Our NYC series continues with a cheat’s guide to the city.
Planning your NYC trip:
It can look very daunting at first to plan your holiday. There’s so much to do and see, so many things to organise before you leave and it can seem overwhelming. My first piece of advice would be to head straight to Trip Advisor, the moment that you have pressed ‘book’. The forum provides invaluable advice on everything from how to use the subway to feedback on your itinerary.
Use your phone to help you plan!
Download the MTA NYC Subway and Google Maps apps, they are essential to help you get around the Big Apple. As you plan your itinerary, use Google Maps to save places of interest and download the map to your phone.
Over-prepare
I like to print everything when I go on holiday, even if it says e-ticket. There’s a lot of things to organise such as your ESTA Visa waiver, pre-booked tickets for events and reservations, so print everything and keep them in plastic wallets.
Currency
You probably know that you will need quite a bit of money for a trip to NYC. The best way to carry cash is to get a currency card, which works in the same way as a debit card. Just remember to sign it, as in the USA a lot of shops still rely on the ‘swipe and sign’ payment technique. Take around $200-300 in cash for tips and small purchases.
Tipping
If you’re from the UK where tipping isn’t expected, read up on tipping culture. Trip Advisor has a great article about this. As a general rule, you should tip 20% in restaurants.
Packing
Pack for all eventualities- the weather can be very interchangeable. Also, take comfortable shoes which have already been broken in as you will walk for miles each day.
Travelling to NYC
At the airport
Arrive in plenty of time. Most airlines usually recommend that you arrive around 3 hours ahead of departure for international flights.
Inflight entertainment
Lots of airlines have amazing inflight entertainment, but don’t rely on it! Take a book in case it is broken.
Layers
NYC is a 7 hour flight from the UK, so wear comfortable clothes in layers. Check out our airport style guide to see how you can make the ‘long flight’ look work for you.
Pillow
A neck pillow with lumbar support can be a godsend, if like me, you have a bad back and struggle with sitting still for long periods of time.
Drinks
Avoid alcohol and drinking too much caffeine, stick to water.
Jetlag
Jet lag is horrendous, but there are ways to help stave it off. As soon as you board the plane, adjust your watch to the local time. Stay awake for as long as possible when you arrive in NYC and try to go to bed at your normal time. Lastly, don’t plan anything too heavy such as a Broadway show for the first night.
In NYC
Maximise your time
You’ll probably find yourself waking up incredibly early in the city, so take advantage of this time and use it to plan your day. Use Google Maps and the MTA Subway app to plan your route to the day’s itinerary.
Eating & drinking
Eating and drinking can be very expensive in NYC. Think $36 for pizza slices and beer, or $24 for two vodka lime and sodas. If you can, try to avoid eating in tourist areas (anywhere near a big attraction!)
Broadway tickets
In Times Square, you’ll find a huge TCKTS booth which sells discount tickets for Broadway shows that night. It opens at 3, but I would recommend getting there at around 2.30. The queue moves relatively fast and you’ll make a significant saving if you wish to see a show. I managed to get tickets for The Colour Purple (starring Jennifer Hudson) with seats almost at the front for $74.
Souvenirs
Souvenir shops in Times Square are ridiculously expensive. Try the likes of Century 21 or other shops outside of Midtown and you’ll probably find the same stuff for cheaper.
Money
Try to avoid using cash machines, as they can charge you up to $5 to withdraw your money. Also, know the exchange rate as some products may not be cheaper in the US compared to at home.
Subway
Get yourself an unlimited Metrocard. The 7 day card will cost $32- make 13 journeys and you will break even. Cost aside, it’s worth it for the convenience alone of not worrying about buying tickets and being able to hop on and off the subway as you choose.
Itinerary
Make your itinerary flexible. You’ll be very tired, so try not to plan too many things for each day and arrange them according to your Google Map.
