The holidays are coming, and there are few better places to spend them than New York City. The city has kept its festive reputation for decades, helped by every film that has used its streets as a holiday backdrop.
Many travellers would rather live like a local than tick off the usual tourist sights. If you are heading to New York, here are some local favourites and money-saving tips.
St. Marks Place
St. Marks Place is the stretch of East 8th Street between Third Avenue and Avenue A in the East Village. It is unlike anywhere else in Manhattan, packed with small shops, bars and cheap Japanese restaurants, and well worth a wander. Ramen fans will find some of the city's best-known noodle bars nearby.
Stone Street
Near Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, Stone Street is one of Manhattan's rare cobblestone lanes, with a history going back to the Dutch colonial era of the 17th century. It is lined with bars frequented by people from the nearby financial firms, and in warm weather the whole street fills with outdoor tables.
Famous film and TV spots
- Katz's Delicatessen on East Houston Street, famous from When Harry Met Sally, serves enormous pastrami sandwiches. Tip: take a ticket at the door and do not lose it; the deli uses it to tally your bill.
- Serendipity 3 on the Upper East Side, from the film Serendipity, is known for its frozen hot chocolate. One serving is big enough to share.
- Carrie Bradshaw's stoop from Sex and the City is in the West Village, not the Upper East Side where the show set her apartment. It is a private home, so look from the pavement and do not sit on the steps.
Rooftop bars
Manhattan's rooftop bars give you the skyline for the price of a drink. Popular choices cluster around Midtown near the Empire State Building, in Hell's Kitchen with views over the Hudson, and in the Flatiron district near Madison Square Park, home of the original Shake Shack. Expect queues and expensive drinks at the famous ones; the hotel rooftops slightly off the main avenues are often calmer. Venues change often, so check before you go.
Public transport tip
The subway can save you a lot of money. Each ride costs the same flat fare however far you go, and a free transfer between subway and bus within two hours is included. Plan a trip out by subway and back by bus, or the other way round, and you pay for only one ride.
Update (October 2026): When this post was written in 2012 a ride cost $2.25 and you paid with a MetroCard. The fare is now about $3, and you simply tap a contactless card or phone at the OMNY readers. OMNY also caps your spending: after a set number of paid rides in seven days, the rest of the week is free, which is great news for students on long stays.
A day trip for card players
There are no full casinos in Manhattan, but New York has gaming nearby. Resorts World in Queens, next to Aqueduct racetrack, offers electronic versions of table games and slot-style machines, and Atlantic City's boardwalk casinos are a bus ride of about two and a half hours away. Minimum ages and rules differ by venue, so check before you travel, and read our house edge explainer first so you know which games give you the best run for your money.