The sweet spots are late April to June and September to early November, when temperatures are mild and the parks look their best. Summer (July-August) is hot, humid, and crowded, though it brings free outdoor concerts, rooftop bars, and cheaper hotel rates on some weekends. Winter is cold but magical around the holidays: the Rockefeller Center tree, ice skating, and department store windows draw huge crowds from late November through New Year, when hotel prices peak. Spring cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and fall foliage in Central Park are both worth timing a trip around.

Three major airports serve the city: JFK and LaGuardia in Queens and Newark (EWR) in New Jersey. From JFK, the AirTrain plus subway is cheapest (around $11 total), while a yellow cab is a flat $70 plus tolls and tip to Manhattan; from LaGuardia use the M60 bus or a rideshare, and from Newark the AirTrain connects to NJ Transit. Once you are in town, the subway is by far the fastest way around and runs 24/7; pay with contactless tap (OMNY) at $2.90 per ride, capped at $34 per week. Walk whenever you can, use Citi Bike for short hops, and skip driving entirely, parking and traffic are miserable and unnecessary.