Hi all,
We are traveling to New York first time at the end of the month for a week. Staying near Grand Central. What must we have on our 'To do list' and should we jut pay on entry or buy a sightseeing pass. If so what pass is best? We want to see one or two main attractions a day and also visit a theatre plus do some shopping.....
All help and advice graetly appreciated.

Just buy tickets to what you want to see, but don't necessarily wait unitl you get there. Some attractions have timed entries and /or limited access that can sell out well ahead of time. Places like Empire State Building and Ferry/Entry to Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island are examples.

It's hard to give recos without knowing who "You" are and what your interests are....

Are you twenty somethings who want to experience nightlife, or superwalkers who normally trek 20 miles a day, or foodies with unlimited budget who want the latest "IN" restaurant, or art lovers who never tire of another museum, or history buffs who want to walk in the footsteps of their ancestors or shoppers looking for the latest fashion, or are you in the 80+ crowd with mobility limitations....

Hi J62
We are in our early 60's and mobility is good. We like to try a bit of everything, so theatre, art, good food, some history, fashion and key attractions will be on the list. I did like the idea of buying tickets depending on where we go. Our days are not planend yet, so open to recommendations. My Itenerary so far is:
Day 1- open to suggestions
Day 2-Empire state building, Top of the Rock Observation Deck, One World Trade Centre
Day 3-Statue of Liberty and Staten Island
Day 4-Museum of Modern Art
Day 5-Central pARK
DAY 6- Shopping but unsure where so far
Day 7- Brooklyn Bridge
I would like to visit e.g. Bronx or Brooklyn but unsure what to see there and what times are best
have i packed in too much? have i missed out anything that i should include? My day 2 feels overloaded...

any advice would be great

Thanks

a few comments....

Day 2. Pick one of the 3 tall buildings to go up, definitely not all 3... IMO the view from the top of the Rock, where you see the ESB and other tall buildings is the best experience, but that's a personal choice. Be sure to look into advance purchase /timed tickets and plan your day around what you can get.
Day 3. Staten Island? Unless you are simply taking the free SIL ferry to get a close up drive by view of the SoL, don't bother. If you plan to actually visit the SoL/Ellis Island, you defninitely need advance purchase tickets.

Museums.... in addition to MoMA there are countless other great museums in NYC. American Museum of Natural History (Huge) and the Tenement museum are 2 of my long time favorites. There are many others that others can comment on.
High line - plan to spend some time on a nice day walking there.
Walking along the Hudson River waterfront. Always enjoyable to me...
Central Park - think about renting bikes - it's a large park and bikes will help you explore. If it's a nice day, plan on taking a picnic just to enjoy the outdoors time.

Ditto ^^^ Top of the Rock and you can skip the other two.

OK, thanks for your help and advice, much appreciated.