2 1/2 days in NYC what must I not miss seeing
 

The wife and I are flying from Australia to Canada to surprise an old friend for his 60th birthday in late July,we are on a tight schedule due to my wife's work but we will be able to squeeze in 2 1/2 days in NYC before we fly up to Toronto.
Excluding the obvious stuff are ther any secret places we have to see or awesome places we must eat at.

1 World Trade Center-9/11 Memorial & Museum
Empire State Bldg
Broadway Show
Walk Central Park
Statue of Liberty
Many, many other things to see/do
From Battery Park to Central Park the distance is five miles and Long Island is 2.5 miles wide; walkable mostly. Get one of those maps from the hotel that depict surface streets with subway as well. The NYC system is very user friendly. Have fun!

My sincere apology...you asked for "secret" places. I must defer to any locals....I'd like to know as well.

I always hit the art museums and the American Museum of Natural History. Maybe a Broadway show, if any of them look good. You might also check for sports events and concerts on the days you'll be there.

My restaurant list would include something world class that I couldn't get elsewhere. I'd try to get into one or more of these:

Le Bernardin
Per Se
Babbo

All of these will take serious money and you want to get a reservation now, if possible. Figure that you won't get a table anywhere decent if you wait until you get there to make the reservation.

There's a million other places to eat. I'd just research it online. Avoid the lists compiled by bloggers, food critics and the NY times. Stick with the list from Michelin, Zagat, etc. as they will be more consistent and not favor the "newest is best' sort of mindset. A 5 second search turned this up:

Zagat, Michelin Best Restaurants In New York City - Business Insider

There are others...

JR

I see you have a plane as an avatar (maybe a P3 Orion?) so you will probably enjoy a visit to the Intrepid museum.

http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/The-In...sintrepid.aspx

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

I'm in NYC about 4 times a year. If you want a tourist experience outside of the theater visit, then the 1st list will suffice.

I go to the museums if there's a specific exhibit but otherwise I prefer the galleries in Soho or Chelsea.

If you want to walk around, try the highline. You can get on/off and have small New York experiences as you go.

For restaurants, there are a million but from my last trip, I had a great time at LA ESQUINA and BALTHAZAR. You'll need reservations sooner than later. For drinks, the Crosby bar is great and the jimmy at the James.

A high light of my one and only trip to NYC was taking an express subway ride. Don't remember exactly where we were when we started but we ended up near the big art museum. That ride was the closest thing to an 'E' ticket Disneyland ride I'd ever been on.

The High Line (The High Line | Friends of the High Line) is a very pleasant elevated park, although I'm not sure I'd classify it as a must see.

Not knowing your tastes makes it tough to call. But a walk through Soho will give you a good taste of NY life that is not exactly tourist oriented. The Hayden planetarium is a good way to spend a couple of hours especially if the weather isn't great. If you like jazz there are some good places on 52nd street. You can just cruise the street and see what catches your eye. You may want to take a quick run to the Queensboro (59th st) bridge for an iconic photo op. The fountain at Lincoln Center is another photo op but is also just a short walk from Columbus Circle and Central Park.

Jim is correct, it is not a must do. I guess that my taste runs a little different since I try to enjoy what the locals do.

The Staten Island ferry is free and the view coming back towards the city is priceless,

Erroneous. LI is about 118 miles long and 20 miles wide in most parts. You must be thinking of something else. It's walkable if you have months or years.

+1

I live 30 minutes from NYC and often work in the city. One thing I always do when in the neighborhood is visit Grand Central Station.. go inside and look up...the ceiling is amazing. You can also get some good eats at Grand Central.. The Oyster Bar..

I think the best way to see the Statue of Liberty is take the Staten Island Ferry, the ferry ride give a much better perspective of the statue than being on Liberty Island, and you cant beat the price ;)


Try some NYC Pizza.... go to the source, the origin.. Lombardis in the Village..... Pastys is great also.

After your pizza.... you might feel like beer or two... Head over to E 6th St and go to McSorleys Ale House... in business since 1854.. They have two kinds of beer, light and dark.....

If you want to try some god Chinese food.... try Xi'an Famous, there are 4 locations in Manhattan..

There is just so much to see and do..

I think he meant Manhattan.

Ok, just didn't want to later read about his telling a cabbie to drop him off in the Hamptons, thinking he'd walk back to his hotel downtown.

Hopefully, he'll take lots of pictures in his way back to the city.

* May miss the plane.

I'd agree with other posters that getting onto the Hudson and NY Harbor is a memorable way to see the city. Staten Island Ferry is the low cost option for sure. A little more classy choice IMO would be these folks: New York City Sailing, Boat Tours, and Private Charters on Schooner Adirondack, Yacht Manhattan, and Schooner America 2.0 (NYC,

If you are up to it physically, you can rent one of the Citibikes and pedal along the westside on the bikeway.

If your budget permits, I'd recommend an NYC fine dining experience too. Java dog mentioned some classics. You could also check out Daniel, or 11 Madison Park. A slightly less expensive place (not "fine dining") that is unique: Pure Food and Wine | One Lucky Duck. Their thing is raw food. It's very good, but I suppose not for everyone. They do have a very nice courtyard for al fresco dining.

Have a sandwich of your choice at a good Manhattan deli.

Take a walk through the inside of Grand Central and have some clam chowder at the Oyster Bar.

pastrami sandwich at katz's on houston st.
hot dog at papaya king on 3rd ave and 86th st.
for a fancy sit down mexican meal at one of new yorks most respected places, el parador cafe on east 34th st.
heidelberg on 2nd ave. at 85th st for a great german meal. make sure you get the red cabbage.
food shopping at zabars on broadway at 80th st. or the essex street retail market near chinatown. don't miss chinatown, or little italy either.

stay away from the tourist traps on west 57th st. (hard rock, planet hollywood, etc.

have a great time and don't play three card monte with the locals!

OH OH OH the Carnegie Deli!!