Hi, fellow New Yorkers (and NYC lovers)! 👋

I'm coming to NYC this weekend to celebrate my 40th birthday (woohoo!) with my best friend, and I've put together a packed itinerary. I've read the FAQ, scrolled through posts, and done my best to craft a plan that balances seeing iconic sights with enjoying some good food and festive vibes. But... this is NYC, and I know you all have the insider knowledge to make it even better (or to tell me where I’m wildly overestimating travel times 😅).

Here’s what I’ve got so far. I’d love your thoughts—whether it’s "Oh no, skip that" or "Hey, you could squeeze this in instead!" Bonus points for food recommendations (we love comfort food) or tips to make it all run smoother. ❤️

Day 1 - Friday

• 10:00 AM: Brunch at La Bonbonneire
• 12:00 PM: Wander the West Village (must-see Friends building & Washington Square Park)
• 2:00 PM: Chelsea Market
• 3:00 PM: High Line & Macy’s Windows
• 4:00 PM: Check into the Thompson at Central Park
• 6:00 PM: Quick Dinner (TBD—ideas welcome!)
• 7:00 PM: The Office! A Musical Parody
• 9:00 PM: Rockefeller Center Tree & 5th Ave Light Display

Day 2 - Saturday

• 9:30 AM: Brunch in Brooklyn (TBD—ideas welcome!)

• 11:00 AM: Explore DUMBO, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and walk back to Manhatten via the Brooklyn Bridge

• 1:30 PM: Lunch at Fraunces Tavern

• 3:30 PM: Self-guided walking tour of the Financial District

• 7:00 PM: Broadway lottery show (fingers crossed!)

• OR:

• The Strand Bookstore

• Union Square Holiday Market

• Flatiron Building

Day 3 - Sunday

• 8:30 AM: Breakfast at Ess-a-Bagel
• 9:00 AM: Central Park, focusing on sites at the South end starting at Columbus Circle and ending at Wollman Rink
• 12:00 PM: Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular
• 2:00 PM: Grand Central & Chrysler Building
• 4:00 PM: Empire State Building
• 6:30 PM: Bryant Park Christmas Village
• 8:30 PM: Dinner at Oscar Wilde’s

Day 4 - Monday

• 8:00 AM: Levain Bakery
• 8:30 AM: Explore the Upper West Side
• 11:30 AM: Lunch at Jacob’s Pickles
• 12:30 PM: Head to Penn Station for the train to EWR

We’re ready for long days, love purposeful wandering (West Village, Greenwich vibes), and hope to soak in the holiday spirit. Anything glaringly unrealistic or must-visit spots I missed?

Thanks in advance, and if my itinerary makes you roll your eyes, feel free to roll gently. 😊

Not sure if this is the place to ask but I got called for an interview for Recruitment Coordinator at New York Blood Center and from what I can see online they do a drug test for employment. I was just wondering if anyone knew if marijuana would disqualify me from this position. Thanks for any help

Not a big drinking / fine dining / shopping type of person, first time in the city in a long time - what would you suggest? I'll be in near times square for 2 nights for business, only will have a few hours per night unfortunately.

I was thinking:

Night 1:

1. Public library
2. Bryant Park markets
3. Pizza (any recs?)

Night 2:

1. Rockefeller + tree
2. maybe top of the rock
3. go around times square for gift hunting lol

Thoughts?

I live in the Bronx. Last year I was looking through NYC guidebooks for things to do around the city on my birthday. In most of the books I read, there were barely any sites from the Bronx featured. I noticed that outside of Yankee Stadium, the Botanical Garden, and the Bronx Zoo, guidebooks rarely go in-depth about the borough compared to Brooklyn and Manhattan. They'll maybe have a page or two of information, and move on. Some of them skipped the Bronx entirely.

I know the reputation for the Bronx isn't the best but surely there's a lot more to offer than just the basics. Even in a restaurant guides, there's usually nothing listed outside of maybe Little Italy. I just think tourists deserve to know that there's cool stuff to do here as well.

I lived on 34th and Park Ave for a few years back in 2002-2004 and trying to remember the name of a bagel spot or bodega on the corner of Park Ave. My friends and I cannot remember the name-maybe Reggie’s? Any help is appreciated.

