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Colm Hanratty
Climate
Here in New York it can get bitterly cold in winter especially between November and January. In April the temperature can drop to 3C, but rise to 12C. These temperatures rise steadily by June, and for the next three months New York becomes extremely hot and muggy, but many say the city really comes into its own in the fall. During this season New York can be breathtaking, particularly Central Park.
Getting Around
New York is just like it is in the movies. Horns whine constantly from yellow cabs, hot dog vendors adorn every street corner and fading wisps of steam can be seen trailing from every second manhole. Even though it is just like it is in the movies, nothing can prepare you for your first visit. Walking around Times Square for the first time is extremely surreal because, for a split second, it seems like you are in one of those movies. But it isn't all towering skyscrapers and busy sidewalks. The East and West Villages are surprisingly low-rise, while Chinatown, Little Italy and Soho are close-knit communities where you will find many of the best restaurants in the city. Ironically, one of its best features is that there is too much to see and do - within hours you will be planning your second journey. On foot: You can't get around all points of interest on foot, but places like Times Square and Central Park are within walking distance of each other. By subway: The subway is the best way to get up and down Manhattan, although getting crosstown can be a nightmare at the best of times. The L train goes crosstown from between 14th St and 8th Ave and 14th and Park Ave. By bus: Buses are the best way to get from one side of Manhattan to the other. By taxi: New York's yellow taxis are omnipresent in Manhattan. They are all regulated so no fear of getting ripped off. Don't forget to add 20% for a tip.
Good to know...
Language: English Currency: US Dollar Electricity: 110/120 volts AC/50Hz, 2-pin plug Area Code: +1 (USA), 212/646 Manhattan Emergency Codes: Ambulance / Fire / Police 911 Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time (GMT - 5/7) Central Post Office: 421 Eight Avenue at 33rd Street, Midtown Manhattan Main Tourist Office: New York City & Company, 810 Seventh Avenue at 53rd Street, Midtown Manhattan
Consulates
UK: +1 212 745 0200 Canada: +1 212 596 1628 Australia: +1 212 351 6500 South Africa: +1 212 213 4880 Ireland: +1 212 319 2555 Germany: +1 212 610 9700 Spain: +1 212 355 4080 Italy: +1 212 737 9100 New Zealand: +1 212 832 4038 France: +1 212 606 3600
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Cheap Eats
Bleecker Street Pizza, Cnr of 7th Ave & Bleecker St, West Village Famed for their thin-based, Tuscan-style pizza slices, Bleecker Street Pizza is a great (and cheap) place to grab a pizza slice. They've a wide range to choose from but their specialty is their take on the margherita, the 'Nonna Maria'. Open daily from 10am-4am. Merchants, 112 7th Ave (between 16th & 17th Sts), Chelsea If you want to dine in style without paying too hefty a price, Merchants is the perfect spot. This extremely cosy bar and restaurant does great sandwiches and burgers. Service is friendly and, when it's chilly in the Big Apple, you'll be thankful of the roaring open fire warming the patrons. Open daily from 10am-4am. Tick Tock Diner, 481 8th Ave (between 34th & 35th Sts), Hell's Kitchen Along with pizza and pastrami, no trip to NYC is complete without visiting an all-American diner. This one has everything you'd expect on the menu such as 'grits' for the morning and burgers for the evening. Open 24 hours.
After Dark
Slane, 102 MacDougal St, Greenwich Village This popular Irish bar can be either an intimate place for a beer or the complete opposite - it all depends on the night. Extremely welcoming thanks to the friendly staff, during the week it's perfect for a quiet beer while at weekends things get noticeably livelier. Open daily from 11am-close. Ship of Fools, 1590 2nd Ave, between 82nd and 83rd Sts, Upper East Side For the 'all-American' sports bar experience where you'll see football jocks throw high fives and where bottles of beer blanket the wooden tables, visit this bar. Televisions outnumber the barmen, so if there's a big game on, be it baseball, or otherwise, catch it here. Open Mon-Thurs 3pm-4pm, Fri-Sun midday-4am.
Don't Miss
Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island Donated to the United States by the French in 1886 to commemorate the alliance of both countries during the American Revolution, this isn't just New York's best-known attraction, but arguably America's. Visitors get to enjoy views from the observation deck, enter the pedestal of the statue and see exhibits at the museum. For ferry times and costs visit www.stateferries.com.
Rock on
P is for pastrami
Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop, 174 5th Ave (between 22nd & 23rd Sts), Flatiron District New York is famous for enormous pastrami sandwiches so devouring one is part of the experience. The best-known places are Katz's and Carnegie Deli, but they are quite expensive. Instead we recommend you try Eisenberg's where you'll get the exact same thing at almost half the price. Open daily from 7.30am-8pm. Delis and hot dog stands Dotted all over New York are delis. In them you'll find an array of salads and hot foods like pasta and noodles and they're great for something quick. If you want something even quicker you can grab a hot dog from one of the stands that are all over Midtown Manhattan.
