Hi there,

I'll be in New York for a 4 night stay (26th Dec - 30th Dec)and would like to know how safe it is to walk around at night? E.g. from tourist type places to my hotel. I'll be in the Metropolitan (formerly Loews) and would ike to visit Times Sq, Empire St Bldg and Central Park (horse ride) at night.

Thnx.

Safety with regard to walking will not be a problem. The streets will be crowded with locals and visitors day and night. To walk to Times Square from your hotel will take you past Rockefeller Center and the Christmas tree. At that time of the year there will be pedestrian and vehicular gridlock for blocks around where the tree is located. A carriage ride in December in Central Park at night may not be a good idea - no safety concerns but it could be very cold.

S is right on the money. You should have no troubles with all of those places although you should always be cautious of potential pickpockets, especially in Times Square. Don't roam around the Park at night (you'll get lost, if nothing else), but it's perfectly safe to walk to the edge of the Park and/or take a carriage ride.

Belinda:

Just keep in mind that there's usually safety in numbers. You will find that NYC will be full of tourists on those dates out in numbers in the areas you mentioned in both the daytime and nightime. Those dates are a great time of year to visit New York ... visited post Xmas a few years ago with my husband and we went all over the place at night in midtown Manhattan. There always seemed to be alot of people around. If by chance you find yourself in an area where there are not many people and you don't feel comfortable, just grab a cab ... should be relatively easy, especially at night.

The city is very safe at night. Exercise the same caution you would in any other big city.

Walked back to hotel after going up the Empire State building (last elevator), so that was around midnight. Had my 9 year old son with just me and never felt unsafe.

NT City is very safe. Exercise the same caustion that you would anywhere, Suburbia, Rural, City, etc. Things happen everywhere.