What to do in NY?

Dutch-best · 04-20-2010, 04:27 PM

Im planning to go to New York by myself in the summer for a week.
The only problem is my budget is only around 3500 dollar (including flight, hotel for 5 nights,insurances and food etc.)
Can anyone tell me what u must hav seen in New York?
What are popular hotspots (it must be affordable though)?
Id like to know from someone who went there what a must see in NY is.
Excuse me for my poor English, but i hope ppl will understand what im tryin to say.

hallux · 04-21-2010, 09:12 PM

$3500 for airfare, hotel, food and attractions? For a week? Surely you can't be talking about NY City.

Wht type of things do you want to see? There's Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, 2 baseball stadiums (the US National Pastime), Times Square, tons of Broadway plays, off-Broadway plays, Rockefeller Center, MSG (the arena, not the food additive), Grand Central Station (I say this is one MUST see, it's impressive), Battery Park, Ground Zero (WTC). Many of those things are free except for the trip there (subway or taxi unless you want to walk).

One word of advice, look as little like a tourist as possible and don't carry a fat wallet. Mugging isn't a HUGE thing to worry about unless you're an easy target. If you look and act like a tourist, some people assume you're carrying lots of cash.

If you like gambling, may I suggest Saratoga in the summer. It's about 4 hours North of NYC if you drive, about an hour or 2 if you fly into Albany through connecting flights. Saratoga as a city is BEAUTIFUL, there's some US history nearby (battle of Saratoga was fought nearby) and there's a beautiful horse track and "racino" (a casino of sorts) attached. It's also a much quieter, slower-paced area than NYC. Everyone gets focused on the huge cities, this is a nice gem if you want that type of thing. You'd need to book soon, the hotels fill up fast. Towns such as Clifton Park and Halfmoon are less than an hour away and also have hotels (that also book fast for racing season) and are really nice areas.

The nice thing about Saratoga is that it's not SO far away from NYC that if you wanted to take a day trip down you can. Leave at 5 or 6 AM, pick up a train in Poughkeepsie and you're in Grand Central before lunch, spend 8 or 10 hours at GCT, Times Square and a few other places and pick up a train back to Poughkeepsie, could be back by 1 or 2 AM depending on the train. If you take the train from Albany/Rensselaer, it's more money but you don't have to drive as far and you have more time for napping on the return trip. Of course, you'd have to check train schedules.

Dutch-best · 04-22-2010, 10:45 AM

Thank you for your time and advice.
3500 dollar is all inclusive.
I know its not a lot, but im only 23 since last week.
I dont want to be broke when i return home plus im planning another vacation for at least a week to Spain to hav a party vacation with a couple of friends of mine in early August.
In New York I dont really care about my hotelroom.
It just has to be clean and relatively close to Times Square in a safe environment.
I dont want to share a room with ppl I dont know in a youth hostel or something.
For travelling im planning to buy a public transportation card for a week.
I heard its cheap and convenient its about €25 so thats about $35.
The travel agency told me a rental car is quite useless there because of all the traffic, plus im not used to drive in busy traffic.
I considered renting a bike there as well, but i heard its quite dangerous there if ur not used to cycle in a huge city.
Im not really into gambling, otherwise i wud hav gone to Atlantic city or even Las Vegas.
I would really like to get some more advice,tips on what i really should know (for instance its a must to tip waiters at a restaurant, which isnt in Europe) before going to NY and the US (Ive never been outside Europe.)

Thank you in advance.

hallux · 04-22-2010, 08:59 PM

You don't HAVE to tip your waiter, but don't expect good service when you come back (if you do). Servers in the US don't make a lot of money aside from tips, it's a different story when you talk about McDonald's, Burger King or Wendy's.

The week-long MTA/Subway card may be a good idea. Keep in mind that Times Square is also the "theater district" so rooms may not be cheap and may be hard to come by. Another option is to stay across the river in NJ and take the train into Penn Station. Unfortunately, I live much closer to Saratoga than NYC so I can't provide a lot of advice on hotels near Times Square.

MrSnook · 04-23-2010, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch-best

Im planning to go to New York by myself in the summer for a week.
The only problem is my budget is only around 3500 dollar (including flight, hotel for 5 nights,insurances and food etc.)

You should subtract the cost of your flight and hotel you are staying at so we can get a better idea of what you can do.

Dutch-best · 04-23-2010, 07:42 PM

I did some research at several travel agencys and they said it would cost about a little over 2200 dollars (flight+insurances+hotel.)
So I think i hav enough money left on food and activities.
Im just staying in a 2 star hotel.
I dont care about hotel, it just has to be in a safe enviroment and pretty close to downtown Manhattan.

FTVfanatic · 04-24-2010, 10:16 PM

Some ideas for you to visit/see:

- Pier 17
- Financial District and NYSE (too bad you can't visit the inside of New York Stock Exchange anymore)

- Greenwich Village
- China Town
- Central Park (rent a bicycle or rollerblades, and have fun)
- all the sky scrapers

Have you already searched Tripadvisor website to see people's reviews on different NYC hotels? Tripadvisor is a good resource to have!

Dutch-best · 04-25-2010, 12:10 AM

Thank you for your time and advice.
I just want to gather as much information as possible, because im only there for a week.
I dont want to go there and regretting later i just havent seen something i really should.
Because it will probably be a matter of years when i visit NY again, or maybe ill never do it again. Im just not that much of a traveling person, and Amsterdam gets kinda dull when u go there every month. Just looking to expand my horizon.
Off course i'll visit standard things like the statue of liberty, Empire State Building and Times square, im just here to find out not so common things in NY
but are just fun to visit or do.

