New York, NY - We Finally Made It There

New York skyline

Start spreadin’ the news - we finally made it to New York after twenty years of travelling. To be honest, for a long time the idea of going there didn't thrill us. We had been to a lot of big cities and didn't like the idea of going to another one.

New York might be a big city, but it is absolutely not ordinary.

It is an assault on the senses - one of the loudest cities we have ever visited. In the city that never sleeps (we can confirm that), finding a hotel room with good soundproofing is a must. It's also far from the cheapest: expect to pay around $300 per night for a comfortable double room in a hotel and count your blessings if you find something for less.

Empire State Building, New York

But for all the noise and the expense, we really enjoyed ourselves there. We visited multiple locations that had been used in films and TV, relished the plentiful green space and beautiful views in Central Park, loved looking at Lady Liberty from the free Staten Island ferry and even caught a Broadway show (The Lion King, no less) next to the glint and glare of the lights of Times Square.

We also paid our respects at the poignant monument to 9/11.

Three days didn't seem like nearly enough. We left feeling like we had barely scratched the surface.

New York is simply a place that has to be visited at least once - if you can make it there.

How to get there

There are many airlines that fly the profitable Trans-Atlantic routes. New York is very well connected through its three airports, bus and train terminals, with good public transport to Manhattan and throughout the city. There is no need to get a taxi, uber or expensive hotel transfers.

Hotels in New York can be extortionate. You need to be savvy or travel out of season to get a good deal. You can also book a hotel that allows for free cancellation, wait until something cheaper comes up, cancel the original hotel and book the new one. That's how we secured the New Yorker Hotel.

Statue of Liberty, New York

How we did it

We rode the Amtrak train from Washington DC to Penn Station. Our hotel, the New Yorker Hotel, was a short walk from there. We rode the metro and walked most of the time. We didn't take the paid tour to see the Statue of Liberty: the free Staten Island ferry has a great view of it. Most tourist sights in New York are within easy walking distance of a metro station. Or you can just walk. New York varies considerably from one neighbourhood to the next and you won't see the differences unless you walk. 

Restaurants in New York range from the pricey to small diners and delis selling the equivalent of ‘greasy spoon’ fare. You can pretty much find any kind of food in New York because pretty much every nationality is there. However, for us, based in Europe, the tipping culture was a bit too much. Our favourite place for food was a South East Asian food court by the name of Urban Hawker. We recommend this place as their food was excellent and their prices were really good.

Our Top Tips

9/11 Memorial, New York City

• Underneath the bleachers on Times Square you will find a small TKTS discounted ticket office for Broadway theatre performances. If you're there at around 11am on the day of the performance, you can sometimes get theatre tickets for a fraction of their normal price. For example, we got seats to see The Lion King for $75 each that normally costs $200.

• Although it's widely advertised that you can tap to pay on the New York Metro, there are sometimes technical issues, especially if you are using a card for a joint account. We found that buying an OMNY card, putting some credit on it and then topping it up when necessary worked much better.

• Summit One Vanderbilt is without a doubt New York's most immersive view decks with spectacular views over the city, as well as a genius set of exhibits that enhance the experience. It is a bit of a tourist trap, but a quite stunning one. We recommend booking tickets in advance and then turning up early - just because you have a booking for a time slot doesn't mean that you'll get it. The queue can be very long. However, it will absolutely be worth the wait.

To see a map of where we visited, click here.