One Week in New York: A First-Timer’s Guide

03 | The Guide

Getting there

New York has three main airports. We arrived at the famous JFK Airport, which is around 1 hour 30 minutes from Manhattan if you take the AirTrain and subway. It’s the most affordable way to get to the centre of Manhattan, and at the time of writing it cost around 12 dollars each way. More information here.

Where to stay

New York has thousands of places to stay, from high-end 5-star hotels to hostels and Airbnbs. Apart from quality, location is very important. New York is big, so you need quick access to the main transport lines. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in the Financial District. It’s not the most central hotel, but it’s very high quality, with quick connections to Brooklyn on the green line (4 and 5), and to the Empire State Building and Central Park on the yellow line (R and W), just to name a few.

What to do

This is where New York really shines. There are things to do for every taste and every budget.

Central Park. Let’s start with probably the cheapest (it’s free) and most famous place in New York. At 843 acres, Central Park is a must-visit. Take at least half a day for a walk here, but a full day is even better, as there are sculptures, shows, museums and wildlife to see.

Free walking tour. On the same zero budget, I highly recommend a free walking tour. There are hundreds in New York, from movie-themed tours to food and culture. We did the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo tour by Free Tours by Foot. We started on the Manhattan side and crossed the Brooklyn Bridge all the way to Dumbo. The tour took around 3.5 hours, so be ready to walk, and remember to tip your guide at the end.

9/11 Memorial & Museum. If you only visit one museum, make it this one. I’m a big fan of museums about historical events, even tragic ones, as they help us understand past mistakes and hopefully prevent them happening again. You can get a ticket here, but have a look at the CityPASS if you’re doing more than two or three attractions.

Top of the Rock & Empire State Building. I did both because we had the CityPASS, but it might be too much, as the views are pretty similar. If you have to choose one, I’d pick Top of the Rock, simply because from there you can see the famous skyline with the Empire State Building in it, which you obviously can’t when you’re standing on the Empire State Building. Tickets for Top of the Rock only can be found here.

American Museum of Natural History. Who hasn’t heard of this museum, especially after seeing Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller? It’s huge, and if you want to see every room (which is worth it), keep a full day free. My favourite part was the extinct animals. Tickets can be found here.

Times Square & Fifth Avenue. To be honest, this is the heart of New York, and everyone has heard of these two streets. But they didn’t live up to the hype for me. Both are full of scammers and performers asking for money, plus endless construction, and it was quite dirty. Go and walk around, but don’t make it a big part of your trip or you might end up disappointed like I was.

Statue of Liberty. We didn’t go to the island or take a boat tour to see it. Instead we took the Staten Island Ferry, which is free. It takes you from lower Manhattan to Staten Island, with incredible views of Manhattan and a fairly close view of the Statue of Liberty. The journey takes around 30 minutes each way, and you can either explore Staten Island or head straight back to Manhattan.

Iconic places. New York is full of places that many of us grew up watching in films. If you have time, cross the Brooklyn Bridge on foot, and visit Grand Central Terminal and the Oculus at the World Trade Center station, just to name a few.

Food & drink

Controversial statement: American food isn’t great, but New York has some of the best restaurants and cafés in the world, and there are some places you simply can’t miss. For breakfast or lunch, I 100% recommend Liberty Bagels Wall Street, by far the best bagels I’ve ever had. If you like pastrami, visit Katz’s Delicatessen, New York’s oldest and best deli. Yes, you’ll pay 30 dollars for a sandwich, but it’s worth every cent. There are usually queues outside and inside, but the service is very quick.

For a relaxing drink at sunset, head to the rooftop of the DoubleTree by Hilton New York Times Square South. Even if you’re not staying there, you can go up and grab a drink, and the view is worth it.

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