Trip to New York. What to do?

I will be in New York City for one day and need a few suggestions. I will have about 14-15 hours on a Saturday in December to do whatever I want, so, what's good to do? I have never been to New York before and I've heard that their is so much to see, but unfortunately I need to narrow it down things to do in one day.

I am only going to bring a body and 1 lens so....

Available equipment to bring:
20D
1D Mark IIn
17-40L
28-75 2.8
50 1.8
75-300
100-400 (I think not due to size)

I was thinking the 1D & the 17-40 but I'm not sure if I feel comfortable carrying that around (have you guys done it?). I would not be opposed to renting a lens to take with me either.
How do you carry your setup? In a bag or around your neck all day? What kind of bag, shoulder or backpack?

I would've loved to stop by B&H, but they are closed on Saturdays.
Anyway, we are going to start at the Rockefeller Center and go from there, Calumet is on my list too.

Suggest away...And thanks for the help!!

Was just there a couple of weeks ago, but only took a G11 and wished I had my 1D and 16-35. Based on what you have, I'd take the 1D with 17-40, and carry it in a backpack.

If you stay in the midtown area, you won't have any problems at all. Lots of SLRs being toted. Like any big city, you just need to keep your eyes open and be aware of your surroundings. I'd skip the camera stores because there is so much more to do.

Start at Top of the Rock and get a feel for the lay of the land. Then, wander around the 5th Ave shops, the Plaza, and Trump Tower. Head into Central Park and stroll through it (lots of stuff to shoot). Then check out the Met (definitely a must see) and perhaps the Guggenheim. Lunch will be a bagel or hot dog from a street vendor.

For dinner, head to Crispo (14th Street at 8th in Chelsea/West Village - get a reservatoin). The take the subway north to Times Square and wander along Broadway till you get to the Ed Sullivan Theater. Grab a cab for a short ride to the Empire State Building for a romantic (if you are with the right "we") view of the city.

That will be one full day, but you will get a good feel for the highlights of the city. Start early and end late!

Keep in mind you will look like a tourist. Though it is not liked it used to be, some extra caution and staying alert are in order. Especially with all that equipment. Why not just enjoy yourself, see some shows, sample some restaurants, and rent a nice P&S for the trip?

Just came from NY in September. Don't be afraid to look like a tourist since many, many other people are. Manhattan is pretty safe anyway. I took 17-50 and 55-250, the tele ended up being unused. So 20D + 17-40 is really all you need.

PhotoGeek wrote in post #9080942
Was just there a couple of weeks ago, but only took a G11 and wished I had my 1D and 16-35. Based on what you have, I'd take the 1D with 17-40, and carry it in a backpack.

If you stay in the midtown area, you won't have any problems at all. Lots of SLRs being toted. Like any big city, you just need to keep your eyes open and be aware of your surroundings. I'd skip the camera stores because there is so much more to do.

Start at Top of the Rock and get a feel for the lay of the land. Then, wander around the 5th Ave shops, the Plaza, and Trump Tower. Head into Central Park and stroll through it (lots of stuff to shoot). Then check out the Met (definitely a must see) and perhaps the Guggenheim. Lunch will be a bagel or hot dog from a street vendor.

For dinner, head to Crispo (14th Street at 8th in Chelsea/West Village - get a reservatoin). The take the subway north to Times Square and wander along Broadway till you get to the Ed Sullivan Theater. Grab a cab for a short ride to the Empire State Building for a romantic (if you are with the right "we") view of the city.

That will be one full day, but you will get a good feel for the highlights of the city. Start early and end late!

I was there last Spring and the above is good advice. There will be lots of folks with cameras and I doubt if anyone will notice you. In Times Square, there are so many police officers, I don't think you'll have to worry about someone bothering you and your camera.

1D + 17-40

If you are self-conscious about the cost of your 1D you will probably act all fidgety and be looking around too much... that will actually boost your likeliness of being mugged, cuz you'll look like a mark. If thats the case take the 20D instead. As far as a robber's (and most laypersons' views for that matter), a Rebel XS, a 20D, a 7D, a 1D Mk3, a 1Ds Mk3... all look like "an expensive camera". And all are just as likely to get unwanted attention. Don't think that thieves are knowledgeable enough to pick out a 1D vs. a Rebel - they aren't.

Take what you're comfortable carrying. You might consider getting some insurance, they you can take whatever you want. If you get robbed, call 911, file a report... then get your police report and file an insurance claim.

What day will it be? It matters. If it is December 12 then you should do SantaCon!!!!!

