New York’s biggest tourist traps – according to locals, you should avoid the Empire State Building and Times Square

Some of New York City’s most famous locations, such as the Empire State Building and Times Square, have been branded the worst “overcrowded” tourist traps.

Visitors and locals on social media and pages like Trip Advisor have given their honest opinions on some of New York City’s most iconic spots.

And instead of encouraging others to visit locations like Williamsburg or the Statue of Liberty, they warn that the reality may not be what tourists expect.

Times Square

Times Square is known to many as the “downtown” of New York City – with its bright lights and illuminated billboards – but residents say it has become one of the top tourist attractions in the five boroughs.

One resident, when asked what the biggest tourist trap in NYC was, said, “This one is easy – Times Square.” It’s the ugliest 4 or 5 blocks in NYC.

“Unless you’re specifically going to a Broadway show in the adjacent theater district, spend 5 minutes at night to see the ‘great white way,’ then move on.”

And one disgruntled visitor left a review on Trip Advisor saying, ‘One of the highlights to see in NY, but after you’ve seen it, you’d better get out of the downtown area. It’s too busy, lots of beggars and scammers.’

Another person added his opinion on Trip Advisor saying the area was teeming with people using drugs and rubbish on the ground.

Times Square is known to many as the “center” of New York City – with its bright lights and illuminated billboards, it has become one of the top tourist attractions in the five boroughs

They said, ‘NYC is definitely a great place to visit. That said, Times Square was terrible. Some of the reasons why I say that. We saw 2 men sit in a doorway with their pants around their ankles and shoot up, salesmen are very aggressive and will grab you (they did) trying to kick rap CDs etc.

“Too expensive, chain restaurants, tourist traps, weed smell everywhere, a large number of seriously mentally ill people in need, garbage everywhere, very dirty.

“I was there with my husband and teenage sons. This sort of thing may not bother some people, but I didn’t like the atmosphere and it was the only time in NYC that I didn’t feel safe (even with a heavy police presence).’

And another tourist, speaking from experience, said the fact that locals don’t go to Times Square should be a sign in itself.

They said: ‘Illuminated signs, overpriced restaurants, theaters, tacky souvenir shops and crowds of tourists. It’s an area avoided by locals, and for good reason.

Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is an iconic landmark on 34th Street – and it was once the tallest building in the world.

While the Empire State Building bears its name and history, some locals say there are other tall buildings in Midtown — or even Manhattan — that offer a more enjoyable experience.

One person said, ‘Went to another building for less money. Felt we paid for the “Empire State Building” name as it was considerably more expensive. If I did it once, I wouldn’t do it again.’

Others complained about visitors being forced to wait in long lines before reaching the top and seeing the view: “We spent 30 minutes in the security line, then spent about 5 minutes on the observation floor. Don’t waste your money on this.’

As people from Manhattan have slowly spread across the bridge and settled into Williamsburg’s slightly larger apartments, many people have complained that the once unique area has been “gentrified”

Another said: ‘It’s a tourist trap, no surprise. The entrance is ridiculously hard to find and no instructions are given when buying the tickets.

The saving grace is that you will most likely find a group of lost tourists also looking for the entrance and you will all look for the entrance together. We even asked a police officer guarding the building where the entrance was and he politely laughed and said he honestly didn’t know.

“Once you’re in the building, you’re screened by their own TSA before you’re crammed into an elevator to enter the exhibit. I thought for such a popular tourist attraction the place would be more organized.

“It felt like we were wandering the halls constantly telling us which way to go because most of the time we went the wrong way.”

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Williamsburg has been an up-and-coming area of ​​Brooklyn, one of New York City’s five boroughs, for over a decade.

But as people from Manhattan have slowly spread across the bridge and settled into Williamsburg’s slightly larger apartments, many people have complained that the once-unique area has become “gentrified.”

While the neighborhood is still home to creatives and independent shops, some visitors say the location fell short of their expectations.

A visitor said: ‘So the neighborhood was a bit disappointing. We went on a recommendation and didn’t find it quirky or interesting as we were led to believe.

“Disappointed, we went to Dumbo the next day and had a much better time.”

One person, who left a review in 2017, could already seemingly see the changes taking place in the neighborhood – as prices slowly began to climb in the upscale Brooklyn area.

Visitors have simply said the attraction was ‘disappointing’ and apart from the photo opportunity there wasn’t much to do on the Statue of Liberty tour

But despite the rise of “hipster” coffee shops and higher rents, they said the area was energetic and had great restaurants.

The reviewer said, “This modernized neighborhood is changing by the minute and getting more expensive by the minute.

“But it’s also energetic, artistic, and its bar and food scene rivals Manhattan’s with new restaurants opening every week.” Great for people watching, cycling and running.’

A third complained about the gentrification and rising prices: ‘Gentrified neighborhood with nice bars and restaurants.

“If you’re thinking about moving here, you need about 900,000 for a lot of little 650 sqft. a bedroom.’

Statue of Liberty

Lady Liberty stands on her own island at the end of Manhattan – and is an iconic symbol of freedom for the US.

But locals and people who have visited say the statue itself isn’t as impressive as one might think – and you can get a better look at the view via Google images.

The disgruntled visitor said, ‘It’s really not worth the time and money to travel up close to see the statue. Much more impressive far away and on google images.

‘Could easily skip all the crowds and overpriced tickets to get there by taking the Staten Island ferry which is free, and get close enough to the statue if you need to pay homage to the symbol of liberty, depending on how you do this interprets.

“NYC’s waterway also gets you pretty close to it and costs about $5++ each way on their ferries.”

Another person on Trip Advisor complained about the long lines and security checks that visitors have to go through before they are allowed on the boat.

They said, ‘Very iconic and a must see if you’re visiting New York, be prepared to spend a lot of time standing and queuing though! They advertise timed slots but it doesn’t mean anything, it’s more free for everyone so be prepared.’

Another visitor simply said that the attraction was “underwhelming” and that apart from the photo opportunity, there wasn’t much to do on the tour.

The tourist said, “There are too many enthusiastic people who want to see the Statue of Liberty. Staff are rude. Security research takes a long time.

“But when you’re here, there’s only one disappointing thing to see and take pictures.”

Although for some, the busy, crowded streets of New York still have charm and excitement.

One person said, “I’ve been to NYC too many times to count and each of these so-called “tourist traps” is amazing, iconic, and worth a visit.”