the lower east side. The seating is tight, building old, tenors and sopranos not the cream of the crop (actually they forget their lines - that's half the fun!), but it sure is different.

The Met is usually sold out but SRO available. NY State might be your best bet.