# What are the must-dos for a first trip to NYC? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 26, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217 "2016-04-26T21:18:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/21 "2016-04-27T15:17:18Z")
Good info in this thread. To those that have been there, is City Island in the Bronx worth a visit? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/22 "2016-04-27T18:31:40Z")
One thing we sought out, and enjoyed, was the “[elevated acre](https://www.google.com/maps/place/55+Water+Street,+New+York,+NY+10004/@40.7064211,-74.0076243,4473m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x89c25a15ca1b0c31:0xecf38002ea60673e)”, a rooftop green space at the backside of 55 water St. It’s near(ish) the Brooklyn Bridge and offers a great view of the bridge, East and Hudson rivers. A nice place to relax for a bit then walk to and across the Brooklyn bridge. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/23 "2016-04-27T20:00:14Z")
Even if you’re not into art museums, visit the Guggenheim for the architecture. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/24 "2016-04-27T20:06:20Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I’ve lived in New York for about 16 years. So I’ve done none of this shit.🆒 I lived there for 25 years (and did most of this shit:)), then moved away 20 years ago. So some of my recommendations are somewhat dated. Is Junior’s cheesecake still the best? Who’s got the best pizza and Chinese now? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/25 "2016-04-27T22:27:26Z")
Any recs for “authentic” NYC pizza? (Not the “When Trump met Palin” crap but something that’s locally legendary.) A friend insists that there’s no such thing as a real cannoli outside of NYC- anyone know if this is true? ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/26 "2016-04-27T23:29:54Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Any recs for “authentic” NYC pizza? (Not the “When Trump met Palin” crap but something that’s locally legendary.) You can find a good list at [Scott’s Pizza Tours](http://www.scottspizzatours.com/pizzerias). You can also take the tour if you want. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/27 "2016-04-27T23:55:16Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > The TKTS booth in Times Square has last-minute discount tickets to Broadway shows. You have to take what you can get, though. Much better and less crowded is the TKTS booth at South Street Seaport. It is open earlier and you can get tickets for matinees there also. There is a TKTS app which will tell you what is available. Last time we went we got good seats at Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson there. Don’t expect to get Hamilton tickets there though. As for museums, it depends on what you like. I love the Cloisters, but it is an all day trip. I also love seeing the dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History, and the armor at the Met. There are also lots of smaller museums like the Morgan which may have special exhibits you are interested in. As for cruises, Circle Line is okay, but you can also get a nice view of the harbor for free on the Staten Island Ferry. The UN might be of interest, but these days you have to reserve in advance. When my father worked there I could wander around just about anywhere with no one getting alarmed. Not any more. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/28 "2016-04-28T00:39:04Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > My main interests are history, theater, and sight seeing. Would be particularly interested to know which museums and-or tours would be most recommended. Even if you’re not that into art museums, I’d recommend the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the history – they have great collections of art and artifacts from Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and there’s also the Arms and Armour collection. FWIW I found the American Museum of Natural History to be kinda disappointing. There are definitely interesting things to see there, but a lot of the exhibits seem rather dated and personally I don’t think it’s as good as the Smithsonian or the Chicago Field Museum. There are various websites where you can buy Broadway tickets at a discount, I think typically for shows that are not currently the really hot ones. I don’t have enough experience doing this to recommend a particular site, but IIRC [Broadway Box](http://www.broadwaybox.com/) is what I’ve used before. A quick Google turned up this [Time Out New York](http://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/cheap-broadway-tickets) article about getting discount tickets. > [@](#): > > Are cruises worth the money? I did the Circle Line cruise because it was included in the [City Pass](http://www.citypass.com/new-york), and I enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/29 "2016-04-28T01:51:12Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Any recs for “authentic” NYC pizza? (Not the “When Trump met Palin” crap but something that’s locally legendary.) My recommendation is to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan (right across from City Hall) to Brooklyn, and then go down the first staircase on the Brooklyn side and go around to [Grimaldis](http://www.grimaldis-pizza.com/home) directly under the Bridge. From there you can explore the newly renovated Brooklyn Bridge Park, and stop at the [Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory](http://www.brooklynicecreamfactory.com/) shop on Fulton Landing. From there you can take the Water Taxi back to Manhattan. On a nice day, this is a little slice of some of the best the City has to offer, and you’ll work up an appetite walking the more than a mile over the Bridge. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/30 "2016-04-28T19:06:08Z")
