Get tickets to NYC's best attractions: gyg.me/1uX4VZRq Classic Harbor Line Cruises: bit.ly/CHLine21 My Tours: funkyexperiences.com/ SAVE $5 with code FUNKY5 at RiseNY NYC Restaurant guide: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SkNqKAZxv9I.html Chinatown Guide: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NHf7Ktq5zeE.html Scams: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lkcKKsNt38s.html
I totally agree with the first thing you said about chain restaurants. Who would go to NY to go to Applebee's anyway? There are some excellent authentic family owned Italian restaurants in Little Italy and around Manhattan, and Greek restaurants, and delicatessens, and pizza. I don't really want to meet someone who goes to NY and goes to Pizza Hut, uggh. There are some great true NY pizzerias that you can't find anywhere else, and one would be a damn fool to pass one of them up for Little Ceasars.
You can get a decent view of the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park. The ferry to the island was okay, but I don’t recommend climbing the stairs to the crown or the torch of the Statue. The view is a tiny window the size of a porthole. You can hardly see anything at all. All of those stairs for nothing!
I would like to thank you! I followed your advice and took the Classic Harbor Line night cruise with my family. It was the most wonderful experience ever.
Great energy - Love your videos ! I take the train down to NYC every two weeks for the day. Here's my thoughts. 1. Red tour bus is terrible. You are stuck in traffic and it takes forever and the " narrated recording is terrible. 2. Another good option instead of the Circle Line is to ride the NYC water ferry that only costs about $4.00 & has routes from west midtown all the way around to lower Manhattan up the east river. 3. I agree that the subway is the best way to get around - cheaper and quicker than street transportation. 4. For me with a day trip I like seeing one attraction for the day and spend the rest of my time eating, walking around and enjoying the city vibe. If you want to see a lot of attractions because of your limited time visiting I would suggest seeing two attractions a day unless you start real early . Another idea is keep your agenda for the day in one part of time in order to avoid losing time going from one to another !
@@SarahFunky Yes better enjoy one or two activities a day than try to do more and end up not enjoying them at all. . Also, I really don't spend much on food. The money that I save goes a long ways towards my next train fair to the city. I bring a few snacks, fruit, water and coffee in a thermos. Not too much, as you are carrying it. Then, for $9.00 I buy a great burger from a street vendor. Better than easily spending $30.00 or more for lunch. As well as saving money I have more valuable time to chill in the city ! I can find lots of good places to eat " back home "
Excellent summary ❤…thanks for letting us know what great alternatives there are to the ‘big con’ groups out there. I already know that I’ll be asking you and Lora to prepare my itinerary when I travel next. I love your work ❤❤
About Subway. I agree but only if you can handle the stairs. I've met many elderly native NYC'er and they said that they can no longer use the subways because the deep stairs are too much for them. Most subways station don't have elevators and even if they do you can bet that they break down often. Hence, these elderly natives have to take the bus. I realize your audience will be able to handle stairs but not everyone can.
Hi Sarah Great video. You hit it on the money when it comes to corporate restaurants. Even though I'm a Brooklynite Olive Garden one and done. Applebee's I rarely go to . For me I go to a Bar/Restaurant in Sheepshead Bay the food and drinks are excellent and I give 20% to the staff. Corporate restaurants usually use processed food and it's not good and not healthy.
Here are some reasons why I think some tourists will patronize chains. 1: They don't have these chains where they live. They've heard about them but this may be there one chance to visit one. This is especially true for tourists from other countries. We NY'er take it for granted because we have easy access to most major chains. Not so for vast majority of Americans and foreign visitors. Example, whenever I visit Vegas, one of the very first thing I do is to visit In N Out. For some reason, many Europeans are fascinated by Target because they don't have them in Europe. 2: NYC is be an overwhelming experience for some tourists with so much new stimulus and they will seek a bit of home comfort by patronizing a store that they are familiar with. This is why many American tourists will seek out McDonald's abroad.
