Okay, let me offer some first thoughts that come to mind to get some ideas going. I find it's good to just think free-form a little bit at first to get a better idea of what options are out there and what you might like.

So, some thoughts in no particular order:

• You've got 5 full days in the city, including New Year's Eve and New Year's day. It's not a long amount of time, but if you don't mind always being on your feet you can fit in everything you want to do.
• You mentioned The Empire State Building. I generally recommend Rockefeller Center over the Empire State Building for a variety of reasons (it's just as good an experience and saves you some time). I'll write up details about that in your guide.
• The Statue of Liberty is an incredibly popular and crowded attraction. You'll want to get reservations ASAP. Also expect it to take half of one of your days.
• New Year's Eve at Times Square. Oh boy. It's a completely crazy and chaotic experience. We'll have a good chat about how to do that right because you can't just waltz into it casually without planning ahead of time.

Overall I think you have a good amount planned for your stay. You probably won't have time for more than you've already listed. We should spend some time hashing out an appropriate itinerary, but with the right schedule you're going to have a really great trip!

No, you don't need tickets for Times Square. While you do just "show up", it gets incredibly crowded so you have to show up at the right time if you want a spot. You can also get reservations at a restaurant or club overlooking Times Square. This makes life a lot easier, but the prices are extreme (for example: $200+ at the Olive Garden). I personally don't think these reserved spaces are worth it.

As for the statue, I'm sorry to say there's no way you'll make it to the crown. The crown just opened up a few months ago so there's a huge waiting list to get access to it. You won't be able to get reservations by the time of your trip.

You'll have two choices with the statue: "inside the pedestal" tickets or island-only tickets (no pedestal access). Most people are happy with the island-only tickets, since they're easier to get and give you 90% of the same experience. I'd say go for the pedestal tickets if possible, but if not don't worry about it.

You can get statue tickets here. I recommend you take care of this ASAP.

I'd budget a minimum of 5 hours. The challenge with visiting the Statue of Liberty is that it's on an island, so huge lines build up around the ferries. So waiting for a ferry, ticket checks, security checks, etc. eats up a lot of time.

You'll probably find yourself spending more time at Ellis Island than the statue itself. Ellis Island is a full-on museum with a lot more depth and activities than the statue. Make sure you give it its proper due.

Mark,

I've split up some of these topics into their own discussions (especially New Year's Eve). Let's continue those discussions there.