New York! This summer I spent some time in Europe and every European that I talked to said that when they visit the United States they definitely want to go to New York City. Because I have family living in New Jersey I have visited NYC many times throughout my life so I will be combining my knowledge from my trips to give you the best advice for what to do in New York. I’ll start with some advice for how to actually get into the city.
My mother grew up on Staten Island so usually when my family drives to New York we park on Staten Island where parking is cheaper and take the Staten Island ferry over to the city. The fare is free and the ferry runs very frequently, but if you are concerned about run times you can always check out the schedule here. I especially like taking the ferry ride because the trip over allows passengers to see the Statue of Liberty and the dazzling New York City skyline.
Because my family travels to NYC pretty frequently we usually skip the major tourist attractions such as visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, not to say what we do isn’t touristy, but I’ll give you an idea of what a day in New York looks like for us. After getting off of the ferry my family and I love to walk along the New York high line. Located in the West Side the park was created on old freight train tracks and displays lovely art, gardens and a variety of different foods. On a hot day it can be difficult to walk the whole high line, but even just a short segment of the trail is very enjoyable. Look here for more information about the high line like where it is located and special events.
For lunch I recommend Chelsea’s Market because it has a plethora of different restaurants for tourists to eat at. On my last visit to NYC, my family and I ate at Saxelbey Cheesemongers, a cheese shop that serves gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. My only complaint is that the shop does not serve tomato soup, which is kinda a must for grilled cheese, but the sandwiches still tasted good. Chelsea’s Market is also home to thousands of shops where customers can browse and purchase one-of-a-kind items. You can enter Chelsea’s Market at 75 9th Avenue and it is open Monday-Saturday 7am-2am and Sundays 8am-10pm (Chelsea Market).
Of course time square is always a huge attraction in NYC. The dazzling bright signs and billboards make time square unique and magical. Personally I don’t love the bustle of Time Square and sometimes find it a little overwhelming although it can be fun to walk through. I do enjoy going to Broadway shows in theaters surrounding Time Square. I especially recommend the broadway play To Kill a Mockingbird. The play is written by Aaron Sorkin, which if you are a fan of the television program The West Wing you should know he was the programs writer. The acting at least with the original cast was phenomenal and the story (originally written by Harper Lee) is fantastically altered to fit the play. Show dates and tickets are available can be found here, but To Kill a Mockingbird is not the only amazing Broadway show New York City has to offer, if you are interested search around and see what is playing during your trip!
New York City is amazing and like no other, so don’t be afraid to explore it. There is so much to do and feel free to comment with more fun activities to do in NYC! Happy Travels!
Sources
“Chelsea Market.” Chelsea Market, www.chelseamarket.com/.
As soon as you started talking about going to the high line, I was going to recommend to you that you should check out Chelsea Market, but then I realized that you have already been there. Next time that you do go to Chelsea Market I would suggest that you try Very Fresh Noodles, they have there amazing 3 feet long noodles. I live very close to NYC so visiting the high line if definitely one of my favorite things to do in the city with my friends. Also, another Broadway show that I would recommend is Aladdin, it has an amazing stage and the cast is wonderful. I love going to the city as there is always something new to find.
As fellow New Jerseyian I also grew up frequently taking trips to NYC, in fact most of my town (including my mother) commutes to the city for work so we kind of tend to consider ourselves New Yorkers. Despite this, I did not even realise parking was cheaper in Staten Island until I read your post as we usual head into the city by train and go from Penn Station. I completely agree that the High Line is a most see and that Times Square is overrated unless its New Years’ Eve. Personally, I love exploring Chinatown, Little Italy, and other cultural centres within the city because I think the diversity and overlap of the microcosms within the city is so unique and cool! There is also an amazing hole-in-the-wall dim sum place in Chinatown that’s worth visiting…if I could remember the name that is!
New York City is amazing place. itis core is Manhattan, a densely populated borough that’s among the world’s major commercial, financial and cultural centers.