Yellow cab after yellow cab. Astonishing architecture among a skyline of skyscrapers as far as the eye can see. And an endless crowd of faces wandering the streets in the city that never sleeps.
New York City stole my heart, it was everything I ever dreamed of and more. If you scroll back to my very first blog post you'll find an expression of my deep desire to work my dream job living in my dream home of NYC. After 1 magical week exploring the city, my dream has only been reassured and is stronger than ever. Now I constantly crave the chaos of the Big Apple and cross my fingers to be back in the city soon again.
My trip sounds like the perfect movie. Playing in the perfect snowfall over Central Park, iceskating hand in hand with my love, being among the chaotic hustle and bustle of Times Square, and catching the subway like a local on their commute to work.
After researching the ins and outs of the city for months on end prior to my trip in utter excitement, my NYC itinerary was perfectly planned to our time limit of seven days. So here is a mini guide to my favourite activities, accommodation and food to help you plan the ultimate trip to New York City.
ACCOMODATION
Despite being the 'city that never sleeps', you're still going to need a place to call home for your nights. For the whole duration of our trip we decided to stay in one central location and explore other areas during our days. Our hotel of choice ROW NYC, was the perfect central location right in the heart of Times Square surrounded by great food and nightlife, with a subway station right at our doorstep. If your booking accomodation based on location and affordability and aren't worried about the size or glamour of your room, Row is the place to be. The lobby and bar was modern with an energetic social vibe, despite our room basically only fitting a bed with limited space to fit a suitcase. But after full days of walking and exploring, a bed and warm room was all I needed to crash and escape the freezing cold.
WHAT TO SEE & DO
The best way to see the major attractions the city has to offer is with a New York CityPASS. Pre-purchasing a voucher booklet online saves you a lot of money on admissions and time rather than waiting in long lines. You get entry to the New York essentials, including the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, Top of The Rock, American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I highly recommend spending time visiting all these activities, especially the Top of the Rock observation deck for the best 360° views of the city and beyond. I had to pinch myself watching the sun go down over the skyline.
New York is the ultimate home to theatre and broadway, you simply can't visit without watching a show. There is a million and one amazing productions to choose from, but I couldn't go pass the Lion King. I was carried to a different time and place with their incredible cast, music and creative costuming and props, and from the opening act the happy tears kept rolling with nostalgia from my childhood favourite movie. Even my boyfriend who is a stranger to theatre was absolutely blown away.
And did you really visit New York if you didn't take a stroll through Central Park? Central Park was even more beautiful in real life than all the movies, especially covered in a soft blanket of snow in the winter. Every afternoon in New York was spent exploring a new pathway in the huge park that covers 843 acres, listening to buskers, making friends with squirrels, having snowball fights and iceskating at the Wollman Rink.
Other iconic must-see's include Grand Central Station, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, the New York Public Library, Times Square after dark, and strolling through the streets of SoHo for the best shopping and stunning architecture. Make sure you re-live your favourite films and tv shows - I crossed eating breakfast at Tiffany's off my bucket list, waited for lonely boy at Grand Central and sat on the stairs of the Met (xoxo), re-lived Home Alone in the Plaza Hotel, and strutted down the streets like Carrie Bradshaw in my favourite boots and coats. There are so many locations to visit from Seinfeld and Friends too, all my dreams come true.
GETTING AROUND
Although New York is known for its sea of yellow cabs, getting around by taxi is super slow in the crazy city traffic and is overpriced and easy to be ripped off as a tourist! The subway system is the fastest and cheapest mode of transport in the city, and was a lot cleaner and safer than expected. You can buy a 7 day unlimited metro card for $32 USD and a $6 AirTrain from JFK Airport straight into the city. Although difficult to navigate at first through the confusing network of hundreds of underground trains and platforms, catching a few wrong trains was all part of the fun and getting lost in a new area we wouldn't have seen otherwise. For easier navigation use the subway website to help plan your journey. The best part of taking the subway is the talented buskers and performers you'll see on your trip, and if they put a smile on your face, return the favour with a small tip of gratitude.
First time visitors will need Google Maps and a good sense of direction, something I learnt I apparently lack after getting us lost in the wrong direction on multiple occasions... I can't stress enough that comfortable walking shoes are the biggest necessity in NYC. When we weren't catching the subway, we walked so many kilometres every day, (which made me feel better about eating so much damn pizza). If you're planning a winter trip like myself, be prepared with thermal clothing, thick jackets, gloves, beanies and scarfs. Coming from the warmest summer weather in Australia to negative degrees was a huge shock and took a lot of getting used to the frozen fingers and stinging cold winds in your face.
WHAT TO EAT
With a pizza shop on every corner its so tempting to eat pizza for every meal in New York. The huge cheesy slices bigger than my head were as delicious as expected and topped any pizza I've had in the world. Joes Pizza in Manhattan is the most famous pizza joint, and is common to spot a celebrity enjoying a slice there too.
Prepare to ditch the diet for your trip and treat yourself to the best burger and thickshake at Shake Shack. A NYC bagel, cannolis and a pretzel in Central Park are all essential too. We stumbled across the coolest Kellogg's themed cereal cafe in Union Square, with endless cereal options, unlimited toppings and an Instagram station to style and share your unique creation.
Although one week in New York was the perfect amount of time to see all the famous sights, it just wasn't enough time to fully embrace every aspect it has to offer - but then again no amount of time is probably ever enough in the greatest city in the world.
NYC, it's a sad goodbye for now, but I'll call you home one day ♡
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We were having too much fun and forgot to film a lot of our trip, but below are some highlights of my travels through the United States.