What Are the Must-sees in NYC?

Broadway Musical (SOOOO fun even if you don't think it will be.
Chinatown - shopping and looking around
Central Park - a must see

You need to go to TKTS to get tickets to a musical. They are a discount ticket place in times square, but they have several locations. You have to get in line right when they open to get the best tickets.

Lucky you! I lived there for 3 years, but haven't been back in forever. My top list would include a Broadway show, Times Square, maybe the Carnegie Deli (all close to each other); the Statue of Liberty (I loved it), which would bring you near the World Trade Center, which would be really meaningful; a walk up 5th Avenue from Rockafeller Center to Central Park, which would include great artitecture like Trump Tower (you can walk inside--it's beautiful)and St. Patrick's Cathedral (worth a tour), as well as amazing stores like Tiffany and Saks Fifth Avenue. East 57th St. also has some great stores. (Normally, NYC is HOT in the summer, but I know it's been a cooler year. If it's hot, going into the stores, cathedral, etc. gives you a cool break.) You could walk all the way up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum I really loved, though, was MOMA, the Museum of Modern Art. You see so many paintings (Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas) up close that you've only seen pictures of, and they have such impact in person that you suddenly understand why they're famous. MOMA is right near Rockafeller Center, so that would be a nice day

Central Park is wonderful to walk in, and if you like Shakespeare, in the summer they have Shakespeare in the Park in the evening, which often features some famous actors (or spot them in the crowd--I saw Kevin Kline, watching his wife Phoebe Cates, when I went). Chinatown and Little Italy are right next to each other in lower mid-town, and that's a great area to take a cab to and walk around in the afternoon before a great dinner. If you like Italian, I highly recomment Casa Bella, or Vincent's. There are also some amazing bakeries there.

I liked the Empire State Builing, and Macy's is near there, and worth a look. It's AMAZING, the size and scope of that store! I also enjoyed going to several of the Ray's Original Pizzas around the city. One I loved to lunch in had all kinds of wild toppings, from spagetti to fried egglant. One gigantic slice is definitely enough!

Might want to take a cruise on the East River. I think the Circle Line is probably still there. That was nice.

The East Village, near Washington Park (look for the arch from WHEN HARRY MET SALLY), makes for fascinating people watching, and there are many famous nightclubs to take in some music. It's definitely a younger, funkier, more perverse vibe, but interesting. Stay away if any of your group are easily offended--there were some sex shops around when I lived there).

Using the subways will save you a bunch of money (be prepared for some interesting smells and sights), and they're pretty easy to navigate. I always felt safe up to 11:00 in most neighborhoods, and about 2:00 a.m. on weekends (I was just out of college when I lived there). The bus system is also helpful.

Watch your purses. The only crimes I experienced while I lived there was twice having my wallet stolen from my purse--once while on a date in a movie theater, and another time at a fast-food restaurant with it sitting right next to me, and my girlfriend sitting across from me! Genereally, NY is very safe, especially if you stay where there are large groups of people. My theory on walking was that if you made eye contact with drivers, they wouldn't hit you. Kept me safe for 3 years.

Hope you all have a wonderful time! God Bless!

This would be a dream come true for me. I have always wanted to go. I did stay one night but had to catch a shuttle early in the morning and saw nothing. My friend was a airline attendant and she and friends would go and get massasges and such. Shows whatever fun have a great trip. God Bless GingerW

Definitely have to eat Roxy's, maybe even more than once! Another cool way to see the city is to do a Gray Line Tour. We did the boat tour that went all around the island; you got to see great sites and learn some interesting facts and some cool places to go. The River Cafe is an awesome restaurant right on the river. It's upscale but definitely worth it. Cabs are convenient but the subways are more affordable and a little more exciting, lol! There is so much to do and see, have fun!

I have been once and I really remember enjoying the view on a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. We passed by the Statue of Liberty, but didn't get to go to Ellis Island or Central Park, and I really wish we had had the time to do that. Ground zero is a must, and a Broadway show also. If you enjoy shopping (who doesn't?) must do Chinatown. You should have some extra luggage space planned to take home your purchases. Have fun and take comfy walking shoes.

First...Congratulations on a fun girl's weekend! I went last June with my 2 aunts on a Fri-Sat trip. We booked the Red Line tour and got the weekend pass so we could get on and off anywhere the bus went.

Central park is so huge that we only went to the West side so I could see the John Lennon "Imagine" memorial. After that we went to the Museum of Natural History to cool off (**admission is a "donation", we only paid a few bucks each since we just wanted to sit and cool off**) and the best part of it was the GIANT whale. You've gotta' sit under it!

We also went to see the Statue of Liberty but GO EARLY as there was a long line way before the gates opened. That was the sightseeing part that took the longest. We didn't go to Ellis Island. After that we walked through Chinatown (the shop owners would whisper "Gucci", "Prada" as we walked by to try and sell knock off purses!) which led us to Little Italy where we had lunch.

We took in A Chorus Line, got cheap tix because we went up to the box office the day of. Then we took the night tour of Brooklyn.

Oh, now I want to go back! Mind taking a stow-away? ;0)

My Cusin and I are going for a girls trip also the end of July - like you we only have frid and Sat in the city - If I didnt know better reading your post looked a lot like my cusin! We got tickets for the double decker bus and think that will be the best way to get around! Good luck - enjoy your trip - I know we will!

A couple years ago, my daughter and I went on a mom and daughter trip and we had a wonderful time.

At the time....we stayed at the the Waldorf Astoria which was a HUGE plus and enjoyed. Even if you don't stay there, at least go through it. Never know who you might see. So WORTH IT.

