My friends and I have booked into the Metropolitan on Lexington for 4 nights in December.

There are a few things we would like to do at night, but we're slighly concerned about safety.

How safe would it be to do the following...

Visit Times Square/Empire State Building at night (up to 11/11.30)?

Skate in Central park at night (how late is "safe" in the park?).

Thank you
Gabby

You are staying at one of our favorite hotels. (used to be the Loews). Great location -- right next to the Citicorp building and the subways.

There is extra hustle and bustle in NYC during December. Everyone is walking 5th avenue to look at the store christmas windows and THE TREE. Just beware of pickpockets, due to the crowds. Other than that, you should be fine.

Michele,

Thank you for your reply. Please tell me more about the Metropolitan. I have heard a few mixed reports about it, and was worried that we had made the wrong choice.

Is it in a good area? What rooms are the rooms like? I hear that NYC rooms are notoriously small!

Thanks again
Gabby

don't worry about safety in nyc. it's not the late 70's and early 80's when it was a concern. living there for the past 15 years i believe you can go just about anywhere. the places you mention are fine. just remember there are more undercover cops patroling the streets than you could ever believe! but if a place looks unsafe to you...AVIOD IT.

Gabby -- the Metropolitan is a fine hotel. It's nothing fancy, which is probably why it gets the mixed reviews. Haven't seen the rooms, but the lobby is nice, it has a lobby bar and restaurant. It is just a very large hotel with conventions, so some people don't like that about it. It is in a perfectly fine neighborhood in which you should feel very safe walking at night.

As for your questions, yes the city is much safer than it used to be. And, at Christmastime there will be lots of tourists and others strolling along 5th Ave and other tourist destinations. I used to work on 5th and used to marvel at how many people were window shopping at 10 at night!

I think the Empire State Building would be fine at 11:30, although you might not want to walk there. The 30's along 5th are not as nice as further uptown.

You can also skate at night in Central Park. I'm not sure how late Wollman rink is open, but it's an easy in and out of the south side of the park. I wouldn't wander around the park after you're done -- just follow a well-lit path directly out and you'll be okay. There will be lots of tourists, carriages, etc. around Central Park South, especially the east end near the Plaza Hotel.

Have a great time and don't forget to see the tree at the Metropolitan Museum -- one of my favorite highlights of the season!

Until last year, I lived in the area around the ESB, and you will be fine walking both to and from it from your hotel. Fifth Ave between 42d and 34th will be pretty dead at that time, and safe enough, but just walking down Park or Lexington, which are both pretty residential from 42d to 34th Sts, and then walking west to 5th on 34th St, will be more pleasant.

Assuming you mean ice skating at Wollman Rink in Central Park, I agree with Lisa that you should be fine as late as the rink is open, but go directly to and from there using one of the main transverses, and don't go into the park itself.

You're a group, and there is strength in numbers. Just know where you're going and walk confidently. I feel safe walking at night, even alone, in many Manhattan neighborhoods. As others have said above, midtown is quite safe except for the possibility of pickpockets in crowded places. Just don't make your belongings vulnerable while walking or on public transportation.

Thanks to all who replied, your comments have been most helpful.

Thank you
Gabby

Lisa- What kind of tree do they have at the Metropolitan Museum? Or are you talking about the tree at Rockerfeller Center?

Good grief. New York City is the safest large city in the world. Don't do anything you wouldn't do at home. No one is lurking in a dark corner waiting to mug you.

Bella -- the tree at the Metropolitan Museum is an annual tradition. It is decorated with these beautiful papier-mache angels. At the base of the tree -- all the way around -- is a Neapolitan creche from the 1700's (I think). The sheer detail and number of figures is breathtaking. I always make a trip to see it.

Gabby --

The Metropolitan rooms were surprising big. The rooms are big enough to accommodate 4 people comfortably.

We had the option at $10/adult to upgrade to business class. With that upgrade we got a nice breakfast and a 5 - 7p manager's snacks, which included wine and hot foods. Enough to fill the kids up. Later at night there were cookies and hot chocolate, coffee, tea.

After living in NYC for 10 years, this is the hotel where we always stay. It is next to the Citicorp Building, where there are subways. And walking distance to all holiday sights.

To: XXX

I am not doubting that NYC is safe - in fact I have heard a lot of postive remarks regarding its safety. My question was how safe is certain parts of the city at night.

