when is a good time to visit New York?

Question

and where should I stay, I want to see downtown like the part that usully comes out on tv but I have no Idea where tha is at.Is it somewere I should visit is it nice?

Answer 1

Having lived in NYC for many years, I would say you'd enjoy visiting in the Fall and Spring months (April - June, Sept- Nov). If you don't mind warm weather and some humidity, then July would be great...and Christmas time is awesome if you don't mind the chill.


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 2

ANYTIME!!! By the way, the Marriott Marquis at Times Square and Broadway is right in the thick of things and right across the street from TKTS -the half price broadway show ticket booth. You cant get much closer to the action then that! From there you can get all over Manhattan. Oh and dont forget, we also have other boroughs--Queens has Flushing Meadows Park--sight of the 1969 Worlds Fair, the US Open, Shea Stadium, and the Hall of Science--Brooklyn has the Botanical Gardens and Coney Island--the Bronx--the world famous Zoo, Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters and Staten Island--its ferry!! You'll enjoy yourself no matter when you visit us.

Answer 3

Well if you can take the cold weather go in the Winter. You will see lots of snow and its beautiful. Go to Manhattan, Times Square, Central Park, and Broadway. The city of New York is always busy and there is always something to do there. So just get a hotel room downtown and visit some of the places I mentioned. Make sure you have money.

Answer 4

I love New York in June how 'bout you?! Gershwin wasn't kidding when he wrote that song!

See the links provided for some great ideas on NYC.
It's one GREAT city--and I wish I could visit more often....PLEASE send me a postcard!

When to visit---Mid November through New Years for all the Holiday Decorations. April, May and June are wonderful...
Sept and October and nice too.... It really depends on what you want to do! But it's best to sit down and decide on what you want to do (to see if most of it is inside or outside.)

If you're a first-time visitor, come see for yourself the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Bronx Zoo, Staten Island Ferry, Brooklyn Bridge and all our other world-famous attractions. If you've been here before, there's always another neighborhood to explore, another restaurant to try, another Broadway show and museum blockbuster to see, another don't-miss cultural performance or sporting event.

I am not going to recommend a chain hotel, but there's nothing wrong with them. I LOVE the Southgate Towers (see 2nd to the last link)

We stay in a large one bedroom suite (two double beds in the bedroom and full bath.) There was a dining room table that sat 6 people! A full kitchen (with pots & pans and dishes etc.) A 3/4 bath too!

Southgate Tower
Seventh Ave at W. 31st St.
All Suite Hotel

Penn Station, Madison Square garden, Jacob Javitz Convention Center, Empire State Building, Broadway, and Macy's.

Unrivaled access to city attractions, fashion industry, shopping and Broadway! Full Service All Suite Hotel includes Fitness Center, room service, non-smoking rooms, concierge, business center and valet parking. All suites include such amenities as cable TV with web browser, data port, and two line phones with voicemail.

The last link is HOTELS.COM were you can just look at the NYC hotels and get an idea of location, cost and what other people thought of their experience there! VERY helpful!

Answer 5

Christmas time seems to be a great time to visit...I went early January and it was nice. You want to stay in Manhattan preferably on streets near 31st st. It's relatively close to Times Square. There's a hotel called Murray Inn that offers reasonable rates, but they're not the average hotel...it was kind of small, but if you're looking for cheap (I was....I'm a student) check it out.

Answer 6

February through June

Late September until mid November.

This way you will miss the cold or the humidity.

I grew up in NYC.

Answer 7

It's hot in the summer. I'd say Spring or Fall are ideal. Any of the neighborhoods on this site are great: http://www.mustseenewyork.com/

Have a wonderful trip!

Answer 8

best would be during spring and early fall.. not too cold, not too hot.. central park looks great.. if you are going for less expensive places, there are tons of hostels around NYC.. you could check it out through hotels.com or other travel service sites.

Answer 9

There's nothing like a chritmas in New york! They have the decor, spirit, and the SNOW. it's the best

Answer 10

I use to live in NY and I love winter time and christmas it is really nice, specially central park, evrything it is nice!