Our otherwise sweet dog sometimes has “frustrated greeter reactivity,” and it makes walks a bit unpredictable. I’d like to take some walks with a trainer to get a better handle on it. Anyone work with a trainer they recommend? No aversive, please. Thanks!

hello i was gonna reserve some tickets to bryant park ice skating in 3 weeks and was wondering if the crazy price of 60 dollars included the skates rental or not. and also is there another spot that has good views for ice skating around that time? rockefeller is a lil too pricey…

Hey All,

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was a kid way back in the 80s, and I'd like to get screened now as an adult. But I'm having a problem finding a doctor to do it. Either I'm choosing the wrong kind, or they don't take my insurance (Metroplus Gold), or the wait list is insane.

I know this should be a lot easier, and I'm probably screwing this up, so I'm hoping there might be someone who was in a similar situation that dealt with this.

So if you did where did you get screened? What kind of doctor did you go to? If you have metroplus gold, could you send me the doctor? (PM if you're more comfortable with that)

Thanks,

I (23M) moved to NYC and the startup that I work at is remote. They are covering my wework/coworking costs!

I’m looking for a wework/coworking space that is busy, young (22-30), and has monitors for me to plug into.

Do any coworking spaces in manhattan fit this bill?

For those living in doormen building. How much do you give as tips? I’ve heard $100 per person but with a building staff of 10+ people that’s over $1,000. Also noting that I rent in the building and do not own an apartment.

Is it worth it? Are you able to grab drinks easily? Curious any thoughts if you’ve attended in the past

Hey fellow wastewater operators! I recently took the sewage treatment worker examination and I'm looking to connect with others who are in the same boat. I think it would be great if we could create a supportive community to share experiences and help each other prepare for the upcoming interviews.

I believe that by sharing our knowledge and experiences, we can all be better prepared for the next steps in our careers. Looking forward to connecting with you all!

Thanks

(Posting on behalf of my elderly friend who has owned a property for 50+ years and doesn’t understand this new law. They think it’s a scam to give Master Plumber’s business).

As the year comes to a close and the deadline for Local Law 152 gas line inspections comes closer and closer, I am wondering how many of you who are required to got the inspection done…how much did it cost? (The cost seems to be the primary concern for my friend, but I mean the fine would probably cost much more…)

They want me to ask if theoretically one doesn’t do it, will actually enforce the fine because supposedly they were supposed to do it 4 years ago but they let it go because of COVID so how can we take it seriously? Anyone have insights? I would hate for them to get fined because they don’t know if it’s legit or not…

Thank you in advance.

Just watched The Manhattan Alien Abduction on Netflix and it's such an audacious concept to me, extraterrestrials actually being bold enough to kidnap someone from a LES apartment building in the city that never sleeps.

theres a street sign saying no parking monday to friday 8-6pm. no firehydrants but connected to an apartment building there is a sign that says “FDNY Siamese Amtrak Empire Tunnel DRY STANDPIPE 59th Street to 72nd Street” with a faucet thing which looks like it would be connected to a fire truck hose.

safe to park here after 6pm?

Hi everyone this may be a long shot but I'm running a podcast in partnership with The Hai Haus, a Brooklyn based social media marketing agency. The podcast is called the Hai Society-- we're just getting started but super excited to be interviewing lots of amazing people. I'm looking to interview people who work in social media in some capacity- whether that's social media management, as a content creator/influencer, or even a small business owner/artist/creative who's used social media effectively to expand their reach. If this sounds like you or a friend LMK!! Interviews can be done in person or virtually xoxo

Hi there! Will be in town next week with some girl friends we’re wondering what were the best spots to have dinner & drinks, before we go out to the clubs/bars. If they have specials even better! Preferably in Manhattan/SoHo area but open to others too.

