When you go to New York you will enjoy it, no matter what it is. Go for a walk through Soho, eat at an italian restaurant in Little Italy. Be sure to stop in some (as they say) "hole in the wall" pizzeria somewhere--have great sushi. This will be good. There are museums, there are parks, there is the feeling, the awe inspiring and poetical influence of merely the people moving, the cars streaming, cats, people, bakeries, tobacco shops, taxis, baseball games and irish pubs--the noise--oh it will be noisier than anything ever, but pleasant for a time. Do this and it will be good.
Then, if you truly wish to get a real experience of New York--you must go to Grand Central Station early in the morning on a clear day and catch a ride to Poughkeepsie, NY on the Metro North line. It will not be until you ride along this railroad (the most famous for two centuries of American train-rides--passing through the famous Hudson Highlands--passing West Point and Bannerman's Island) that you will get a real sense of what New York is, for New York is far greater and magnificent than the mere city. Spend some time in Poughkeepsie or walk across the Mid-Hudson Valley Bridge to the West Shore where a small town subsides--Highland. There is a little area and downtown with a Methodist church, two pizzerias and a bakery--one restaurant called Sal's Place and a chinese restaurant. It is not anything to be amazed by, but it is there and you might find a true sense of what New York is if you go there. And when you do, enjoy it.
I hope this helps.
Bon Voyage