So I might be going to New York

BigBear

I'm probably gonna be going on December 7th. I'm primarily going to see the giant tree they have in Rockefeller Center, but I may want to go exploring a little around the rest of Manhattan after we see it lit up, most likely somewhere around Times Square. So, does anyone here know any really good spots around the area for drinking, partying, good music, or whatever? I'm one year shy of being 21, so I think I might have some trouble, but if anyone knows of any 18+ clubs that would be great.

cheXzie

Times Square is hardly "the rest of Manhattan", it's 3 blocks from Rockefeller Center.
For the most part, many of the restaurants and stores around times square are basically the same suburban restaurants and stores you have at home, just larger and with lots of flashing lights. Do yourself a favor, if you're going to go eat/shop somewhere, don't do it in Times Square. Not to mention the crowds are really bad in that area that time of year so you're going to be waiting a lot if you choose to eat around there.

I'm not saying Times Square is bad, just.. don't spend all your time there otherwise you won't get that "authentic nyc experience". In my opinion Lower East Side, East Village, West/Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown are far more interesting. There are just so many more restaurants, bars, shops to see there.

Here are some helpful links:
http://www.menupages.com/ - restaurant search by location/type of food. You won't find olive garden/fridays/etc. on here.
http://www.hopstop.com/ - If you need to know how to get there, tells you which subway to take.

My advice that I give to every visitor is to just walk around. The neighborhoods in Manhattan can change so much in just a few blocks.

Do you have anything you wanted to do? Or have any particular interests?

nexuscrawler

Times Square indeed blows. The only reason to go there are the Virgin Megastore or the really nice movie theater on 42nd st. The rest of it's trash.

for clubs the best option is just grab a copy fo the Onion or the Village Voice and see what's going on that night. You're not going to find any decent nightlife in Midtown. You'll likely have to go down to the LES, East Village or Soho for anything like that. If you have the time don't be shy of the outer boroughs. Ther'es lots of life in Williamsburg Brooklyn and Astoria Queens too.