Don’t forget to take your passport. You are, after all, entering Brooklyn. 😃 Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/31 "2016-04-28T19:57:19Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > I loved The Cloisters - which is far off the beaten tourist track. I second this! A lovely place. When I went there, they had on display the Lewis Chessmen: > **[Lewis chessmen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_chessmen)** > > The Lewis chessmen (Scottish Gaelic: Fir-thàilisg Leòdhais \[fiɾʲˈhaːlɪʃkʲ loː.ɪʃ\]) or Uig chessmen, named after the island or the bay where they were found, are a group of distinctive 12th century chess pieces, along with other game pieces, most of which are carved from walrus ivory. Discovered in 1831 on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, they may constitute some of the few complete, surviving medieval chess sets, although it is not clear if a single complete period-accurate set can The... It was awesome. Another great small but lovely museum well worth the visit is the Neue Gallery: we just randomly wandered into it, and it was awesome: Klimt! > **[Neue Galerie New York](https://www.neuegalerie.org/collection/about-the-collection)** > > Museum for German and Austrian art from the early twentieth century. Located at Fifth Avenue and 86th Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/32 "2016-04-28T20:51:05Z")
> [@Billdo](#): > > My recommendation is to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan (right across from City Hall) to Brooklyn, and then go down the first staircase on the Brooklyn side and go around to [Grimaldis](http://www.grimaldis-pizza.com/home) directly under the Bridge. From there you can explore the newly renovated Brooklyn Bridge Park, and stop at the [Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory](http://www.brooklynicecreamfactory.com/) shop on Fulton Landing. From there you can take the Water Taxi back to Manhattan. > > On a nice day, this is a little slice of some of the best the City has to offer, and you’ll work up an appetite walking the more than a mile over the Bridge. You’ll hear 100 different recommendations for the best pizza in NYC, so you should probably take it seriously that I’m here to second Grimaldi’s. Their house wine will remove layers of skin from the roof of your mouth, but the pizza is the best. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/33 "2016-04-28T23:49:34Z")
If you or your traveling companion(s) are interested in affordable couture, I recommend a place called Century 21 - not the real estate company, but a store where one-off (or a few off) couture creations that didn’t sell are available at quite affordable prices. It’s located way down near the old twin towers; the address is 22 Cortlandt St. It’s listed as a discount department store, but it’s nothing like any other department store I’ve ever seen. You’ll find clothes you won’t find anywhere else. At least that was the case when I last visited in 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/34 "2016-04-29T16:16:55Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > To those that have been there, is City Island in the Bronx worth a visit? Maybe it was at one point, but, IMHO, it isn’t now. There are a couple of mediocre seafood places, and you could rent a canoe or a kayak. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/35 "2016-04-29T23:09:31Z")
And whatever you do, do not eat NY pizza with a knife and fork! ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/36 "2016-04-29T23:26:28Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > You’ll hear 100 different recommendations for the best pizza in NYC, so you should probably take it seriously that I’m here to second Grimaldi’s. I won’t say it’s the very, very best, in my person opinion, but it is extremely good, and if other people agree, then I will 3rd the recommendation, because I am aware that I don’t always agree with everyone about what the very best pizza is. There was a place on Christopher St., the name of which escapes me, but I thought it was the food of the gods, and no one else agreed, so I went there alone when I had an early lunch. I also think that the Ellis Island museum serves truly exceptional pizza for a museum cafeteria, on par with an actual pizzaria, and no one agreed. Maybe I was just really hungry that one day. Also, I’m a vegetarian, so I like the places where you can get pizza by the slice, and don’t have to share a pie with the carnivores. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/37 "2016-04-29T23:27:53Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And whatever you do, do not eat NY pizza with a knife and fork! Unless you are my mother. