New York City Travel Tips

In and Around the City

Bring great walking shoes - you will walk and walk and walk for hours...

Bring a backpack for water and other food on the go rather than stopping for food - saves time - and - it is great if you can lunch in Central Park or Battery Park

The city is organized in a grid and what I would usually do is start on the south side and work my way up to avoid wasting time zigzagging back and forth - for me - time was always very constrained when I visited

You can take the subway to all the major places in and around the city - inexpensive, safe and fast

Must Do

Tours

Take a boat tour around the island with a few stops - this is the best way to orientate yourself to the city and how it is organized, etc.

Example: https://www.circleline.com/sightseeing-cruises/landmarks

Example: https://www.newyorkpass.com/En/new-york-attractions/tickets/Circle-Line-Sightseeing-Cruises/ (I have done this one a few times)

Example: https://www.citysightseeingnewyork.com/boat-tours-and-cruises.html - find a tour that makes sense - there are lots of options (did this once)

Central Park tour - a great second day to dig deeper into the city

  • Had a friend recommend this group, http://www.nycpedicabs.com/, and we had a great experience using them

  • Book IN ADVANCE though it is non-refundable so check the fine print in regards to weather issues

  • You get to see all the major sites in Central Park including John Lennon's memorial and his apartment building if you're a fan and all the movie sites - plus - they take your photos along these major sites. Quite cool. Highlight of our trip.

  • http://www.nycpedicabs.com/

I have not done the bus hop on / hop off tours as I am too independent for that - I like to explore on my own and set my own pace.

Museum(s)

The 911 Museum is an unbelievable experience - beyond what I expected. Give yourself around 3 hours though you can do once section in an hour if you only want to see the main part and not the in depth part. It is very impactful and emotionally intense.

Hit up at least one art museum and the best one is Metropolitan Museum of Art

Other options depending on your taste in art / other:

  • Museum of Modern Art

  • Museum of the Moving Image

  • American Museum of Natural History - AMAZING

    • Hayden Planetarium (American Museum of Natural History)Whitney Museum of American Art

  • Guggenheim Museum

  • Children's Museum of the Arts

  • Sea Air and Space Museum - Inteprid - the WWII aircraft carrier and space shuttle

Skyscraper(s)

Get to the top of AT LEAST one major skyscraper - and - at night if possible - they are usually open until 2AM though check off season hours

One World Observatory - amazing to get up there

Empire State Building - if nothing else - walk into the entry way because it is 1920s architecture beautiful

Rockefeller Tower - you can see Central Park and Times Square

Walking Around Must See

  • Wall Street (you will partially see this from a boat tour) / Trinity Church - this is the birth of America where the first government center was, etc. - very historic and great for photos

  • One World Observatory

  • Rockefeller Tower - some nice gardens, the infamous skating rink

  • Brooklyn Bridge (you will see this from a boat tour)

  • Battery Park (you will see this from a boat tour)

  • Apple Store

  • Grand Central Station

  • Washington Square Park

  • East Village - great way to experience

  • Flatiron Building

  • Chrysler Building

Shopping

The tone of shopping's history in the world is set in New York - it is great to see the stores where they all began

Regardless of your enjoyment of shopping hit up SoHo area - unique neighborhood and great shopping

Fifth Ave Shopping is a must - just to walk it - you can pick up seeing Rockefeller Center along the way

FAO Schwartz toy store

Tiffany's

Bergdorf Goodman, 5th Avenue, New York, NY - just walk in and take a look at one of the floors - crazy over the top merchandise

Ralph Lauren's store is a museum in and of itself

Food

Pizza - yes - the NY pizza is GREAT

Bagels - buy a bagel!

Not Recommended

Going up into the Statue of Liberty - it takes a LOT of time (wait for the ferry, go to the top, wait for the ferry can take four or more hours) and unless you have the time it isn't worth it. An alternative is to take a boat tour which gets you up next to the statue - it is great to see it up close like that

Central Park zoo is rather lame but you will walk past it

Bronx Zoo - haven't been - but it is supposed to be good

Transportation

Airport: Take a cab / Uber or train from the airport - the train will avoid traffic which can happen any time of day and you can get stuck for a long time

Around the City: Obtain a multi-day pass for the trains as you can ride / walk everywhere you need to go. Seven day pass offers the best value for multiple days

Restaurants

Katz's Delicatessen


A Checklist

  • Radio City Music Hall

  • Rockefeller Center

  • Bryant Park

  • Times Square

  • Empire State Building

  • One World Observatory

  • Wall Street

  • The Oculus

  • Ground Zero

  • Trinity Church

  • Grand Central Station

  • NY Public Library

  • SoHo

  • Central Park - Lennon Memorial

  • Museum of the Moving Image

  • Hayden Planetarium (American Museum of Natural History)

  • Sea Air and Space Museum - Inteprid

  • International Center of Photography