http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30369 To make it worth its money, you do need to try and use most of the vouchers and I would say that you need at least four days in NYC to allow yourself enough time to do so.
The vouchers get you entry to:

The top of the Rock or the Guggenheim
Empire State Building
Statue of Liberty or Cruise around NYC.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Natural History Museum
The Museum of Modern Art

I really enjoyed all the things apart from the cruise - it was utterly tedious after the first 15 minutes. I'd strongly advise anyone to go for the Statue of Liberty option instead.
The absolute best thing about the pass was that it constantly allowed us to jump the often very long queues of people and get priority access. This was absolutely fantastic and saved us so much time.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30369 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30368 Woody Allen used the hotel in his film Manhattan Murder Mystery and the hotel claims that Madonna has stayed there at some point, though I have no idea if this latter fact is true or, indeed, if anyone could care less.
There are shared bathrooms on every floor and these are cleaned regularly and always in a decent state. The rooms, depending on size, have a wash basin and a TV.
Very comfortable all round and, although a fair way out of the centre of New York, the hotel is very close to the Union Square/14th Street subway station, which is the intersection of a number of subway lines, effectively making it very easy to reach anywhere in the city.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30368 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28192 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28192 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28127 I recommend this because it is a cheap way to buy vintage clothes and the stuffy musky smell of Thrift Store is not an issue. Shopping en plein air!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28127 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/27350
Other top tips for NYC:
Travel from JFK - for parties of three or more take a yellow cab ($55ish to your hotel door).
Breakfast - Grand Central Station
Lunch/Dinner - Whole Foods market, excellent value and choice (avoid busy 6pm - 7pm period) 10 Columbus Circle, basement of Time Warner Center. Very convenient for Central Park.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/27350 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26910 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26910 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25974
Coach USA runs between Manhatten and Newark, stopping outside Grand Central Station (between Park and Lexington Avenues on 41st street), Bryant Park (5th avenue) and Port Authority Bus Terminal. Fare is $15 one way or $25 return. Buses run every 15 /30 mins.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25974 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25973 Would class it as a three/three-star plus hotel and maybe a little tired around edges. However at £70 a night, this was great value for NY.

Look around at the various accommodation websites and you'll see a big difference in price for this hotel from £140 to £70 per night.
We used Expedia as it was the cheapest.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25973 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25963 Additionally there are some good pubs in this area, such as the Red Lion down the road at 151 Bleeker street.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25963 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25961 Ask any member of staff & they will tell you how to get the card.
In the respective stores you go to customer services to obtain the discount card which you present when making purchases.
This is not very openly advertised in store but every day 100s of people (if not thousands) obtain the discount card.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25961 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25960 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25960 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25247 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25247 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25027 airbnb.com or roomorama.com when looking for an apartment for short-term stay. Craigslist might still have the best bargains though, if you've got the time and patience to hunt for them. In order to weed out the scams, stick to two simple rules: after you've made contact with the person offering a place for rent, ask the magic question: "With all the scammers out there, could I please send a local friend over to take a look at the place before booking?" (doesn't matter if you really have anyone there who could go over, no reply = scammer). Second, do not pay anyone anything in advance unless there is a way to reverse the transaction (read: PayPal only). Anyone requesting full stay's rent plus a huge deposit in advance via bank transfer or money order is a scammer, and they're most likely using photos and descriptions stolen from legit real estate ads.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25027 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24040
With an antractive pink front door, this brownstone hostel blends in with the surroundings and neighboring houses. Inside the interior is simple and fresh and there are loads of opportunities to meet other female backpackers in the evenings when you are back from sightseeing.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24040 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23624 1. You can get tickets to see TV recordings for free i.e. for Ricki Lake. You need often to apply early though.
2. On the same day, head down to Time Square and the TKTS booth and get theatre tickets half price.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23624 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23195 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23195 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23119
Because it's America, the space you get on the trains is immense compared to the UK and on certain legs of the journey you get your own cabin with panoramic windows to watch the world go by (and a free little bottle of bubbly upon arrival!)

The longest leg of our journey was approx. two days through the beautiful flat plains of the Midwest with the occassional ranch and small town thrown in for good measure, followed by the beautiful Rockies, where we even saw a few wild animals!

All your food is included in the price of your fare - staff come knocking on your cabin door to take reservations and at your alloted time you make your way to the dining carriage. If you're travelling alone or in a couple you'll share a table with other passengers.... although we're a bit British sometimes and don't like awkward small-talk, this actually was a lot of fun! One night we shared a table with a sweet Midwest school teacher (v. talkative) and a toothless trucker (not so talkative!) Priceless!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23119 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21183 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21183 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21180 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21180 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20927 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20927