Prior to my recent trip (read about my highlights here!), I had never been to New York City. I did lots of research to figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to eat, and still feel like I didn't make a dent in all that the city has to offer. The trip I took with my best friend was not short by any means, we were gone for seven days, but it was enough time to get a feel for how things go there. After doing some reflecting, here are some NYC-specific tips for your next trip there!
1. Utilize the subway as much as possible, and budget extra for it!
From my own research for the trip, I gathered that a 7-day unlimited metro card was about $30. Maybe they changed the system or I couldn't find that option, but I ended up paying a lot more for the subway. Partly because I lost one of my metro cards, but also because it's so convenient. Halfway through the trip when our feet were hurting, sometimes we wanted to take a subway to a location we could have walked to. Utilizing the subway system was easy with Google Maps, it was fairly clean, not too crowded, and I wouldn't change my decision to spend that money on it (I ended up paying around $70 for the week).
2. Travel light and move fast.
The city is fast-paced as it is, don't be the person holding up the whole sidewalk by stopping for pictures or walking slowly. You won't want to carry around a heavy bag all day, pack light and you'll have less things to dig through when you need to find tickets or your metro card. Planning a rough itinerary for each day helped us know exactly where we were going every day, so we weren't wandering around wondering what to do. Plan well and you'll be able to pack a lot into your trip. We did our best to not hop around different parts of the city too much, we set days for activities that were all in one area (The MET, Central Park, and afternoon tea at The Plaza in one day, for example).
3. Eat well and try as many new places as you can.
This may be because I'm a food lover, but in any case you don't want to be walking around hungry or thirsty. New York City has no shortage of awesome food in pretty much any cuisine you could want, so step outside of your comfort zone! When my friend and I were there, we made it a point to not eat at places we could get at home (McDonald's, Starbucks, etc.) We also tried to not repeat places, with the exceptions of Shake Shack and pizza. We did go to a Starbucks, but it was the New York reserve roastery location, which they only have a handful of in different places around the world.
4. If you're going in the summertime, do outside activities in the morning.
We lucked out with weather on our trip, it wasn't blazing hot or pouring rain while we were there. That said, it was still summertime and the days grew hotter as it got later. We did activities like walking the Brooklyn Bridge and strolling in Central Park in the mornings, or times when it was partly cloudy. Walking the bridge when we did was hot anyways, but later we were glad we did it when we did.
5. Budget, but don't be afraid to spend.
I knew going into the trip that it would be expensive. We utilized Southwest Vacations to cut down the cost of the flights and hotel, ate some cheap meals, and definitely exercised some self control, but also weren't afraid to drop some money on experiences we couldn't get elsewhere. I've always been a saver, not because of a fear of losing money, but because I'm not a retail-therapy person. I had a rough idea of how much money I would spend, and I was sure to only splash out on the things I had wanted for a long time, could justify the purchase multiple ways, or things I actually needed. Use your head, don't spend more than you have, but also don't deprive yourself of things that could become great memories.
New York City is a place that has so much to offer and my first visit there was so much fun. These are a few takeaways I thought about after I got home, and I'll remember them for my next trip. Plan your days, watch the weather, and pay attention to your budget and you'll be golden! I think I will make a future post about a in-depth breakdown of my trip, so keep an eye out for it. Thanks for reading!
xx, Hannah