I've booked New York!

[Miss_Shell]

Hurray, I'm so excited!
Booked 5 nights in April and will be there for my birthday, eee!

I've already started making a list of sights and tours but I'm more interested in places to avoid, whether it be because it's not very good, or just generally not a safe place for tourists. Can anyone help?

[Kat11]

I’m interested to hear ideas as we’ve got 6 nights in NYC booked in May. I’ve been before with my friends but not DH and teen daughters, so it’ll be nice to show them the sights. 😁

Kat

[novocastrian]

Ive been @7 times and cant think of anywhere i would consider 'unsafe' there is a massive police presence on almost every block

anywhere south of say central park is perfectly fine anytime of day, wouldnt think going into central park at night/dark is a good idea though common sense really as it would be here in the UK

what constitutes not very good im not so sure as this will be subjective imo

what sites have ypu got planned?

[Miss_Shell]

Originally Posted by novocastrian

Ive been @7 times and cant think of anywhere i would consider 'unsafe' there is a massive police presence on almost every block

anywhere south of say central park is perfectly fine anytime of day, wouldnt think going into central park at night/dark is a good idea though common sense really as it would be here in the UK

what constitutes not very good im not so sure as this will be subjective imo

what sites have ypu got planned?

See more...

I know it's all subjective, but good to hear no area 'sticks out' to avoid.

We are staying near the Rockerfeller so planned to do:

Top of the Rock
Empire state
Liberty and Ellis Island
Times Square (mostly for shopping I imagine)
Central Park and the zoo
My OH is a huge ghostbusters fan so will go and see the firehouse etc.
Ground Zero and the 9/11 museum
Grand Central station
Brooklyn promenade and Brooklyn bridge

[DisneyDaffodil]

We stayed on the road right by Central Park, 59th St on the corner of 5th Ave. Always felt very safe there, even strolled in Central Park early evening at dusk which was beautiful as the fireflies were out and the they flew around us as we strolled.

We didn’t feel unsafe in NYC but I would advise you to just be careful of your belongings (as in any major city) especially when using the subway or public transport. Flashy cameras and designer handbags do stand out as you are walking through the streets and could make you vulnerable. Also when you stop to look at the sights or look at your phone or google maps, make sure you walk over to the wall and stand out of the way as there are so many people in New York trying to rush around to get to work and their usual routines and they get very annoyed at tourists who just stop abruptly in the walkway.

However, I did find in general, that people in New York were very helpful and would help out if they saw you were lost or had no idea how to use the subway etc

It’s a fabulous city and if you are just visiting the main tourists areas, a very safe city in general.

[novocastrian]

Originally Posted by Miss_Shell

I know it's all subjective, but good to hear no area 'sticks out' to avoid.

We are staying near the Rockerfeller so planned to do:

Top of the Rock
Empire state
Liberty and Ellis Island
Times Square (mostly for shopping I imagine)
Central Park and the zoo
My OH is a huge ghostbusters fan so will go and see the firehouse etc.
Ground Zero and the 9/11 museum
Grand Central station
Brooklyn promenade and Brooklyn bridge

See more...

Cant see any issues with any of these sites, the subway is perfectly safe for getting to WTC or Battery Park for Ellis Island.

enjoy !

[sunshines]

Best place for a slower pace walk and looking up (at buildings) is the High Line, a 1.5 mile elevated greenway on the westside, from about 14th street to 34th street. Walk over there, sit on the benches, and look up. Stop for lunch at Cheslsea Market, which is right by the High Line. Enjoy your city break.

Keep in mind that Times Square is often absolutely manic, loud and busy, which can make shopping stressful. If you can go in the morning, it will be more calm, though many like to go in the evening when it is all lit up and there are throngs of people.

[Celica190]

If you’re doing Top of the Rock, for a small additional fee you can do a guided tour of some of the 19 buildings that make up the Rockefeller Center and then bypass the queue to the viewing platforms. You wear headsets so you can hear the guide outside and learn a lot of fascinating facts. Also try to go up approaching sunset. The tickets are slightly more expensive but worth it.

[Buzz242]

We took the subway to Chelsea Market then walked the Highline to Hudson Yards, once there we went up The Vessel which gave some great views of the Hudson. Also recommend the tour of Madison Square Garden.
We've been a few times and always felt safe, as somebody else said there is a strong police presence.

[sam7]

We went a couple of years ago, felt very very safe everywhere. I would recommend grouping all the sights you are interested into Upper, middle and lower Manhattan. Make sure that you take time to just wander around taking in the sight of these huge buildings towering over you, its amazing.
Ellis Island was brilliant, we took a free guided tour and I really recommend this, it brought the place to life - I could 'see' lines of immigrants waiting to be processed. We did both Empire State and Top of the Rock early in the morning, taking advantage of the face we were awake before many to avoid queue, for the Top of the Rock we got a ticket that let us go back later in the day for dusk which was lovely.