TripAdvisor Things to AVOID in NYC (and what to do instead)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 มิ.ย. 2024
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In this video, we're sharing 5 things to avoid in New York City when you're visiting, and what you should do instead. From scam restaurants to tourist traps, we've got you covered!
If you're thinking of visiting New York City, be sure to watch this video to avoid the scams and dangerous areas that visitors often encounter. By following our tips, you'll have a great time exploring all the amazing things New York City has to offer!
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NYC Restaurant guide: • 13 Best NYC Restaurant...
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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 nailed it. Double decker buses, chain restaurants, chain attractions... They all take away valuable time you could spend on something better.
Thank you!
and money
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
Thats great to hear, we will be in NYC in September for our honeymoon and we were thinking to do the sunset or harbor lights tour with Circle Line.
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.
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 ❤❤
I am loving your post pandemic videos!! Love seeing you enjoying making these videos!!
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.
1:32 When you're here you're friendly! 🤣
Lmao yep! haha
I've learned so much from your videos over the past few days! We are flying to NYC in November and have already knocked a few items off the itinerary
Me too! ✈️ in november
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!
We are coming from Greece on Tuesday!Can’t wait!Thanks for the advice
In May I had my first visit to NYC ❤ We went to so many places based on your recs -
classic harbor line cruise - OMG! Devine!!!
That’s so great to hear!
Thanks for all of your videos, visiting NY from PR for 6 days. Super excited!!!!!!!
Very good advice about the city pass! Thanks for sharing beautiful lady😘😘😘xox
Took all your tours! Amazing and worth it!
These videos are so helpful, thank you so much. You are stunning 🙂
I really enjoy your videos! ❤
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
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.
You nailed it Sarah ! I usually avoid chian restaurants, attractions, and double decker buses in NYC !
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"
Horrible! I don’t blame her! Lol
😂😂😂😂
Yeah, I’d probably cut her out of my life as well.
😂😂😂😂
I like that shirt, glad you're wearing it again!
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
Thank You for the Awesome Advice Thank You
Nice video
Love you ❤
those yacht tours are the best. Some will tour around the island and they are great for all sorts of events
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. :)
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for watching and sharing your experience!
Girl I'm headed to NYC today!. Ty yall for the videos 🎉
Have fun! Thanks for watching!
The Staten Island Ferry is free and gets you pretty close to the Statue of Liberty and gives great views of lower Manhattan from the harbor.
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 :)
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.
Manhattan takes years to walk but it's the best way to visit it.
Check out my video on nyc with kids! th-cam.com/video/noIhnqHHqk0/w-d-xo.html that should help a lot!
We followed your recommendation and booked a Classic Harbor Line cruise for September 29th :) and booked Broadway tickets using another recommendation from you TodayTix :).
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.
Good point!
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 !
You’re so right on all of these things! Thanks for sharing!
@@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 "
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.
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
Could you possibly do a video about the best thrift/vintage shops around the city? Or maybe a shorts video?
Amen amen amen on the City Pass!!!!!!! City Pass is the biggest “tourist trap” in NYC!
100%!
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.
1000% percent go to RiseNY!! Went last Thanksgiving and it was SO cool
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.
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. 😂
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.
I was so distracted by those awsome abbs,.... Crisp 👍😁👌👌😍
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!
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.
Your usual fabulous videos Sarah are very informative and so helpful to tourists with this invaluable information. Thank you so much. I hope you do not get any hate mail from these restaurants you expose for conning people. Your honesty and integrity which you have always had in all your videos are 2nd none, which will always make you a very special and unique blogger.
I very much appreciate your kind words! Thank you!
I love how you say Madame Tucson.
Hi Sarah I just toNY recently. Went to Rise NY, museum ofBroadway, I saw the play NY NY, I went to Ellen’s stardust dinner,and Bleecker street Pizza. IKarl Lagerfields exhibit at theMet. I’m going to Paris in August. Watch out for pick pockets.
*WooooooooooooooWWWWW!!!!!!! Tnx!!!!*
as someone from south dakota, its wild to me how you say madame toussauds (sp?) and ripleys are everywhere
Very beautiful 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
This is you researching at your keyboard! 😎😅😂😂
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.
Very entertaining. lol🤣😂
A did the bus tour it was included a ticket bundle worked out ok and think its not as bad during the week defo would VOID at the weekend tho !
