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Brooklyn cafes and SOHO galleries are not hidden gems that only locals know about lol
Three days is plenty to balance heavy touristy things like statue of liberty and empire state building and exploring neighborhoods
lol, you're absolutely right. Thank you! Three days is a great way to combine exploring popular landmarks with exploring the surrounding neighborhoods. I'm also planning my itinerary right now. If it were you, how would you plan your first day? Which area would you start in? I'm still trying to decide whether to head straight for the Statue of Liberty.
Have you ever been? If you haven't I say start with some of the touristy things or at least balance the two. You can't say you've been to New York and NOT see the iconic things like Times Square, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty. They're popular for a reason.
You’re totally right I haven’t been yet, and honestly I was leaning toward “avoiding the tourist traps,” but you make a great point. There’s a reason those spots are iconic. I think I’ll try to balance both hit the classics and leave room to explore some neighborhoods too.
Thanks so much for the suggestion really appreciate the perspective!
Statue of Liberty can only be bought via one website and it’s the ONLY vendor approved by the National Park Service. No one else gets to go on the two islands. Buy that in advance because they do sell out quickly. I thought it would be a fast thing but we ended up spending 6 hours across the 2 islands.
Thank you so much for the heads-up! I had no idea there was only one official vendor definitely wouldn’t want to fall into one of those tourist traps. And wow, 6 hours? That’s actually super helpful to know I was totally underestimating how much time to budget.
My personal advice for the Statue of Liberty would be to take the Staten Island ferry back-and-forth, which will be much faster and is free. For views of the city take the NYC ferry from Wall Street up to Long Island city area or 34th St. You can walk by the Empire State building. I don’t think it’s worth it to go up, but definitely you should walk by and then go to Koreatown for some delicious food! Central Park would be really fun to go to and you can also go to the met that way, which is well worth the visit
I like this suggestion. Take the ferry to Staten Island. Eat at enoteca Maria then take the ferry back.
If you're older than 30 years old, there is NO reason to go to that 9/11 memorial museum. It's depressing and they replay the news broadcasts continuously as if we don't remember hearing them non-stop for a year. If you're under 30, it's educational, but only go if you're interested in learning about the history of this event. And bring tissues.
Traveled to NYC weekly for work for 3 years and have lived here for the last 5 years - never been to the Empire State Building (other than my office on the 9th floor) or the Statue of Liberty. You don’t need to see things just bc they are famous, it’s just a building
Just take the Staten Island ferry and have a free look.
Access to the torch is no longer available so going to the island is completely a waste of time.
In addition, you can book a dinner cruise for a few hundred bucks that takes you to the island and you get to eat a decent dinner. Considering NYC prices these days, these cruises are still priced well.
My wife just surprised me with one last year on BD. It was great!