New York, New York
I started with New York as my first ever blog as it's a place close to my heart. It has everything you could want from a city break.
I'm going to divide this into four sections so you can skip to what's important to you, or read it all for the ultimate guide!
Section 1: Transport
Section 2: Free things to do, and then where to spend your money
Section 3: Food, glorious food
Section 4: Accommodation
Everything below is what we have experienced as travellers or heard from the locals over our 3/4 visits, so enjoy. Hit us up with a comment with your own advice and tips, we look forward to testing them out in this ever changing city.
The easiest and cheapest way to get to New York from the UK is by flying. There are always flight deals going to JFK, Newark or LaGuardia. Although JFK is the larger of airports, Newark and LaGuardia are just as easy to navigate.
To get into the city from the airports we have gone by private transfer, train, and airport shuttle. Although all were very easy by far the most memorable for us was the airport shuttle as the local driver was one of the funniest men I've met (my husband topping the poll, of course).
The train or Subway was also a great option, and by far the cheapest. Purchasing tickets was really simple from the machines and the directions around the stations are really clear. We have also used trains to get out of the city from Grand Central Station to other states and this has never been an issue if you plan in advance and give yourself plenty of time.
Another option is to go by Taxi, we have declined this on our visits as although it is potentially the easiest way to get in, it is also the most expensive costing up to $75 dollars depending on the time you travel and there can be a surcharge if you pay by card.
Getting around the city
We find the easiest way to get our bearings around a new city is to go on a tour or even better a hop-on hop-off tourist bus.
I know, I know, I feel like a sucker on one of them too!
But it really is the best way to gauge the distance between attractions and utilise it as a transfer between points of interest.
If you want to attempt to get a Taxi in New York then that is completely up to you. We found the subway, and walking the best way to see as much as possible. We walked from Central Park to Rector Street along Broadway one evening and it was one of the highlights of the trip.
The subway is super easy to use, you can now use contactless payments exactly like the tube. You can download the 'MYmta' app which will help you when planning your routes.
Save the dollar!
Walk around Central Park. This is definitely something i would recommend putting aside an afternoon out and don't expect to see it all in a few hours! It is 2.5 miles in length and 842.6 acres in total. However, it is a great place to wind down and recover from the madness of the city streets.
Some how we skipped this park on our first visit to New York which is why we were adamant to see it on the 2nd. It well and truly lived up to expectations when we stumbled upon Green Day (yes, THE Green Day) putting on a FREE concert for ‘Good Morning America’.
Just goes to show anything can happen in this city!
Sunrise at Brooklyn bridge. On this visit we were staying in Chinatown and decided to make the most of our time by visiting this bridge first thing. I am so glad we saw a different side to the city and weren't getting in anyone's way whilst we posed for photos. At this time of day the views of the city and Manhattan bridge were beautiful. Something I would definitely recommend.
Walk the highline. This is a must do in my opinion and it doesn't get nearly as much credit as it deserves. A 1.45 mile long park and recreation ground built on an old railway line to the west of Manhattan. A great place to walk, chill out, people watch, or just a really pleasant way to get from Ganesvoort street in the meat-packing district to Chelsea. Recommendation: Grab food from Chelsea market first! More on that later!
Although just walking around is free, getting to know the area and the history on a tour is a no brainer if you can. check this one out
Visiting the World Trade Centre and Ground Zero. One of the most humbling monuments we have visited. There aren't many words that can be said about this place as it literally took my breath away. The memorial and the Museum are open 10am to 5pm at time of me writing this and If you are able to get into the museum you wont regret it. They offer free entry to the museum from 3:30pm till 5pm on Mondays but you will have to get there early if you want to get in.
Walk around times square, or just SIT! This is an absolute must do on your visit to New York. It holds so much history and culture. If you are able grab something to eat or drink and sit on the steps and people watch, you won't be sorry.
Spend a morning on Governors island. It's open 7am until 6pm and provides a really nice place to sit back, relax and admire the Manhattan skyline from another angle. There are parks, bike rental and all sorts of programmes going on throughout the year. Definitely worth checking out.
