This time 7 months ago I was in New
York. In pretty stark contrast today I am sat here in my tracksuit, hair
un-brushed - lockdown day 35 (I think?!) which makes it a perfect time to
finally write up a list of all my favourite things to do, eat, drink and see in
what is most definitely one of the best places you'll ever
visit.
1. Where to stay?! It is not a secret that New York hotels aren’t
exactly the cheapest and even a budget(ish) one will set you back around
£200-250 a night if you want to stay in Manhattan. Since it was our first time
in New York we wanted a convenient location close to all the main sights, but
also somewhere not too busy. We ended up staying at the NobleDEN Hotel which is just at the
border of Little Italy, Chinatown, Nolita, Soho and Lower East Side. The rooms
are small (like most places in NYC), but very modern and clean. As a bonus the
hotel has its own rooftop with amazing views to One World Trade and Lower Manhattan.
2. Rockefeller vs Empire State. This was one of our biggest dilemmas. I have
always wanted to see Empire State Building from on top of the Rockefeller, but
at the same time the inside of the Empire State is meant to be incredible and
One World Trade Centre was just around the corner from our hotel. After some deliberating,
we chose to visit the Rockefeller Centre and I am so happy we did. You have the
view of downtown on one side and Central Park on the other. We went up around
10am on a Thursday and it wasn't too busy at all (I'd probably avoid weekends).
The views from the top deck are incredible if you aren't faint hearted! Make
sure you pre-book your tickets online to avoid the queues as much as
possible.
3. Buy a 7-day MetroCard. Don't be like us and aim to walk everywhere
in 30-degree heat to see as much as possible. It is not possible! We ended up
buying a MetroCard on our third day and kept topping it up with cash, but
in reality, we should have got a weekly one at the start of our trip. New York Subway itself is very easy to use and has a flat fare wherever
you travel. Nice & simple!
4. Eating does not have to be
expensive. Some of the best food we had
during our trip were Joe's Pizza ($2 a slice) and hotdogs from Gray's Papaya
($1.25). Both have locations dotted around all across Manhattan so you can't
miss them.
5. Go to Butcher's Daughter if you want
the best breakfast. I got to admit I was a bit sceptical
whether it was just one of those instagrammable places and not worth
the hype, but boy was I wrong. Definitely the best breakfast both myself and
the fiancé have ever had, and he even approved on the vegan bacon. Pricy,
but delicious!
6. Don't forget Brooklyn &
Williamsburg. We had only allocated one day to
spend there, which definitely wasn't enough. There is so much to see and since
it's a lot more peaceful compared to Manhattan you can just have a walk
and take in New York City. Food wise Williamsburg definitely gets top points as
well. We had lunch at Sweet Chick which was unreal and a few
drinks at Smorgasburg (the view across the river
towards downtown Manhattan is great!). Definitely need to spend more time
there on our next visit.
7. Visit Hudson Yards. At $25 billion, it is the most expensive real
estate development in US history. Everything around there might make you feel
incurably poor, but the modern architecture is incredible. If all of that is
not your thing, Hudson Yards is worth a visit just for the Vessel - an
extraordinary centrepiece of a spiral staircase which is meant to be
climbed. Unfortunately, tickets for the week of our visit were sold out by the
time we had booked our trip, but definitely one for next time.
8. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. One of the iconic New York sights and
definitely worth the hype as the views are great and you will get a tonne of
photo ops. And don't forget to visit Dumbo once you arrive in Brooklyn.
9. Central Park. My absolute favourite place in New York, and
yes - I know I am biased since it's also the place I got engaged, but it's
definitely a must visit. You can simply sit and look on as the city whirls past
you and take it all in. There's also a tonne of great street performers all
around Central Park like dancers, singers and comedians (don't forget to tip
your favourites). The park itself is huge, so next time we are
definitely renting bikes so we can explore more of it.
10. You don't have to visit all the
tourist attractions. New York is such a huge city and
there is never enough time to see everything. We did not get to visit any of
the museums this time since the weather was absolutely glorious and we
wanted to spend as much as possible outside. We also didn't not visit the
Statue of Liberty. However, we did get a water taxi which took us right pass it,
so we have seen it and got some great pictures with the statue. Do not get
bound up by what you think you have to see in New York - make your
own itinerary that suits you.
11. Drinking in NYC don't have to be
expensive. Yes, we did go to a few bars
where two gin and tonics cost around $50, but we also found some great dive
bars both in Soho and Brooklyn where during happy hour you could get two pints
or two glasses of cider for around $6. If going for rooftop drinks is your
thing I would recommend Mr Purple located on the 15th floor of Hotel Indigo - drinks
are pricy, but downtown views are incredible at night time especially.
12. Dogs. The dog lover in me was in its absolute
element. It seems everyone in New York has dog as there's adorable pups all
across the city. One of the highlights was when we saw a lady in Soho packing
her fluffy dog in her handbag before she got on the subway (fyi since last
year dogs are only allowed on New York Subway if they fit in a
bag).
Next time I'd like to see a Knicks game
and get out to Coney Island and also do some shopping as we did not have any
time for this being in the engagement bubble the whole last day of the trip.
I can't wait to be back once it's safe
to travel again!
Anet x
