The city that never sleeps!
I visited New York four times so far and I can’t wait for the many more times I will go in the future.
After a week there, I am always looking forward to getting back to my hometown, where it is quieter, less busy, and definitely less crowded. But despite the craziness, I think everyone has to go there at least once. It is crazy!
How to get around? I always use the subway. It is the most efficient way to get around NYC for sure. I usually take a picture of the subway map before I head out. I plan ahead of time what I want to do and plan my station I need to get out to according to get whether or not they have an elevator available.
On my first day ever in NYC, we just strolled around Midtown. I saw all the big sights liken Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, and Times Square… I have never felt so small between all these high buildings. Manhattan never stops developing. The newest, most recent build area is called Hudson Yards. You can visit the Vessel for free. This May I wanted to visit The Edge. It’s the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere with 360-degree views of NYC and a thrilling glass floor experience.
Can you think of anything better than a sunny day at Central Park enjoying some fresh quizzed orange juice?!
On rainy days I can recommend seeing a Broadway show. At TKTS at Times Square, you can get tickets that are sold for the same day and get a discounted price. I have watched The Blue Men Group and Rockelettes (New York’s signature Christmas show).
Manhattan has many museums and on Mondays, you can visit a lot of them for free.
Or some shopping? For shopping, we always go to the Outlet: Jersey Gardens in New Jersey. We always spent hours there, so schedule enough time. It takes 40 minutes to get there, but it really is worth it. You need to catch a bus at Port Authority and will bring you directly to the outlet. Just ask at the counter for an accessible entrance. Normally the bus just stops at a bus stop where you have to take stairs but they can send the bus to a stop where you have access to a lift and they also have a lift to go inside the bus too.
I went on top of the Empire State Building once and visited the Top of the Rock twice. I think Top of the Rocks is more worth it because you have a better view. You can see Central Park and the Empire State building from there and get the typical NYC wallpaper view. I also visited the top of the One World Trade Center twice. It’s the highest building in the city and its build on Ground Zero. The Oculus, a shopping mall, and the 9/11 Memorial Museum are right next door.
Chelsea Market is a food hall in (guess where?) Chelsea!
It’s a shopping mall too but I always just come for the food.
The High Line is a public park built on a 1.45-mile-long elevated rail structure running from Gansevoort St. to 34th St. on the west side of Manhattan. You find elevators at Gansevoort St., 14th St., 16th St., and 30th St. and at 34th St. is a wheelchair-accessible ramp.
The Staten Island Ferry is free and you can see the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan from the water. The ferry travels between the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan and Staten Island.
One of my highlights was a helicopter flight around Manhattan. Yes, it’s a little expensive but it’s one of the must do’s! I started my flight from Pier 6 in Downtown Manhattan.
Gossip Girl here! Spotted in Brooklyn lonely boy, Dan Humphrey. Even if you’re not a GG fan you have to go to Brooklyn. We always go to the Brooklyn Bridge and walk over to Dumbo while visiting NYC. (Come in the morning. It won’t be that crowded and more enjoyable.)
There is a famous picture spot of a street where you can see the Empire State Building between the Manhattan Bridge: It is on Washington Street/Water Street. And back to Manhattan, we take the ferry which is 3$, the price of a subway ticket.
