I am in need of some help! My boyfriend & I (24) are traveling to NYC Sept. 9th (late night flt) through early 13th a.m. We have many ideas of what we would like to do but not sure what is a Must.... We are staying at the On the Ave Hotel, {hoping we made a good hotel decision] & would like any information of anyone else's experiences or reccomendations! Please Help! We are celebrating my birthday & I am anxiously awaiting this special trip! Thanks, Tiffany P.S. our 1st time to NYC

I hope you have a wonderful time and this board can help you with lots of suggestions. But you have to help too. What is it you enjoy? It would be silly to spend hours telling you all about the many museums to visit if you don't like museums. And there is no point ranting on and on about Broadway shows if you don't care to see one. What's the point of telling you about the hot dance clubs if you hate to dance? Get the idea?
Tell us what sorts of things you like and then we can help.
And are you looking for some places to dine for a splurge of a couple hundred dollars? Or are you looking for budget type things to do?

We are interested in shopping...broadway, art, dance clubs, eating (really good food!) sightseeing, and parks. (central park?) Somewhat of a budget..but my motto is "you only live once"... I am sorry to be so vague..it is my 1st time with this. I apologize...

Here is a start for just seeing what is going on when you are in NYC.

www.newyorkled.com

Get a good guide book, I like Access for all cities.. get a good map, I like Streetwise.
See one of the best museums in the World!
www.metmusem.org
Take a walk in one of the best parks!
www.centralpark.org

Google as many NYC places as you are interested in and see what is going on when you are visiting.

What kind of food do you like?

Go to Soho, shop, eat and go to Canal Street and shop , Little Italy, get some ices. Buy art supplies in Chinatown and buy souvenirs and postcards.
Go to the SouthStreet Seaport and just look around.
Ride the Circle Line and see Manhattan from the water (and NJ)
Go to Serendipity for a late night Frozen Hot Chocolate.

Hope this helps you get started

Well, the upper west side is a great neighborhood for good, inexpensive food. It is primarily residential - and many NYers work so much that they eat out or order in most of the time - so thee's a good variety. (There are at least 100 - of every ethnicity - within a short walk of my apartment.) Walk up and down Broadway, Amsterdam and Columbus and check out the menus - any place crowded will have good food. For details in advance go to menupages.com.

For art go to the Met (one of the 3 great museums of the world) and the Guggenheim. Also, the Frick if you have time. For the Met go to the website and decide in advance which galleries you want to see- otherwise you'll be there a week. Also, check out the list of gallery talks - they're frequent - for a more in-depth view of a specific topic.

For discount shopping Century 21 and Filenes Basement (79th/Broadway). For bigger stroes Bloomies, Bendels and Barney's. For window shopping all the designer places on Madison.

Yes, do walk through central park - the only sizeable one in tourist territory. The Cloisters is also fantastic if you're into mideival - but a teeny bit out of the way - with very interesting gardens - in a major park.

Are there any tips for dance clubs/bars? We like the nightlife..
Thanks for all the info!!

OK ladies.
A week before you get to NY
get the latest Time Out New York
magazine.
All your questions will be answered,
and ideas will flow .
Do stop at Mesa Grill(Bobby Flays)
restaurant for a drink.
Walk to Union Square.
Take in the atmosphere.
Walk on Broadway to Soho.(Houston ).
Look up often some magnificent buildings on the way.
Take a break at the mexican bar/rest
just before Houston.
I always forget the name but it has a great sombrero in lights
sticking out to the street.
Cab it to Canal for fun.
Walk to chinatown.
Have fun

Mesa Grill 16st-5 ave.

I'm not up on the latest dance clubs but sheckys.com is a website that's been mentioned here for good bar/lounge info. Here's the link to the places they list with dancing
http://newyork.sheckys.com/cat.asp?id=9

The meatpacking district is one of the trendiest areas right now. Here's some info

http://www.newyorkcity.com/nightlife..._district.aspx

Another hot area for bars, restaurants and clubs is the Lower East Side (LES) I don't know how good this website is, but here's some info
http://newyork.citysearch.com/roundu...1___roundup__1

The Upper West Side where you're staying is a good residential area with lots of choices for eating. No one has mentioned On the Avenue for a while here and there don't seem to be any reviews on tripadvisor.com I'm not sure what that means. The Belleclaire and the Milburn (hotels)in the same area have been mentioned here favorably recently. People also like the Beacon, the Lucerne and the Excelsior hotels in that neighborhood.

Thanks for the much needed helpful information!!! Tiffany

~

Hi

My wife and I went to NYC for the first time in July this year. We stayed there for about a week and we had a great time. I have posted our experience on my personal homepage http://gardkarlsen.com. Maybe you can find some useful information there Have a great trip

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway