5 days in New York

I will be in New York 22-27 July with my husband. Staying in Times Square. We are fit and dont mind walking. Want to take in main sights and at least one Museum/Art gallery. Any suggested itineraries appreciated. One fabulous restuarant and a few good ones also needed. Is it worth visiting Statue of Liberty or is a ferry ride by enough?

5 days in New York

Our favourite NYC restaurant - if you like meat - is Churrascaria Plataforma, an amazing Brazilian restaurant on W 49th St between 8th and 9th Avs (about 10 blocks walk from T Sq or short cab ride). Huge dining room with great buzzing bar in the front. Flat rate gets you humungous starter buffet, then they start serving the roasted and grilled meats to your table - so long as your coloured coaster shows green they will keep coming. Fridays and Saturdays (I think only) they have a great samba band. But do book if you intend to go. http://churrascariaplataforma.com/ and try to avoid dessert as it is outside the flat rate and shoots the price up - but after all that meat and potatoes, who needs dessert?

5 days in New York

Here%26#39;s a link to the FAQ post that answers all those questions and more.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g60763-i5-k1301543鈥?/a>

Within that post are trip reports grouped by couples, families etc. You%26#39;ll get some ideas from reading what other folks did.

Best advice

%26gt;each of you write down what your must see/must do things are

%26gt;get a good map (online or hard copy) and plot the must dos on the map. Put together an itinerary based on where things are located (ie try to avoid spending time in several different areas on the same day--do one day in midtown, another downtown etc.)

%26gt;the Met Museum is generally judged to be the one ';must'; museum here but it%26#39;s huge and can be overwhelming. Consider doing one of their highlight tours or a tour that covers your particular interest (ie they have some impressionist tours etc.) Look at the website metmuseum.org

While you%26#39;re there, don%26#39;t miss going to the roof garden for very nice views. Hard to find the correct elevator to use. Ask and then ask again. ;)

%26gt;If you%26#39;re interested in going to the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, it%26#39;s on the same ferry and if you can get a pass to go inside the SOL, it%26#39;s worth it. But this trip can take the better part of a day.

Happy reading.

PS, the one restaurant most people think is fabulous b/c of combo views/food/service is the River Cafe

rivercafe.com

Hi

We are recently back for NYC had a great time. Before visiting I checked out people%26#39;s opinions on the statue of liberty and they seemed to vary on whether a visit to the statue of liberty is worthwhile.

We visited and we enjoyed it but I warn you that the line ups (or queues to us Brits) can be quite horrendous. We pre booked tickets for 8.45 to 11 a.m.slot so we were first there really, the security is very tight and I would imagine that the line ups get alot longer during the day.

If you decide to go I would recommend being there early and pre booking an early slot, you still need to collect tickets from the will call window so you will still need to line up for those. We were down at Battery Park at 7.40 a.m. and they opened the gates at 8 a.m. with a big line up.

If you decide not to go up the statue of liberty it is still worthwhile taking the ferry getting off having a walk round for piccies and also visiting Ellis Island. Hope this helps! Also, I would recommend the hop on hop off bus tour, this is great value for money. We also did Top of the Rock during the day and Empire State Building at night. If I had to choose one, I would choose top of the Rock, great views and a lot less busy.

If weather is very hot, hop on/off bus is VERY VERY hot sitting outside upstairs. kingofnyc.com or nypartyshuttle.com are in air conditioned buses. ;)

06kimbo: Weather has been a bit cooler than usual for July but be prepared for it to be very hot when you come. Walking is great but you%26#39;re going to appreciate some of the more %26#39;indoor%26#39; activities...

When my friends come to visit, one of the first things I do is take them to the top of the Empire State Bldg... I know, touristy and obvious, but it gives me a chance to give my guests the lay of the land... you can look straight down 5th to the arch at Washington Sq Park, see the various parts of the city from a different perspective... my friends usually appreciate the experience.

As for art...I usually take them to the Met since it has a bit of everything. It%26#39;s very large so grab a map when you enter the main hall - as with most museums - be prepared for a line to have your bags inspected (which basically means some guy ina uniform is going to shove his flashlight into your bags...) I would recommend you start to the right in the Egyptian wing - very calming and cool when you come in off the hot streets... also, make sure you go up to the rooftop for a drink and decompress a bit with a view of the treetops of Central Park (not always open but check!) Also - don%26#39;t forget that the admission is SUGGESTED. You can give them whatever you want and they%26#39;ll give you a pin to enter.

As for restaurants - I agree that Churrascaria Plataforma is delicious and a lot of fun. It%26#39;s more fun, though, if you%26#39;re with a lot of people - the atmosphere is very lively, encourages conversation and is kind of like a big party - with lots and lots of meat strolling about... for memorable meals, look also into Union Sq. Cafe or Lupa for top notch food from famous chefs and top notch service (the pound is very much in your favor so go nuts!).

You%26#39;re going to have a great time no matter what you do! (I actually joined the forum to ask some questions and learn a few things about my upcoming trip to London... so maybe you can help me out there!)

Just back from five days in New York myself - first trip there. you might want to read my review of what we did.

Have to say I found Empire State more impressive than Top of the Rock.

If you can fit in one of the New York Food tours of Grenwich Village well worth considering. Gives you a true insight into the village and also some excellent ideas of where to go back and eat.

New York much busier on Friday and Saturday so would suggest you do what you really want to do other days as possibly less busy.

Enjoy your trip