New york city, USA
What NYC is:
New York City… We’ve all heard the name and probably all think of the bustling city on the island that everyone wants to live in. Since then, you’ve made it. Or if you don’t want to live there with many people since it can be too much for certain people, which is reasonable. But what is NYC? As I see it, it is a busy city of people who have gone there for different reasons, but all have the same goal: to be successful in their own way. And so, in this article, I will give you the ultimate guide to visiting and seeing the Big Apple with its Empire state of mind.
Timing and how long to stay:
NYC is truly a great place to visit a few times since there's a lot to see but also a little. I recommend going for 4–7 days since that’s all you need to explore and see the city with rose-colored glasses. When I went, I spent 4 days there. I landed in Newark, which is a city just outside of NYC in New Jersey. I landed here because it was cheaper, which is a great tip. I landed on a Thursday night and left on a Sunday afternoon. This gave me around 3 days to see the city, which was perfect since I got to see the highlights and do some extra things I wanted to do. So 4-7 days is a great amount of time to visit NYC.
Outings and Activities:
There are classic attractions such as the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, which are great, but in my opinion, there are more great attractions that may be better than staring at a green statue (no hate, though she’s great). Some activities that I did were:
I went to the NYC public library, which was beautiful, but the problem here is that you can’t really go inside and read there since it primarily offers research spaces for certain people. But there is a cheat code to this that only the locals know. You need to bring a book with you (or buy one in the gift shop) and then ask someone where the Rose Room is, which is their big reading room. Once you get there, they will try to turn you away, so tell them that you are there to read and show them your book, and then they will let you in.
Now if you're a museum kind of person(weird) the MET is perfect since it is very popular. This museum is great for a few hours to look around and observe the art.
The Empire State Building is great and don’t get me wrong it is but I don’t want to wait in line for an hour to then go in an elevator to see the view. Because of that, I would not recommend going to the building since it seems like a waste of time.
An activity to do if you do visit near Christmas time is to see the Macy's Christmas windows that are put up at the end of November. This activity is great when you have a few minutes and are in the area.
A classic activity in NYC is to go to Radio City Music Hall and the perfect thing to see there is the Rockettes. If you also go at Christmas time you will be able to see their Christmas show.
If you have read the article that I wrote on Iceland you may recall that I recommend that you do “Fly over Iceland”. Well, NYC also has one so I also recommend that you go to this one because this Fly over is a whole history exhibit that you can walk through and learn a little bit of NYC’s history(in one of the rooms they give you popcorn - it was my favorite part).
Another great activity would be to go to any popular Broadway production that is playing because it’s Broadway people - it’s gotta be great.
Finally one of my favorite surprises was the Highline on the way to the Chelsea Market. It’s an old above-ground rail line converted into a walking route with plants, amazing graffiti, and lots of people. I had no idea what to expect but I was happy to see it when I did.
Stuff that helps you live(Food):
There are many amazing food options in NYC sometimes too many options but don’t be concerned I will give you a list of the ones I went to and my experience with them:
The first restaurant that I went to while visiting was this Mediterranean restaurant called Shuka in the Soho border lining Greenwich. This restaurant was probably also my favorite restaurant that I went to. Probably what made me feel that way is the fancy decor they had, the amazing service, and the delicious menu(the hummus is great, trust me order it. But don’t if you're allergic obviously, don’t be stupid).
Now for a weird but cool restaurant/fancy food court, Grand Central Station. You may be confused as to why a train station would have a good restaurant, but it does have a fancy restaurant and some smaller restaurants in the food court, and they’re all good. And a secret that you may or may not know but there is a secret bar in the station and since it is a secret I won’t say where it is but tell me if you can find it(don’t cheat, find it for yourself, no one likes a cheater ok?).
Uncle Lou, have you heard of it? If not that’s ok - I’ll explain. Uncle Lou is a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown in NYC. This restaurant was great because it truly felt like a local Chinese food restaurant which I loved. If you’re looking for a simple nice meal Uncle Lou is perfect for you.
Do you like dinner and a show? Ellen’s Stardust is perfect for you. The only downside to this place is that you need to wait in line for a while before you can get a table since they don’t take reservations, but it is worth it! As per the name it describes having “Stardust”. What is the stardust you ask? It is the waiters. All of the waiters are performers, have amazing voices and each take turns singing songs as entertainment while you eat. That is what Stardust is. Because all these waiters are waiting for their chance to make it to Broadway.
Where to stay:
While I was visiting I stayed in an Airbnb but, now as you may know NYC does not let people have Airbnb anymore unless the owner is living in the unit with you, so you can’t stay in that typical NYC apartment. But these are some good hotels that you can stay in:
The Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Midtown Manhattan/Penn Station is a great hotel in a great location and is perfect since if you take the train from the airport you will be near the hotel. The other great thing about it is that it can accommodate 4 guests and $339 CAD a night which is a good price for NYC.
Another nice hotel in the same area is the Dream Downtown, Part of Hyatt which accommodates 2-4 guests with 2 double beds. An extra amenity that this hotel offers and the last hotel doesn’t is a very nice pool(Don’t go swimming if you can’t. Don’t die please). In total this hotel will cost you about $283 CAD a night.
The SpringHill Suites New York Manhattan/Chelsea is a nice hotel in the Chelsea area that can sleep 4 with 2 double beds. This hotel will cost you around $233 CAD a night.
Location:
The location is crucial since if you're in the wrong neighborhood it will take a long time to get to where you want to go that day. The perfect area/neighborhood in my opinion to stay in is the Chelsea and Greenwich area since it is near a lot of good activities and restaurants but it is also just a great neighborhood to stay in.
When you should visit:
Now I believe that we’ve all seen a Christmas movie based in NYC and after that, you may feel like you want to visit in the winter and that feeling is right because it is so magical and festive at that time. The time that I went was in late November which was perfect since they had just started putting up their big Christmas tree and the Macy’s windows will be up by then. I much prefer going at this time to actual Christmas since this way you can spend time with your family and still get to experience the Christmas feel that NYC has at Christmas time.
Safety:
NYC seems like an unsafe place and it can be especially at night but generally, it isn’t as unsafe as it seems to be. But obviously, it is a big city which means that it is still unsafe so make sure that you are aware of your surroundings to stay safe. Be careful, safe, and well everyone!
Environment:
In regards to the environment since we only have one, make sure when you're traveling to be conscious about the environment since we still need it to last us many more decades so think green.