Visting New York City for the First time!? what should we experience?

hello! so a friend and i are visiting a friend in NYC for about a week. to get to the point, what would you say is a must see? please help me with restaurants , clubs, shops(not for souvenirs) ? we are all around 23 so what are the trendy spots? cafes? anything and everything.feel free to recommend reasonably priced locations, but we would like to share a nice fancy dinner. thank you so much. oh and any safety tips? lol my friend that lives there isnt from NYC we are from Los Angeles so thats why im asking. and she lives in a different city. thanksVisting New York City for the First time!? what should we experience?
Stand on the corner of 42nd Street and 7th Avenue during mid-afternoon on a weekday and feel the electicity, the energy, and the power of mass humanity flow pass you. Then you start visiting .Visting New York City for the First time!? what should we experience?
Best slices are a different thing entirely, but for best pizza I would go to Motorino or Di Fara in Brooklyn. They will blow your mind! As for trendy spots/restaurants, I'd try Stanton Social (upscale), Momofuku Ssam Bar (mid-range) and Shake Shack (downscale). Walk around the side streets of SoHo and the main drags in Williamsburg for some good shopping.Visting New York City for the First time!? what should we experience?
Ray's Pizza is world famous. Unfortunately, in the 1980s he did not copyright the name so dozens of ppl used the name Ray's. Don't feel bad, I had a counterfeit Ray's pizza also thought it was good, not expensive and made by a man who was actually from Italy. There are 2 real locations for Ray's Original Pizza (Greenwich Village and Upper Westside). Safety tips? Do not wear a sweatshirt that has an out of town school or team on it. Keep your map/camera out of sight taking them out only to use them. NY is a place where you can discover something new every time (I have been going there for decades). Take a quick (2 hours approx) bus tour of the city and then decide where you really want to spend your time. Try a Nathan's hot dog. Not really expensive and eaten by the locals. Also, Chock Full of Nuts hot bagels with cream cheese are great!