New York had been on the bucket list for oh so long, and this last holiday season, all our Christmas wishes came true. We headed out to the US, arriving in New York 5 days out from Christmas and left for Mexico on the 2nd Jan. We spent two days in the middle of our time in Washington DC, but the rest in the Big Apple. Here’s nearly everything we did during our time in NYC.
Central Park
I had totally underestimated how big the park was, and although we walked for hours, we barely saw half the place. Being the middle of winter when we visited, also meant our experience was a little different from all the pictures we’d seen, but it was still kinda special and magical. Make sure you check out the lake (and boat house), it’s my favourite bit, although the boat’s aren’t for hire in the winter, so unfortunately I couldn’t tick that off my list.
The Met
Given the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) is situated right on the East side of the park, it makes sense to tag it on to a visit to Central Park. The Met has a system that you can choose what you pay, but to avoid standing in line, we hit up the express ticket machine and paid out the recommended $30USD each. Given this Museum is home to the like of van Gogh, Monet and Gauguin, I think it’s quite justified. While you’ll probably need a full day to do this place justice, we spent a couple of hours and saw everything we needed to.
Times Square
So here’s the thing. You have to see it, you don’t have to make it the epi-centre of your trip and you definitely shouldn’t spend 12 hours standing around for the ball to drop on NYE. We walked through, took a photos and kept going. Job done.
The High Line
It’s a nice walk and worth walking, but we’re calling it and saying it could be so much better than it is. It’s essentially a walkway through the lower west side of Manhatten, built on top of an unused railway track. In the winter it’s cold, so rug up warm. The highlight of the walk is that it ends up near the Chelsea Markets and the Meatpacking Districts, both things you should check out.
The Chelsea Markets
Located on the corner of 9th Ave and 15th St, Chelsea markets are home to several food stalls and restaurants. I was expecting more of a farmers market kind of deal (not so), but the best piece of advice for this one is to turn up hungry so you can try all the food.
Meatpacking
The area just near the Chelsea markets, that you’ll spot due to it’s hipster bars, beautiful brickwork and paved streets is worth exploring. It used to be pretty uncool and now it’s the epitome of cool, with it’s gorgeous boutiques, tech stores and pubs on the corner – funny how a place does that. 
The New York Public Library
You’ve seen it in the movies, namely ‘The Day after Tomorrow’ and it’s worth visiting in real life. It’s kind of huge and the upper halls with all the desks and books are pretty impressive (there’s actually not many books in here). Don’t forget to stop by the gift shop on your way out. It’s actually cool and I bought stuff, including the cutest NYC taxi magnet you’ve ever seen (what a tourist?!).
Top of the Rock (Rockerfeller Centre)
From all accounts it’s the best viewing platform in the city, and after going up the Empire State we have to agree. The lines are known to get a bit crazy (as they are everywhere in NY), so we turned up at 9am, but recommend you get there even closer to 8am when the doors open. We paid out $34US per ticket to get to the viewing deck and even though it was the coldest day ever, and we had to limit our time outdoors, it’s pretty epic. Shame about the building going up in the line of view to Central Park though, I wonder who in the Council approved that.
Empire State Building
We did the Top of the Rock during daylight hours, so figured the Empire State should be done at night, so we could experience the views of the city in a different way. Plus, I’m sure they visit at night in ‘Sleepless in Seattle’. We headed up about 8pm and the lines were pretty short/non-existent by that point. So suggest waiting til after sunset if you can. The couple standing next to us at the top just happened to get engaged, so it was pretty much the same as Sleepless in Seattle.
Explore the East Village, Soho and Nolita
We spent some of our time in NYC staying in the lower East Side, and so glad we did. It’s a different world away from midtown, with quieter streets, amazing restaurant and never-ending fabulous bar choices. We recommend you spend a day or two just walking around these gentrified neighbourhoods, taking in the sights and stopping off for coffee when ever you feel like a break.
Wander through China Town
If you’ve ever read any of our Asia blogs, you’ll know I’m a fan of a China Town. New York’s is different to all the rest though, seemingly stretching further than any others, and I’m still not sure where exactly you could say it starts and stops. But like any other China Town, is a bustling, crazy, unpredictable part of the city worth exploring.
Check out a Comedy Show
We’d actually tried to get tickets to the Harlem Gospel Choir, but as the concert had sold out, we headed way down town to the Comedy Cellar and caught a show. You can, and probably should buy tickets beforehand, but we just waited at the door until everyone had gone in, then they found us a couple of seats. The show we saw had a mixed lineup, rather than just one comedian and they were all fairly funny. It ended up about $100 for the tickets and the two drink minimum, but it was good.
The Oculus
So there’s shopping and then there’s shopping at the Oculus. This Westfield Mall located by the 911 Memorials is beautiful. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the same guy who did my favourite buildings in Valencia, this Westfield is the prettiest you’ll ever step foot into. Plus, the shops are pretty nice too – Kate Spade and all your flash ones, just in case you’ve got some spending money to spend.
Statue of Liberty
The lines for the cruises to Ellis Island were flippin’ mental and there was no way in hell we’d recommend that to anyone. If you’re a fanatic feel free, but we were happy taking the free Staten Island ferry, which cruises past during the 25min ride. And yes, I said free. Pretty sure it’s the only thing without a price tag in NYC so make the most of it. The ferry leaves every half hour, on the hour from White Hall Ferry Terminal in Battery Park. I don’t think there’s a lot to see or do in Staten Island, so don’t feel bad jumping right back on the return ferry to Manhattan like everyone else did.
UN building
Because it’s an important place in our world, we thought we should see it. On the East side of Manhattan you’ll find the UN building. Behind the gates, the security entrances and the guards, the building stands. There’s nothing much magical about it, but now we can say we’ve seen it.
Catch a show
Everyone says you need to see a show while in NYC. I really wanted to see a Broadway show, but during the Christmas holidays shows were $150+ a ticket and well, we weren’t quite that desperate. Instead we saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular for a mere $50, so we can tick that off our list. Plus, it was better than expected. My advice is to just find something to see, even if it’s not a smash hit musical, you might be surprised.
Street art tour
I’ve got this thing with street art and so we booked ourselves on a Bushwick Street Art Walking Tour, Brooklyn. Despite the snow and the severe frostbite (only a little bit exaggerating), it was worth the $25 each we paid.
We saw some pretty amazing art, all within just a few blocks. Our host explained a little about each of the artists, the pieces and we felt a little more educated by the time we left. There are ‘pay what you want’ tours out there, but having to figure out how much to pay for those things gives me anxiety. Knowing the price, meant we could enjoy the sights.
Prospect Park
Prospect Park is to Brooklyn, what Central Park is to Manhattan. It’s a beautiful space within the city confounds and is a place for some time out from the rat race. While it wasn’t green and lush the day we were there, it was glorious and white. Kids were tobogganing, Mike was throwing snowballs at me and I was taking the photos.
Eat all the food
Because it’s probably our favourite thing to do while travelling, we’ve made it the final item on the list. Avoid the usual tourist haunts, McDonalds and TGI Fridays and experience true New York with the likes of bagels, an old school diner gone fancy, and pancakes from a local coffee shop. Given we had so much good food, you’ll have to click here for the blogs on where to eat. Do it, your stomach will thank you.