Good to know!
i dont know about the ny hp on hop off bt in rome and other cities i have visited like rome the hop on was the best dscion well worth it
Friends of mine went to Sydney Australia and thought the food was so weird and they ended up eating at Subway. I think a lot of Midwesterners are the ones who eat at the chain restaurants in Times Square
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😂❤
Sarah knows NYC ! 🍎
I try!
Planning 10 days in February next year. For my 60th birthday. Don't mind the weather. Any tips or advice? Cheaper hotels?
Tons of tips! Check out my video here: th-cam.com/video/N5nq8iVwEo0/w-d-xo.html. Also, if you want us to plan your trip we can do that! More info here: sarahfunky.com/nyc-vacation-planning/
brava! ciao 👋
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
Great tip! Also, you’re SO RIGHT about that Spider-Man haha
Are you going to do a London video?
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?
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).
Do you think dim sum palace is over price? They are everywhere in NY.
and what about Yoon Haeundae Galbi korean restaurant? Thanks
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
Will you make any videos about Yonkers? There's not many youtubers who go there or say anything about it, besides there is crime.
So, I went to visit Oahu some time back, the people I stayed with straight away took me to Hard Rock Cafe. I was so disgruntled by this act, that I immediately took off by myself, went to Waikiki, found the diviest of dive bars and saddled up to the wood. I made fabulous friends, had amazing times, went with those locals to the best hidden spots and had such an amazing time, I went back to their place,packed my bags, told them I was staying, just not with them. I appreciated their hospitality, but wanted to actually “experience” the island. I moved in with a new friend and stayed for over a year working as a tender in that same dive bar I first encountered and made so much money and so many friends and memories, it was stupid. I’d do it again anywhere … in a heartbeat. 😉
That is such a great story!
@@SarahFunky Thanks Sarah!! I had the time of my life!!
Did I mention to you that... I used to work on broadway😂 more power to you, not everyone can make that claim
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 am going to New York on august 17-20th but you have no food tours Available. what food tour companies would you recommend?
Really useful information!
Sarah, what is a great, affordable afternoon/high tea experience on Manhattan?
I would recommend Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon. It is the most authentic (though maybe not budget friendly 😳). There aren’t many other options though!
@@SarahFunky Thank you so very much.
Quality and cheap never go hand in hand and I did not find my wife at TJMax in a discount bin
Will your promo codes work if I want to use them for my trip there in October?
Yes!
I'd love to know your view of the Museum of Broadway, I heard somewhere you used to work on Broadway... 😉
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 🥰
"One of these days, [Sarah] - To the moon!" That's from the Honeymooners (originally it was Alice).
5:38 i... don't really want to smell new york if i have the option... 🤣
The smell of NYC is marihuana.
@@joeydego2 more like piss and garbage smell but ok
I used to live in Manhattan in the Lincoln Towers on 73rd. Manhattan is a great place to visit for a few days, but you don't want to live there.
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 TH-cam channel).
Yes, great tip!
Yeah but that only works if you can go on the free days which is hard to do
CityPASS used to be a better deal. My first trip to NYC it saved me money instead of buying separately.
When you talk about going around New York City and Manhattan you could bring a bicycle that would be a lot faster.
Madame Tussaud's made Jimmy Fallon cross-eyed! 😂
I thought the same!
I want to see the Frick Collection. Now temporary on Madison.
I don’t “give a Frick.”😅
@@matthewraden5210 Joking, of course.
@@valentinchiriac9117 😀😀😀
Discount code for Rise no longer works, says expired
Thank you for the heads up! I just got it reactivated! Feel free to check again :)
How long should be allotted for The Rise?
I would say 1.5 hours
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 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.
I agree with you! We went to Friendly’s all the time when I was young. It was such a great spot!
What happened at Cyprus
With Classic harbor line, which packages comes as the most interesting? I am coming for my 30th birthday and she Tempted me. Anyone?
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.
Weird, I’ll have to look into that. Thank you for sharing!
@@SarahFunky You're welcome!
Same, I tried getting tickets, had my alarm so I wouldn’t sleep in, refreshed the page and nothing 😢
@@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.
@@beckystar101 Hm, that is very interesting. Thank you for sharing! I'm going to look into this!
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.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍🙂
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 TH-cam thanks soon very
First view ❤😊
Well done!
Of course Madame Tussauds is on there
Smh walks past Biggie😂😂😂 Cardi who aint iconic. Im from the UK please no hate🤷🏾♀️
My bad haha