Going to New York by yourself for the first time?

I did, in 2007. I've already given a few tips on the trav buddy forums, but then noticed this thing, so thought I'd share my personal experiences of the city, and things that you may find useful to know.

1) ARRIVAL

I flew in and out of Newark airport, you may be going through JFK or La Guardia. As it was my first time entering the US, they grilled me quite a bit at customs and immigration. My bags were throughly searched, and also the officer's attitudes were quite condescending towards me. Don't be offended by this, and be patient whilst they get all the procedures out of the way, it's just what they have to do. If you have a good sense of humour and answer questions they may ask you, they won't give you a pat on the back or anything and say "Welcome to America!", but they'll appreciate that you want to get out of there soon! Also during the flight, you'll be required to fill out 2 customs and immigration forms, basically just asking about goods you may be bringing in and out of the states, and also various questions about your movements prior to the trip. This is in addition to the ESTA form you have to fill out online if you are eligible for a visa waiver. Make sure you have an address of somewhere to stay, otherwise they won't let you in.

2) PUBLIC TRANSPORT

In terms of connections from the airports, visit http://www.panynj.gov . It's definitely a good idea to carry a subway map around with you, which you should be able to pick up at any station. However if you want to find things out in advance, visit http://www.mta.info/ . In terms of the ticket machines, some of them don't offer all the tickets! For example I wanted to buy a week metrocard for $24 or however much it was. When I first arrived at New York Penn Station, I couldnt find any ticket machines that offered this, so I just purchased a $20 card. I ended up buying 2 more of them throughout my stay, and the final time I did it, the ticket machine I used offered the weekly one, which was a bit of a bummer. I ended up spending $60 on metro travel, when I could have spent half that amount.
A couple of things when using the subway - you may get confused as to what station you're at, and you may realise you're at the wrong station after you've exited the barrier. If you exit the barrier situated infront of the station attendant's office, they may well see that you have come out, so if you ask them to let you back in they probably will, especially if you're a tourist. However if you have the weekly pass, this may not need to apply to you.
Also, the trains either head uptown or downtown, if you look at the map it's not hard to figure out what that means. Beware though, some trains are "express" and don't stop at all the stations, so make sure that if you're not heading for an express stop, you cross to the "local" track.
In addition to this, sometimes you can only enter a station on either side of the road - and once you're through the barriers there's no walkway or subway inside to get you to the other side of the track - so make sure you go in the right way - if it helps usually downtown trains will be on the left side of the road if you're facing south. Also if you can get more than one line from a station, make sure you look around as sometimes the stairs to different lines are quite well-hidden.
Oh and one other thing - if you don't like giant rats, don't ride the subway. Seriously, they're huge.

3) SAFETY

It's great to go to city where the subway can run all night. But sit in a carriage that has other passengers in, just in case you get any unwanted attention. Having said that I didn't have any such problems, just the odd tramp asking for change. If you don't want them to talk to you, pretend you're asleep! I also felt fine walking around the city at night. Make sure that if you're going back to your hotel or hostel at night, that you know your way.
Also, try not to open any maps or guides where there aren't many people around at night, during the day there's loads of citizens, and indeed, other tourists. Don't flash money around, or leave any expensive items like phones, personal stereos, or jewellery on display, as anyone could just walk past, snatch it, and run off, which I did see happen to someone. In this case though, the guy caught up with the thief and gave him a good slapping! (Cue me shouting "Wahay!" and getting weird looks from people.) Other than that, just use your initiative. If you think someone is standing too close to you, move away, stick to well-lit, main roads at night, and if in doubt jump in a New York Cab, there's plenty of them, even at night.

4) ETIQUETTE

This is something that you'll have to get used to, and if you offend someone along the way, then you can't do much about it, although if whoever is serving you knows you're a tourist they might just let it pass. I'm not saying New Yorkers are wankers, because they're not (mostly), but here's a couple of things to know.
In terms of dining, tip around 15-20% of the final bill. Obviously the type of place you eat at determines how much you'll have to fork out. If you're just going to a bar or pub for a drink, you'll probably need to tip about $1 per drink purchased (may vary depending on what it is, beers and mixers though will be about that). When tipping, leave the tip on the bar in front of you, they won't accept it if you hand it to them with the actual payment. Also if you stay seated at the bar, they may not even take your tips until you leave, so don't think they haven't noticed if a pile of green papers starts building up in front of you. Tipping isn't essential, but it helps provide good, friendly service, and if you want to go back to a certain place again, will ensure that you'll be treated well.
I didn't get a cab during my stay, as I'm good at finding my way around and didnt mind using the subway a lot. However, tip the driver around 15-20% of the final fare, if you don't want a barrage of abuse after you step out.
Also remember, New York is a smoke free city (in terms of tobacco). Don't light up anywhere indoors, otherwise you'll be sent outside, and especially not in a cab.

