We have one night only (8 PM - 9 AM) in New York City. What should we do all night? (and is it safe?)?

Question

* we arrive at 7:40 PM on Amtrak
* we plan to check our luggage at Amtrak and go out for the night with nothing but cash and our ID
* we enjoy artsy things, pubs, nightlife, but NOT wild clubs, crazy drugs, or strippers
* I am very worried about crime, muggings, etc., and I hope to discover that my fears are unfounded, and NYC is an awesome place to visit!

Answer 1

go out to Little Italy to Mott St and Spring St... Lombardi's... first pizzeria in NYC

head out to first ave/ave A from 14th St to about 4th St... Alphabet City... thats where the bars are at

after that head down to chinatown to Mott St between Mosco and Worth St... Eat at Wo Hop...

Answer 2

I've attached a website with all of the main attractions and links for more information.

Make sure you get a metro card each for riding the subway and busses. They were $4.00 a a few years ago for 24 hours on and off NYC Trains and Busses as many times as you want. Get a map of the subways and the busses available at the toal booth or at visiter center.

You can go to a broadway show. Many of them begin at 8:00 PM so there is no time for getting lost on the way. This is Safe
Links to all of the shows attached

There are guided city bus tours, links attached.
I think this is the best to get an overal sightseeing expierence. Double decker busses and you don't have to nagivate around (although that can be part of the fun) and you will have a guide explaining the hilights. This is a safe thing to do. Some of these will pick-up at Times Square. There is a Visitors Center right there to pick up maps and brochures. Metro Cards, etc but I don't what time they are open till. A small tote will help to keep stuff out of your hands when you don't want to hold onto it.

My husband and son would carry a back for our family but we would be there for a full day including shopping.

There are concerts in Central park, some free. I've attached the links for activities in the park and a virtual park.

I don't know what is doing past midnight till early morning. You can check the numerous websites in my source list. Many attractions are closed overnight.

I love NY. Stay around other people. Trust your instincts.
Don't swing your purse, hold it close to your body and keep most of your money and valuables under your clothing. This is wise to do whenever you are in an unfamilar place.

I hope you have a great time.
Next time maybe you can stay there longer.

God Bless you on your travels, Diane ;-)

PS It's OK to look up at the buildings but know that New Yorkers usually don't look up

Answer 3

Here are some ideas of what you can do. First, get a good tour map. Then I recommend you take the BIG APPLE double decker tour bus for an overview of the city. There are several different neighborhoods so I'll highlight these and what to see:
Upper East Side: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Guggenheim, Whitney Museum. Walk up and down Madison Avenue for awesome shops and boutiques 96th - 57th st. Walk Park Avenue for architecture all the way to Grand Central Terminal and see the treasures located within. Walk along 5th Avenue to see/go in and out of Central Park - go for a run, go to the Central Park Zoo, go to the Carousel, go for a gondola ride at the boat house.
UPPER WEST SIDE:
Museum of Natural History -a must! on Central Park West,
Walk along Columbus Avenue. Visit the West side of Central Park and pay respects to John Lennon's Strawberry Fields.
MIDTOWN:
Shopping - 57th St (Chanel and the gang), Fifth Avenue - must see Henri Bendel, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and FAO Schwartz - many other fun stores.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Museum of Modern Art
Sony Bldg
Rockefeller Center
Go west to awesome new Time Warner center and visit the new Mandarin Hotel bar/restaurant for awesome view and treats!
Oh, Bloomingdale's is on 59th St and Lexington.
Empire State Bldg.
The Intrepid Aircraft Museum is fascinating and on the West side...worth the visit even if you have no kids.

CHELSEA:
Walk around the blooming area sprouting awesome restaurants and shops. Chelsea Pier is fun.

WALL ST:
Pay respects to the 9/11 victims and heroes at the WTC site., Walk Wall St., visit the Chase Hdqtrs, Federal Reserve. Seaport area is great to see.

THE VILLAGE:
Funky shops in the West Village. Walk through the NYU Washington Square Park. The East Village has some shops from new artists and designers

SOHO:
Great galleries and shops on n off West Broadway. Walk thru to Little Italy for awesome meals and desserts...walk through Chinatown. CANAL STREET has stall after stall of Designer "copies"...bring cash and bargain and watch your purse!

