All of the lights. All of the skyscrapers. The hustle. The bustle. The yellow taxis. The pizza. Yep, you’re in New York alright.
New York City is like no place on earth and it’s a place I could return to time and again and enjoy myself. If you’re a first-time visitor though, you might want to stick to the basics. Here are the essential sights for any visit to New York City.
Watch ads at Times Square
Who would have thought, posting more neon ads in one spot than one knows what to do with would become a world-famous attraction? Named for being the home of the New York Times (at the time), Times Square actually became one of the seedier neighbourhoods through the years due to the number of sex shops, adult theatres and peep shows. It wasn’t until the 1990s that it was really cleaned up.
See a show on Broadway
If you visited NYC and didn’t see a show on Broadway, did you really even visit? Technically, you did, but it wasn’t complete. Don’t look at the price, pick a show you want to see, and go. YOLO, right? If you know what you want to see, book ahead. If you’re up for anything, find a last-minute ticket booth. There are loads strewn throughout the city.
My and my pals went to see Avenue Q, which was technically off-Broadway. But we loved it. The show had us in stitches the whole time and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to the soundtrack since. It was a highly memorable evening.
Statue of Liberty
Visiting Liberty Island by ferry is a quintessential New York City experience. It’s incredible to look at but it’s actually steeped in meaning. So you might know it was a gift from the people of France, and maybe you know the statue is of the Roman goddess Libertas. But do you know the inscription on the tablet she is holding? It says JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (i.e. July 4, 1776, the signing of the Declaration of Independence). And look close enough and you’ll see broken chains at her feet, celebrating the recent abolition of slavery.
On the Island is the American Museum of Immigration and the Statue of Liberty Museum, filled with memorabilia and exhibits from the history of the island and statue. So get off if this interests you or you want to get as close as possible to the green giant.
My tip: book the first Statue of Liberty Ferry of the day, wait for everyone to get off and ride that ferry straight back to Manhattan and you’ll get some great photos of you with the statue in the background with no other people.
Wall Street
I’m a financial analyst in the day, which means I watch the Australian and global stock markets every day. As the home of global finance, Wall Street was a must-visit for me. Watch the suits walk brusquely from meeting to meeting, get a photo of the bull for, presumably, good luck in the markets, and do your best to get a photo of the awkwardly placed New York Stock Exchange.
Rockefeller Plaza
If you’re visiting in winter, please go ice skating in Rockefeller Plaza. Do it for me. Please then email me telling me how great it was. It’s pretty high on my bucket list.
If you’re interested in behind the scenes TV, then take a tour of the NBC Building, located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza (you can’t miss it).
Walk down 5th Avenue
5th Avenue is the premier shopping district of New York. It’s where those that have real money come to shop. So why even mention it? Look, you might not have the money to shop at Versace, or Saks, or Gucci, but it’s still worth a walk down. I guarantee you’ll be walking that way at some point anyway. Of particular note is the Apple Store, who have taken their “less is more” approach to design to the absolute extreme, clearing an entire block for their squat glass cube building. The entire store is underground.
United Nations Headquarters
As one who has always been somewhat interested in international relations and global travel I was fascinated by a trip to the UN Headquarters. I’ve actually been there twice and the second time my tour group was treated to a visit inside the General Assembly and the Security Council rooms. For neither of these to be closed was quite rare, I was told.
Empire State Building or Top of the Rock
NYC is a city of skyscrapers; a concrete jungle. And what’s better than seeing the city from the top? Seeing the view from atop towers is one of my favourite things to do in a city. It gives you the lay of the land, shows you the geography stretching into the distance, and gives you a bit of a sense of direction. I love spotting landmarks from the sky.
The Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Centre are the two main options here. You probably don’t need to do both but I won’t try and stop you if you’re up for it. I did the Empire State Building late one night, which had the advantage of seeing the city skyline all lit up. Being, like, 11pm, there was also no queue, so that’s a consideration as the queues can be looooong during the day. And having come straight from a bar made the experience all the more fun as well.
On the other hand, the Rockefeller Centre is right on the doorstep of Central Park so you can really get a feel for how truly enormous the park is. You also have a pretty clear view of the Empire State Building, so if you’d rather a photo of, rather than from, the Empire State Building, then pick Top of the Rock. In fact, in hindsight, I’d probably choose this option, personally.
Cycle through Central Park
Like I just mentioned, Central Park is huge. For a city so densely populated, it is incredible that it has been so fiercely protected from development. It’s a great place to visit on foot and take a picnic, but you’ll be walking for hours if you want to see more than a little bit of the park. We hired bikes from near an entrance and did an entire lap. 2 hours is probably long enough for a leisurely ride while also allowing plenty of time to stop and enjoy the green. Buy an ice cream and relax, this is the one time you can forget you’re in the biggest city in the world.
Go on a filming locations tour
If you’ve watched any amount of TV or movies you will know that even though most are filmed in Los Angeles, there is no shortage of films and shows that are set in New York. You will no doubt stumble upon familiar locations as you explore the city, but why not look some of your favourites up beforehand? Or better yet, take a walking tour. Some walking tours are specific for shows like Friends, or Sex and the City, while others might be more general.
I didn’t take a tour but I did make my way to Monk’s Restaurant and the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld, the pub (McGee’s) that McLaren’s in How I Met Your Mother was based on, Magnolia Bakery from something I’ll probably never watch, and of course NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza from 30 Rock.
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
As iconic as they come, the Brooklyn Bridge connects Manhattan’s Lower East Side to Brooklyn. It is pretty long so you may not actually want to walk the whole way across. Or maybe you do, what do I know? I didn’t because we had heaps we wanted to see but you could always walk there and get the subway back.
See a Knicks Game
I don’t give two hoots if you can tell the difference between Michael Jorden and Bugs Bunny or not, catching a game at Madison Square Garden is as good as it gets. Or at least I imagine it is. I’ve seen games in Miami and California, but unfortunately, New York is yet to be stamped from my bingo card. For those from outside the USA, an NBA is a unique sporting experience.
I’ve seen passionate fans sing for 90 minutes, but I’ve never seen this level of production for a sports game anywhere else (except maybe the NFL comes close). The announcer revs up the crowd during every play in tandem with supportive sound effects. The crowd loses their mind for every basket. And you just wait until Chick-fil-A gives out a free burger if the away team misses two consecutive free-throws. Simply an incredible way to experience sport.
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