The accomadation is more expensive in N.Y. so shop around. I stayed at the Big Apple Hostel right next to Times Square but also heard the Banana Bungelos is cheap. Well it goes without saying that you must get up into the Empire State Building. Also do yourself a favour, pay the bit extra for post cards in the gift shop, they are some of the best in the city. Ohh, be careful of gigantic monkeys, they have been known to hang off this sucker and, if they have had too ripe bananas, can cause a hell of a mess.
Central Park is an experience well worth having.
Squatting in amoungst all this mayhem, it represents a bit of calm and sanity. A great place to sit in the sun, roller-blade or take a walk. It seems to be reasonable safe during the day if you stick to main tracks but is an obvious miss during the night. Times Square has to be seen in real life to be believed. Only in America.