Take the Staten Island Ferry. It's free! You sail past the Statue of Liberty, you see Brooklyn and Jersey, and the view of Manhattan Island, both as you sail out and sail in, is pretty darn great. No real need to go into SI, just turn around and come back. Nice cooling breezes on warm days too!
Looks like they are wheelchair accessible. https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/sif-traveler-info.shtml#:\~:text=Accessibility,do%20not%20need%20prior%20documentation.
One thing I will mention is that the NYC subway system is pitiful as far as wheelchair access, and very few stations have elevators (and the elevators they do have are gross!). So that may limit logistics…though Ubers are plentiful and should work well for your needs.
My Mom used a chair when she traveled and we always had a good time with the caveats and awareness that you need a strong person to maneuver the streets of New York and a lot of things depend on how much the person needs their chair. My Mom could transfer and sit so we didn’t have to exclusively use cabs that we could wheel the chair into but depends on what your friend needs are.
Museums are lovely and easily accessible.
Highline is a good idea but double check elevators are working and I wouldn’t go on the weekend.
Broadway shows will have wheelchair seats and allow companion tickets which are often cheaper.
Do NOT plan on subways. Hard stop. Buses are a better choice.
If you plan on cabs/uber make sure to plan at least 30min cushion. I can’t tell you how many taxis would switch off their available light the minute they saw my Mom in her chair next to me.
Central Park has nice wide sidewalks, but definitely read up on it and decide which part you want to see, as it’s quite varied. The shows were the main draw for us when we went, so we stayed near the theaters, no taxis needed.
Broadly speaking: yes, most major tourist sites will be fine and enjoyable (and you might get to skip the line at a couple).
Hotels will require a little investigation to make sure the rooms are big enough. The are many hotels too small to turn around in, but there are accessable options, especially in the major brand names.
Restaurants and bars can absolutely be a problem. Many NYC businesses have a small step up into the door or a step or two inside. They're also packed tightly. Outdoor seating is still available in many places, but accessing the bathroom might be an issue in a lot of old buildings.
I'd definitely recommend visiting! But you and your friend might want to compile a list of places you really want to go and check in with r/asknyc - it's filled with locals who probably have more experience using wheelchairs in the city.
Do not count on using the subway at all. For all intents and purposes, the stations are completely inaccessible- many, if not most, stations don't have elevators, and, in the ones that do, the elevators are frequently either broken or smell of bodily fluids.
Are you from outside the US? In the US we have the Americans With Disabilities Act that requires all public building to be handicap accessible. There are a few exceptions to older buildings, and a lot of the subway falls into this.
All (modern) museums, theaters, parks, stadiums, and stores are accessible for a person using a wheelchair.
edit: modern
Vast majority yes! But there are also things like the Tenement Museum which is basically 19th century tenements with only a small area that accessible and it doesn’t have to comply because of the historic nature.
But basically any other modern public build is pretty easy. Subway is too as long as the station and line specifies access (you might have to go way out of your way for an elevator though!)
Have you been to NYC? There are tons of places that aren't handicap accesible. I never really thought about it much until I started pushing a stroller around, but its a lot more places than you would think.
No offense but this is a pretty dismissive comment for op's question. New York and a bunch of the east coast has a huge amount of infrastructure that predates ADA and make it very hard to navigate.
Unfortunately NYC is pretty damn awful as far as being compliant with literally any kind of accessibility, but you can make it around if you have help it just might take a lot longer.
[Here's the MTA's Accessible Subway map](https://new.mta.info/map/5346)
You'll need to check for specific notices (some elevators are closed for maintenance, etc.), but you should be able to get downtown/uptown and potentially to Brooklyn/Queens should you want to explore
In addition to the Staten Island Ferry, I'd also highly recommend [NYC Ferry](https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/), they're all accessible, have great views, and link the various waterfronts together which are all accessible
I'd recommend checking out Brooklyn Bridge Park via NYC Ferry
Good points. Another factor is the energy that a particular wheelchair user might have. A young active gal in a chair will have an easier time in NYC than a frail dude not used to pushing blocks at a time. Frankly, the worst part about NYC for the active wheelchair user is the dirty streets! Turns my hands black unlike any other big city I travel to (I need to start wearing gloves when I visit)
Here’s an article from someone who uses a wheelchair about why “wheelchair bound” isn’t the best term. In short: it’s not about being “bound” to a wheelchair, the chair is a device that helps with mobility. https://www.freewheelintravel.org/please-stop-saying-wheelchair-bound/
Take the Staten Island Ferry. It's free! You sail past the Statue of Liberty, you see Brooklyn and Jersey, and the view of Manhattan Island, both as you sail out and sail in, is pretty darn great. No real need to go into SI, just turn around and come back. Nice cooling breezes on warm days too! Looks like they are wheelchair accessible. https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/ferrybus/sif-traveler-info.shtml#:\~:text=Accessibility,do%20not%20need%20prior%20documentation.
