OK - Clubs for NYC - NJAX has lots of NYC people, NIORA has a ton of NYC people, either would be a great match, hell just join both. Xterrafima has a huge NYC clan as well actually, and all three have wheeling trips in your area.
I always recommend armor over lift if you must do only one....as you will NEVER lift enough to clear everything anyway...but the armor lets you survive anyway.
Sliders are number one, and then skid plates. A bumper is really best if getting a winch someday, otherwise, not as much ROI.
The sliders let you have a lifting point if you get stuck, and protect the rocker panels, the first actual body damage you'll get off road will be the rocker panels for most people, if they forgot to get sliders, or, left the stock steps on.
With sliders and skid plates, its like safe sex...you can screw up, and still survive to play again another day.
Once protected, you can do tires...I like to time new tires for after a lift, either a BL and/or SL...so that I get the largest rubbers under there that will fit.
BL's allow the largest tires, but don't increase your ground clearance, other than the tire difference itself....which CAN be significant....
I went from 29's to 33's, so I got a 2" increase in GC just from larger diameter tires, that I was able to fit due to the BL.
The BL doesn't raise the center of gravity enough to notice, and is about $165, and a few hrs work, which gives you 2" of clearance to fit the 2" more room the larger tires need.
A PML is about $50, and a couple of hrs work, plus a wheel alignment....and nets 1.5" of ground clearance...but not complete tire clearance, as the suspension can still compress and make the tire hit, etc....but the ride height tire clearance is improved.
Generally, BEFORE you go off road - Take off stock steps and mud flaps, they get destroyed off road anyway, and save them in their unblemished form for e-bay, etc...if you off road with them first, they become garbage rather than e-bay fodder.
Hope that helps!