Nothing is my favorite anything when it comes to tourists. The city now builds and plans according to what it can sell to tourists, not its residents who pay a lot of money to live here. I wish the whole industry would collapse. Buses who are allowed to conduct their business from public sidewalks. (Only NYC allows this) Pedicabs who ride in the bike lane, the bike lane being used by tourists 4 deep to tour the sites, the highline--baby stroller parade, The Whitney and MOMA, malls for families taking selfies in front art they don't care about or know, restaurants impossible to get into, tour busses creating massive traffic jams, no taxis available for residents. Soho destroyed. Shall I go on? I'm planning to leave. Tired of living amongst visitors, the very uninspiring people I thought I left in the suburbs. NYC sold its own residents out.
Central Park, Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge - these are my favorite places where I get lost. Will be in NYC this September when I will get a chance to see them once more. I love NYC!!!
1
I was shocked to see that tour guides need to take an exam. When my parents visited the city, I took them on a double-decker bus tour. It was an awful experience. We learned nothing about NYC history. Nothing about NYC architecture. Nothing at all. The tour guide was an ignoramus who knew nothing. There were only two things the tour guide talked about (over and over again); the bus' current location relative to Macy's and how he refers to yellow cabs as cockroaches. I could have sworn he was on Macy's payroll. Incessantly invoking Macy's and reminding us that we could shop there after the tour. Worst moment of all was when we stopped for a short break/transfer at the south end of Central Park. The tour guide conducted a shakedown of the departing passengers for tips. He was very aggressive. Worse than any panhandlers I have ever encountered.
One of the greatest cities in America. You just can't beat the excitement around New York City!
Roosevelt Island. A unique and terrific Tram ride over the East River with incredible photo ops. A promenade circling the island for more incredible views. Roosevelt memorial park at the southern end plus a landmarked lighthouse at the northern tip overlooking crazy currents of Hell Gate and even more unique pictures. In spring the island is lined and dotted with cherry blossoms making your pictures of Manhattan landmarks even more unique.
3
Leave Manhattan. Take the subway to Jackson Heights, the Bronx, or any place real people live. Go to Ellis Island when you go to the Statue of Liberty,
1) wave hill park in the Bronx - it overlooks the breathtaking palisades towering over the Hudson! And no car, no worry: take the 1 train to the end of the line and catch the shuttle.
2. Morris-jumel mansion and sylvan terrace in upper Manhattan. No car streets are such a rare sight!
2. Morris-jumel mansion and sylvan terrace in upper Manhattan. No car streets are such a rare sight!
2
Forget the Acrophobia and head across the Brooklyn Bridge...and then reward yourself with a slice of Cheesecake from Junior's!
Staten Island ferry. I enjoy taking visitors on it to give them a different perspective of the city and its environs. It is rich in history, not too long and most visitors are enthralled. We just take it round trip: over and immediate return. Great fun!
2
There tourists are here year round, or haven't you noticed? I'm not that old, but as a lifelong New Yorker I do remember good old days, before throngs of t-shirted, toe-baring, classless tourists started invading. New York City used to evoke style, culture and a sense of purposefulness. By turning our town into a tourist mecca on par with Las Vegas and DisneyWorld politicians with dollar signs in their eyes have stripped the city of its cosmopolitan luster. And by they way, where exactly is all that extra revenue going?
3
Well Linda, I can tell you that at least some of that extra revenue pays my salary- I work backstage on a Broadway show, so as much as I am aggravated by them I still have to say a quiet "Thank You" to tourists for keeping me employed.
10
Linda the revenues go to people's pockets in the 100000s of thousands of people employed by tourism. Many people put food on the table from the tourism that you wish would go away.
