Looking for recommendations for New York City:
- where to stay
- best time to go (thinking Nov)
- what to see/do as a couple
- what to avoid
- fly into LGA, JFK, EWR
Thanks in advance

Terri Fodchuk
When all depends on what you want to see. If you want to see the Christmas stuff go after US Thanksgiving. We went in October and it was fabulous. Not too busy and weather was great. We flew into JFK and took the train to Grand Central terminal. We stayed at 70 Park Avenue. It was central to all the major tourist attractions if you like to walk, the rooms were large and it was quiet. We dined most nights away from the tourist spots.

Avoid time square - it’s insane and I didn’t think it was worth it.
Check out Ellis island, museum of natural history, go to a Yankees game or Mets game, walk Central Park (so much to see). 9/11 museum was super heavy, it’s a personal choice to go.
We flew in/out of LGA; taxi was about $60 to midtown with tolls.

I lived in NYC for a couple years. Early November is going to be crisp but not terrible for being outside. I remember people still sitting outside on cafe patios when it was sunny. End of November is good time if you want to take in some Christmasy things like markets etc.
Stay somewhere close to good transit lines, like at least 2-3 subway lines. That’ll ensure you can get around easily. I like the area around Bryant Park and up into Broadway. Close enough to all the Times Square subway lines for convenience but far enough out of the chaos.
Airport totally depends on where you’re staying, but honestly, they all suck. Newark is far by taxi but super easy to take public transit. LGA is fine by taxi but at least when I lived there, really annoying to take public transit. They all suck to pick whichever is closest to your hotel and has the best flight times.
Really encourage you to explore beyond the usual tourist spots. I loved exploring the West Village, East Village, Lower East Side, Bowery, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Cobble Hill. They’re cool and trendy and have so much more life and character than Times Square.

A few other random suggestions…
If you’re going to do a touristy look out thing, do the Rockefeller, not the Empire State Building. Better view.
To explore Central Park, consider a bike tour or renting a bike so you can cover more ground.
For really fabulous photo ops, check out the DUMBO area of Brooklyn.
Look into a “cruise” with New York Water Taxi. It’s been years but if they’re still doing them, they did a fantastic little boat tour under the bridges and over to the Statue of Liberty at sunset that was affordable too.
For fun drinks, try a speakeasy. There’s a few now in Edmonton so less novel than when I lived there but still fun. Some classics are PDT (Please Don’t Tell), Bathtub Gin, the Back Room, and Employees Only but lots of newer ones you can Google. They’re fun.
Lastly, don’t be afraid of the subway. Download an app to help navigate it (there are lots where you can enter your destination and it’ll tell you exactly what subway lines and stops you need) and it’s easy to get the hang of. Also super safe, I felt much safer on it than here on the LRT).

We went last year a week before Black Friday we didn’t want to be there for that craziness. We took our 11year old granddaughter, the weather was beautiful. I’ve always wanted to go and see New York at Christmas and the windows of Saks fifth Avenue and Macy’s did not disappoint. They were incredible the detail was phenomenal. We took in a Rockettes Christmas show and we did the lion King on Broadway plus Harry Potter was amazing.  we walked around Central Park and then jumped in a horse drawing carriage because it was getting dark and chilly. Went to the outdoor markets and watched people skate. We didn’t do it because it was 70 or $90 US and we can skate at home for free. It was just before the Macy’s day parade so the city was buzzing. We had five nights which was fun Field and a great variety of different things. I would just take a toque and mitts because we bought them there. It gets chilly when the sun goes down because you’re on the water. Let me know if you want any other details I highly suggest going in October.

We went in 2018 USA Thanksgiving weekend…. Had Xmas decorations up on the buildings (not the Rockefeller tree tho-just bare) and it was fairly dead. It also rained
. Still such a great time! I definitely second the Museum of Natural History. Took us all day to get thru and we missed some parts! And p.s- I like going thru Times Square- touristy but fun

We always stay at the Library Hotel. It’s just down the street from Bryant Park and the Public Library. Grand Central and Bryant Park stations are only a few blocks away in either direction. We always hit up a Broadway show and the HighLine Walking tour was fun. We’ve also done a small architectural boat tour that was really informative and great for adults only. We’ve flown into JFK and LGA. LGA is much faster to get to Midtown.

We went the week of Nov 11th last year and had great weather, little cool but no rain. We stayed at NobleDen in Little Italy / Chinatown and loved the location. Two main subway lines within walking distance. Avoid flying in / out of newark due to he cost of taxj / car service, we have paid upwards of 100 each way in the past. JFK / LGA is easier to make it into the city on public transit. Check out free tours by foot, we did a Brooklyn bridge tour with Onel and really enjoyed it.

Kara we are also going nov 10th for a week happy to hear weather usually nice those days. May i have more info on the free walking tours? Is there a website?

Donna yes, just search free tours by foot NYC and it should come up. It is a tip based tour, we did both the Brooklyn Bridge and Harlem tours, and enjoyed both.

Nov 28th is the Macy's Day Parade, it's awesome if you can check it out.

Do a food tour-you have a local giving you info on the city and taking you to some of their favourite places

If you go after Thanksgiving in November you can see all the Christmas decorations and the tree in Rockefeller center. I’ve been to NYC a few times but late Nov/ early Dec was my favourite.

Oct was a great time with beautiful colour. We’ve always started at The Belvedere. Right off time square and walking distance to so much.

Definitely stay uptown somewhere we stayed in Times Square and it was so busy and we hated it, but we also went in August and it was so busy

We used the subway most times and google maps was helpful.
Also we loved the hop on hop off bus tours also