I went a year ago.

What a superb place. We stayed in Orchard St, Lower East Side, Manhattan, went over to Brooklyn a few times and left on a bus to Boston for a couple of days before flying home.

We went to Ground Zero to view the memorials, then to Wall St and the financial district. Then went on the Statten Island Ferry that took us past the Statue of Liberty (ferry is free), we went into Midtown to see the Flat Iron building, we walked across Brooklyn Bridge, saw a Brooklyn Nets basketball game, went to Lenny's pizza bar (John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever), Macy's, Times Sq, 42nd St, Radio City.

Go up the Rockafella tower to get great views of Manhattan. Do that instead of Empire State Building. Because at the top of the Rock you get to see the full view of Manhattan and Central Park.

Central Park is amazing. We walked through / around it with snow on the ground. Magical.

We went to the Plaza Hotel near Central Park where McAuley Culkin spoke to Donald Trump in Home Alone 2. We took a cable car alongside the Queensborough Bridge (incredible views)

Walk the High Line (it was closed because of the ice when we went).

We got a metro card and the metro took us everywhere. Didn't use the local bus, just the inter city service to Boston (lovely City as well).

I'll post some pics.