durtydurty Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Off to NY for my first time in December. Just wanted advice on do's and don'ts How many clothes, electrical goodies I can bring back before custom/tax man gets funny Voltage on said electrical items, If i can track down a PS3 is there any issues with bringing it back? ie will it work over here? Gonna try and get myself a few treats and some xmas presents to boot I'm bit in the dark on this sort of thing so any help/advice from peeps that have been is greatly apprecaitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Off to NY for my first time in December. Just wanted advice on do's and don'ts How many clothes, electrical goodies I can bring back before custom/tax man gets funny Voltage on said electrical items, If i can track down a PS3 is there any issues with bringing it back? ie will it work over here? Gonna try and get myself a few treats and some xmas presents to boot I'm bit in the dark on this sort of thing so any help/advice from peeps that have been is greatly apprecaitted. [/ QUOTE ] Hi I'm no travel advisor, but here goes. If you want to buy a lot of clothes, pack light and wear what you buy whilst you are there. Not only does it mean that you have less to lug back with you, you're also losing the tell-tale 'new clothes tags'. Not entirely sure what the limit is for customs, but as long as you don't come back carrying luggage like Rooney's GF, you should be ok. What sort of clothes are you buying? If you want tees that you're not going to see everybody else here wearing go to Yellow Rat Bastard http://www.yrb.us/shop/fshop.aspx - they are on Broadway in the SoHo district. Also try Urban Outfitters, they have a number of stores. I know they are in the UK too, but they carry different stock there. Jeans? Try OMG stores for Levis or Bloomingdales for Seven for All Mankind (premium US label), and loads of other brands - I got mine for 1/2 what they would cost here. Bloomingdales also offer discount on a lot of items to non-US visitors. Also try Century 21 near the Financial district for cheap designer stuff. Get there early though as it gets packed out, and starts to resemble a massive jumble sale. I'm not massively up on games consoles, bu I have a feeling that you may have problems running it on a UK TV. Possibly the discs are region-coded too? Sombody will correct me if I'm wrong, I'm sure. If you want to buy any other electronics, be careful in stores around Times Square area - they are known to rip people off. Play safe and visit B+H photo video http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ . They are on 9th Avenue between 33rd and 34th st. You can't miss them as they take up a whole block. It's a massive store with a really cool conveyor belt system which whizzes around the roof space with peoples orders on. Early closing on Friday and shut Saturday so you know. If I can help with anything else, stuff to see, places to eat, let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danksy Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 AFAIK the personal import limit is £145. Anything over this you will have to pay duty at the prevailing rate. Just make sure you go through the "goods to declare" channel when you land if you are all shopped out Otherwise if it is mainly clothes you are buying, take the labels off and post the receipts back home, and just stick them in your suitcase as normal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durtydurty Posted November 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Thanks guys, more info on where to eat would be great, PM me if you want. When I go through the 'goods to declare' channel if I have over £145 am I not setting myself up for an ass spanking from the tax people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danksy Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Heres a link todirect.gov.uk advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 What area of town are you staying in? There's just so many restaurants to choose from. Have a look at http://www.menupages.com/ You can select your cuisine and area of town and read what people think of them. I would say a definite is to visit Katz deli. Monster Pastrami sandwiches with pickles on the side. Yummy! We've been there on all 3 trips to NYC. It is massively popular with tourists (featured in When Harry met Sally), but locals use it too. Hundreds of pics of celebs on the walls as well. It's a weird ordering system, so if you want to go there, PM and I'll give you a couple of tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durtydurty Posted November 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Think its opposite Madison Square Gardens, the Pennyslivania from memory, fairly low budget place but wont be there much!! Thanks again. PM sent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabGirl Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 If you're buying clothes, remember they're a different shape to us so make sure you try everything on. If you normally take a medium in Ralph Lauren (for example) then it'll be cut differently and won't fit the same. Big mistake for me a few years ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durtydurty Posted November 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Thanks