04-20-2010, 04:27 PM	#1
Dutch-best Banned Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 27	What to do in NY? Im planning to go to New York by myself in the summer for a week. The only problem is my budget is only around 3500 dollar (including flight, hotel for 5 nights,insurances and food etc.) Can anyone tell me what u must hav seen in New York? What are popular hotspots (it must be affordable though)? Id like to know from someone who went there what a must see in NY is. Excuse me for my poor English, but i hope ppl will understand what im tryin to say.

04-21-2010, 09:12 PM	#2
hallux Dreaming of Danielle Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 89	$3500 for airfare, hotel, food and attractions? For a week? Surely you can't be talking about NY City. Wht type of things do you want to see? There's Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, 2 baseball stadiums (the US National Pastime), Times Square, tons of Broadway plays, off-Broadway plays, Rockefeller Center, MSG (the arena, not the food additive), Grand Central Station (I say this is one MUST see, it's impressive), Battery Park, Ground Zero (WTC). Many of those things are free except for the trip there (subway or taxi unless you want to walk). One word of advice, look as little like a tourist as possible and don't carry a fat wallet. Mugging isn't a HUGE thing to worry about unless you're an easy target. If you look and act like a tourist, some people assume you're carrying lots of cash. If you like gambling, may I suggest Saratoga in the summer. It's about 4 hours North of NYC if you drive, about an hour or 2 if you fly into Albany through connecting flights. Saratoga as a city is BEAUTIFUL, there's some US history nearby (battle of Saratoga was fought nearby) and there's a beautiful horse track and "racino" (a casino of sorts) attached. It's also a much quieter, slower-paced area than NYC. Everyone gets focused on the huge cities, this is a nice gem if you want that type of thing. You'd need to book soon, the hotels fill up fast. Towns such as Clifton Park and Halfmoon are less than an hour away and also have hotels (that also book fast for racing season) and are really nice areas. The nice thing about Saratoga is that it's not SO far away from NYC that if you wanted to take a day trip down you can. Leave at 5 or 6 AM, pick up a train in Poughkeepsie and you're in Grand Central before lunch, spend 8 or 10 hours at GCT, Times Square and a few other places and pick up a train back to Poughkeepsie, could be back by 1 or 2 AM depending on the train. If you take the train from Albany/Rensselaer, it's more money but you don't have to drive as far and you have more time for napping on the return trip. Of course, you'd have to check train schedules. Last edited by hallux; 04-21-2010 at 09:16 PM.

04-22-2010, 10:45 AM	#3
Dutch-best Banned Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 27	Thank you for your time and advice. 3500 dollar is all inclusive. I know its not a lot, but im only 23 since last week. I dont want to be broke when i return home plus im planning another vacation for at least a week to Spain to hav a party vacation with a couple of friends of mine in early August. In New York I dont really care about my hotelroom. It just has to be clean and relatively close to Times Square in a safe environment. I dont want to share a room with ppl I dont know in a youth hostel or something. For travelling im planning to buy a public transportation card for a week. I heard its cheap and convenient its about €25 so thats about $35. The travel agency told me a rental car is quite useless there because of all the traffic, plus im not used to drive in busy traffic. I considered renting a bike there as well, but i heard its quite dangerous there if ur not used to cycle in a huge city. Im not really into gambling, otherwise i wud hav gone to Atlantic city or even Las Vegas. I would really like to get some more advice,tips on what i really should know (for instance its a must to tip waiters at a restaurant, which isnt in Europe) before going to NY and the US (Ive never been outside Europe.) Thank you in advance.

04-22-2010, 08:59 PM	#4
hallux Dreaming of Danielle Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 89	You don't HAVE to tip your waiter, but don't expect good service when you come back (if you do). Servers in the US don't make a lot of money aside from tips, it's a different story when you talk about McDonald's, Burger King or Wendy's. The week-long MTA/Subway card may be a good idea. Keep in mind that Times Square is also the "theater district" so rooms may not be cheap and may be hard to come by. Another option is to stay across the river in NJ and take the train into Penn Station. Unfortunately, I live much closer to Saratoga than NYC so I can't provide a lot of advice on hotels near Times Square.

04-23-2010, 07:42 PM	#6
Dutch-best Banned Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 27	I did some research at several travel agencys and they said it would cost about a little over 2200 dollars (flight+insurances+hotel.) So I think i hav enough money left on food and activities. Im just staying in a 2 star hotel. I dont care about hotel, it just has to be in a safe enviroment and pretty close to downtown Manhattan.

04-24-2010, 10:16 PM	#7
FTVfanatic Danielle's Biggest Fan Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Northern Europe Posts: 261	Some ideas for you to visit/see: - Pier 17 - Financial District and NYSE (too bad you can't visit the inside of New York Stock Exchange anymore) - Greenwich Village - China Town - Central Park (rent a bicycle or rollerblades, and have fun) - all the sky scrapers Have you already searched Tripadvisor website to see people's reviews on different NYC hotels? Tripadvisor is a good resource to have!

04-25-2010, 12:10 AM	#8
Dutch-best Banned Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 27	Thank you for your time and advice. I just want to gather as much information as possible, because im only there for a week. I dont want to go there and regretting later i just havent seen something i really should. Because it will probably be a matter of years when i visit NY again, or maybe ill never do it again. Im just not that much of a traveling person, and Amsterdam gets kinda dull when u go there every month. Just looking to expand my horizon. Off course i'll visit standard things like the statue of liberty, Empire State Building and Times square, im just here to find out not so common things in NY but are just fun to visit or do.