6
Ah yes, get rid of the tourists and New York is full of nothing but--what, exactly? Eustace Tilley-style aristocrats and assorted literati? Dream on. More like financiers (who skew mostly toward the classless grubby-Wall Street type), heirs and heiresses spending an obscene amount of largely ill-gotten wealth, hipsters and strivers who dress a lot like tourists but simply don't look up at the tops of buildings, and a vast population of working class folk from the other four boroughs, who seem to exist largely as extras in the "I'm so dazzling cosmopolitan!" 24/7 delusion of the very few who can comfortably live in Manhattan. Tourists fulfill a similar role, but leave behind a ton of money that funds the very cosmopolitanism that you claim they threaten.
3
Renting a bike and circumventing Manhattan Island was incredible, the extensive bike trails and parkways. Riding the Brooklyn Bridge out and then the Manhattan back, truly an astonishing way to see the city. Hats off to New York for embracing the bike.
2
I would simply lost in Central Park. No matter wherever you lost in Central Park,you will find peace.
2
As a lucky New Yorker, I get to enjoy one or more theater shows every week, an activity tourists find fascinating when they come to our city. But as a resident, one thing I must do every spring is to walk on the High Line: seeing the flowers boom there to me means spring has literally sprung.
1
I still love going to the Statue of Liberty when my family is in town--it's the only time I'll tolerate waiting in line and being jostled by kids on their fifth grade field trip. I aim to find my relatives listed there one of these days.
Pelicans swallow whole Knicks
Totally agree, thought the same thing!
My favorite tourist activity is the plaques for the ticker tape parades. If you don't start at the beginning, it's just these plaques in the sidewalk and some people seem confused as to why they are there. Plus the 40s and 50s, there are some months where there were 4 parades in a month! Did people get sick of the parades? Were there some parades that weren't well attended? Were they hoarse from all the screaming?
For much of the period between 1910 and the mid 1960s, the parades were pretty much given for any dignitary visiting NYC.
I'm sure most were less well attended than the ones we frequently see of Lindbergh and John Glenn after his first flight.
What ended the practice was the city's financial situation in the '60s and John Lindsay pretty much ended the costly practice and replaced it with a simple reception at City Hall.
The tourism bureau used to have a map and brochure explaining who all the people who received parades were. I haven't looked recently if it still does.
The saddest thing is that pretty much the only ones who get parades are championship sports teams (and even ones like the New York Giants who don't even play here anymore) as if that was the achievement worthy of acclaim. Somehow some high payed bozos who can throw, hit, or catch a ball are more important than Nobel Prize winners who make important contributions to the lives of their fellow man.
I'm sure most were less well attended than the ones we frequently see of Lindbergh and John Glenn after his first flight.
What ended the practice was the city's financial situation in the '60s and John Lindsay pretty much ended the costly practice and replaced it with a simple reception at City Hall.
The tourism bureau used to have a map and brochure explaining who all the people who received parades were. I haven't looked recently if it still does.
The saddest thing is that pretty much the only ones who get parades are championship sports teams (and even ones like the New York Giants who don't even play here anymore) as if that was the achievement worthy of acclaim. Somehow some high payed bozos who can throw, hit, or catch a ball are more important than Nobel Prize winners who make important contributions to the lives of their fellow man.
1
One of the most unusual, unique experiences I've had over multiple trips to NYC is The Ride - it's an eclectic mix of show, comedy and tour bus where you see New Yorkers in their natural habitat - on the streets.
1. Ride the Staten Island Ferry, over and back, without getting off is fine.
2. Walk from Brooklyn Heights along the Palisades and then over the Brooklyn Bridge to "Chinatown" and have Dim Sum or other goodies, Good brunch time activity.
3. visit Coney Island, (it's been years, I know) and walk along Boardwalk, look at historic building(s), "nosh" at Nathan's or even better go over to Italian Ices of Corona.
2. Walk from Brooklyn Heights along the Palisades and then over the Brooklyn Bridge to "Chinatown" and have Dim Sum or other goodies, Good brunch time activity.
