Sarah Turners New York report Posted On 22.03.07 Sarah Turner, Travel Writer   ........................................................................................................................................ Introduction How do you make sense of a place that is pure sensory overload? From skyscrapers to museums and department stores, New York is the city that does it bigger, louder and faster than any other. It can overwhelm even the most blasé traveller. But coming down to earth to New York is easy. Just take the number 6 bus - a real belching municipal bus - along Broadway. Sit alongside the native New Yorkers and watch as, block by block, the bus turns from leafy Central Park, through the neon-lit theatre district to the heart of downtown trendiness. There are few better ways of finding out how compact and user-friendly Manhattan is. New York is a city best experienced at ground level where you can balance museums and sight-seeing with visits to pretzel carts and watching a neighbourhood basketball game. I don't usually do coach tours (see Best Avoided) but I'm glad - very glad - I made an exception for Harlem Spirituals www.harlemspirituals.com. Increasingly middle-class and with far less crime than the bad days of the 1980s, predominately black Harlem is now a thriving neighbourhood: "Come back, wander around, check out the Apollo Theater," urged our guide as he told us about the Harlem Renaissance, when Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington played and writers Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes flourished in the handsome brownstone buildings. Harlem has history, attitude and energy. At the other end of Manhattan, but still only half an hour by subway, is the Lower East Side. This was where most European immigrants ended up living. Across the water from Brooklyn, it nurtured such talents as the Marx Brothers and the Gershwins in its slum tenement housing. Today, it is home to one of New York's most enjoyable museums, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum www.tenement.org, where the history of those who lived in the apartments has been researched and recreated. You'll have to book ahead but it's an unforgettable visit. (If you have children book into the Confino tour, which is geared towards them.) The other people on the tour will generally be Americans. On my tour, all of the Americans had relatives who'd lived in the area. Afterwards all ages will enjoy Economy Candy www.economycandy.com on Rivington Street. True to the spirit of New York, it’s a pile'em high, sell'em cheap temple to tooth decay run by the same family since 1937. As much as the Empire State Building or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this is the true New York. And their $15 t-shirts make great souvenirs. Seasoned travel writer Sarah Turner tries to notch up at least two visits a year to New York. Boston might not have any sales tax but the choice of things to buy in New York is far wider and the burgers much better - as long as you avoid Times Square. ........................................................................................................................................ Best Avoided Tourist Buses Avoid the open-deck tourist buses that pound around SoHo blaring out a canned commentary. Manhattan is easy to navigate. It’s no more dangerous than the average city and the natives speak English. Buy a Metrocard ($24 for a seven-day one) and use the subway during daytime. I happily use it in the evenings as well but if you're nervous, taxis are cheap. Eating on Times Square The restaurants on Times Square are neon-lit tourist traps. Don’t be tempted. The food is guaranteed to be mediocre and overpriced. To search out a proper New York diner, head to Chelsea and the Empire Diner on 210 Tenth Avenue or the atmospheric Corner Bistro at 331 West 4th St. It’s a perennial winner of New York's Best Burger awards. ........................................................................................................................................ Need to Know Sightseeing If you are planning major sightseeing, think about buying a CityPass www.citypass.com. It costs a fair amount ($53 for adults, $41 for 6-17-year-olds) but offers savings and minimises queuing at the American Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Modern Art, the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum, the Empire State Building, the Guggenheim and Circle Light Sightseeing. Buy it online before you leave home. Free on Friday If you want to gain entry to New York's pricier museums without paying an entrance fee, keep Friday evening clear. Both the Museum of Modern Art (normally $20) and the Whitney (normally $12) offer free entry on Friday evenings. And some of the best things in life are free - including the Staten Island Ferry which gives a great view of Manhattan's skyline and the Statue of Liberty. A round trip takes one hour and forty minutes. Tipping Tipping is a way of life. Double the tax part of your restaurant bill to know the amount you ought to leave. Tip a dollar a drink in a bar. Have a stash of dollar bills at hand to tip doormen, taxi drivers and chambermaids. Restaurant bookings Many restaurants won't take bookings for groups of less than six people. If you're dining a deux, you're probably best off going in off the street - usually you won't have to wait long. Hip and happening Trends emerge and disappear fast in New York. At the moment it's hidden bars like Employees Only www.employeesonlynyc.com, where only a fortune-teller in the window hints that there's a bar and restaurant behind. La Esquina, on the corner of Kenmare and Lafayette (it's too trendy to have a telephone number) by Little Italy has a great bar hidden behind a taco stand. Time Out New York and New York magazines will keep you up to date. Time Out Time Out New York comes out on Wednesdays and has details of all the latest shops, restaurants and events. It's your best New York planner. If you've got specific questions, www.askanewyorker.com is a fun way to get advice. Best views The new viewing platform at the Rockefeller Center might be a few metres lower than the Empire State but the views are even more spectacular. To save queuing, book tickets beforehand on www.topoftherocknyc.com. Prices are $14 adults, $9 for 6-12 year-olds. ........................................................................................................................................ TC Tips Kirsty Wingate, Travel Counsellor Thanksgiving is a great time for a New York city break. It’s always the fourth Thursday in November which makes it good timing for Christmas shopping. Catch the department store sales over Thanksgiving weekend. The famous Macys Thanksgiving Day parade lasts for about three hours but to get a good viewing position people queue from 5 am. Dani Dinwoodie, Travel Counsellor Three top ideas for your New York city break. Hire a bike and cycle across the Brooklyn Bridge. Buy a picnic and enjoy people-watching at Central Park. Spend an afternoon in Little Italy where there are some fab shops and reasonably priced restaurants. Debbie Crampton, Travel Counsellor When you are booking a flight to New York, try to use Newark instead of JFK airport. Newark is generally quicker for immigration and now has a rail link into the centre of Manhattan at around $11 each way. Also check out the fringe theatres. You’ll find smaller productions, often with audience participation. They can be excellent. Karen Goldman, Travel Counsellor The Marriott Marquis in the heart of Times Square has a good revolving restaurant with amazing views. Try the revolving bar rather than the restaurant. The bar offers an 'all you can eat buffet' for half the price of the restaurant and you get the same views. Ask for a table by the window. Jessica Taylor, Travel Counsellor Summer is not the best time for a New York city break. July and August are very humid and walking around is uncomfortable. May, June, September and October are the most pleasant months. It can be bitterly cold in February and March.