Don’t miss these in NYC!
Hi, I’m Ash, an English girl who loves to travel. My ultimate life goal is to watch the sunset in every country in the world!
BEST Tips
If you are planning on seeing multiple tourist attractions, I would highly recommend buying a CityPASS to save dollars! CityPASS includes admission to Top of the Rock, the Ferry to the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 museum, the Empire State building and more!
DAY TRIPS
The Edge
My absolute favourite view of this crazy city is from the top of The Edge! I would highly recommend visiting at sunset. The outdoor skydeck is 100 floors high, and is the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere. This building also has a GLASS floor, which you can walk over, lie on, jump on etc… plus, if you're an ACTUAL crazy person, you can CLIMB the outside of this skyscraper - this experience is called 'City Climb NYC', and you wear a harness and scale the outer edge of the building!
The Rock
The Top of the Rock observation deck is another incredible skyscraper, and the views offered of the city are hard to beat, at 70 floors above the ground! Located in Midtown Manhattan, the sunset 'golden' hour is one the of BEST times to visit - but book ahead as this can get pretty busy! Once you arrive, the elevator will take you up to the 67th floor (the first of the three observation decks).
Empire State
Over 4 million people visit the Empire State building each year! It's an iconic skyscraper in the heart of New York City, offers breathtaking panoramic views of the city from its observation decks. This skyscraper is open every single day of the year, from 8am to 2am. You can purchase tickets online or you can queue and purchase them when you arrive. Different ticket 'levels' are available depending whether you want to go to the 86th floor observation deck (this is the main deck where the majority of people go) or you can pay more and go up to the 102nd floor. We went up the 86th floor and had the best time, so I don't think you need to pay extra (unless you really want to)! On a clear day from the 86th floor you can see up to 80 miles across the city!
The Statue of Liberty!
As a first time tourist, you HAVE to take a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty! I would definitely recommend buying tickets in advance, and make sure you arrive ON TIME. This poor couple turned up about 1 minute late (the ferry crew had just started pulling up the plank) and they were turned away!
There are many types of tours to choose from, so make sure you plan ahead… some tickets will just be a ferry ride around the statue, some will get you to the feet of the statue, and some will take you all the way up to the crown!
FREE ACTIVITIES
Times Square Brooklyn Bridge
If you can drag yourself out of bed super early then you can see the most beautiful sunrise from Brooklyn Bridge without the crazy crowds everywhere! The bridge spans the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn and was originally opened in 1883.
Central Park
Without a doubt, one of my favourite parts of the city. It's a complete escape from the chaos. The BEST lunch spot is definitely the Loeb Boathouse, which overlooks a very scenic boating lake. You can actually hire little row boats after your lunch if the weather is good. There is also a famous bridge which spans Central Park lake, the bridge is called the Bow Bridge (built in 1862) and is a famous marriage proposal spot! There is so much to see in this huge park, its roughly 843 acres!
If you have time, I would also recommend seeing the very pretty and very moving Imagine Mosaic memorial dedicated to John Lennon (Beatles singer).
The High Line
This beautiful walk is built on an abandoned railway! Its suspended above the city roads and the pathways are now full of plants and flowers. The path is about 1.5 miles long and has staircases every now and then so you can join and leave as you please. It’s a much preferrable way to walk around the city than down next to the busy roads.
FOOD
Grand Central Station
Bryant Park is Midtown Manhattan's town square, with a wide range of restaurants and bars around the edge of the 9 acre park. Always worth googling before your trip as sometimes they hold the best events in this park! On the edge of Bryant Park is the BEST waffle place I have ever had the pleasure of eating at: Wafels & Dinges. They provide the yummiest Belgian waffles in the entire city, perfect for a summer day in New York!
The Plaza
We had a beautiful afternoon tea at The Plaza! This iconic hotel is just incredible, it honestly felt like entering a movie set. The afternoon tea is a bit pricey, (about $100 each and to be honest it wasn’t as great as I expected), but it was definitely worth it just to experience this amazing location! It’s directly opposite Central Park and it was very cool to see where so many movies (including Home Alone 2) were filmed!
Liberty Bagels
I couldn’t put food recommendations for NYC without mentioning the BAGEL. An absolute classic is known as the 'Everything Bagel', which should definitely be on your food-list!
ACCOMMODATION
We stayed in the City Club Hotel in Manhattan. The location was EXCELLENT, right next to Bryant Park and only a five minute walk from Times Square.
Be warned though, we booked a 'double' room on booking.com, and the only room they had available was so tiny I couldn't even open my suitcase fully on the floor. We ended up paying extra to upgrade to a 'double with a sofa bed' so that we had more floor space… but all things considered, it was a middle ground price for a fantastic location! Prices vary depending on the time of year but I think this hotel (in 2022) was about £260 per room per night.
If you're looking for something really special, then the most famous hotels would be either the Waldorf-Astoria or the beautiful Four Seasons hotel!
INSTAGRAMMABLE SPOTS
DUMBO
I know I mentioned the Brooklyn Bridge earlier, but DUMBO is actually 'Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass' rather than ON the bridge itself… You can take awesome shots from this point with a beautiful view of the famous bridge in the background!
The MET
If you're a Gossip Girl fan, then obviously you HAVE to visit the steps leading up to the MET!
If you’re not a Gossip Girl fan, I would still recommend visiting!
The MET stands for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and contains a HUGE collection of artwork from all over the globe, and going back as far as 5000 years!
Admission for entering the museum is about $30 each (free entry for children under 12yrs!) but even if you don’t fancy going in, you could just have a little lunch break in the sunshine sitting on the beautiful steps outside the MET, with gorgeous fountains next to you. It makes a perfect picnic stop.
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library has lots of buildings, but the main one is arguably the one found on Fifth Avenue! This building with absolutely breathtaking architecture, and admission is completely FREE. The Rose Main Reading Room has a rows and rows of glittering chandeliers and a beautiful ornate ceiling mural.
Flatiron
The Flatiron building is one of the most photographed buildings in the city! This amazing skyscraper is found on the famous 5th Avenue, so you can go shopping after!
TRAVEL
Hop on Hop off tourist bus
We paid for a 48-hour pass for the Hop On Hop Off tourist buses, and it made life SO easy! I would definitely recommend doing this if it's your first time visiting the city. The NYC subway can be a little daunting, and the tourist buses are clearly marked and very frequent. Plus, if it’s a sunny day you can enjoy the city views from the top deck!
If you're slightly mad (like me) you can even organise to take a train all the way from NYC 9 hours north to Niagara Falls!
The trains are SO cheap in comparison to the UK. A one way train from NYC to the Falls only cost about £40. Make sure you sit on the LEFT side of the train, you get much better views as the train follows the Hudson River for ages north (the other side you won't see the river much)!
WEATHER (Celcius)
High / Low Month
4° / -3° January
6° / -2° February
11° / 2° March
18° / 7° April
22° / 12° May
27° / 18° June
29° / 20° July
29° / 20° August
25° / 16° September
18° / 10° October
13° / 6° November
7° / 0° December
PRICES
Its NYC, prices can be steep in touristy areas. But you can also buy pizza by the slice for $3, and I am a big fan of cheap (very unhealthy) American snacks from 7/11!
PERSONAL FAVOURITES
The entire city just feels like you're walking around a movie set! It's unlike any other city I have been to, and is definitely worth a visit at least once in your lifetime! My favourite will always be Central Park!