3. visit Coney Island, (it's been years, I know) and walk along Boardwalk, look at historic building(s), "nosh" at Nathan's or even better go over to Italian Ices of Corona.
3
I think there's an aquarium out there, or there used to be. Had Beluga whales.
1
They did indeed have Beluga whales, in fact there was a contest to name the new pup years ago. I submitted the name that won. Have the certificate to prove it too!!! Beautiful Brooklyn, though sadly Nathan's aint what it used to be.
I looked at the website for licensing guides and noticed something very odd about the literature section. Apparently whoever wrote the exam doesn't think any authors of Jewish, Irish, or Italian heritage who have written about the city are worthy of inclusion.
And nothing against Jack Finney or Paule Marshall but they don't rate with the talent or importance of the others on the list.
And nothing against Jack Finney or Paule Marshall but they don't rate with the talent or importance of the others on the list.
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge! One of the few things I don't mind doing as a non-tourist, I actually quite love it. I always take all my family/friends to it. It's a beautiful experience any time of the day, any weather.
3
Best tourist attraction for a local is sailing from Chelsea Piers on a blazing hot summer day. I've done this more times than I can count. And yeah if you're hosting some friends from out of town and they're tired from the heat, humidity, crowded streets and shopping - surprise them with this and enjoy the huge smile on their face as you sail down the Hudson....
3
Ride the Circle Line cruise around Manhattan; take the tramway over the East River to the new FDR monument on Roosevelt Island; walk the length of Fifth Avenue from Washington Square to Central Park. I could go on.... of course, Bronx Zoo, Yankee Stadium and Little Italy on Arthur Avenue, all in da Bronx.
4
I rode the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus as a social science experiment for a Social Science Research Methods class at NYU. The most surprising thing for me was learning the number one tourist destination - the one place where literally everyone got off and all new folks boarded (and you can trust me on this, I physcially counted them several times). It's Ground Zero - who knew that such a terrible event would reward us in tourism.
1
The Circle Line around Manhattan is a great NYC history & architectural tour and fun boat ride on a warm, sunny day… especially when you get a good local story telling guide with a witty sense of humor. Enjoy the ride every few years with out of town friends.
1
Two essential NYC "tourist" things I try to do regularly: see a live show (doesn't always have to be Broadway) and eat in Queens! Just a few blocks along most of our neighborhoods will take you around the world, in terms of restaurants. You can eat amazing Thai, Columbian, Tibetan, Vietnamese, Mexican, German....
6
In Astoria you can eat Greek!
Take one of the 12:30 daily docent tours given by the Municipal Arts Society of one of our greatest icons, Grand Central Terminal. Visit the New York Public Library after your visit and relax in Bryant Park. Or, for the price of a subway ride take the Q train to Brighton Beach, walk on the boardwalk and explore the pastry shops and stores in Little Odessa.
3
When we take note of the people that make this city special, the immigrant enclaves, the ethnic foods, the religious shrines, among other one of a kind contributions to our special nature,then we will have a tourist industry as special as our city is.
Until then, welcome to Disney World.Uggh.
Ex tourist guide :I refused to succumb to the lowest common denominator
Until then, welcome to Disney World.Uggh.
Ex tourist guide :I refused to succumb to the lowest common denominator
7
Like many native New Yorkers, I do everything humanly possible to avoid seeing for in tourist hellholes, such as Times Square, Central Park South, the WTC, etc. However, every now and then I do enjoy a walk around the Flatiron District and people watching in Madison Square Park.
Otherwise, I enjoy the parks in my home borough of The Bronx, particularly Pelham Bay Park and Bronx Park. I also spend plenty of time at Inwood Hill Park and Fort Tryon Park. My only hope is that tourists do not venture off into these areas as well.
Otherwise, I enjoy the parks in my home borough of The Bronx, particularly Pelham Bay Park and Bronx Park. I also spend plenty of time at Inwood Hill Park and Fort Tryon Park. My only hope is that tourists do not venture off into these areas as well.
