Sue DeNym said:
Whatever you do, DON'T drive through New York City! It is a perpetual roadblock, the World's Biggest Car Park. Wear a good pair of walking shoes and walk everywhere or take the subway. I kid you not. You could walk from one end of Manhattan to the other faster than you can drive it.
I'd suggest a good Broadway play if you can make it. Take in some of the museums, too; I really liked Ellis Island.
Oh, and hide your money carefully; no bulging wallets in the back pocket or big swinging purses off of the shoulder. Pickpockets are very clever and nearly impossible to catch. And no showy jewelry or expensive watches. But that's just plain common sense for any large city.
i keep my wallet in my front pocket when walking through penn station or times square or any other busy area... not that i think anything's gonna happen... just better safe than sorry. that's really the only precaution i ever take, and i'm in the city quite often.
no showy jewelry or expensive watches? come on now... i don't think there will be much tourist action going on in bed-sty. stay in manhattan... which is where all the touristy places are anyway, and feel free to wear all the bling-bling you'd like. you will not find a safer big city in american than manhattan. the cops are everywhere. purses? backpacks? fannypacks? the only worry you need for any of those items is that they may be searched when you go through the subways. besides that, you're perfectly fine.
driving in new york city is stupid because it's easy to get to places via mass transit. but if you think you're going to walk from say times square to the downtown area, you best be in tip-top shape. take a taxi or the subway... both of which are safe.
if you do have your car, feel free to drive durring non-rush hour times... if you're there on a sunday, driving in manhattan is cake. the biggest problem, though, and the main reason why you should just leave your car at the hotel is parking... parking on the streets is next to impossiable. there are plenty of garages to use, but they all come at a cost. cheeper and easier to just take mass transit.
new york city is huge. it can be very intimidating to someone who's never been there before. but relax... it's not that bad. and the crime levels have plummeted every year since way back when rudy first took office, to the point where it's in the top 5 safest major cities in america every year.
have fun, don't be scared of anything, and really... just be smart. don't go tooling around central park at 4 in the morning by yourself. probably not a good idea... but you can say that about any city/town/area in the country. odds are nothing will happen, but still... better safe than sorry. but feel free to walk through midtown, drunk off your ass, iPod in your ears, fancy watch on your arm, at 4 in the morning. you're perfectly safe. trust me... done it a million times