NYC... OMG

Kate Crawford
Jun 22, 2016
6 min read

Seriously helpful tips on travelling to New York.

When I booked my America trip, I knew New York City would be incredible.

From Sex and the City to Suits this city always held a soft spot in my heart. So, to say I was excited for this leg of my trip would be an understatement.

About America

America has been an experience to say the least.

We do many things the same, and many things different.

Santa Monica was incredibly beautiful with such a great vibe.

Disneyland and Grand Canyon left me speechless! (blogs will follow)

LA didn't quite live up to its hype.

Hollywood was self-absorbed and full of desperate people.

And Vegas is a place I now never have to visit again! Haha!

I was very worried that my expectations of New York's magnificence would be greatly crushed.

Thankfully, I was very wrong!

NEW YORK

I cannot get over the sheer magnitude of New York. I knew it would be big but the building here scream colonialism, gothic inspiration and 18th Century masonry.

All you can do when you first arrive is look up and stand in awe of what you see.

We met up with a [very loose] connection I had through my aunty, but a phenomenal connection at that! Vaughn has lived in New York for 2 years and is a curator at the Statue of Liberty so you really couldn't get a more knowledgable connection than that. He took us to the Federal Building where George Washington was sworn as president, ate dinner at a great Cuban place and saw the view from Brooklyn Bridge.

View from Brooklyn Bridge. One World Trade Centre is on the right.

I'm now sitting at home at midnight (as usual), bursting at the seams to share my experiences with you!

If you're planning on travelling to New York or anywhere really here is a few tips I've grabbed along the way that I pray will be a help to you :)

1. First Download the following apps:

Embark NYC - Now called, New York Subway MTA Map and Route Planner. This is for all your NY train & subway lines and it works offline!
Yelp
Trip Advisor
New York Pass - Also buy this! It is worth EVERY cent!

New York Pass gets into 80 different attractions, all for free! today we went on a Hop on Hop off bus tour which gave us great direction for where everything is and dished out some fantastic information about the areas we visited (my kind of fun!).

We also went to Madame Tussaud's for free today. They had an Avengers exhibition (which was $5 extra but worth it). I fan-girled a little haha.

Even if you don't get the pass, the app is still super helpful.

2. Airbnb is boss

Do your research!

It's my number one rule to travelling!

I talked people who had travelled where I was visiting, listened to their advice and also read up on the internet so I was well-informed before making a decision on where to go.

In NYC, it's hard to find accommodation for cheap. Especially if you want to stay on Manhattan Island (the main part). But, if you're planning to do all the tourist things you would usually do in NY, don't skimp out on accommodation.

DON'T SETTLE!

I don't recommend staying anywhere north of Central Park.

I don't recommend staying off the Island, unless you're close to the West-side of Brooklyn.

And I personally don't recommend staying in a hostel.

Not that I've done it, but it's just not my style. If it's not yours either, then just don't.

I do recommend Airbnb.

It has all the benefits of a hotel (room, kitchen, bathroom) for a fraction of the price.

It's around same price as a backpackers hostel, only you don't have to share a room, kitchen or bathroom!

Just, do your research on what's included in the listing and also read reviews on the host!

If you're unsure about the area Trip Advisor is the #1 go to for advice.

Sunset in Chelsea - A block from my Accommodation

3. Get familiar with Public Transport

Since arriving in New York yesterday evening I have been pleasantly surprised with the ease of NYC public transport, right from leaving the airport terminal and finding my way to my accommodation right through to travelling home from Downtown New York to home at night.

Initially, I was planning to Uber back to Manhattan from JFK but I decided to give public transport a crack considering I could easily spend the $48 fare somewhere else. I figure, millions of people do it every day so it can't be that hard or unsafe. So in true New York style, with all my luggage, I caught the subway to my accommodation in Chelsea. The people on the subway looked like normal everyday people. Sadly, in LA, there were homeless, dysfunctional or mentally ill people on the trains. It may sound judgemental but you do sense a slight discomfort (and heartbreak) when you see the way people choose to live here.

The Subway was great, You can catch the subway from either airports (JFK or LaGuardia) without buying a fare until you get off at the first station.

Then you buy your ticket and use it to get to your next stop.

When buying this ticket:

Get help! Please save yourself the struggle and avoid using the machines yourself, they're not very user-friendly so you might end up paying extra if you don't do it right.
Buy the Metro-Airport card, this means you can catch trains in the city and back to the airport (apparently it's a different line altogether)
If you can/want to, buy a 7-day Unlimited Pass. Even if you're only there for a few days. Pay-per ride is 42.75/$3 so if you catch it 10 times you've got your money's worth.
For more info, visit here.

Some of the stops are also a bit vague as to where they are, especially on the older trains.

You will always find the station name mosaic'd in the walls on the opposite side.

And if you get on the wrong one, don't stress! They all connect!

New York is incredibly safe. It's the first place in America that I haven't felt the need to cross the street earlier or hold my clutch a little tighter (Except for SM & Grand Canyon). In the area I'm staying it's perfectly safe to walk around at 11:30 at night, I mean, in summer the sun sets at 9 so that late feels like 9 anyway. But it's still nice feeling.

Busy Times Square - Didn't get harassed by anyone!

4. If you're aloof, be aloof. If you're a planner, plan!

I am a natural born planning type of girl. So all previous trips I've done have been planned, with itineraries and schedules. This time, I decided to step back and let fate take control.

Mistake number one.

Making this decision meant that I had left everything in the hands of other people. Whether it was my aunt organising the site-seeing or the expectation that people will just walk up to me and invite me with open arms into their friendship circles.

I was incredibly lucky to my to have my aunt organising my time while on the west-coast and she did an incredible job. I got to see and do so many things that I never would've done without her, i.e. go for a drive with a police officer (which I wrote an incredible blog about but sadly was unable to share it with you, maybe in a few months), get great accommodation in Vegas, see a favourite DJ, see Beverly Hills, head up to Malibu, drive to a piece of street art 3 times just to get a photo! haha

However being young, I felt I could've fit so much more into my time if I had thought a little bit more about what I actually wanted to do on the West Coast.

I'd heard so many stories about people who had "gone with the flow" and wound up in some incredible places and situations that would never have happened if they'd had been dictated by time or schedules.

I guess I thought things would fall into my lap and by happenstance make memories.

*buzz* wrong.

I don't work like that! And I forgot that until I got to Vegas.

I forgot that God has wired me to be planned, organised and aware of what's going on around me or ahead of me, and expecting that I would function well under different circumstances greatly impacted on my trip.

I won't be so negative as to say I didn't enjoy my time on the West Coast, because that would be very untrue. I spent precious time with my aunty exploring a place I'd never been to before. But I definitely know for future trips that for me, [flexible] itineraries are the way to go!

So, however you roll, don't be afraid to embrace it! You will still have an incredible experience and happenstance will happen regardless. Just be bold and ready to meet people!