I'm visiting NYC in September 🗽 I'm going to visit Chick-fil-A as we don't have one in the UK. I just want to see if it tastes better than KFC haha. As for Target we aren't fascinated by it as we already have similar stores here in the UK like Tk Maxx etc. You's guy's even now have one though its called TJ Maxx in the USA lol.
@@C--A From what I read online, TK Maxx and TJ Maxx are the same, at least owned by same. If TK Maxx are similar to TJ Maxx, then Target is a completely different type of store compared to the TJ/TK Maxx. If you're going to try Chic Fil A you should try Popeyes while you're in NYC.
I’m a NYer, who moved all over the country and travelled to many world locations. I always go to McDonalds. It’s fun to see how it changes in each country. (Saimen in Hawaii, fancy toilets in Japan). It was the only safe place for me to get ice cream in Rajastan. 😂
We did the circle line cruise at sunset a few weeks ago and it was absolutely fine! We really enjoyed it! Everyone had a seat, nobody was standing up to take pics, and the host who was giving city facts was super fun and knowledgeable! He’d been doing the job for over 30 years so he really knew his stuff
I actually like the Big Bus tours and the Old Town Trolley tours because it gives you the opportunity to see all the popular sights and you can hop on and off to any of the sights when ever you feel like it. It's easy transportation. Instead of getting tired of doing a lot of walking and getting lost using the subway, you just ride the tour bus. Plus you get discounts to the popular sights. I just came back home from NYC, and I did the Big Bus tour. They literally give you 24 hours or more time to do the tour. If you start the tour 3 o'clock in the day, then they will give you until 3 o'clock the next day to finish it. I didn't get a chance to do the uptown within the 24 hours time frame, and they worked with me and let me do it the next day because it was raining.
Going with my daughter (12) again this year, and we went last year. Both October trips. Your advice was so good - we enjoyed RiseNY and our two Broadway shows (Wicked and The Play That Went Wrong). Looking to try and hit up Governors Island & see The Met this time around. But, watching all videos you post for extra ideas. :)
Chain restaurants are something I always avoid when I travel. They take away from trying the local eateries which are owned and run by locals. I cringe when someone asks me if I'm going to eat at a Pizza Hut or KFC in a particular city around the world. I've been to NYC twice, but I have yet to try the Classic Harbor Line cruise. I'll need to do that next time!
Hi, we were search places in America to visit when we come and we came across your channel. It was great. We really can’t wait to get to this area. Chelsea and Mike
I IMMEDIATELY went on City Harbor’s website after I saw how nice it looked on this vid. The “City lights” cruise seems like it would be amazing. Im from the south, so New York was always a dream for me as a kid lol. Only saw New York on Tv and thought of it as the city of dreams🥹. I can’t wait to go omg!
I went to New York for the first time, a little over a month ago! And your videos have been really helpful, ended up doing RiseNY instead of Madame Toussads and it was awesome! Thanks for the recommendations
Im from Brazil and went to NYC in 2019, Ive visited Moma for free, guggenheim for free, whitney museum for free, The MET for 5 dollars (I chose to pay this amount), most of the museums in NY have a pay what u wish day, and thats amazing, i did a low cost travel to one of the most expensive places in the world, and is worthy, i love the ny museums and ill be back in November to visit again, i hope to go to some brodway show, and to the statue of liberty (i only visited through the ferry to staten island).
Going to NYC in just over a week...with my kids! Been watching your videos non-stop for advice. Last time I went was before covid...and never with my kids. It's a whole learning curve. Would love more videos of things to do with kids, restaurants that are good for them. etc. But thanks for all the tips.
The Hop On Hop Off bus used to be a really great way to get around the city for a day or two in NYC and DC. Now it's a pain in the butt because of constant backed up traffic, the bus customer service and paying the inflationary price of the tickets.
We followed your recommendation and booked a Classic Harbor Line cruise for September 29th :) and booked Broadway tickets using another recommendation from you TodayTix :).
I always tell people to get the official boat to the Statue of Liberty or the free Staten Island ferry. Avoid getting scammed by the ticket sellers near Battery Park.
