After years of wanting to go to NYC, I finally made my way to the Big Apple this past February. I must say that despite having high expectations, I was not disappointed. The city is just as amazing and vibrant as I had expected it to be and I’ll definitely be going back at some point. My favourite aspects of the city were probably the food and the fact that there was so much culture and energy everywhere we went.
Originally, my plan was to just visit some friends in Toronto during my reading week. After a little while, we decided on a whim to go to NYC as well. Since I was flying into Toronto already and didn’t want to spend another $200-$300 on tickets to NYC, we decided to take the bus down. Yes, it is a very long bus ride (12 hours roughly), but I promise it’s not as bad as it seems. We took the midnight bus and slept most of the way there and back so it went by a lot quicker! Plus, the bus takes so many stops in between that it doesn’t feel as long. I’d honestly do it again and it saves the hassle of dealing with JFK (they’ve lost my luggage before) and all the traffic in the city.
NYC is super accessible and their public transit was honestly much better than expected. I’m sure if I had to take it everyday I might have some problems, but just comparing it to San Francisco transit, I must say it was SIGNIFICANTLY better. We purchased a 7-day Metrocard when we arrived and it was about $35 USD for unlimited travel for a week. This was so much nicer than SF where we had to keep reloading our pass. Also, we literally never had to get an uber or taxi the whole time we were there. We stayed in the Lower East Village (10/10 would recommend) so lots of good food spots were within walking distance and there were plenty of bus routes and subway stops. If the weather was warmer we might have walked to more places, but we did take transit for the most part since it was still a bit chilly.
In terms of places to visit, we stayed away from really big tourist hubs (e.g. Times Square, Statue of Liberty, etc.). We did go see them, but left pretty quickly. I’m obviously not a New Yorker, but I can say that the less well-known places were much cooler. Here are some of my favourite spots and eats from NYC:
Places
Top of the Rock: Yes, I know this is soooo cliche, but I promise it’s worth the money. I’ve gone up quite a few buildings and towers, but the Rock is by far my favourite. We paid an extra $10 to go at sunset (yes, I’m that bit*h), which is a bit annoying but I’m glad we did. I’d recommend buying the earliest sunset slot though because the line is super long. We had purchased the time slot that was about 20-25 minutes before sunset, but we ended up staying in line for close to an hour before we were able to go up. We were luckily able to catch the sunset but only the last 5-10 minutes of it. It’s super busy at the top too and it’s hard to get photos, so the earlier you go the better! I’ll throw some pictures of the view at sunset and just after the sun had set so you can see, but it was breathtaking. I was seriously in awe and I’m so glad I went to the Rock. My friend had recommended to skip the Empire State Building and just go to the Rock instead, and I’d do the same if you’re debating between the two!
Central Park: Another “basic” spot, but it’s 100% worth visiting. It’s huge and if I didn’t have someone who was good with directions I would most definitely have gotten lost. Central Park is super relaxing and nice to walk through. If it was warmer, I would’ve loved to spend more time there or have a picnic, but because it was a bit chilly we only spent about 2 hours there. I’d recommend planning your route ahead if you’re on a tight timeline. Here are some of my favourite spots in Central Park:
Gapstow Bridge
The Mall
Wagner Cove
Bow Bridge (personally I liked this more than Gapstow)
Bethesda Fountain and Terrace (if you like Gossip Girl this is a must)
Brooklyn: Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend too much time in Brooklyn because it was freezing the day we went. Nonetheless, I still really enjoyed the area. It’s super hip and has a completely different vibe from Manhattan. If I had to live in NYC, I think I’d actually prefer living in the DUMBO area over Manhattan. While we didn’t go up to the Brooklyn Bridge, we did go through the Brooklyn Bridge Park which was beautiful because you get a fantastic view of Manhattan. If you’re in the area, make sure to go to the famous DUMBO photo spot as well as Jane’s Carousel.
Other Good Spots
Brookfield Place - their ice rink is really cute and if you walk down a bit you get some nice views by the water
9/11 Memorial and Fountain
Oculus and World Trade Centre
Washington Square Park
NYU
MOMA - MOMA has free admission on Friday evenings if you’re interested!
Hudson Yards/the Vessel
Grand Central Terminal
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
NBC Studios (if you’re a big Office fan their store has a replica of Michael Scott’s office)
Eats
S’MAC - Mac and cheese in the Lower East Village. Literally the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had before! This was a recommendation from my friend and I will say it was 100% as good as she made it seem.
Tompkins Square Bagels - TSB is super popular in NYC, and for good reason too. They have literally so many types of bagels and spreads it’s ridiculous. They had cookie dough cream cheese (one of the best things I’ve ever had) and this really good creamy dill cream cheese. Also, their bagels are massive. I would definitely recommend going.
Superiority Burger - They have an all-vegetarian menu and their burgers are delicious. They are a bit small so I’d recommend getting more than one, but they taste delicious!
Dumpling Man - This was a hole in the wall type place that we loved. They make the dumplings in front of you so it’s super cool to see and they taste delicious!
Lady M - Lady M is quite famous for their cakes and they do live up to the hype. The cakes are expensive ($10 or so per slice) but they are super pretty and fancy looking. Great way to treat yourself!
Ippudo NY - Their ramen is super yummy. The restaurant gets really busy so you might want to call in advance and get a reservation!
99 Cent Pizza - There’s a bunch of these around the city but we went to one in the Times Square area. Honestly, it was probably the best and most reasonably priced pizza I’ve ever had, so I’d definitely grab a slice (or the entire pizza) if you’re in NYC.
Kung Fu Tea - They have some really good bubble tea and they use honey instead of sugar. They have shops all over the city too!
General Tips
Unless you’re planning to visit a ton of big tourist hubs or you want guided tours, I wouldn’t recommend buying the New York Pass or others like it. It’s cheaper to just buy tickets for the attractions you want to see because a lot of the “excursions” offered in the packages are guided tours and seem to be more family-oriented. If you’re alone or with friends it’s easier to just explore on your own.
Plan where you’re going to go on certain days ahead. There are certain areas that have attractions clumped together and it’s just way more convenient and efficient if you know where you want to go beforehand so that you don’t waste time on transit or trying to figure out where to go. That being said, I am an organized person who likes to know what I’m doing and not everyone enjoys that. If you are more of a Type A person, then I’d definitely recommend planning ahead!
Don’t waste money on ubers and taxis. They usually take more time than walking or transit would and they’re also a bit more expensive. If you really need to get one, take an uber instead of a taxi because it’s generally cheaper.
Overall, I loved New York City and am looking forward to visiting again! The city is every bit as wonderful as everyone says and I hope you enjoy it as well if you ever get the chance to go!
Snickers,
S