Leila’s Tips
Shopping
Century 21 is a must if you like designer things! I got a Michael Kors purse for $79 (£55) and Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses for $39 (£27).
Attractions
I personally found Top of the Rock so much better than the Empire State Building. The ESB queue was hectic and long, whereas the journey to TOTR was so smooth and calm (we pre-booked tickets online). I visited at sunset and it was so amazing, the view of Central Park is breathtaking.
Statue of Liberty
View of the Statue from the Circle Line Cruise!
I wasn’t too bothered about climbing the Statue of Liberty or seeing it super close, so I opted for the Circle Line Best of NYC cruise. It sails right up close to the statue so you can get great pictures and you will see lots of other things, narrated by an informative guide. The Statue Cruises trip including pedestal access to the Statue takes about 5 hours, so you save a bit of time for other things if you do it this way.
Food
Shake Shack burgers are super tasty- you will have to queue and you may not be able to get a seat because they’re that popular. If you miss out, there is a Shake Shack in JFK airport too! Also, visit the original Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village (right near Carrie Bradshaw’s apartment) for the best Red Velvet cake you’ll ever try.
Hotel
I stayed at the Sanctuary Hotel– it was two minutes away from Times Square, the staff couldn’t do enough for you and there was a complimentary breakfast each day. I highly recommend it!
Weather
During my trip, I basically experienced all of the seasons. One day it was 17 degrees and warm, the next it was -3 degrees! For this reason, I’d recommend you pack a lot of options. I had jumpers, vest tops, gloves and a waterproof jacket and I used them all! This is also why you need a flexible itinerary- we planned to walk the Brooklyn Bridge on the day it was -3.
Taxis
When you arrive into JFK, get an official airport taxi- you won’t miss the stand. It’s a flat rate fare plus tips. For your return journey, get your hotel to organise your taxi. Other than this, I would say to avoid taxis as the traffic is so slow in NYC and the subway is so convenient!
High Line
The view from the High Line towards Midtown.
One of the best parts of my trip was taking the subway to Greenwich Village then walking back along the High Line to Midtown. It’s a disused railway track which has been turned into a park.
Fashion
If you’re interested in fashion, visit the Fashion Institute of Technology museum. It’s small, but they have wonderful clothes on display, great for a rainy hour inside.
Subway
The subway is so confusing at first, but there are a few rules I found worked for me. As I stayed near Times Square, I found that downtown trains took me away from my hotel and uptown trains took me towards it! I would also avoid complex journeys at the weekend as this is when maintenance work is carried out, so trains may run on different lines. Lastly, take note of express and local trains!
Street performers
In Times Square in particular, you’ll see a lot of street performers. People dressed as Elmo, the Naked Cowboy, dancers…don’t engage with them if you’re not prepared to hand over money. Probably the biggest scam that I saw was people giving out CDs, I would ignore them as they can be very persistent for money but pretend that they are offering the CDs for free initially.
Handbag
Girls, I would recommend using a cross body bag as your handbag. I used this Pull & Bear one from ASOS and it was big enough for all of my essentials.
Itinerary
The main thing I would advise when planning your itinerary is that you will never see everything, so don’t try to. If you’re constantly rushing to places, you don’t leave any time to get sidetracked and explore.
Portable charger
Always take your portable charger out for the day with you. You’ll use your phone for maps, route planning and photos, plus many places have wifi so you don’t want your battery to die only to find you need to use your phone to get back to the hotel!
Take it in
Lastly, soak it in! This is New York, the city you’ve seen on TV and now you are here. People watch on the subway, read the crazy billboards and take it in. The sights and smells will stay with you long after you’ve arrived back in the boring old UK.
Links
The two things that helped me plan my visit were Trip Advisor and Google Maps.
Here is a link to my forum post on Trip Advisor about my itinerary.
Here is my Google Map that I made of places I wished to visit!
I hope you enjoyed my guide to NYC. I’m not at all an expert, but if you have any questions comment below, and I would be glad to help you plan your trip!