TIA

Moving from Nashville (the current top drinking destination in the country) to NYC to pursue an acting career BUT, I still very much identify as a bartender and I'm damn good at what I do. I'll be bartending to pay the bills but I want to know if I'm in for an income shock. Last year, I clocked right about 6 figures on paper, before cash tips here in nash, working 5 days a week pretty much all year long. I would ideally like to be able to work 4 days a week instead of 5, maybe even three if I can get away with it, so I can focus on acting. Now I've heard stories of bartenders taking home a grand or more in a night and THAT being their average. I had also heard stories of bartenders making six figures slinging drinks here in Nashville and that turned out to be true. Any bartenders in New York City you can give me some insight into what I should expect? Obviously I know it's an up and down market but just a general idea. I've worked all kinds of gigs. Back home in Maryland I worked at an Applebee's and would take home about $100 a night, that was brutal. Tyia for any insight

Hi everyone! I’m going to New York for my first time this Friday, i keep reading comments that ubers are charging $150+ for a ride to the hotel and i’m really trying to avoid paying that much, so what are your recommendations to get from jfk to your hotel in manhattan? Also its just me and my partner, we will each have one luggage and arrive at 8am.

Rules:

• The count begins from when a sidewalk first existed in a given place, not since it was last replaced, so older sidewalks have an advantage.
• Only complete walks from one end to the other count. For example, walking halfway and entering a building or waiting at the corner to cross does not count as a walk.
• The question is number of walks and not number of unique people, so multiple walks from the same person count.
• Answer should be a specific side of a specific block. For example, “the west side of 7th Avenue between 42nd and 43rd streets.”

Bonus points for answering the opposite question, which sidewalk has been walked the least?

I’ve been applying and haven’t been seeing many results.

I’ve been using different sites, (LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Otta, Idealist, BuiltIn etc…), made sure my resume is ATS compliant, applied through different temp agencies, applied on the city and state website and for what I qualify for on USAjobs. I’ve broadened my search as well and still haven’t really found much.

I feel like I’ve tried everything at this point, what gives? Anyone else feeling it the same way, specially in this city?

Hi! So im on upper west side, garage fees are crazy! Can anyone recommend a monthly garage maybe a short subway ride up to yonkers or kingsbridge?

I’m 25M and I really want to visit NYC during my winter break (Dec 24th onwards). I am looking for people who wanna explore the city with me. I’ll be flying from Chicago and really want to spend my Christmas and NYE over there and make new friends. Already looked at Intrepid and other stuff but couldn’t find a group travel. Any suggestions?

My granny cart broke today. RIP. It was a good ten years. Local discount store didn't have the small ones, so I thought I'd see if there were other recs.

I'm particularly bummed because it fit through the 24/7 subway turnstiles like this one did. Saved me crossing a crazy street corner and a couple blocks to the entrance with the token booth guy who may or may not see you to let you in the gate.

Looking for this

• can fit through both kinds of subway turnstiles (the regular and the ones for the 24/7 entrances, the fuck I can recall what they're called right now)

• can bring on the bus without blocking the aisle

• can curb hop, handle stairs

• able to navigate over deep tree root deep sidewalk cracks without crashing or flipping over (got rid of one that did that, hence the criteria)

• good for 1-3 mile trips home full of stuff

• can stand upright on its own when full or empty

• can push in front like a stroller, or tow behind you.

• hold a decent amount of groceries/schtuff/weight (beverages can be heavy)

Hopefully I can find something that at least meets some of this. Being able to walk home/easily take it on the subway/bus is more important.

Naturally it breaks the day after Cyber Monday when all the sales are over!

I moved to the city about 3 months ago. I’m an outgoing, social guy, into design, music, and comedy. I want to meet other creative people and comics and build a circle around those interests.

I go out solo a lot and meet friendly people, but it never seems to stick. It’s probably because I don’t really use social media, so following up is tough.

How did you find your people?

I used to use meetup to find all kinds of cool events to check out and now it seems like the entire site is way less active and I have no idea where to find groups/meets now :( any other similar sites people are using or? How are we socializing? I feel rly isolated and wanna make new friends

Or if anyone has group suggestions to join on meetup pls let me know

Looking to get some delicious, authentic Italian food this upcoming Friday during our visit. I’ve looked up 20+ places and everyone is booked. Can anyone recommend an awesome spot that might be easier to get into with a few days notice? We are staying near the Chrysler Building but open to traveling ~20 minutes. We’ll have our 2 kids so ideally something more casual!

Thanks in advance

Independent musician looking for independent photographers in NYC who can help click some photos of myself for my social media and streaming platforms profile.

Please DM if you are up for it, and do send me your work for my reference!

Thanks :)

Was reading this article about someone who's trying to live on $0 a month in NYC (rent, food, everything) and was wondering what y'all would do to live on less in NYC? thanks in advance!