As I did with London I am not going to bother listing all the very famous things you can do in New York since unless you live under a rock you are fairly familiar. I will say this though, if you decide you want to go to Ellis Island or the Statue of Liberty book well in advance and try and get on the first boat of the day. The security lines are absolutely ridiculous.
I do not claim to be anything close to a New Yorker (too much Southern in me) but here are all the helpful tidbits and suggestions I can think of from living in there!
Culture:
In New York some museums are 'free' while others are not. Both the MET and the Natural History museum are technically free- they just suggest a donation of $20. I do not have that much money so I usually just give $5. As for other major ones both the MoMa and Guggenheim have free evenings (otherwise you MUST pay $20) for the Moma it is Friday after 4pm while the Guggenheim is on Saturday after 5pm. Obviously they are more crowded then but if you would rather spend the money at Barneys it is a good way to avoid paying for it.
As for gardens, obviously everyone knows about Central Park (well hopefully). The best way to see it (in my opinion) is taking a nice jog around it. Another great park is the East River Park in Williamsburg (Bedford Ave on the L) which will permit for fantastic photos of the New York skyline....
Finally a great little piece of nature is the High Line over in Chelsea/ Meat Packing district. It used to be a rail track that was used to shuttle the meat about from the docks to warehouses and the like but now is a nice stretch of park.
Neighborhoods:
While most tourists spend a lot of time wandering around the Upper East side (most museums are off of 5th Ave) and mid town (Empire State building, Times Square, Grand Central) these are not the most enticing neighborhoods.
Obviously everyone pretty much knows about Chelsea/ Meatpacking district as the IT neighborhoods but they really are worth exploring. The Chelsea market for example is a fabulous place to get baked goods, food, or knick knacks.
Union Square/ East Village is a great area with character too, the Union Square market (which is biggest on weekends) has loads of great unique things (and token NY photos for sale as well).
Brooklyn Heights has cute little stores and amazing brownstones. It would be a great place to go grab a coffee and waste an afternoon.
Williamsburg (Bedford Ave and Berry in particular). This is where I lived so I am partial but I love love love Bedford Ave. In my humble opinion brunch should only be done here.
Drinking:
Drinking in New York can be expensive and pretentious. Tragically I failed to find any good wine bars while living there but if you like good beer I have the list for you!
In Manhattan: The Gingerman in mid-town is phenomenal. You drink it, they most likely have it. German, Belgium, micro brew. You can even get beer to go! http://www.gingerman-ny.com/
Blind Tiger, near NYU this has loads of good local choices, sadly it is pretty small so it can be tricky getting a table.
Brass Monkey: If you find yourself in the meatpacking district and do not wish to have a $20 cocktail then this is the place for you. Good European selection, loads of space (also great on a week night since not a lot of offices near by). Load music on the weekends with a large amount of debauchery.
Outside of Manhattan:
I did not really venture outside of Manhattan other than Bedford Ave because frankly I did not need to. The list is endless as to the great places that you can drink there. First there is Berry Park which is done in German Beer Hall style (with the beer to match) and a roof garden. http://www.berryparkbk.com/
Then there is a DBA with a bigger selection than I could ever know what to do with. Off Berry there is a giant oktoberfest hall (apparently full of those from the island since all hipsters feel the need to go to the one in Queens): http://www.radegasthall.com/. Lovin Cup and Teddy's are also a great time on the weekend.
Food:
Please avoid the standard hotdog stands on the street. There are great food carts about but if you are out front a tourist attraction it is not a real food cart. Just saying.
As for pizza I have been to both John's Pizza (on Bleeker)http://www.johnsbrickovenpizza.com/ and Lombardi's (Soho)http://www.firstpizza.com/ - frankly I was not terribly impressed with either. Getting a slice from any mom & pop will most likely cover you on the cheap with less lines and less money spent.
Posh digs:
Since I am poor I cannot comment on too many of these. One great place is the 21 Club but I am fairly sure you have to be a member to eat there (worth checking though). Rosa Mexicano is expensive but amaaaazing Mexican. Their pomegranate margaritas are to die for and they make the guacamole fresh in front of you! They are perfect for a pre-ballet meal as one of their locations is right off Columbus Circle. http://rosamexicano.com/
Finally I cannot recommend Spice Market enough, I have been to a lot of places in the Meat Packing area and they are the least pretentious. They will give you great service regardless of who you are and if you are careful you can dine for a reasonable amount. Also the food is amazing. Get the green tea sunday or mango sorbet for dessert.
Also while you are in the meatpacking district be sure to go to The Lobster Place in Chelsea market and get a lobster roll. You will thank me later.
Williamsburg:
Since I lived there and all...
Perhaps my absolute fav would be An Nhau a fabulous Vietnamese place on Bedford Ave. The girl I lived with used to live in Vietnam and said it was all totally authentic. The restaurant also owns a Vietnamese sandwich shop next door (cash only) which frankly is the best sandwich you will ever have.
Juilette's is a great little place off Bedford that does french food really well and is another dinner option I cannot recommend enough (you can even roof dine). Meanwhile Berry Park has great food along with good beer.
Brunch:
Brunch might be my fav thing ever. Brunch in Williamsburg is even better. So raking them in order of my most favorite to still a favorite ....
1) Rabbit Hole (a bit of a walk from the subway stop but o my gosh their scones and pankcakes and french toast!)
2) Teddy's. Pancakes are also fantastic. They also do not skimp on their Mimosas unlike some brunch places. One is all it takes for me to feel it.
3) 5 Leaves (once again a bit of a walk, past the park) and there is always a line. Their brunch strays a bit from your typical brunch menu though and makes it worth it. Apparently some actor from Gossip Girl was even spotted here so you know it is good.
4) Cafe Collete - cute diner style inside, not a huge menu but still super tasty.
5) Julliette's probably only ranked this low because the day that I went I really wanted French Toast and could not get it for some reason I cannot remember.
Also in Bedford Ave is the o so famous 'Egg'- I have been, I was not impressed. Mostly bland egg dishes in my humble opinion.
Now that I have spilled all of my knowledge into this slightly disorganized blog I will say this, New York is really about exploring, my favorite thing to do is just wander until I see something good (like Pomme Frites in the East Village, o my gosh yum!)
The other great thing is that you can pretty much spend as much or little money as you want to so enjoy the town!
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