I live in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The city is among the safest in the United Kingdom/Europe - but you wouldn't necessarily walk along the Shankill Road/Falls Road/Shore Road etc etc at night. By day it's a totally different matter.

I would appreciate it if you could keep your "good grief" to yourself.

Gabby

i think this sums it up:

EVERYWHERE!!!! south of 96th street is safe to walk at night with a group of 3 or more people!

As one poster said: No one is lurching in the dark

and if they are: 99.9 percent of the person belongs to this gang: The NYPD

you shouldn't walk to the empire state building---come on already!!

the only reason not to is your legs will be tired!

The only place in town I don't feel safe is the Chelsea area and those long walks between 7th and 8th Avenues, too many dark shadows and no one around. I have asked strangers to walk with me on several occasions. I think robbers can pop out of doorways and never been seen. Remember the Sex in the City when a guy pops out of an alley and they rip off her Manolo Blahniks and her purse...that was that neighborhood. Otherwise I have walked home alone many times at 3 and 4AM on the Upper East Side. The other unsafe place is the subway. The lowest form of life ride the New York subway. I have seen really ugly fights break out between passengers. This happens when conditions are overcrowded, like peak times. I had a guy stand next to me one morning riding Up East Side to Wall Street and I though he was going to knife me after he elbowed me about 15 times, trying to shove me out of his way. I finally told him to cut the crap or I was putting him under arrest. He was obviously a gangy repeat offender type. He got very huffy and left at the next stop. A hispanic woman sitting on the bench in front of where we were standing was actually crying, she was so afraid of the situation. Another time someone pinched my bottom and I stomped his foot with a spike heel and he cried out IT WASN'T ME! That was quite satisfying. In all I would take taxis, walk or take busses.

Hey Gabby!

Welcome to our city! I can only say that your view of NYC is how most Americans who never been to Ireland view Belfast! They BOTH have many bad stories! Once you see how great this city is you can go back and tell your friends I am of Irish decent and you will feel at home in NYC! Have a great time! Skating is one of the highlights of the Christmas season in NYC...the view is spectacular at night!
JOHN

Just to chime in... my two cents re: the subway: it is totally safe! No, you shouldn't ride it after around midnight, but during the day and the evening it is quite simply the most efficient form of transportation in the city. When I moved to NYC five years ago and was completely broke, I'd take the subway home at 3 in the morning--I never once felt unsafe. Granted, that was during Guiliani's reign, but still. Now I stick to taxis that late at night.

You'll be fine at both Times Square and the ESB at 11 p.m. As a matter of fact, Times Square will be so bright it'll feel like 12 noon, and the streets will still be filled with people. And heed the above posters regarding Central Park at night.

Welcome to NYC!

Gabby,
My white haired mother and I were out shopping one night until the stores closed, then walked to a cafe for some tea, then walked back to our apartment.It had started to rain. Standing and waiting for the light to change,we noticed a man approaching us. He was large and scruffy looking.
When he got to the corner where we stood, he pulled out a beat up old umbrella, and held it over my moms head as we stood there and waited. Then we walked across the street and parted ways. This is just one of a million stories of kindness and quirkiness in Manhattan that outweigh the bad stories. Have a wonderful time in NYC, and DO go to the Met Museum and see that Christmas Tree, covered with angels and candles, it is breathtaking.

Thanks again for the great advice everyone.

Gabby

Dear Former NYC Resident:
You can't possibly be serious. You're afraid of walking in Chelsea because someone was mugged there ON A TV SHOW??!! Please. And I have an apartment like Monica and Chandler's.

The subway is SAFE. I have never seen a single incident in the 10,000 times I've ridden it. Even at 1 AM. Oh, and thanks for referring to me and other subway riders "the lowest form of life". Sorry if we're not millionaires and can't afford to be driven to work each day.

It's funny how NYC STILL get the reputation as a city that's somehow unsafe. There are many posting on this travel board about the same topic.
What people seem to forget is that there are MANY other US cities that are more dangerous than NYC. For example, there was a recent article in the paper that compared the # of homicides in NYC vs. Chicago. Turns out Chicago had MORE homicides than NYC, and NYC as 2 1/2 times has mmay people has Cicago! And we are not talking about homicides per capita -the statistics were actual # of Homicide deaths. Yet you NEVER see postings on this board about whether it's safe here or safe there in Chicago,or is it safe to take the El at night.