I'd take your 1D + 17-40 in whatever bag is most comfortable for you. NYC has a lot of people brandishing their SLR's. Just use common sense. You're good to go unless you are walking around with that stuff, in plain sight, in the wee hours.

Last time I spent 3 days in Midtown with my 50D and 24-105 around my neck the whole time and nobody gave a sht. I met another board member at Rock Plaza and we traded L lenses and nobody cared or noticed. Carry your camera and enjoy the time.

Don't worry about it at all. This city is so full of photogs that expensive gear is everywhere. Irony is that nobody pays attention to the white lenses/red rings except for you tourists

1D & 17-40. Since your nifty fifty is about the size of a paperclip, I'd bring it along in case you want to shoot inside somewhere like Grand Central or St. Patricks.

nureality wrote in post #9081686
If you are self-conscious about the cost of your 1D you will probably act all fidgety and be looking around too much... that will actually boost your likeliness of being mugged, cuz you'll look like a mark. If thats the case take the 20D instead. As far as a robber's (and most laypersons' views for that matter), a Rebel XS, a 20D, a 7D, a 1D Mk3, a 1Ds Mk3... all look like "an expensive camera". And all are just as likely to get unwanted attention. Don't think that thieves are knowledgeable enough to pick out a 1D vs. a Rebel - they aren't.

Take what you're comfortable carrying. You might consider getting some insurance, they you can take whatever you want. If you get robbed, call 911, file a report... then get your police report and file an insurance claim.

You're right, I do have insurance, I shouldn't worry about it.

joosay wrote in post #9082521
What day will it be? It matters. If it is December 12 then you should do SantaCon!!!!!

I'd take your 1D + 17-40 in whatever bag is most comfortable for you. NYC has a lot of people brandishing their SLR's. Just use common sense. You're good to go unless you are walking around with that stuff, in plain sight, in the wee hours.

Actually, we will be there on Dec.12th!! SantaCon looks pretty cool! That would be pretty neat to see a huge crowd of Santa's.

TaDa wrote in post #9082775
Don't worry about it at all. This city is so full of photogs that expensive gear is everywhere. Irony is that nobody pays attention to the white lenses/red rings except for you tourists

1D & 17-40. Since your nifty fifty is about the size of a paperclip, I'd bring it along in case you want to shoot inside somewhere like Grand Central or St. Patricks.

You know, I think I will bring that nifty fifty. It's pretty small, and we will be going in all kinds of places and 1.8 will be a lot better than f/4 inside.


Thanks for all of the suggestions!! I'm pretty stoked about going to NYC! Hopefully I will get some good pictures.

I HIGHLY suggest you do SantaCon Dress up as a Santa too..I promise you will see a side of NYC that not too many tourists get to see!

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Enjoy!

A one day swing is pretty tough in NYC since there's so much to see. Midtown and Central Park might give you the best winter-in-NY feel. Start off at Grand Central station head up 5th ave to see all the shops with their Christmas displays. Wander around Central Park (if you're lucky it would have snow). Take some photos at the skating rink, the Bow Bridge, the pond, etc.

Top of the Rock is a great idea. Then downstairs you have Rockefeller Center and tree of course. I would finish the night at Times Square because you definitely want to see it lit up bright. It'll be crowded and bustling deep into the wee hours... 3-4am?

Another idea is to take one of those red double decker tourist buses around. Though I haven't tried that myself.

Don't be afraid to ask people for directions and stuff. New Yorkers are surprisingly helpful and polite.

I work in midtown and it feels like it's around 70% tourists this time of year. I wouldn't be self conscious about it. It seems everybody has an SLR so it's no big deal. This area of Manhattan is probably among the most policed places in the world. Tourism is a huge business here and the NYPD is over 35,000 strong -- your security is a big priority. You will see uniformed police on every corner and there are undercovers around as well. Personally I feel it's as safe as Disney World.

Enjoy the city and take a ton of photos.

As for what kind of bag, I suggest a LowePro Flipside. I got a Flipside 300 not along ago and love it. It doesn't scream "photographer" although it does have a little logo of a camera on a tripod on the back (kinda stupid). There is also no zipper on the "exposed" side of the bag since you open up from the side that rests against your back. I personally wouldn't be afraid that a mugger would do a "walk-by" unzip of my bag but it's nice to know that it can't be done.

20D and the 28-75 for sure. Compact, relatively discrete and not most expensive/heavy gear you own. Take great images, Don't see why you'd need anything specialist for a NY trip.

28-75 is a good range for city, and 2.8 is plenty flexible.

By the way, If you're worried about theft/damage... is your gear insured?