New York City
Where to stay?
A quick search of booking.com emphasises just how many hotels there are to choose from.
Everyone’s budget is difference but remember that New York is more than just Manhattan. Choosing to stay in Brooklyn offers better prices and beautiful views. A short walk or subway gets you where you need to be.
Splitting your stay offers even more options. We stayed in the high rise Arlo Nomad with great views of the Empire State Building before switching to a hotel in Chelsea which was a wonderful contrast. We adjusted our itinerary to make the most of our locations.
Planning your days
Pinterest!
There are so many suggestions out there for planning your trip.
Once I’d identified my places to see, I switched to Wanderlog adding all of the places to a map and working out how to group them by proximity.
My husband was travelling for work and I’m not a great solo traveller so I checked out “getyourguide” and “ free walking tours” for group options.
Wanderlog
Wanderlog is such a great app it requires its own subsection.
Even the free version is excellent. You can choose all of your activities and then plan each day of your trip. It also stores key documents and travel plans as well as pinning your hotel so it’s easy to plan your trips.
For people who want the ease without the hours on Pinterest, it also has planned itinerary ideas that you can use for inspiration.
Paying on your trip
Cards with no fee overseas transactions are most definitely here to stay.
For those of you keen to stick with a well known bank- HSBC offers a global money card. Your money is stored in your home currency and only the amount you need is converted at the current exchange rate when you pay. Use it just like any contactless card.
Revolut has an excellent alternative. Not only does it offer all the perks of HSBC, it also has offers on discounts for hotels, insurance, lounges etc. We found a great deal for our hotel in NYC
Manhattan has an excellent transport system. We used subways and buses across the island. Even better they all accept contactless card payment so no need to search for change!
For getting to and from the airport we used Uber . Remember to set up your Uber with your fee free currency card for when you arrive.
Our itinerary
We were fortunate to spend an entire week in New York.
We stayed in Arlo Nomad for three nights then in The Moore in Chelsea
Day 1:
I like to start my trips with an orientation tour. In this case it was a guru walk around lower Manhattan.
The tour includes- Wall Street, New York stock exchange, the raging bull and the fearless girl.
We visited the 9/11 memorial
I followed this with a trip to Staten Island Ferry and a visit to the outlet store they had there. There’s a great view of the Statue of Liberty en route if your budget doesn’t stretch to a visit to the green lady herself.
Once on the boat, stay outside, to the left of the boarding point for your best view.
Day 2
What trip to New York is complete without a trip up the Empire State Building. Definitely book in advance and if your budget stretches to it, then a skip the line ticket could save you a lot of time.
Afterward I headed to Times Square to enjoy the views before going to fifth avenue
Having had my fill of HP., I did some gentle shopping (Macy’s anyone?) before checking out eataly in the flatiron building.
Day 3
9/11 museum.
This museum isn’t for the faint hearted. It is incredibly moving and hugely emotional. My husband already said he didn’t think he could manage a visit so I went alone. I was so moved and emotional I couldn’t finish the museum and left early.
Be prepared to leave the rest of your day empty
Day 4: the green lady
We booked our tickets to see the Statue of Liberty in advance on getyourguide. We did the New York City : Statue of Liberty and Ellis island with ferry (without pedestal access)
Time is tight so be sure to check the timetable and get an early ferry out. Go for the morning option if you can
We barely had time for the audio guide on the Statue of Liberty island before we had to dash over to Ellis island to make the most of the museum there which is excellent.
£54 for two people and money well spent.
Day 5- Brooklyn, Dumbo and Williamsburg
We had planned to take a walking tour however they all started really early so instead we followed a self guided tour I found on Pinterest.
Of course start by walking over Brooklyn bridge before checking out the trendy area underneath. Check out the time out food hall for lunch.
Day 6: Central Park including Bethesda terrace
After a jaunt around Central Park, we visited New York public library and then St Patrick’s cathedral on the way back. Our final stop for the day was grand central station.
Day 7: the high line, Greenwich village and Chelsea market
The high line is well worth a visit. Beautiful and so different from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. We enjoyed it for its serenity.
Greenwich village had great food options and amazing Coffee.
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