My First Visit To New York
February may seem like an odd choice, it’s quieter, it’s colder, there may even be snow – but these were all things that I knew Ben would find the most appealing. It’s a bucket list dream for him, but he doesn’t do well with crowds and LOVES the snow, so combined with it being Valentine’s, it was the perfect time for us.
We were away for five nights, and because of my choice of flights we had six full days in this crazy city! It was an ideal amount of time, we managed to get round everything that we wanted to do and didn’t feel rushed.
I used the VeriFLY app before we travelled - it was super easy to fill out all the information we needed to provide before check-in. The tests were quick and efficient, with the results coming in about 20 minutes after we had taken our tests - the final piece of the puzzle! Check-in was so easy, the fastest one I've ever done!
We were initially going to stay at a property in midtown Manhattan, but for various reasons I decided to move our hotel to the Aliz Hotel near Times Square. It was easy to get to – we took the E train on the subway to 42nd Port Authority, walked to the end of the station, up the stairs and turned left, it was as simple as that!
While I’m on the subject of the subway – think of it like the London Underground, it’s very simple to navigate, but it’s just that little bit different that it may seem daunting at first, but it was a very cheap and easy way to get round where you need to go!
Most of the restaurants/bars/attractions asked for proof of vaccination at the time of our holiday, so we downloaded the NYC Covid Pass and just showed that, it was quick easy and convenient.
I pre-booked the New York Pass. There are various different attraction passes you can purchase for New York City; some you choose how many attractions you want to visit, some (like the New York Pass) are unlimited for a certain amount of days. We got a 5 day pass and saw a huge variety of popular attractions and tours.
The highlight of the trip for me was Central Park, and this was mainly due to the fact that on the morning we were due to visit, we woke up to snow! We went to our usual favourite bagel shop, grabbed a coffee and walked all the way down 5th Avenue until we reached the park. It was insanely beautiful walking around Central Park in the snow, the sun came out and everything was glistening. We paid for it the next day though as the temperature plummeted to minus 8!
Speaking of bagels…. The food. We’re both huge foodies and had some places starred on my Google Maps to check out – milkshakes and burgers at Black Tap, bagels from Best Bagel and Coffee, banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery, frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity 3 – and so many more places. New York has incredible food. It’s pricey, yes – but absolutely worth every cent!
Overall my favourites were Black Tap in Soho and Best Bagel and Coffee on 35th W. I had a bbq and bacon burger and the Candy Floss shake from Black Tap (in two separate sittings!) and had a smoked salmon and cream cheese everything bagel from Best Bagel and Coffee – one tip, be specific about cream cheese – there are just so many varieties, American’s will legitimately put anything in a cream cheese!
My favourite excursion has to be the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The statue was a lot smaller than I expected, especially compared to all the towering buildings of Manhattan! Go early as your time out is dependent on the ferries that are going, we would have liked to spend a little more time in Ellis Island than we got, but we didn’t really want to miss the last ferry!
Of course, I brought back souvenirs! I have a fridge magnet obsession, so I now have a view of the city fridge magnet in a prominent position! I bought typically New York/NYPD T-shirts for my children and a pair of Levi’s for my dad, for only $45! That’s about £38! I did get lost in Macy’s though, as the elevators and the floor guides don’t say the same thing.
I ordered a cappuccino in one of the coffee houses, and it came in what I can only describe as a shot glass sized cup. So I stuck to white coffee from then on! A bagel and a coffee for the both of us came to around $25, evening meals as much as $60 with a drink, once taxes and tips are added. Food will be a massive part of your budget, so my advice would be to overbudget what you think it may cost.
Also, don’t forget resort fees. Most hotels in New York will charge a set resort fee, this is usually around $25-35 per room per night, and they may ask for a refundable room deposit (ours was $150, which was refunded back around four days after we checked out).
If you’re thinking of visiting New York, absolutely do it. It’s an incredible city, but you will need to also bear in mind that it is a city. There are locals who live and work there going about their day, it has similar problems with homeless and street sellers as any other big city. You’ll particularly find these sellers in tourist areas (Time’s Square was where we found most of them), so be aware and don’t let them put anything in your hand, as they’ll then ask you to pay for it!
We had an amazing time, and will definitely be back again for more food, and will explore more of Brooklyn and New York State. I could go on and on about my trip, but for now I’ll leave it here! Feel free to ask me anything!
Lisa