5) OTHER BITS AND PIECES

Depending on what you do there, obviously depends on how much money to take with. Obviously you can take cash out from a ATM, but if you don't want to incur various charges, and also have a crap exchange rate, it's a good idea to get it converted over before travelling (and will also give you a chance to get used to what American banknotes look like.)
Anyway, I didn't do that much of the touristy stuff (although I did take an excursion out to Baltimore, MD, to go to a rock concert.). I'd say over 8 days I spent around $900 (about £450), not including my hotel. I didn't go to any particularly expensive bars, cafes or restaurants. Also leave some money in the bank, just in case.

In terms of guidebooks, should you want to take one with, I recommend the Rough Guides series http://www.roughguides.com . They have good maps, and rather than telling you loads of stuff about the history of New York, or the story behind some random wall on Amsterdam Avenue, there's a lot of recommendations in there for restaurants/bars/clubs and just about anything that might suit your fancy.

If you decide to use your cellphone, or even a payphone, you HAVE to dial 011 before you dial the country code, area code, and phone number you're trying to reach. For example if you're dialing the UK it'll be 011 - 44 - areacode minus the 0 at the beginning - phonenumber. I spent 2 days trying to work this out, so make sure you know how to dial properly to your country before you go. Incidentally you need to have a tri-band or higher cellphone to be able to use it in the states.

6) MY OWN PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS OF THINGS TO DO

If you want to see the sights, do it! Just make sure you go.....
a) up the Empire State Building. It's fantastic, I could have stayed there for hours (and technically I did, queuing up). Once you get to the top though it's seriously worth the wait.
b) for a walk in Central Park. Absolutely beautiful, and peaceful. And it's amazing seeing such a green area surrounded by tall buildings.
c) to the south tip and Battery Park. Another green and peaceful place, where you can look out at the Statue Of Liberty, hop on the harbour ferries, and once you've done those walk along up the embankment towards Pier 17.
d) across the Brooklyn Bridge. Some great views of the city from there too, and you'll end up in Brooklyn Heights, which I didn't venture far into but it seemed quite nice.

Onto drinking and nightlife. If like me, you're a rocker, and you also like beer, the following places may very well be for you. If not, ignore this bit.

Motor City Bar (120 Ludlow Street between Rivington Street and Delancey Street) - If you like your classic rock and metal, and especially old blues and rockabilly songs, you'll love it here. Decorated in the style of a roadhouse, it's a decent-sized open plan area, with a fair amount of seating and tables. It doesn't get too packed, and everyone I met in there was really nice. In fact, I went there on 4 separate nights during my trip.

The Knitting Factory (74 Leonard Street between Church Street and Broadway) - Great venue to catch a gig, if you know your music then the likelyhood is you'll have heard of someone who has played or is playing there. I caught a couple of bands there the first night I arrived, although I was so jetlagged I had to leave before they'd finished. If you don't want to go into the gig, you can still sit at the bar, which has a nice cosy feel to it.

Burp Castle (41 E 7th Street between Second and Third Avenues) - I heard that at this ale bar the bartenders were meant to be dressed as monks and you had to talk incredibly quietly whilst choral music was playing, but this wasn't the case the night I went. Still, there was a university group having a revision session for a beer-making exam they were to be taking, and they got the whole bar involved with that and the beer tasting, which was fun. Also met some really great people in there, who later on took me a few doors down the road to McSorley's Old Ale House (15 E 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd), which apparantly is the oldest pub in the city. They only serve two types of beer - dark ale and light ale, and you have to buy 6 at a time. Needless to say that was a rather drunken, and fun, night.

New York nightlife doesn't even start till around 9:00pm, and people stay out very late, the bars shut around 4:00am. Late bars will open around 4:00 or 5:00pm though.


Obviously there is a lot more I could tell you, but these are just a few points from someone who just wanted to get a feel of the city. Any other questions feel free to message me. Have fun!