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/38 "2016-04-29T23:38:10Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Even if you’re not that into art museums, I’d recommend the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the history – they have great collections of art and artifacts from Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and there’s also the Arms and Armour collection. > > FWIW I found the American Museum of Natural History to be kinda disappointing. There are definitely interesting things to see there, but a lot of the exhibits seem rather dated and personally I don’t think it’s as good as the Smithsonian or the Chicago Field Museum. Second both these comments. I used to love the Natural History museum when I was a kid, but after living in DC, and going to the Smithsonian on a regular basis, I never got back into the habit. It has a great dino skeleton in the lobby (or, did the last time I was there) but it never quite lives up to that. Also, I don’t know how you feel about movies, but there are HUNDREDS of small theaters playing both art and independent films you would never see on a screen any place else, and would be stuck seeing on maybe Netflix a year from now, and also theaters that play vintage films you also would never get to see on a big screen, the way they were meant to be seen. Something like _Sunset Boulevard_ or _Citizen Kane_ is a completely different experience on a big screen. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/39 "2016-04-30T00:15:26Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I’m planning my first trip to NYC. I’ll probably be there about 3-4 nights. I won’t be completely penniless but I am on a budget (i.e. admission charges are fine and maybe tickets to a Broadway show or two aren’t out of the questions, but I’m not going to be paying $2,500 to a scalper for a seat to _Hamilton_, though I wouldn’t mind visiting his house in Harlem if it’s open to the public again). > > My main interests are history, theater, and sight seeing. Would be particularly interested to know which museums and-or tours would be most recommended. I do not have the slightest problem with looking like a tourist or doing “touristy stuff”. > > Are cruises worth the money? > > Is there a right way to see Central Park? > > Is Mme. Tussaud’s worth visiting? > > Can anyone recommend a good service for getting theater tickets? > > Any advice on do’s and don’ts for finding AirBnB or other lodgings in Manhattan? (I’ll be traveling with a friend- one bed is fine, two would be better.) > Thanks for any recs. look into a shuttle to and from the airport. Taxi from LaGuardia was over $90.00 without tip. Shuttle back to LaGuardia was $20.00. Or you can ride Mass transit with your luggage for pretty cheap. Anyway you choose allow a lot of extra time. I really liked the Comfort Inn Central Park West. Close to a couple of different subway stops. 1/2 block from Central park. I looked at a lot of different options like staying in New Jersey and riding the train in but the rooms were about the same price for anything within walking distance. The rooms were tiny but I was out and about so only there to sleep. It was clean and comfortable. Front desk was nice to me. Never ate there (free breakfast). I looked at airbnb but pretty much everything was way more expensive, designed for more people and not really close. However I am a middle aged female so I am more leery of staying in someone’s guest bedroom. Morgan Library, Metropolitan Museum, Museum of Modern art, Tenement Museum, Cloisters, all were fabulous. I wasn’t so thrilled with the Whitney. Everyone recommends the Natural History Museum but the dead animals squick me out and it was really crowded. So I didn’t go, instead I went to the Parsons school of design and saw the costumes and clothing exhibits they have. I go a City Pass that gave me free admission to a bunch of museums and included a lot of touristy things. A couple of things I really liked, one was a tour of the windows along 5th avenue. Another was the “Food on Foot” tours, lots of little places to eat that are more “local” I did two of these, one self guided one with the guide and wish I had time to do more. With a guide was the best. As a part of the City Pass you can get a pass (additional discounted cost)for the “Hop on, Hop Off bus tours” I had great fun riding the different routes and listening to the different guides talk. Since one of the stops was quite near my hotel, I used it for getting around. Great Views, pleasant information and often closer and more direct than the subway. Things I wish I could have done but didn’t have time or it was not open. Visit the Cooper Hewitt Museum, see the Met museum costume exhibit, ride the subway to Brighton beach and visit the Russian area. Tour Yankee Stadium. See a Broadway show, go swing dancing. Visit a comedy club, eat at a Ramen place. I am ready to go back. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217/40 "2016-04-30T00:18:49Z")
I forgot to mention the Strand Bookstore is awesome and as a part of the City Pass there are several of the boat rides around the island. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-must-dos-for-a-first-trip-to-nyc/753217.md?page=3)