The NYC marathon was my 4th world major marathon, run just seven weeks after the Berlin Marathon for me. It was a wonderful experience in a great city, but I was feeling weak before and during the race.
I thought the fans along the course was great, as were all the volunteers. For the largest marathon in the world, I thought they did an excellent job organizing and managing the race.
The only thing I can imagine changing about the race is to find a way to direct foot traffic around the finish. I finished relatively early (first wave, 3:37 finish time) but it was gridlock trying to get out of the Central Park area to hotels.

This was my eighth full marathon, and first time for NYC marathon. I've run over 100 half marathons, including all 50 US states, plus DC, and 5 foreign countries. I provide running and racing resources for all levels of runners at
www.askrunguy.com. Feel free to check it out.