FAQ
Where do I stay?
You will get a different answer depending on whom you ask. It all depends too on how you plan to spend your time, but we stay in midtown because of easy access to the park, museums, and the F train that can take you downtown. Hotel options are the Warwick, AKA Central Park (has a small kitchen), Thompson Central Park, Sheraton on 7th Avenue, Hilton on 6th Avenue, and for a splurge the Park Hyatt.
What's the best way to get around?
Walking is the best way but it's not the fastest (although compared to a taxi in midtown it is). Subways are the quickest way to get from one part of the city to another. We have been riding the subway for years and are riding post covid. You can still purchase a Metrocard in any subway station to be be used for the subway or bus. The easiest way to pay, however, is with your phone. Google for instructions. Buses give you a view but they are very slow. Of course taxis and Ubers are options. Pedicabs are abundant in Central Park and Times Square but my advice is to stay away from them. They are expensive, slow and a menace to the flow of traffic.
How do you find out what's going on in the city the week of your trip?
Check out the New York Times, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, and Time Out New York. Of course, just use google too for exhibits at the museums and galleries you might want to visit. Follow New York accounts on social media. I have found several interesting places from listening to The Bowery Boys New York History podcast.
Any advice on getting those hard-to-get dinner reservations?
Many of the finer restaurants book 28 days out so you have to be on top of things or use American Express concierge service which is what we do, or you can get help from your hotel's concierge. We have also gotten reservations the day of from cancellations; otherwise, we just use Resi or OpenTable.
Any strategies for mapping out your "plan of attack"?
Yes, and plan is the operative word. There are always so many things I want to do that I have to make a detailed plan in order to get them all in. The biggest word of advice is to plan by neighborhood. Getting from one part of town to another eats up a lot of your time so map out everything you want to see and do in, say, SoHo or the Village, and do all of those things on the same day.
Is the city safe especially at night?
Precovid I would have answered a resounding yes, but since covid, crime rates have risen. I still do the things I want to do and I ride the subway; however, I don't ride late at night. I have found the biggest city "danger" to be bicyclists going the wrong direction! Be aware of scams too that target tourists. You'll be handed a CD, a hat, or a bracelet and then be asked to "donate." There are people dressed as Buddhists monks who can be aggressive requesting donations. My advice is not to take anything from anyone standing on the street and don't give to charities with donation boxes set up, especially in Times Square. By all means give to your favorite charity but do it on your own terms.
Here are some great websites for making your own plan