New York city was the first trip I took with two if my very good friends and was also the first thing crossed off my 25 before 25 list. To be honest, my pre-trip excitement was not at an all-time high, but when I got off that Greyhound bus at Port Authority the full impact of being in Newyork City hit me. The exciting that followed involved a lot of internal screaming and taking pictures of everything ( street signs included). The trip itself was a whirlwind being that we would only be there for 4 days whilst attending a 3-day conference.
Stay Organized
If you are planning a weekend trip to NewYork city, being organized is important. I personally poured over every website and blog on how to navigate New York and what to do when we got there that wouldn’t leave my friends and myself on a diet of ramen noodles and water afterward. Staying organized and planning ahead is especially important if you are planning a short stay NewYork city and want to see as much as you can. Make sure you know how much you are willing to spend and write down a list of your top 5 places you would like to see, look up the travel times from one destination to another and plan accordingly.
Where to Stay
It’s no surprise that accommodations in NewYork are expensive and the nicer hotels can start from $700/night and just kept going up. Some of the cheaper options were either in New Jersey or were just plain sketchy. Two safe and affordable options when looking for a place to stay are either Airbnb’s or looking for hotel sales through third party websites such as hotels.ca, Trivago, bookings.com etc. I personally have used booking.com and their customer service is not only amazing but I also found a place to stay in Times Square for 200$ a night (split between my friends and myself). The hotel was clean, roomy and came with breakfast. So, third party booking websites definitely have some hidden gems and allow you to get the best deal for your budget.
Airbnb’s are also a great option especially if you are traveling with a group of friends and still want some space and affordability. I found some really nice places on the website for as low as a $100 a night right in the heart of time square – which is such a steal considering that some of the cheapest hotels run from 300/night upwards. If you do decide to go with an Airbnb property make sure to read the reviews of the property and make sure it’s verified by Airbnb.
Getting Around
The yellow cab is a signature trademark of NewYork city but, if you are hoping to get to your destination on time then skip the cab and take the subway, it’s cheaper and you won’t encounter traffic. The subway system is easy to understand and you can get daily passes or a weekly pass for 33$ which means unlimited amounts of rides for the week and once you do the math it’s ALOT cheaper than a cab.
(when I said I took pictures with EVERYTHING, I wasn’t joking)
Things to do
In a span of 3 days, we went to Brooklyn, shopped in Chelsea, almost made it to the Empire state building – but got distracted by Chipotle, saw the Statue of Liberty and shopped some more. Needless to say, New York is a tourist hotspot for a reason because there are so many free and paid activities to do.
Things you can do in New York
- Start off with a free walking tour of the city or you could just grab a map, hop on the subway and do a bit of solo exploration.
- Visit the Brooklyn Bridge
- Do a free Walking Tour of Grand Central Station
- Visit the Newyork public library
- Free Friday nights at the Museum of Modern Art
- Free brewery tours
- Get your caricatures drawn
Have any other suggestions or tips for traveling Newyork? make sure to comment below
Deb