Things to do in New York

One of the best museums I've ever been too. The tenement museum takes a building from the 1860s in the lower east side and shares the lives of the people who lived there. It sounds kind of hokey, I know, but the tour guides are really engaging and it gives you a new perspective on these changing neighborhoods, and it does a good job of comparing the lives of immigrants in NY today to those in the past.
you can choose the tour you want, they're a bit pricey.

normal entry $20
students $15