My two daughters and a friend will be 'doing NYC' this friday night, and I am VERY nervous about it. We are not from the NY area and will be there for the weekend. They want to do their own thing Friday night and I would like some suggestions on what areas they could go to to have some fun, and be safe. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
*worried mama*
2006-11-09 00:46:59 · 6 answers · asked by Why? 3 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ New York City
Friday nights in NYC are extremely crowed and flooded with people from out of town. Many New Yorkers avoid going out on the weekends because of this. They need to look at a map before they go out. To make it easier on everyone, have them stay in Manhattan, below 96th St. Most areas are very safe, mainly because there are people everywhere. A lot of times, the edges of the island closest to the water can get pretty desolate at night. Late at night, they should stay away from Penn Station and Grand Central only because there are a lot of scummy men that hang out outside. Herald Square (shopping hours) and Times Square are fine since they are crowded areas. Parts of town that are strictly open for day time business can be dead at night (Wall St area, random parts of Midtown).
Like anywhere else, they have to be careful of the people that try to talk to them (homeless, weird men). If they are walking and someone tries to talk to them they should NOT stop. Once you stop, it's much harder to get away. They are not being rude if they shake their head 'no' and keep walking. If they stand in one place for too long looking confused, some scumbag is bound to come over and offer to 'help' and then ask for $. Aggressive homeless people do this sometimes.
Lower Manhattan is were most of the college age kids like to hang out at night. The East and West Village are very safe places on a Friday night. The area below 14th St and above Houston on the East side is very lively and easy to navigate. They shouldn't really go past Ave B (towards the East River) if they don't know the area. There are tons of restaurants and cafes that are open very late, at least until 1am (some are 24hrs). It's fun just to walk around at night and "people watch". Going as far down as Delancy St. on the Lower East Side is fine too but it's mostly about the bar scene down there late at night. Some blocks might be a little sketchier than others, especially if it's very late.
If you're worried about underage drinking, it's near impossible for anyone under 21 to get into a bar on a Fri/Sat night, even with a fake ID. If they somehow get away with buying alcohol from a store, the cops WILL ticket them if they drink on the street, they don't care if someone is from out of town. It's not worth the risk.
2006-11-09 07:43:46 · answer #1 · answered by Pico 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kips Bay is not a bad section at all. I live there and on Third Ave. there are a lot of bars for 20 somethings. There is no such area as "Turtle Creek" there is "Turtle Bay" a very safe area near the UN -- boring area with mostly older people. The Lower East Side is now a pretty gentrified area and trendy as is the East Village. However, for "safe" and "fun" I would say Greenwich Village. I would suggest they stay away from all the clubs in Chelsea on the far West Side as there has been a lot of problems with muggings, guns, drugs etc.
2006-11-09 03:41:41 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most places that they are going to want to go are going to be relatively safe.
The most important thing is to tell them to always stay together, don't let strange men buy them drinks and don't take car rides from anyone.
A good place to go is on 9th Avenue, between 57th and 42nd Streets. There are lots of restaurants, shops and bars, and it is very crowded at all hours. There are lots of tourists, the theaters let out later on, and there is a big fire house in case of emergency. There are very few blocks around there that would not be well-lit and safe. They will be close to Times Square too, if they want to see that.
And make sure to tell them that no matter what happens, they can call you for help and you will not be upset!
2006-11-09 01:47:21 · answer #3 · answered by Marie 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If they are below 21, make sure they dont have fake IDs. Its going to be tough to tell them to stay in Midtown if you're not with them, they'll might go where they want.
If they are above 21, well, they might drink. you're going to worry but on either end, 20 or 21+ you have to realize that they are adults now and unless you are going to hold their hands through everything, you have to trust that you raised them right and that they can make the right decisions on their own.
And if that still doesnt calm your fears, take them to Dave & Busters on 42nd St. Its a video arcade that should keep them occupied for at least 2 hours.
2006-11-09 01:17:07 · answer #4 · answered by merc1985 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the safest areas are grenwich village esat or west sectors, soho,noho, tribecca,chelsea,flatiron districts, union square,upper east and west sides.bad sections are harlem ,spanish harlem morningside heights, turtle creek and kips bay,hells kitchen.,lower east side
2006-11-09 01:45:41 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
they can come to my house
2006-11-09 03:43:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 5⤋