Hi Sarah, I'm a HUUUUGE Sex and The City fan!!! Would you recommend the SATC tour? It's $66 and it's my #1 thing to do. This will be my very first in NYC this May. It's been on my bucket list for forever! I'm from Chicago so I'm definitely judging yall pizza too😂❤
Also would suggest for real budget boat cruise use the NYC FERRY! a sweet boat ride and you're going through with beautiful visuals... $2.75 and on weekends the free boat ride (before 12pm) to Govenor's Island also at 1:49 you can see Spider-man thinking to himself if he should charge for you putting him this video
Thank you very much for that very helpful tip about Manhatten. It is also good that you recommended Broadway shows like The Lion King because I love the show. Have you seen the lion king movies though? It would have really been helpful to me if you had mentioned that before talking about their Broadway show.
Sarah, I’m coming up there on Monday to New York City from South Carolina Myrtle Beach and I’m autistic but I’m coming with my brother is there anything you recommend me doing with a cars and Cool watches and we also like really good food
Do not drive into the city! Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. Cargo pants with plenty of pockets are great! Always protect your belonging. Never hang cameras and purses over back of chairs.Always carry one or two good chargers fully charged
I disagree about your CityPass advice. Yes, the three places you mention are free are on certain limited days (Guggenheim) or for limited hours (9/11 Museum and Intrepid) and days. So unless your trip aligns with all three of those conditions you are out of luck for the free admissions. I would hazard to guess (based on the dates and times for free admission to those attractions) that most people would rather opt for being able to visit at their leisure with CityPass than "force" a time/day into their schedule. We've used the CityPass in Chicago and Vegas and were able to take full advantage of both for max savings.
How do you pay $31.50 for the Statue of Liberty Ferry? I bought a crown ticket a few months ago (which should be the most expensive one since it also includes the pedestal and Ellis island) and for me it was $24.80 (and still is as of today). A friend of mine visited NYC last february and when I asked her for information, she also said that it was like $31 or something. So now I'm starting to wonder if I bought the right ticket. Did I miss something?
From Times Square if you walk over to 9th Ave there are some good and very reasonable ethnic restaurants near Hell’s Kitchen. (Courtesy if Herr be Barr’s RU-vid channel).
Please do New York City history Central Park 5th ave etc because I want to show someone New York and I want to know the history please for RU-vid thanks soon very
It's impossible to get a free ticket for the 9/11 musem. I tried twice and it just says theres no event for that day. They must only have like 3 tickets or something. I tried loading the site exactly at 7am both times, and it took a long time to load, then just said not available. It's impossible. I wish they at least had a ny local discount.
@@beckystar101 Yup! Don't know why they even bother having a free day. In fact I didn't even know you needed a ticket! The first time I tried going, they wouldn't let me in because they said I needed a ticket and I was too late to get one. Why do I need a ticket on a free museum day?! Calling it a free museum day is so misleading.
Sure! I thought it was cool and definitely worth a visit if you’re into live performances. That said, it is very niche so if someone does not care about Broadway then they may get bored. But I loved it because (like you mentioned) I used to work on Broadway 😂
@@SarahFunky Thank you! I’m visiting NYC for the first time in October from the UK so I’ve never been to Broadway but I am a big musical theatre fan! I shall add it to my itinerary 🥰
warning! Bring lots of money or debit/credit cards . Never, ever carry cash with you. When carrying your wallet always carry two wallets. One with fake money and fake cards and fake ID and that’s the one you will give the thief who might rob you. If carrying cash wear a money belt and always be discreet when handling money. Women, never carry large purses or bags, even though NY women do it all the time that’s because either they don’t know no better or can actually take care of themselves or will take matters into their own hands
NYC is made up of 5 boroughs; THE BRONX, BROOKLYN, QUEENS, STATEN ISLAND and of course MANHATTAN. Most restaurants are located in midtown Manhattan because that’s where most tourists flock to. There are more restaurants per sq mile in the city! Also, on restaurant row on W47th Street and 8th Ave there are restaurants literally on both sides of the street. Try your luck in going to restaurants in the outer boroughs, you’ll be surprised at what you can find there and prices are more reasonable
Broadway. TKTS is nice, saves you money but you have to be very flexible as to what you want to see and where you want to sit. Better bet: Broadway week. 2 for 1 tickets for just about every show covering many seats in all price categories. This year Sept 4-17. Can sign up for a reminder. Repeats first 2 full weeks in January. Turns out a lot of shows are really good at ½ price.
