Bargains and tips for New York

Soldato
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The Voice Of Football
I am visiting New York for the first time over Christmas, land on 22nd December and return on 28th.

Just looking for some tips on 'must see' things aside from the obvious tourist traps and interested to hear about places to eat.

Also, are there any good bargains to be had stateside these days still aside from clothes? I noticed the sonos play five is about a hundred quid cheaper over there so may get one.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
Associate
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Fleet, Hampshire
Between Christmas and NY they open the Empire State Building earlier (about 7am if I recall right) and if you buy tickets beforehand you will be able to pretty much walk straight to the lifts.

It is worth doing as you see the sunrise, whereas it is packed at Sunset.

IMG_6247.jpg
 
Soldato
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If you are going to the Empire State Building, buy the supremo queue-jumper of the god mega tickets - they are worth every penny. Watching the guy in a red suit push a family with children back in to the line to let me jump ahead was priceless.
 
Soldato
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I wanted to go to Woodbury Common when I was there but never got a chance. It had a mass load of clothing stores but also had Gift & Speciality items stores:

Bare Escentuals
Bose
The Company Outlet - Lancôme
The Cosmetics Company Store
Crabtree & Evelyn
Designer Fragrances
Elizabeth Arden
Godiva Chocolatier
Headline News
L’Occitane
Lladro
Perfumania
Sony
Toys“R”Us Outlet
Victorinox Swiss Army
Vitamin World
Woodbury Express Shipping
Yankee Candle

It's approx 50miles from New York City but I think it would be worth it:

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=7
 
Last edited:
Soldato
OP
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Keep the tips coming! Somewhere truly special for Xmas day to eat would be nice, an epic view or atmosphere...

How about shopping though? Not going to bother with Woodbury, in my experience of outlets in the USA the full price stores are normally just as cheap when their sales are on, which I think they will...
 
Soldato
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I'll let everyone else recommend what you go and do, but I cannot stress this enough, have a plan. Know what you want to see, and when you're going to see it before you arrive. Manhattan is so overwhelming that you can end up just wandering around in awe of everything, and not getting much done.

You're going to have a great time, so amp up the excitement, as well. :cool:
 
Soldato
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I'll let everyone else recommend what you go and do, but I cannot stress this enough, have a plan. Know what you want to see, and when you're going to see it before you arrive. Manhattan is so overwhelming that you can end up just wandering around in awe of everything, and not getting much done.

You're going to have a great time, so amp up the excitement, as well. :cool:

I totally disagree. Sure, have the big things planned out but planning every day is just crazy. New York is a great city for exploring as you'll find something awesome that you wouldn't have planned or known about. Planning too much makes you miss the smaller random things which often make a trip so good and which there are loads to be found in New York.

But, I appreciate people have different ideas of holidays. I like my trips to grow organically (wow I sound like a right ******) and have hardly anything planned. When I went inter-railing my friend wanted to have everything planned. Psh!
 
Soldato
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2,992
I'll let everyone else recommend what you go and do, but I cannot stress this enough, have a plan. Know what you want to see, and when you're going to see it before you arrive. Manhattan is so overwhelming that you can end up just wandering around in awe of everything, and not getting much done.

I went without a plan and wasted 2 days just wandering about :( So yeah, have a plan :)
 
Soldato
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Bristol
But, I appreciate people have different ideas of holidays. I like my trips to grow organically (wow I sound like a right ******) and have hardly anything planned. When I went inter-railing my friend wanted to have everything planned. Psh!
I can appreciate that, but I ended up essentially wasting so much time enjoying myself in ways that I could do in Bristol... I found lots of things to do, but if I had planned things to do, I just feel that I could have got a lot more done, and seen so much more of the city.

Each to their own, obviously. But I wouldn't want anyone else to waste the time and money that I did. :)
 
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