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Exploring the Big Apple: Essential Tips for Traveling to New York City Posted: February 2, 2023 @ 2:54 am |
If you have never been to the concrete jungle where dreams are made, there’s no better time than the present. New York City has a plethora of exciting activities. Whether you love the city’s iconic art and history museums, Broadway shows, and incredible international cuisine or you just can’t wait to see Yankee Stadium, NYC has something for every traveler. As exciting as it is, it’s understandable if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed during the planning stage. New York City is the biggest city in America, after all, with a whopping eight million residents, and if it’s your first time visiting, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of tourists. There are a few essentials that you need to know before you hop on a plane headed to the City of Dreams. Read on to find out everything you need to know to make the most of your trip—and avoid expensive tourist traps.
Before you decide where to go and what to see in NYC, you will want to understand the city’s layout. New York City consists of five boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. As a tourist, you will probably spend most of your time in Manhattan, but if you’re looking for that local feel, you won’t want to miss out on Brooklyn and Queens. If this is your first time visiting NYC, you’re going to want to see some iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and the September 11 Memorial and Museum.
Most of these essential tourist spots are located in midtown Manhattan, so you might want to reserve a hotel near Midtown. Empire State, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and Central Park are all near Midtown while the 9/11 Museum is in lower Manhattan. If you want to see the Statue of Liberty up close, you will need to take a ferry over to Liberty Island. The rest of these landmarks are easily accessible by a subway train, Uber, or taxi. New York City is very walkable, so you will want to pack your best walking shoes. Insider Tip: Hotels and transportation are typically more expensive near tourist locations like Times Square. Traffic is always heavy near Times Square, too. If you don’t mind some extra walking and are traveling on a budget, you might opt for a hotel that is located downtown or uptown. Because New York City is so big, you might need somewhere to store your luggage while you’re sightseeing, especially if you won’t have access to a hotel right away. Fortunately, there are plenty of storage solutions around the city. For as little as six dollars a day, you can store your luggage in convenience stores, hotels, and delis around the city. These NYC luggage storage solutions are secure and perfect for someone on a budget.
If you love arts and culture, you’re in luck. New York City has some of the best museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the American Museum of Natural History. Chelsea Art Galleries is one of the best places to visit in Manhattan. It offers a variety of artists, flea shops, and other small businesses. If you travel out of Manhattan and venture into Brooklyn or Queens, you’re also likely to find small art galleries and boutiques with unique pieces sold by NYC-based artists.
If you’re a foodie, NYC is definitely the place to visit. New Yorkers say that eating in Queens is like “eating around the world” because there are so many different neighborhoods and cuisines present in the borough. In fact, there are over 130 languages spoken in Queens! While there, try a wide variety of cuisines including Greek, Uzbek, Bangladeshi, Indian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Tibetan, Chinese, Malaysian, Thai, Brazilian, and more. If you’re visiting NYC during the warmer months, you will definitely want to visit the outdoor Queens Night Market, which offers a sampling of the best food in Queens.
If you love the theater, then watching a show on Broadway in New York is a must. There’s nothing quite as spectacular as a Broadway musical, and if this is your first time, you’ll definitely want to splurge on good seats. There are plenty of Broadway-themed shops in the Theatre District, too. If you’re looking to save money and still watch an excellent show, you can find discount ticket sites or even buy tickets for an off-Broadway performance.
Every baseball fan knows the iconic Yankee Stadium, located in the Bronx. If you have the opportunity to watch a game there, definitely take advantage of it. If you’re more of a football or basketball fan, see if you can score tickets to a Jets or Knicks game.
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