I used to agree with avoiding chain restaurants when visiting NYC, until i realized I've never been to a Bubba Gump, or a Friendly's, or a Margaritaville, and there aren't any in my state. I support local always, but my next visit to NYC I'm heading straight to Bubba Gump on the first day. 😃 Also, we don't have a Madame Tussaud's.
I did a Hop On Hop Off in 2010 and it was a great experience for me. I used it to get the lay of the land so I would know where everything was located and what I wanted to go back to. Then because it was for 48 hours, I used it to get to those places. It included a ferry ride out past the Statute of Liberty and admission to a pretty cheesy museum that I could have skipped. A few years later, I received about $20 back because I guess there was some class action lawsuit for overcharging which was a nice bonus.
The Hop On, Hop Off bus isn’t a bad way to go in the middle of the trip if you’re just walked out and need a break for a couple hours. Just plan on mostly staying on the bus. That said, they used to go all the way to Harlem and they may have stopped that, so it definitely makes it less valuable.
I actually liked the Go City Pass; thought it was a good deal. I selected the option for 7 attractions for $199. It was good for 60 days, but I was only in NY for 7 days. I did the Little Italy/Chinatown Neighborhood Walking Tour (normally $39), Rise NY (normally $42.57), American Museum of Natural History (normally $28), Top of the Rock Observatory (normally $43.35), Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry (normally $25) and Catacombs by Candlelight Tour (normally $37). Without the pass, these 7 attractions would have totalled $239.62, so I saved about $40, which was great! Some of the attractions required an online booking in advance through their site, which were very easy to do. But you're right, if I wanted to visit the attractions that also offered free days, I probably wouldn't have gotten this pass. I absolutely love your videos, tips and hacks! I'll have to checkout the Classic Harbor Line Cruises on my next trip out! Thanks!
I went to NY about 5 yrs ago, and my beau and I are hoping to go for a weekend with my parents in December - I'm usually the walker in the group, how did you like all the tours? I've been to top of the rock and definitely want to go again, and I think the beau would like the museum of natural history, because, dinosaurs. I like the idea of the little Italy and Chinatown tours, and the candlelight one, so I'd love to hear what you think :)
We love a Funky morning NYC vid! My sister stopped talking to a friend because they came to Manhattan, she gave kid friendly local restaurants since she couldn't get a lot of time with them. So, she checks in, and the friend says 'oh, we just went to Applebees in Times Square" This was 15 years ago, I can still get her ranting about it by just saying "we went to Applebees"
You can do a cruise on the NYC ferry for $4 and save a lot of cash, one good thing De Blasio did. They've got inside seating downstairs and outside upstairs. If you go to Roosevelt Island, you can also do the tram, which is also cheap.
Hello Sarah, we're going to NYC for the first time ever (first time to the usa in general), could you recommend a memorabilia/souvenir to bring home from NYC? :) love your videos, binging them to be prepared for everything :D
Taking notes in my head so next time I will do it with a pen and paper 😂. Already know I won’t be going to those big chains because to me it’s pointless.
I love you AND your channel, but Friendly's is NOT just like Applebee's! Friendly's was the hang out of my youth, where we spent every Friday night after the football game eating burgers and drinking milkshakes, or "Fribbles". Where we skipped school to steal away and have breakfast. Where we all took our kids for their first ice cream cone. Friendly's is decidedly NOT THE SAME as Applebee's. 💕 That being said, I do appreciate the advice to NOT eat in chain restaurants.