Recommendation:
On Saturdays and Sundays the ferry to Governors island is free before noon
Staten island ferry. Staten island is a borough of New York and one I would like to explore more of however, it's on this list due to the fact the government offers a free ferry service there which gives one of the best views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. I would avoid early morning and late afternoon rush hours to be able to get a good position on the ferry.
If you want to get an even better view of the Statue of Liberty, Ive done the research for you! Check out the link below for the best rated tour I could find.
Wondering around New York sightseeing. Honestly, there is so much to see in New York city that won't cost you a penny. One of my favourite things to do is to just wonder around and explore a new place and people watch. This list is endless but I would recommend walking around the different districts and comparing their differences, visiting tv or movie locations like the friends building, or going to Grand central station and admiring its architecture. If you are on a tight budget you will still be blown away with what this city can offer.
Spend the dollar!
American Museum of Natural History. I LOVE this place. you can easily spend a whole day in here. It will cost you around $23 for an adult ticket It is open 10am to 5:30pm Wednesday to Sunday. (Please double check before you go).
I would definitely recommend booking tickets online before you go as you wouldn't want to waste your valuable time in New York having to queue or worse, mess up your holiday plans!
This place is fascinating, the grandeur of the building to the amazing exhibits it has inside. It's incredible, please go, you won't regret it.
Top of the rocks. Everyone always told us go up the Empire State Building, and that does have its benefits but if you want the iconic view of the New York City skyline you will need the Empire State Building in it!
It costs $40 for an adult, $34 for child and $38 for senior. They also charge you to go up and watch sunset which is an extra $10. It is on the pricier side but if you use this as one of your admissions with a ‘city pass’ or similar discount card it considerably brings the price down. (Again, the prices and timings are correct as I type this in Feb 2022. Please double check before you go).
Check out the rooftop bars. You won't be surprised to find that a lot of these close in the winter, so you will have to double check timings when you are planning your trip. They are a great way to end the day and a great way to meet people and get chatting to some locals. However the cocktails will be rooftop prices, so keep this in mind. Id advise getting there early doors and have a back up in mind if you are unable to get in. Some will have early evening deals as well which are well worth looking into.
Get a sightseeing bus. It sounds incredibly cliche and “touristy” but it really is a great way to get your bearings with a new place. Not only do most of them provide you with a tour guide (in person or through a headset) to get to know more about the place you are visiting but they are great to get you from one place to the next without having to use and pay extra for a taxi, or public transport. They are also a great way to find the best deals, or best times to go to attractions.
Where do I begin?!
If you fancy, it you can have it. New York has anything and everything however that means the list of places to visit for foodies are quite literally endless.
I think the easiest way to do this is to mention some of favourites which are good stops whilst you are sightseeing!
Having a list as long as ours, mainly comes from collecting recommendations, we would love to know yours so please post them in the comments!
We have done accommodation 3 different ways in New York. Our first experience was in Chinatown in a hotel called Comfort Inn (unfortunately now permanently closed). In all honesty, it wasn't bad, but it also wasn't the best experience.
Our first impressions however, were filled with a lot of mixed emotions, we had the most hilarious transfer driver, the weather was incredibly humid, we turned up on garbage day so the street smells were intense and the hotel wasn't quite what we expected. Despite arriving late we decided to take an evening walk and ended up eating pizza at a tiny Italian restaurant, SAL's and were greeted by the loveliest owner that managed to turn all our woes into excitement for the rest of the trip. The hotel experience did gain some extra points in the morning once we released it had a waffle maker!
Little did we know that this first encounter with New York would turn into it being one of our favourite cities in the world.
Our next visit we stayed at the Hilton in Midtown. This was a completely different experience, it was exactly what you would expect from a Hilton and was in a really great location. We didn't stay here long as it was purely a stop over on our way to Bermuda. However over the two nights we did stay the hotel was great, felt luxurious and right in the thick of the city.
Our third accommodation was Riff apartments Downtown, near Ground Zero. Again we loved this location and had completely different feel from the last 2. The exterior was really unassuming which made it interesting to find but inside it felt really homely and spacious. We really enjoyed walking around the area in the evening. It had a calmer feel than Midtown, bizarrely a bit more villagy, and we loved dipping into the independent shops and bars. Some favourites were Clinton Hall and The Dead Rabbit.