5
Roof top garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!
7
Foodies shouldn't miss Chelsea Market.
1
5 or 6 years ago, maybe. Now, it is Tourist Central - a snack stop along the High Line.
7
I'd missed this on my first read-through:
“Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo have banned nonessential publicly funded travel to North Carolina, after the legislature there overturned antidiscrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people”
tune of “Carolina in the Morning”
Nothing could be finah
That to scorn North Carolina here this morning
Nothing gets elation
Like to shun discrimination that’s aborning
When they make a ruling
So beyond the pale
Tell them it needs re-tooling
That’s it’s an epic fail
Nothing breeds more hating
That controlling who we’re dating with their scorning
Tell them times are changing
And their laws need rearranging with a warning
Since there is a chance that things could turn out okay
Let’s make ‘em feel that hatred won’t pay
So nothing could be finah
Than to scorn North Carolina here this morning
“Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo have banned nonessential publicly funded travel to North Carolina, after the legislature there overturned antidiscrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people”
tune of “Carolina in the Morning”
Nothing could be finah
That to scorn North Carolina here this morning
Nothing gets elation
Like to shun discrimination that’s aborning
When they make a ruling
So beyond the pale
Tell them it needs re-tooling
That’s it’s an epic fail
Nothing breeds more hating
That controlling who we’re dating with their scorning
Tell them times are changing
And their laws need rearranging with a warning
Since there is a chance that things could turn out okay
Let’s make ‘em feel that hatred won’t pay
So nothing could be finah
Than to scorn North Carolina here this morning
14
I've been to North Carolina. You can skip the trip.
4
Life time New Yorker here -- and the top of the Empire State Building late on a summer night is still one of my absolute favorite things to do
5
My favorite tourist activity is eating pizza. I go all over Manhattan to eat good pizza. I travel throughout Brooklyn to eat great pizza. I explorer Queens to eat fantastic pizza. I scour the Bronx for exceptional pizza. And once I even went to Staten Island trying to find pizza. The ferry ride was nice.
15
Details, Stig, we need details. Which is your favorite pizzeria?
1
I'm a Floridian who visits NYC at least twice a year, sometimes more. I'll be there next week! I love the double decker bus because I always learn something I hadn't known before. The tour guides are definitely knowledgeable. Thanks, Tour Guides!
2
If my own touristy vacation feelings of needing to experience a place whatever the weather is any indication, even the strong wind won’t stop people from sitting on that upper deck. :)
"The Gray Line" (a windy day version)
Tune of "The Groove Line"
Upper deck -
Wind is strong, what the heck
Grab a seat -
Climb upstairs, can’t be beat
Am I out of my mind
'Cause rain, shine, you’ll find
Me touring on the Gray Line - That’s right!
Take the tour -
Sit where you’ll see for sure
Feel that gust -
Hold your hat to adjust
Tourists really don’t mind
In rain, shine, they’re inclined.
Still touring on the Gray Line - All right!
Check out, the wind is blowing - still we sit on top
My New York hat is going - they really can’t stop
Leave possessions behind
'Cause rain, shine, you’ll find
We're touring on the Gray Line - That’s right!
"The Gray Line" (a windy day version)
Tune of "The Groove Line"
Upper deck -
Wind is strong, what the heck
Grab a seat -
Climb upstairs, can’t be beat
Am I out of my mind
'Cause rain, shine, you’ll find
Me touring on the Gray Line - That’s right!
Take the tour -
Sit where you’ll see for sure
Feel that gust -
Hold your hat to adjust
Tourists really don’t mind
In rain, shine, they’re inclined.
Still touring on the Gray Line - All right!
Check out, the wind is blowing - still we sit on top
My New York hat is going - they really can’t stop
Leave possessions behind
'Cause rain, shine, you’ll find
We're touring on the Gray Line - That’s right!
17