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New York City

The City Never Sleeps, And Neither Do You

New York is where I moved after I left quiet, beautiful Newfoundland (I guess I like “new” things!) and I couldn’t have picked a place more different to call my home. It can be overwhelming and magical all at once.

When I am asked to describe New York, I always think of this moment: once, when my mother was visiting, we visited Times Square. After ten minutes of dodging off-brand Ironman who wanted us to pay for photos with them, my mother looked up at stunning display of blinking lights on every surface and then back down at the swarm of tourists jostling for he best view with their selfie sticks waving in the air, and, slightly stunned, said “I don’t think I could ever live here.”

And I replied “Well, we don’t.” New Yorkers don’t spend our free Times Square or waiting in never-ending lines to see tourist spots. That’s not our New York, and we get why you hate it… we kind of hate it, too.

So if you visit the city, do me a favor, and visit it like you live here. Find a cozy place to stay with a diner nearby. Go to the deli or bodega closest to where you’re staying, and chat up the Algerian guy who owns it. Befriend the cat that rules the roost from atop the deli shelves.

Go to that hotspot you head about on a Tuesday night instead of a Saturday. Ask the bartender where they like to drink, and go there.

Get cheap theater tickets the day of the show, the way aspiring actors do. Ride the subway, grab a slice, and when you see a giant crowd of tourists, walk in the opposite direction.

That’s my New York. Don’t get me wrong: you should go to Times Square and stand agog at the lights. But you should also know that there’s so much more to New York… and you should find a little corner of it for yourself.

Things to See and Do in New York City

Take the (free) Staten Island ferry to the Statue of Liberty

Visit Beetle House, a Tim Burton-themed bar

Eat a dollar slice (you gotta)

Get Rush tickets to a Broadway play

Head uptown and visit The Cloisters

Book a private Karaoke room in Koreatown, and sing your heart out.

Do the Midtown tourist stuff: Times Square, 30 Rock, Empire State

Visit the Museum of Modern Art

“Miss America herself”

“Sun going down n Chinatown”

Typical Costs When Travelling in New York City

Accommodation – New York isn’t short on hotels, but even the dodgy ones can be pricy. If you’re traveling on a budget, there are many hostels and several are very nice (the Freehand and Hi are both part of respected chains). You can always try your luck with an AirB&B, but read the reviews carefully, and be aware than NYC renters aren’t supposed to sublease for less than 30 days, so if your renter asks you to say you’re a friend visiting from out of town… that’s why. Keep an eye on your hotel’s proximity to the subway, and make sure it will be easy for you to reach your desired destinations. It’s easy to lose hours on the subway, and cabs aren’t cheap.

Food – New York City is a foodie’s dream, and you can get great eats at any price point. If you’re looking to save on food, hit up Vanessa’s Dumpling or King Dumpling in Chinatown and eat your fill for under $5. Pizza is available on every corner, and if you’re feeling adventurous, there’s always street meat.

You can eat at a lot of restaurants for $15-20 an entree, and tipping 20% is the norm here, so include that in your budget.

If you’re feeling fancy or spending someone else’s money, the city provides endless opportunities to splurge. The old-school New York steakhouses (Peter Luger’s et al) are amazing, but steaks start at around $50 without sides. Or you can always go big and try Serendipity’s $1000 sundae. You get the idea. Food in New York is what you make it.

Transportation – Within the city, take the subway or walk whenever possible. It’s around $3 a ride, and it’ll take you wherever you need to go. CitiBikes are also available for daily passes and short rides, but New York is not the most bike-friendly city, so I only recommend biking if you are used to city riding. The city is serviced by three airports, and none of them are close to city center. Here’s how to get to and from NYC airports:

LaGuardia Airport is not easily accessible by subway, but you can take several subway lines to the Q70-SBS, which will get you to LaGuardia. Taxis and charge a metered fare (based on the ride length) for trips to LaGuardia.

