Unforgettable NYC Experience

The city that never sleeps. There is plenty to do in this lovely city. The list below is not exhaustive. I was unable to do too much while in New York City due to time constraints.

However, the things I did manage to do I enjoyed. I got the New York Pass for the last three days of my trip. In this article, I will go through a few places I visited. There was an array of options available for me to partake in, including tourist attractions, landmarks, as well as exploring the city.

Here are a few of the the things I did while in New York City.

Helicopter Ride

The helicopter ride is an extraordinary experience. I took the ride over the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. My trip was at sunset. I had a lovely view of the city as the sun was waning. The Christmas lights were on around us, and the view was phenomenal.

The trip was from the bottom of the island to Time Square and back again. This ride is not budget-friendly, though I think it is worth it. If this is outside of your budget, there are many tall buildings in New York to choose from to take advantage of the beautiful views.

Ferry to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

The ferry is a lovely experience. My trip to New York was during the winter. You best believe it was freezing - I wrote about my first day in the cold city here. I decided to sit outside to have a superb view of the island and the Statue of Liberty from the ferry. It is the best way to experience the view. The cold had me questioning my decision most of the trip. It is a lovely view that provided a "Kodak" moment as the Stature was getting closer. To avoid the cold it is best to go in the summer. 

The sight of the Statue of Liberty, as you get closer, makes the island worth a visit.

Tour of The Bronx Queens and Brooklyn

Having watched plenty of movies set in Queens, The Bronx, and Brooklyn - I was very eager to go on this tour. I was worried about making my way to these areas, so it was a relief to locate a tour that went there. Our tour guide Paul Roca was absolutely amazing. It was a full-day tour. We had plenty of time to cover these locations. There were also multiple stops and plenty of relevant commentaries. 

We stopped at famous spots; Yankee Stadium, Apollo and other hidden gems. Our tour guide even showed us a different view of the Brooklyn Bridge and gave us the history of the bridge. We found out who built it and lovely stories about all the other locations visited on the tour.

There was a stop for food and a lovely taste of the local cuisine. The tour is an entire day, so prepare yourself.

Madame Tussauds

I love these wax museums and am on a mission to visit all of them. The New York Museum was not as big as expected. If you love these like I do, it is worth a visit. I personally enjoyed the ones in London and Paris more.

I have read that the New York one is the best and the one in London is the biggest.

Shop at the Hudson

This mall is a state of the arts. Even if you are not shopping, it is still a lovely place to visit. The Edge is at this mall, yet another place to have a stunning view of New York City. I was in the mall in December, and the Christmas lights were up. The mall was bright, and the decorations were a lovely touch.

Walk on the Brooklyn Bridge

The bridge is a tourist trap. We all want to walk the bridge. I would still recommend this, even if it is crowded. You have to wait a while due to the crowds. The view once you get to the middle is fabulous. All pictures taken here are epic. Plus you can buy some souvenirs from the traders. It is much cheaper than the shops. I got myself a big yellow taxi from a vendor while there.

Visit Time Square

Time Square is a must-see in New York. You have to visit it during the day and at night. What I found funny was that all around the song on repeat was Empire State of Mind by Jay Z and Alicia Keys. I thought that was cute.

I tried to get there on New Year's Eve. It was a mess! There were so many people, plenty of the roads were closed. It was difficult for me to navigate my way around as I was unfamiliar with the area. 

In the daytime, you can get some lovely pictures.

Visit the parks

I visited Central Park, Madison Square Park, Madison Square, Washington Square Park and a few others. I thought all the parks were amazingly scenic. There was a live show on the days I went to one of the parks. You can get some lovely pictures at the parks. There are guided tours if you want to do those.

I also saw a lot of squirrels - which surprised me for some reason.

Walk the streets of NYC

New York City has the most skyscrapers I have seen in a single place. It did not register at first, but the wind constantly in my face made me alive to this fact. There are some great places and some not-so-great places. I think a safety precaution is to always be aware of your surroundings, especially in a place you are not familiar with. When you start noticing things beginning to change and become unsafe, it is always best to turn back.

There were places where I walked I could smell weed. Other areas were clean and lovely. It is a personal preference - if you have time and inclination - it would be good to walk the streets of New York. It might be preferential to walk the tourist-friendly areas to be on the safe side.

There was so much to see, some things I do not think were legal and should not have been happening on the streets in broad daylight. 

Take the Hop-on-Hop-off Bus

You may - or may not - have realised by now that this is my favourite thing to do in every city I visit. In my opinion, I find it to be the easiest and quickest way to get around the city as a tourist. It is also worth noting that the metro or the tube might be cheaper. To use public transport, you might have to familiarise yourself with the map - Google Maps works very well in most areas - and learn how to use it. Once you have it figured out, it will get easier.

You will need to know where to buy a ticket. Where to top-up? Etc. 

The bus is a lovely way to experience the area that gives a detailed history and teaches you about each of the attractions on that route. So even if you only do it for one day and then use public transport for the rest of the trip.

I like that it goes straight to the sights - which is good as I do not have to figure out how to get to the correct location. 

It is great not having to determine if I am waiting at the correct bus stop/track and taking the bus/train in the right direction. I have taken it incorrectly often enough at this point.

In all the times I have gotten lost, it was an experience, and nothing happened other than losing time. Since I was on holiday, I had nothing but time.

Please let me know your thoughts.