What to do in New York? (Amsterdam, Bedford: hotel, pricing, shop)

[monkeypox8000]

What are some crazy things to see and do in NYC? Are there areas that should be avoided? What do the local folks do for fun in New York?

[BklynGal2476]

It's not the right season for it, but during the summer Coney Island keeps us entertained for a whole day. Between the rides, the games (Shoot the Freak, anyone?), the food (who knew Nathan's served frog legs!) and Sideshows by the Seashore, it'll be a day you won't soon forget.

In the summer.

[NewYorkNative]

Places to sit and watch crazy new yorkers:
Astor Place
Washington Square Park
Central Park
Brooklyn Promenade

Fun places for grown-up-kids to shop:
Forbidden Planet
Halloween Adventure
Gereration CDs

Take a stroll down:
Bleeker Street
Bedford Ave in Brooklyn
Canal Street
8th, 14th, or 125th streets
Bar-hop Amsterdam Ave around, say, the 80's
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

Athletic things to do:
Rent a bike & ride the West Side Highway bike trail
Skate park in Bay Ridge
Chelsea Piers
Watch teams play/practice at East River Park or Riverside Park

Eat:
Seafood at City Island
Italian at Giano's (reservation!)
Brunch at 7A

Touristy stuff that doesn't suck:
Chinatown/Little Italy (right next to each other)
Top Of The Rock/Empire State Building
Ground Zero museum
The museums here rock: Natural History, MOMA, City of New York, Cloisters

[jotan23]

here are some suggestions and tips from our personal experience:

we went to NY for a week and stayed at the Hilton Embassy Suites.
we had a blast!!!

there's a book called Lonely Planet (NYC)
it is a really really helpful book for tourists like us because it includes walking tours, etc, and places to eat.

you should visit Serendipity for dessert
http://jotan23.blogspot.com/2008/03/day-1-aug-30-2007-thursday-i-woke-up.html

by the way, instead of waiting for hours in line to get to the statue of liberty, you may opt to have the NY waterway tour instead. This way, you will save enough time to tour other parts of the city
http://jotan23.blogspot.com/2008/03/touring-new-york-city-on-day-2.html
there's also the famous BULL at the financial district
you should also try the yummiest Pizza Margherita at 'Lil Frankie in East Village ^,^

if you have more time, try walking the stretch of Brooklyn Bridge.
http://jotan23.blogspot.com/2008/03/traveller-in-new-york-city-day-3.html
this serves as an exercise too.. hihihi
also, do visit Saint Patricks's Cathedral at 5th avenue.
don't miss to go inside.
it's wonderful!!!
we also went to Top of the Rock instead of the Empire State Building to avoid the long line hihihi because we were afraid we won't have enough time to see other parts of NYC

for shopping, you may want to visit Century 21, just across the former WTC.
http://jotan23.blogspot.com/2008/03/livin-as-new-yorkers-do-day-4.html
you should have lunch/brunch at Cafe lalo!!! or at Sarabeth's
we chose Cafe Lalo hihihi because of the ambiance and because it's famous.

To relax, try having a picnic at Central Park.
http://jotan23.blogspot.com/2008/03/labor-day-in-nyc-day-5.html
we chose to eat at the top of one huge rock there to have e good view of the whole central park
then, we went to MET (entrance is by donation only, you don't have to give 20 USD)
if you're a techie like my friends, you may want to visit the MAC store. it is now a tourist spot because of its unique architecture
DON'T MISS eating at PARADOU!!!
it's a MUST!!!
trust me on this!

you also gotta watch a broadway show! definitely!
there's WICKED and SPAMALOT
http://jotan23.blogspot.com/2008/03/goodbye-new-york-day-6.html

[samyn on the green]

Go to Belmont Park and watch New York's fastest and best athletes compete. The action is hot and you may just win a ton of loot (broken link) instead of wasting a ton of loot like at a boring ballgame.

[BXGEAR]

Visit the Bronx zoo and the Botanical garden

[samyn on the green]

Originally Posted by BXGEAR

Visit the Bronx zoo and the Botanical garden

Sorry but these are boring choices. They have animals and flowers at Belmont Park just like the zoo and Botanical gardens. However Belmont has the added excitement/option of wagering on the animals.

[john_starks]

go to the roofdeck at hotel gansvoort on a thursday, friday or sturday nite.

[geos]

The Botanical Gardens in Bronx is great; the one in Brooklyn is smaller but still nice. There's free tennis at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, Queens. Every year 1 week before the Open is the Qualifying Round which is free.