We are visiting NYC from London between 3-7 October (Friday - Tuesday).

What are your Top Ten Must Do's/Sees in New York, as I just finalising my itinerary, and want to make sure we see as much of these as possible!

Thanks for your help

I went to NYC last year from the UK for 4 days. Number 1 would be the circle tour - see www.circleline.com/ - the guide we got was great. I am sure locals will be able to fill in the other 9 better than I can.

It entirely depends on your tastes. If you like museums, of course the MET, do you like the theater, what about bargain shopping on Canal street. I hate to sound flip, but a good guide book will help you decide what will be best for your particular interests.

Sorry, my question probably sounded really vague.

I have 2 guidebooks and have used this site a lot to put together my itinerary, but I also LOVE reading people's top 5/10 lists of what THEY have really enjoyed.

I will go by the guidebook but I would also Love to hear some personal experiences, then I can make my mind up from there on.

I am a very flexible person and tend to enjoy most things - variety is the spice of life!!

Hope this clarifies things a bit, and again - apologies for my vagueness!

OK....here are MY top ten things to do in NYC:
1)see a play
2)eat at a Vietnamese restaurant (second choice Thai)
3)Go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art(concentrating on one section, not the whole museum)
4)wander throught the great stores on Madison Ave.
5)spend the night at the Mercer Hotel in SOHO
6)stroll through SOHO and enjoy the shops
7)bike ride in Central Park on Sunday morning
9)buy cheese at Whole Foods Market in Chelsea
10)Attend a lecture at The New School

In case you missed it here is link to Travel Channels Top 10 sites to visit in Manhattan:http://travel.discovery.com/fansites.../nyc/main.html
(Click on photo of southern Manhattan to view slide show)

Here's my top 10 list for you, but then again I'm more of a low maintenance laid back type of gal, and having been born and raised in NYC, we tend not to always do the "touristy" stuff...but here goes.
1. Catch a ballgame at Yankee Stadium
2. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset
3. Central Park whether its a hansom carriage ride or just walking through to Strawberry Fields
4. FAO Schwartz - for the kid in all of us
5. Dessert at either Serendipity or Cheesecake at Junior's (I'm impartial to the Brooklyn location over the Grand Central one as they have more selection in the food department and it's actually pretty good!)
6. Checking out live bands in the bars and clubs in Greenwich Village
7. Catching a broadway play.
8. Getting on the tour boats from South Street Seaport (is this still around? I used to take this a few years ago for $15)
9. The view from the Staten Island Ferry even if it does go to (yick) Staten Island!
10. Catching the street performers in any given train station! LOL Especially the spanish dancing guy with his mannequin in the Times Square station!

This is just my off the wall list, and I'm sure some may disagree, but I get a kick out of some of the things you don't always get to appreciate in every day life....

In no particular order...

1) Central park, on foot or bike (skip the carriage ride)

2) Anything where you can see Manhattan from the water...a boat tour or the SI ferry
3) Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge

4) Try some kind of ethnic food that you can't get at home (9th Ave has lots of ethnic restaurants)

5) Go to a show and/or a sporting event

6) Hate to say this because I HATE the crowds...but everyone's GOT to see Times Square once

7) Ditto on Canal Street

8) Stroll beautiful downtown...from the West Village to SoHo to Tribeca to Wall Street...to see historic NYC

9) Top of the Empire State building

10) Hmm...how to decide on one last thing? Upper West Side/Riverside Park/79th St Boat Basin is an area I keep revisiting even though it's a 40-minute subway ride from home - beautiful and calming. Or, if you want to be really active, Hudson River Park (in west Tribeca) has a very long bike path (you could rent a bike), a trapeze school, batting cages, mini-golf, and free kayaking. Musuem of the City of New York may be my favorite museum in the city...interesting but small enough to do in 1-2 hours.

You HAVE to go to Katz's deli and have a pastrami sandwich. It's been 2 1/2 years since I've been there and I'm still craving it!!

my suggested list (in no particular order):

1. guggenheim museum -- for the art and the architecture of the building itself!

2. sheep's meadow, central park -- for the view of the bldgs + the grass.

3. top of the empire state building

4. SoHo - shopping/having a coffee outdoors/people watching.

5. Fifth Avenue/Madison Avenue - check out the shops

6. time square - just to experience it for a short while.

7. buy half-price tickets to see a broadway show!

8. listen to jazz in the village.

9. boat tour - for a different perspective of the city.

10. statue of liberty.

Since it is ALL about the food:

1.Katz's deli - for pastrami & attitude.
2.Peter Luger's Steakhouse in Brooklyn
3.Soup Nazi-(Seinfeld)take-out soup.
4.John's Pizza on Bleeker Street
5.Zabar's for breakfast, & it must include a bagel. Bring to Central Park and eat on the Great Lawn.
6.Veniero's bakery for Italian pastry
7.A Gray's Papaya hotdog
8.Sausage & pepper sandwich at a street fair. Sure to be one that weekend.
9.One fine dining experience at a top NY restaurant-call NOW.
10.One dining experience in a trendy restaurant. The drinks will make food go from good to excellent - Tao, maybe.

And to work it off:

1.Walk by Washington Square Pk. Brownstones are magnificent.
2. Rent bikes-ride 'loop' in Central Pk.
3.Jog the promenade at Battery Pk City.
4.Catch a film at the Ziegfeld theater.
5.Visit the NY Public Library
6.Take tour-Lincoln Ctr & Met Opera.
7.Happy hour at Bryant Park Grill on Mon., mingle with NY'ers, then walk Times Square at dusk.
8.Rose's Turn piano bar in the Village for late night fun.
9.Empire State Bldg at NIGHT.
10.St.Patrick's cathedral Sunday mass

You definately must eat a NYC street hot dog. The best thing about NYC!
Also, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Take the Tram to Roosevelt Isl (good views of midtown). The Met, of course, but also the Brooklyn Museum is very good. Walk around Brooklyn Heights. Staten Island Ferry. Eat in Little Italy (I know it has become one big tourist trap, but it is still worth a visit). Drink at a "local" bar. Get on a subway that goes a long way and take a ride. Ground Zero and the small chruch across the street-go inside. But most importantly, pick a direction and start walking.

Thank you SO much for this - its exactly the kind of thing I was after, I will print it all out and add to my intinerary!!

No one mentioned this and it was probably the most interesting museum I have ever been to in NYC. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum was fabulous!

I like Susie QQ'list I would add the
Frick Collection, the art, plus the feeling of the way they lived is fascinating to me.