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Neighbourhood Watch
Chelsea (east of the Hudson, west of 6th Ave, south of 34th St, north of 15th St) One of Manhattan's bigger neighbourhoods, Chelsea is the art and gay capital of Manhattan. There are over 100 different art galleries in the neighbourhood, most of which are between 20th and 27th Sts. As well as this are a selection of restaurants and small businesses, many of which are along 7th and 8th Ave.
Retail Therapy
Fifth Ave (between 47th & 59th Sts), Midtown Weaving your way through the thousands of people who ramble up and down Fifth Avenue every day, you won't know whether you should be keeping your eye out for celebs or some flash threads! All the top designers have stores here, along with many more affordable ones too. Century 21, 22 Cortlandt St (between Broadway & Church St), Lower Manhattan Century 21 has built up a reputation as the best place to get top quality goods at discounted prices in New York as they are known to knock anything up to 75% off some brands. It likes to think of itself as New York's 'best kept secret', but the secret, it seems, is definitely out. Open Mon-Fri 7.45am-8.30pm, Sat 9.30am-9pm, Sun 10am-8pm. Canal Street, Chinatown This wide street which rolls through Chinatown is where you can pick up those 'not so authentic' goods. Pick up everything from Ralph Loren to DKNY at 'discount prices'.
The Village
Greenwich Village, east of 7th Ave, west of Broadway, south of 14th St, north of Houston St Simply known as 'the Village', Greenwich Village is probably the coolest neighbourhood in New York. No skyscrapers here. Oh no. Just small-rise buildings housing alternative shops, cafs and bars. The heart of the action is around the intersection of Bleecker and MacDougal Streets, while the Village's Washington Square Park is another place you should check out. East Village (east of 3rd Ave, north of Houston St, south of 14th St) / Lower East Side (east of Chrystie St, south of Houston S Over in the east part of town in Downtown Manhattan, things are a little rougher around the edges. The characters walking the streets are far more 'colourful' and all in all the east side is a lot more alternative. As a result, you don't need to worry so much about what you're wearing or who you're talking to in the East Village and the Lower East Side. It's not just the bars and stores that are different - prices are lower too. Soho, east of 6th Ave, west of Broadway, north of Canal St, south of Houston St Soho is all about shopping. Broadway here has store after store selling the latest trainers, jeans and t-shirts, while on other streets like Mercer St and Greene St you'll find boutique stores owned by the coolest designers about. It's not all chic here though - Canal St which borders the south end of Soho is where to go for those not-so-authentic goods. Hostelworld Guide for New York
Chill out in Central Park Affectionately known as 'The Lung of New York', Central Park is one of the most beautiful parts of New York and you can see why locals love it so much. Stretching from 59th St in Midtown Manhattan to 110th St in Harlem, thoughts of skyscrapers and traffic quickly fade away as you stroll through 'Sheeps Meadow', row a boat across 'The Lake' and go rambling through 'The Rambles'. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge Jump on a 4, 5 or 6 train to Brooklyn Bridge and within a few minutes you will be at the Manhattan end of New York's most famous bridge. Rather than simply crossing and turning the back, visit the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park on the Brooklyn side. Go to a top TV show for free! Have you ever watched David Letterman in your living room and thought 'Gee, I'd love to be in that audience?' Well make your way down to the TKTS booth in Times Square on Mondays or Tuesdays and you should find somebody heckling about free tickets to something. Otherwise, log on to www.nytix.com. Visit two of New York's best known (and free) buildings Two of New York's most visited buildings are both free to enter. The first is the busy and bustling Grand Central Terminal at 46th St and Park Ave, while the other is the (understandably) far more subdued St Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Sts.
Take the 1 train from Times Square to South Ferry. Jump on board the Staten Island ferry for unforgettable views of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.
Macy's, 151 West 34th St at Broadway, Midtown Since opening as a small dry goods store back in 1858, Macy's at Herald Square now covers over one million square feet of retail space. Due to the size of the area it covers, seeking out what you are looking for can be challenging. Open daily from 8am-8pm. Woodbury Common, 498 Red Apple Court, Central Valley, NY Located just 1 hour outside of Manhattan, Woodbury Common has over 220 shopping outlets. Many of these outlets sell designer goods at bargain prices so if you're planning to go ga-ga with your credit card, at least save yourself some dollars for a short trip to this outlet. Open daily 10am-9pm; buses depart from Port Authority at 8.30am, 9.45am, 11.15am and 12 noon, journey costs $42 return from Port Authority.
Take the 1 train back up to Christopher St/Sheridan Square. Get take away pizza in 'Bleecker St Pizza' or sit down in 'John's' on the same street, both in the West Village. Wander down Bleecker Street until you come to MacDougal St. You are now in the heart of Greenwich Village. Go for a beer in one of the many bars. Hail a famous yellow cab and get yourself to one of the bars in the East Village around St Mark's Place or in the Lower East Side near Orchard St to finish the night off. www.hostelworld.com