Thanks all for the suggestions, will hopefully get to many of them. Going in September, flying into Newark. Going to NFL & a baseball game, big sports fans!
September is a great month to go, won't be quite as busy and the weather will be nice. Newark airport train to NYC is handy but if there's a group of you a taxi is reasonable and you can get great views coming into the city.
Great suggestions from others above, so I won't rehash them.
If you like walks and a bit of nature, my favourite place in the city is
Roosevelt Island. It's in the East River between Manhattan and Queens, giving nice views of both as well as the Queensboro Bridge. It has a lighthouse at one end and some parks, cafes, fruit market. A quiet little oasis, never busy, and just a few minutes on the F train.
If you want to try NYC diners and delis, my favourites are:
- Lexington Candy Shop where they pump the syrup for your Coca Cola in front of you and mix it the old way. The chicken salad sandwich is excellent. It's a tiny place and the atmosphere is exactly what you imagine in a New York diner.
- B&H Dairy is a proper kosher deli, delicious food you will not find in Ireland, and the nicest staff.
- Zucker's Bagels is a good place for breakfast and they have a few locations. They do more than bagels but I recommend the everything bagel with a plain schmear.
There are lots of film/TV locations to see, like The Plaza Hotel near Central Park (Home Alone 2), the Friends apartment building,
Tom's Restaurant (from Seinfeld and the Suzanne Vega song), etc.
For a little bit of art, I think the best spot is the Neue Galeri for the Klimt painting
Woman in Gold (Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer). It's stunning to see up close.
Even if you do nothing but walk around you will have a great experience.
If you find any new gems, please report back!