We used the double decker buses as a taxi because we had stops to pick up and drop off at good locations. We had a blast with our trip as a mom/daughter. We saw Lion King on Broadway which was great but we had recently seen the show at Animal Kingdom at Orlando but both were WORTH it. Central Park Carriage is a plus, and we still used the bus tickets we had to utilize routes to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and then the Battery Park area when we got back. I will say the Ground Zero area was sombering but wotrh it.

OH! and Lunch at Tavern on the Green!!
LOVED everything about our trip and HAVE FUN!

My feedback here is too much to write down....... ENJOY

Have a great times

a Broadway show, a deli sandwich and Tiffany's even if you can not afford anything it is a fascinating store, the empire state building if you can go to the top last time I was there you could not, there is a great tour bus I think it is called the blue onion tour but that maybe in another city, it is a double deck bus and you can buy tickets everywhere you go around the city and can get on and off all day long, St Patrick's cathedral is beautiful there is a great church in harlem that the bus stops in front of and is worth seeing, get on the subway even if it is only one stop to say you have done it, grand central station the ceiling is unbelievble, the waldorf astoria and the museums can not be beat. Have a great time

Eating at Angelo's on Mulberry Street in Little Italy is a must when we go to NY!

On a rushed trip to NYC I wanted to see the Statue of Liberty but didn't have time to go to Ellis Island--we took the ferry to Staten Island (I think that was it) and we got great views of Lady Liberty. Also, the Guggenheim Museum was a great museum that didn't take alot of time--modern art but had some permanent exhibits of other types. If you don't mind waiting in line, the Empire State Building is totally worth it. Just walking around Central Park was nice, too. For me, walking around the different seeing the shops and restaurants is too much fun. Hope you have a great trip!

Get your Broadway tickets way ahead of time; we tried to get them there and couldn't get in to see a show at all.
Central park was beautiful, a walk through China town is worth it.
I walked through some of the department stores even though I couldn't afford them, it's crazy to see how much rich people spend on clothes!
I wish like crazy I could remember the name of the Italian place where we ate one night, I think it was on 42nd, had to take a cab from Times Square to get there, but the food was served family style and it was awesome!
We went to a comedy club, everybody is selling tickets out on the street for them. We only went because we couldn't get broadway tickets, but it was fun, actually saw a girl from Plano do her standup and she was great.
I did not go into the Statue of Liberty (line for the ferry was too long and it would have wasted too much of our time) but we went out to Ellis park (is that Ellis park where you board the ferry?) and took pictures. I also went to FAO Swartz for some toy shopping, not sure how it is now that it has changed ownership. If you like art and have time, MOMA is cool too.
Lots of things I would have liked to do but I had a short weekend.

I've had a few short weekend girl trips. If you can get tickets to a show it's a must do. They are amazing and nothing compared to what you see here. My favorite was Mary Poppins the props and costumes were more than words can describe. The three times I went I would always take the Staten Island Ferry over and back to see Lady Liberty. Then you can walk up a few blocks to see the World Trade Center. Wall Street is on the way too. Going up to the Empire State building is great but you need to be the first there. Even if you try to get there when it opens there is a line. I've eaten at Ruby Foos and Roxy Delicatessen that are both on Times Square. We always go to Roxy's after a show to get a large piece of Cheesecake, yum! My votes are Lady Liberty and a show. If you see a show you will be in Times Square which is fun to see during the day and at night.
Have fun!!!!

It depends on what you like. I loved Ellis Island, but I enjoy history. I thought the Statute of Liberty was a waste of time. I climbed to the top, and all you can do is walk past the windows to look out, you can barely stop to take a picture and then you are back down the stairs. TKTS is a great idea, but you may have to stand in line for a few hours. It depends on when you go to. We went in February and it was freezing so we decided that it was worth paying full price for tickets than wait outside in the cold for 2 hours. Go online and try to find out if there are any events going on. When I went in February 03, there was a rally. I don't remember what it was for, but we got swept up in it by accident and then next thing you know we were getting shuffled away by the NYPD. I also went in September 05 and they had Broadway in Time Square, where different productions did numbers right in Time Square. Also in September, we walked around near the Met and there were street performs and festivals all around.

Top of the Empire State bldg is nice, but the line is usually forever long and that will take up a good part of your morning or afternoon. It is also about $20! Must walk around Central Park and have lunch at Tavern on the Green (sit outside). They also have carriage rides starting from here through the park. The Metro. Museum of Art is next to the park too if that is your thing. Taking a bus tour is nice because you can get on and off wherever you like to walk around and see stuff. Ground Zero is also a very moving site and from there you could head further south to see Statue of Liberty and Battery Park and maybe take Staten island ferry (that's free). Staying in midtown is nice...close to park and Rockefeller center. Walking to shows is possible from there if your shoes are not too uncomfortable. Grand Central Station is also an easy walk from here and then you could walk back up Park Ave. or 5th Ave. Tiffany's, Trump Tower, FAO Schwarz are all that way either on 5th Ave. or Central Park West. There are so many things to see and do here it's hard to name what's at the top! I enjoyed the Park and lunch and a carriage ride the most when I've visited. I'm jealous! Have a great time!

Hey E.! We just got back from a week in NYC. I also happen to be a native New Yorker. It depends on what you are into and also what time of year you are going. For sure, you have to see atleast one Broadway show if you can. I can't imagine going to NY without enjoying the park one way or another. I absolutely love spending time at Rockefeller Center at the Holidays)that is where the tree is). If you and your girlfriend are pop culture junkies(like myeself). It s so fun to go to the plaza at Rockefeller Plaza and watch the Today Show being filmed and then take th NBC Studios tour. So much fun to see the set of SNL and other NBC NY shows. Oh, and look into the hop on/hop off double decker tours through the city. They are a lot of fun!
What part of town are you thinking of staying in?

I second TKTS ... get yourself a great deal on a Broadway show.