Things you MUST do in New York City? Help!

I am going to see S in three weeks in the NYC area - we won't be in the city everyday but I want to make a point of visiting there. I want to make the most of my time in the city so please tell me, what do I HAVE to do while I am there?

Food?
Sights?
Night activities?

Any and all suggestions would be great!

DH and I were in NYC at the beginning of the summer and we did a few unique things I'd really recommend. The first thing is to have drinks at the rooftop deck of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Fantastic views, and a really neat vantage point. Next, I'd recommend "Top of the Rock" at the top of Rockefeller Center at night, to see the views. It seemed like the line was a bit shorter than at the Empire State Building, and it was neat to see the Empire State Building lit up at night. We also did an interesting food tour called the "Greenwich Village Food Tasting and Cultural Tour." It was an interesting tour of Greenwich Village combined with stops at a bunch (like 7-8) of different restaurants. We sat down at one of them but at the rest the tour guide got the food samples and we either ate in the restaurant or outside. A fun way to see the area and a fun way to try different NYC restaurants. I'd also recommend walking around in and having a picnic in Central Park. There are so many beautiful ponds and trails there--we did a lot of walking in the park and came across so many delightful paths and ponds. We've also done the Circle Line (I think) bus tour of the city at night in past visits, which is spectacular, especially when they take you down by the Brooklyn Bridge and you can see the skyline at night. We also enjoy walking around the Upper West side, as it is a really nice area full of interesting shops and restaurants. If you're in the Upper West Side, try "Good Enough To Eat" for brunch--it's recommended by the guidebooks and we love that place. Excellent brunch food!

Have a great trip!

[Meenah]

http://www.amnh.org/visitors/

Most amazing museum!

[GrayMatterWife]

Things that not everybody does but are cool (and not terribly, break-the-bank expensive):

--The Cloisters (the Met's medieval museum--my favorite place in the City, hands down)
--The Lower East Side Tenement Museum
--Staten Island Ferry (not big deal for the natives, but a fun and cheap way to view the city for visitors)
--Walk the Brooklyn Bridge (same comment as the Ferry)
--Stop by any firehouse and jus say thank you for their service on 9/11 and every day since.

[NYCHoosier]

Champagne brunch! If you're there on a Saturday, I recommend Harry's Cafe where (only on Saturdays, 12 - 3), you get unlimited champagne / champagne cocktails with the purchase of a brunch item. There are a number of restaurants with excellent champagne brunch deals (including on days other than Saturday), but Harry's is the best deal I've found, particularly considering how nice the restaurant is.
Afterward, you can head either to the South Street Seaport or Battery Park or just take ridiculous pictures with the bull.

If you have time, you should definitely see a show. I loved In the Heights (though I haven't seen the current cast). They have a lottery for $26.50 tickets. I'd suggest you both put your names in for 2 tickets (and if you both get called, the 2nd just won't go up). It's cash only, so you'll need the $53 on you, and I would recommend doing it on Monday and Tuesday nights as those are less popular theatre days (though most shows are dark on Monday, which may mean In the Heights is more popular then). If you have interest in another show, let me know.

For cheap eats, I LOVE Mamoun's Falafel and Pizza 33.

If S knows where he's going, I love taking a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to eat at Grimaldi's Pizzeria. If you can go in the middle of the afternoon, that would be best as there's often a long line during meal times.

Check out Time Out New York to see what's going on while you're in town.

Anything specific you're interested in doing? If you want to go out at night, is there something you prefer? (Concerts, clubs, dive bars, poetry slams, etc?)

Have fun!

Thank you NYC - awesome information.
I think we want to do one night where we go out dancing or something like that - but I don't want to be going to some club with a million and ten young, drunk people you know?
I REALLY want to see a show - so I am going to have to look into that too. I saw an ad on Ticketmaster for In The Heights and was thinking of doing that. That's good information about the lottery too.

S has no clue where he is going on NY we will both be doing it for the first time.
And I am fairly certain we will be hitting up the Champagne Brunch!! That sounds divine

If I have any more questions I will definitely be hitting you up for info.

[SoonerTexan]

We bought day-of tickets to Spamalot at one of the TKTS stands when we were there. Was pretty cheap.

My aunt's sister is an architectural historian who does some really cool work there. She took us on a tour of Greenwich Village and pointed out where the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was on NYU's campus. That was COOL. Maybe you could do a walking tour?

NYC, have you brunched at the Smith on 11th and 3rd? Excellent brunch.
Another brunch option I've enjoyed is HK Cafe in Hell's Kitchen - be advised it's popular with the gays so if that bothers you, skip it. good food and unlimited booze.
Counter has excellent vegetarian. Try the sweet potato gnocchi.
S'mac is on my short list of places to eat.

I have a feeling I am going to gain about 15 pounds on this trip!!
I can't wait. S says he wants to do something every evening (that he gets off work at a decent time... so not sure how that will work!) But he has the weekend off that I am there (miraculously) so we will be able to spend Saturday and Sunday checking everything out and eating 7 meals!! I think that's how many I am going to need to eat if I want to fit all these amazing places in.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. I am filling my phone with them

[DCJenn]

and truly- don't be afraid to do the touristy things too- I mean there's a reason why everyone does them!

My mother and the rest of my family will whole-heartedly agree that one should never do the four hour boat tour on 4th of July weekend with a particular captain who calls himself "Arty Party." She said that most of the people on the boat were ready to throw him overboard.

J.

[scarlett09]

and truly- don't be afraid to do the touristy things too- I mean there's a reason why everyone does them!

I agree - do some of the touristy things and mix it up with all of the wonderful suggestions of non-touristy stuff.

Go over and see Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty - there are boats to there from Lower Manhattan.
WTC site before they completely build over it.
McSorley's Old Ale House - oldest Irish tavern in NYC. Close to NYU, cool atmosphere - they only serve light and dark beer. If you go around lunch time, you can actually sit down and have a sandwich and several beers.
Go to Times Square and gawk and take pictures.
And I third Top of the Rock, and you should also go by Radio City Music Hall.
As for Broadway shows, keep an eye on Ticketmaster and other travel websites. Sometimes they post deals on certain shows, although it may not be as cheap as some of the other deals mentioned.

I should bookmark this thread for myself the next time I am up that way. As much as I love living in a slightly cheaper mid-Atlantic state, I do miss being able to hop on a train and be in NYC in an hour.

[oceanchild]

I have gotten good Broadway deals from this site: http://www.broadwaybox.com/

I love the Tenement Museum - it's really excellent.

And I agree that the touristy stuff is worth doing, even though it's touristy.