I'm planning on heading down for NYE this year. Read the past few pages to get a feel on how to plan things. Any other tips/recommendations much appreciated

Buy the unlimited week long subway pass

^ This.

Also if you've never been before, dont hesistant about picking up the CityPass. Admission to 6 famous places for $89. Worth it considered the museums are like 30+ for each one.

:heckno:

Don't do it. That's my advice.


I have family in NY so I decided to visit for NYE one year. Such a freakin' gongshow. If you plan on being in the Square for the actual celebration, be there in the morning and don't allow yourself to be moved (which, trust me, is hard enough not to do on a normal day). Also, expect to walk basically anywhere once the night is over. NY city might be home to the most taxi's anywhere, but you'll still be waiting an hour before you can find a free cab. The subway will also be jammed pack for a good couple hours. My suggestion is to find a hotel nearby for the night (some require you to book a couple of nights around NYE) and just walk. However, book a hotel room sooner rather than later. Any decent hotel around the Square books up fast for NYE.

I'm heading to NYC over Victoria Day long weekend.

Got my tix from Cathay Pacific and my accomodations thru air bnb in Chinatown.

Can't wait to see the big apple! Anyone else going during that May long weekend?

Oh yeah, just go with the flow of pedestrian traffic. People can tell if you're a traveler if you follow the traffic lights.

Everyone j walks everywhere regardless of the light or traffic :)

I'm heading to NYC next month. I was last there in August 2011 and had a great time. I'm staying around 23rd and 5th. My 5 days are looking to be pretty packed, but are there any newish restaurants that are worth trying? I'm not a high-end type of foodie, but I enjoy good food at reasonable prices.

Also, I'm on the lookout for a nice of pair of dress shoes (something in the Allen Edmonds range). How is the selection at discount retailers such as Nordstrom Rack and Century 21 these days?
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Go for Bouley's lunch tasting menu. It's SO GOOD!

Minetta Tavern's Black Label Burger is the best burger I've ever had. EVER

Seriously, I can't recommend Bouley enough for their lunch tasting menu. Their 5 course lunch tasting menu is $55 per person, but the kitchen will give you ~8 or 9 courses. They also have this cute bread cart that they wheel around with fresh bread that was made in their bakery next door. I guarantee you'll have an awesome dining experience. Every friend that I've recommended Bouley to has had nothing but great things to say afterwards.

This is what you see when you first walk inside:

http://eelllleenn.files.wordpress.co...5/p1030397.jpg

The smell of fresh apples is absolutely amazing :ahwow::ahwow::ahwow:

Dining room:

http://www.davidbouley.com/bouley-re...epth2-1280.jpg

Anyone ever taken the NYC subway to/from JFK airport?

I'm thinking of taking the subway from Manhattan to JFK airport when I leave. Its only $7.50US compared to taking the taxi. Any thoughts?

Do it. Just find out how long it takes and leave yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. I took the taxi coming into Manhattan from JFK once and its hella expensive for what its worth. IIRC, the bill was somewhere between $60-$70. And the traffic sucks.

The subway will be crowded, so make sure you don't have too much in the way of luggage. The advantage is that your arrival to JFK will be predetermined, whereas in a taxi you'll likely be stuck in traffic. I've always taken a taxi to and from the airports and the time always varies wildly since even mild road construction will fuck up traffic badly.

Taxis can only charge up to a maximum amount from any of the bouroughs to JFK. I believe it's about $50.

The subway will probably take you about an hour to Manhattan. On that note, how long does it take to take the trains from Newark to Manhattan? I plan to do that this weekend.
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Bump.

I love NYC. Sure, trash bags are everywhere, but it is truly one of the world's greatest cities. Unfortunately, JFK is a shithole.

Anyone tried using UBER in NYC?

Try La Guardia, makes JFK world class.

The commute in from La Guardia is quicker than JFK, though.

I was so surprised at how shitty of an airport both LAX & JFK were compared to YVR
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Bad weather canceled one of my flights so I ended up flying out of La Guardia. The waiting room I found myself in was actually pretty decent -leather chairs and charging stations everywhere, but I guess those things are what make flights a few bucks more. It was definitely more a business crowd airport too which suited me just fine.

I'm missing $5 Halal food off a truck.

What does everyone use for mobile data in the US?

Hotel Wi-Fi :lol

T-Mobile. $3/day for 3G/4G data or $2/day for 2G. Only catch - most of their 3/4G coverage is on the AWS band.

I've been reading about that, not sure if 2G speeds with Rogers phone is worth it haha.

I did the T-Mobile pay-per-day with 2G speeds. You get what you pay for - T-Mobile service is spotty, even in a city like NYC. And you do get unlimited phone service across the US which is nice if you actually need to make calls to hotels, restaurants, etc.

But, aside from loitering outside a Starbucks (which is what surprisingly many New Yorkers do), I think T-Mobile does the job when you need Google maps or Yelp in a pinch.

Roam Mobility, you can buy a sim locally and prepaid before you leave for your trip for however many days you need it for. It uses the Tmobile network and the good thing is that it allows unlimited call and text to anywhere in US and CANADA as well. It also includes 100 mb of data. All this for $4 a day. Also, you get to keep your US number forever as long as you use it once a year. Regular Tmobile sims will expire after a few months and doesn't allow calling back to canada, but you do get 200mb data. TMobile network is pretty good. Its 3G wherever it is populated. You can expect 2G on the highways between towns/cities though. It is kinda spotty in warehouse-style stores or malls though. One more thing to note is that Tmobile mostly uses 3G on AWS so you need a AWS phone. But they are refarming their towers to include the commonly used 3G PCS this year. Some cities already have PCS up and running. According to this map, NYC should have it too. Horray for iPhone users.

Sightings of T-Mobile 3G/4G/HSPA+ coverage on 1900MHz (PCS/UMTS band II)

Just a heads up for anyone going to Bouley's. There is a dress code especially guys need to wear jackets. Didn't bring one so I passed on this trip. Maybe another time.

As for Roam Mobility, it was pretty spotty throughout Manhattan. Signal was pretty solid in the midtown area, but anywhere else would put you to 2G and very spotty 2G. Most of the time, it just did not work. My sister was roaming with Rogers which I believe uses AT&T, and had zero issues all over the city in comparison.