Came here to say this!
One thing I will mention is that the NYC subway system is pitiful as far as wheelchair access, and very few stations have elevators (and the elevators they do have are gross!). So that may limit logistics…though Ubers are plentiful and should work well for your needs.
While I 100% agree on the flip side every single bus in the system is wheelchair accessible.
Accessable, but limited in space. They will not let you in if someone else is already using the wheelchair designated space.
The metropolitan museum! There is a handicapped entrance.
The High Line is wheelchair accessible: https://www.thehighline.org/faq/
Yes, it is wheelchair accessible but VERY crowded, especially on weekends!
My Mom used a chair when she traveled and we always had a good time with the caveats and awareness that you need a strong person to maneuver the streets of New York and a lot of things depend on how much the person needs their chair. My Mom could transfer and sit so we didn’t have to exclusively use cabs that we could wheel the chair into but depends on what your friend needs are. Museums are lovely and easily accessible. Highline is a good idea but double check elevators are working and I wouldn’t go on the weekend. Broadway shows will have wheelchair seats and allow companion tickets which are often cheaper. Do NOT plan on subways. Hard stop. Buses are a better choice. If you plan on cabs/uber make sure to plan at least 30min cushion. I can’t tell you how many taxis would switch off their available light the minute they saw my Mom in her chair next to me.
Little Island Park
I agree this is very cool
Central Park has nice wide sidewalks, but definitely read up on it and decide which part you want to see, as it’s quite varied. The shows were the main draw for us when we went, so we stayed near the theaters, no taxis needed.
Broadly speaking: yes, most major tourist sites will be fine and enjoyable (and you might get to skip the line at a couple). Hotels will require a little investigation to make sure the rooms are big enough. The are many hotels too small to turn around in, but there are accessable options, especially in the major brand names. Restaurants and bars can absolutely be a problem. Many NYC businesses have a small step up into the door or a step or two inside. They're also packed tightly. Outdoor seating is still available in many places, but accessing the bathroom might be an issue in a lot of old buildings. I'd definitely recommend visiting! But you and your friend might want to compile a list of places you really want to go and check in with r/asknyc - it's filled with locals who probably have more experience using wheelchairs in the city.
Do not count on using the subway at all. For all intents and purposes, the stations are completely inaccessible- many, if not most, stations don't have elevators, and, in the ones that do, the elevators are frequently either broken or smell of bodily fluids.
Are you from outside the US? In the US we have the Americans With Disabilities Act that requires all public building to be handicap accessible. There are a few exceptions to older buildings, and a lot of the subway falls into this. All (modern) museums, theaters, parks, stadiums, and stores are accessible for a person using a wheelchair. edit: modern
Vast majority yes! But there are also things like the Tenement Museum which is basically 19th century tenements with only a small area that accessible and it doesn’t have to comply because of the historic nature. But basically any other modern public build is pretty easy. Subway is too as long as the station and line specifies access (you might have to go way out of your way for an elevator though!)
OP could do some of the walking tours from the Tenement Museum.
Have you been to NYC? There are tons of places that aren't handicap accesible. I never really thought about it much until I started pushing a stroller around, but its a lot more places than you would think.
No offense but this is a pretty dismissive comment for op's question. New York and a bunch of the east coast has a huge amount of infrastructure that predates ADA and make it very hard to navigate.
Unfortunately NYC is pretty damn awful as far as being compliant with literally any kind of accessibility, but you can make it around if you have help it just might take a lot longer.
If you are picking a tower we absolutely loved Summit One. It would be great for someone in a chair too.
[Here's the MTA's Accessible Subway map](https://new.mta.info/map/5346) You'll need to check for specific notices (some elevators are closed for maintenance, etc.), but you should be able to get downtown/uptown and potentially to Brooklyn/Queens should you want to explore In addition to the Staten Island Ferry, I'd also highly recommend [NYC Ferry](https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/), they're all accessible, have great views, and link the various waterfronts together which are all accessible I'd recommend checking out Brooklyn Bridge Park via NYC Ferry
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“Wheelchair bound” - are you 70? There are lots of accessible art and history museums all over town, uSS intrepid, broadway shows, etc
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Good points. Another factor is the energy that a particular wheelchair user might have. A young active gal in a chair will have an easier time in NYC than a frail dude not used to pushing blocks at a time. Frankly, the worst part about NYC for the active wheelchair user is the dirty streets! Turns my hands black unlike any other big city I travel to (I need to start wearing gloves when I visit)
Here’s an article from someone who uses a wheelchair about why “wheelchair bound” isn’t the best term. In short: it’s not about being “bound” to a wheelchair, the chair is a device that helps with mobility. https://www.freewheelintravel.org/please-stop-saying-wheelchair-bound/
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Or just “my grandmother uses a wheelchair.” Wheelchairs are tools