CabGirl, was thinking that I will try everything on as its a long way to take stuff back!! Would anyone recommend any of the bigger stores in particular?, I was thinking Maceys, Bloomingdales and Saks. Any suggestions beyond those ones for good shopping? The girlfriend wants to visit Tiffanys!!, but that wont be happening me thinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32Ash Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 There are a good few decent places to shop around Times Square etc. If you go into Macy's I know they do a visitor's discount card - it just saves you the local tax, which you shouldn't be paying anyway - and can be obtained from the gift wrapping dept. I think. As for food, try Ray's Pizza; they're everywhere and aren't bad to be honest, although it's only a takeaway really. Planet Hollywood is pretty good too, although once again it's not a 'classy' restaurant. Perhaps try one of the more upmarket hotels for dinner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eolair Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 NB NY can be extremely cold/snowy that time of year. Pack yer thermals. Remember to add tax and a tip to pretty much everything - so 15-20%. Get yer mits on a few $1 bills for those tips. Don't change money at any of the street bureau hut things - terrible rates and you get raped on 'commission' too. Check out ice skating in central park - you can hire skates. massive queue in the morning but usually clears after a couple of hours. enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashleyadam Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 Great place to shop at Xmas no need to declare if purchasing clothes just dump the receipts and bags your not really going to return something when back in the UK. Keep away from the subway really frightening, Italian restaurants around Broadway is a must. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cagey Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Keep away from the subway really frightening, Italian restaurants around Broadway is a must. Have fun! [/ QUOTE ] Sorry chap, I have to disagree. The subway is the best way to get around the city, several million people use it every day, and they're not all pimps or drug dealers! You would spend a fortune on cabs, get stuck in traffic, and quite possibly have a serious language barrier with the driver. $7 a day for unlimited subway travel. No brainer for me. The only exception would be an airport run - we thought we would chance the subway back to JFK - don't, especially if you're travelling at peak time. Pay the $49 for a cab. Also, I hate to say it but the restaurants around Times Square (admittedly with a few exceptions), are tourist traps - overpriced and decidedly average food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S3Bangs Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 If you can, take a day off to shop here They have arrangements to get you from Manhattan to where they are. Ring them when you get there to find out or click on the directions link on the web page. I've always driven there Good stuff at stupid prices.. Example... Timberland Boots in the UK... £100 - £140 Here.... $30 - $70. Go figure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S3ENVY Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 KGMan's guide is spot on as far as clothes are concerned! I'd also have to say that the Subway is great! Just don't go wandering into the Bronx by accident... I did a fair bit of shopping while I was there and just dumped all the packaging and labels because as mentioned, you're probably not going to be returning anything. Macy's and Bloomingdales are nice and are worth a visit to say you've been there, however I didn't think they were anywhere near as good as the Selfridges and Harrods we have here. One thing that's great in NY if you need them is boxer shorts... ...Seriously, I got 12 pairs of Calvin's for around $16-18 a pair from OMC, great value!...and about 10 different Yankee's Caps! I also got told off by a guy in the Calvin Klein store as he said I should have bought them there as they were exactly the same price but came with nice Christmas packaging and love. :gay: Why does my little camp smiley never work! There are lots of nice little places to eat too, just keep your eyes peeled. I stayed with my girlfriend's cousin on St Christopher's Place, just off Bleeker St as she had a flat there. 10 flights of very narrow stairs which was a mission everyday, but worth it as you could go onto the roof and see everything! Anyway, sidetracked... There are lots of nice little boutiques in this area, Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren etc and worth a visit too. All in all you should have a brilliant time, was the most memorable holiday I've ever had and is literally like being in a movie at this time of year... The only thing I found a little bizarre was mingling with the Police armed with machine guns around the Rockefeller Center and skating clockwise around the ice-rink in Central Park. Check out FAO Schwartz Toy Shop too, very cool for the big kid in you.... ....They're got one of those giant Pianos that you jump on to play just like in the film Big Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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