JFK Airport is easily accessible by subway. Most train lines to connect to the Jamaica Center Station (serviced by the E, J and Z lines), and from Jamaica Center, you can connect to the AirTrain which takes you to the airport. The Subway ticket will cost you $3, and AirTrain tickets are $5. Taxis from Manhattan to JFK are a fixed rate of $52, plus several city taxes that will add another $5-$10 to your trip.

Newark is accessible by New Jersey Transit trains which leave Manhattan’s Penn Station regularly from 5am to 2am. The train takes you to Newark Penn Station, where you will connect with the Newark AirTrain. The ticket should cost around $12. If you wish to take a taxi to Newark, you’ll be charged a metered fare based on trip length.

Taxi Tips – When you just can’t deal with the subway anymore, NYC yellow cabs, Ubers, Lyfts and private cars are readily available. NYC yellow cabs are only available when the numbers on top are lit up. Yellow cabs can only pick you up in the outer boroughs or above 125th in Manhattan, so you won’t have success hailing them in midtown. Don’t take those bike taxicabs, they cost a fortune and they’re slow.

Spend vs. Save

Spend on a fancy lunch. NYC's world class restaurants offer amazing lunches at a fraction of their infamously high dinner prices. Check and see if you''ll be in town for Restaurant Week, when the best chefs in the city offer discounted prix fixes. The lunches tend to be affordable.

Save on taxis NYC's public transit will get you anywhere you need to go and you'll usually get there faster than you would in a cab. Fight the overwhelm and make us of the subway, the buses, Citibikes and your own two feet... you'll see more of the city anyway.

Spend on a New York City Pass. This is a good idea if you're keen to see all of the most iconic sites, and you hate lines. You'll get discounts on the city's greatest hits (Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, MOMA, etc.) If you really only want to see one or two tourist spots on your trip, skip it.

Save by skipping Broadway and checking out the downtown theatre scene. If you love live performance but you're on a tight budget, good news: most New Yorkers feel the same way. You can support off-Broadway and off-off Broadway shows (the distinction is related to the amount of in the theatres, not the quality of the show) for a fraction of the cost of Broadway tickets. Check out what's on at LaMaMA, HERE Arts Center, PS 122 or The Flea. Or you can always check out some burlesque... maybe I'll be performing while you're in town!

Don’t Miss This: The Magic of Central Park

Central Park is beautiful year round, and while it’s a lovely place to stroll, there are also plenty of curiousities to explore wihin the park itself: Central Park houses two large bodies of water, a castle, and a zoo. The Park hosts a wide variety of events and activities, including Shakespeare in the Park, children’s pupper shows, and morning yoga classes. Oh, and you can get a romantic picnic, complete with parasols and champagne, delivered to you in the middle of the park Visit Central Park to see what’s happening, and make a day of it.

A Few Final Words of Advice…

Bring your walking shoes. The average New Yorker walks around 6 miles a day, and if you’re sightseeing, you might walk more than that.

Bring your money. The city is expensive, and while you can do it on the cheap, it’s still likely to cost you more than you expected because prices for food, common goods and services are inflated here.

A few NYC courtesy tips to help you blend in:

When you get on the subway, make way for people to exit before you step on. I think people standing in the middle of the doorway and trying to get on the subway before letting those exiting get off is the #1 cause of yelling in New York City.

When you’re walking on the sideway if you need to stop or slow down, “pull over”. Step out of the crowd and stand close to a building to check our map or snap that picture. New Yorkers aren’t cranky, we swear, but the fourth tourist we bump into because they’ve stopped abruptly right in front of us might get an earful (and really, can you blame us?)

Restaurants in New York will not seat you until your entire party has arrived, so if you call with a reservation for 4, you don’t get seated until there are 4 of you.

Restrooms in restaurants and coffeeshops are generally only available to customers, and are often locked. Parks and libraries do have open restrooms, and one enterprising individual has made a Restroom Map for the whole of Manhattan, so consult that if you’re anxious about where to go.