These should put an awesome smile on your face. Bring your camera and takes lots of photos to remember your trip. You'll have a blast! OH...BUY this weekly magazine: TIMEOUT NEW YORK on any newstand to see what's going on each week/day. :)

Answer 4

Crime is down drastically but that's mainly due to the reduced drug trade and the fact that only millionaires can afford to live in Manhattan. Investment bankers have their cocaine delivered rather than buy it on the street.

That said, grab a copy of Time Out New York to see if there are any shows you might be interested in. I would hit the West Village for dinner. Try Cornelia Street between Bleecker and Sixth Ave. There are about 10 great places on one block. Po, Le Gigot, Home, and Pearl Oyster Bar are all excellent. Wander over to Spotted Pig for good English Ales or over to the East Village to Zum Schneider for German beer (Ave C at 7th St.)

Answer 5

Diane gives lots of great advice. The price of an all-day pass for the Subway has gone up. It's $7 now - but that's still an amazing bargain, considering a ride is $2 now.

1-Day Fun Pass
Cost: $7, reduced fare not available
Good for unlimited subway and local bus rides from first use until 3 a.m. the following day. Sold at MetroCard Vending Machines and at neighborhood stores. Not available at station booths.

If you're looking for artsy, head down to Greenwich Village, especially around Washington Square Park. It's right by NYU, so lots of philosophy and arts students in the neighborhood.
Lots of bars and restaurants in the Village.

The Empire State Building observation deck opens at 8 a.m.
http://www.esbnyc.com/tourism/tourism_observatory.cfm
It's the perfect place to end your trip. It's only two blocks from Penn Station.

There's crime in NYC, it's a big city, but it has cleaned up a lot in the last decade. I've wandered around NY pretty late and never really felt that unsafe, even on the subway.

Grey's Papaya. Open 24 hours - the NY hot dog place.
http://www.hollyeats.com/Grays.htm

Carnegie Deli is open until 3:45 a.m.
Katz's Deli (of Meg Ryan fame) is open late on weekends.
http://www.katzdeli.com/
Visit one of them. It is a sin to go to NY and not get deli.

Tom's Restaurant, 112th and B'way. [phone]. Open 24 hours, Thur-Sun. The same Tom's that Suzanne Vega sang about, and the one seen on Seinfeld every week.

Pizza you can get anywhere. White pizza, with the alfredo sauce, is my favorite.

Here are few late night tips from Frommer:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/print-narrative.cfm?destID=21&catID=0021027015

More late night spots:
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/urban/guides/bestofny/food/04/latenight.htm
http://www.ny.com/dining/late-dining.html
http://www.hollyeats.com/NewYork.htm

Answer 6

of course i used to live there. my advice to u is that keep ur money and id in two different places. this way yhen u r asked for ur id u can only pull that out and no one will know how much money u have. enjoy as much as u can but also try to do things very safely. also dont have that im new to this town look because most of the people there u r not able to trust and they might give u the wrong directions. i sugest u go to the statue of liberty, empire sate biullding, groung zero ( thats where the twin towers used to be). oh and the lines at the empire state building are extreamly long and there is only one elevator the when i went wich was a couple of years ago. i dont know much about the statue of liberty, but i heard it was a great place.dont forget to try one of new yorks pizzas. they r the best things in the world.u should try to go to manahttan, find a street called dykeman street and look for pizza stores other that pizza hut, dominos, and things like that. it is extreamly good. i suggest a pizza store but i forgot the name of it and i think it satrts with the name master or mario's all i know is that it starts with a m and it tastes very good.
Best Of Luck!!

Answer 7

NYC is not THAT dangerous; as long as you are sensible, you shouldn't run into any problems.

Go to dinner in Greenwich Village, listen to some music in a club, go dancing. Check out a copy of the Village Voice to see all of your options.

If the weather is cooperating, go up to the top of the Empire State Building; the view at night is awesome.

Answer 8

dont live there so cant give you advise, but i recommend you get a new york slice of pizza. Not sure if it is still open but there is a place called Carmines. The station is Greame or Graham Ave. My god i could do with one of those

Answer 9

stay away from train station if possible

Answer 10

go to queens, ny