Things To Do NYC
Updated: Jun 12, 2022
I love NYC! It's such a vibrant exciting city. Every day I lived there I only slept 6 hours because the city was so alive and I didn't want to miss a thing! I lived off Avenue of the Americas between Prince and King St. "West SoHo" as my gay roommates loved to call it. I shared not only a bedroom, but a BED with my best friend from childhood and for a glorious moment, we lived in New York City.
We did something new everyday, every week, every month, every season. Of all the things one can do in the city that never sleeps, here's my list of the
Top 10 Most Things to Do in NYC:
VAL'S LIST:
SoHo
TriBeCa
Central Park
Mini's Cupcakes
Trinity on Wall St.
Staten Island Ferry
New York Public Library
St. Paul's Cathedral Choral Song (Sunday night)
Walk Brooklyn Bridge and eat pizza on the other side.
All art galleries, city parks, subway stations, free performances & Broadway plays!
ICONICS:
MoMa
Broadway
Central Park
Times Square
Statue of Liberty
Rockefeller Plaza
Grand Central Terminal
Museum of Natural History
Lower Manhattan - 911 Memorial
PLAN YOUR TRIP TO NYC
The first thing I do when I plan a trip to a big city is search the community calendars. Do you like food, tourist attractions, parks, bars, beer gardens, concerts, raves, comedy clubs? Check out what's happening in New York City on these
Community Calendars:
10.
FLY into JFK or lGA
& take an uber, taxi, bus or subway into the city.
It's the quintessential rite of passage.
TRANSPORTATION:
There are 3 major airports to New York City: JFK, LGA, and EWR.
The cheapest flights go to EWR because it's in New Jersey and far AF.
JFK & LGA have direct connections from the subway and metro system.
You'll have to pay $7 - 15 to get to/from the airport using public transportation.
Locally,
Bus/subway rides costs $2.75 for local or $5-6 express.
A MetroCard is a good investment. It's for the subway and bus system, and it's the most efficient way to get around New York City. You can get a ticket from the yellow machines in the entrance of most Subway stations.
Press the screen to start. You'll have the option to add time or value. Add time. Buy Unlimited Weekly for $30. It pays for itself quickly. Even if you're only spending 2 days in the city. You'll get your money worth.
When I first got to New York, I took a lot of trains, and a lot of trains in the wrong direction. Being underground can be disorienting, but it's nice. It's classic and iconic that you're even on the Subway. That's why it's also nice to have the unlimited weekly pass. You don't have to literally pay for your mistakes. You can chalk up the time as tuition, and head the right direction.
I don't always like to travel underground, so I also take the bus. It's nice to have an unlimited MetroCard because it comes with the option to do both.
There's also UBER, LYFT, and taxis.
Taxis are nostalgic New York, but psycho and expensive. I once took a taxi 2 blocks for $20 and the driver screamed at me through bleeding gums because I only gave him a $2 tip. It was a 2 kind of day. What do you want me to do? Tip you for a drive that almost took my life and increased my blood pressure?! If you're new to LYFT, ask your friends if they have a promotional code for 5 - 10 free rides.
9. EAT
I’ve eaten everything in New York from 5 course meals at the Plaza Hotel to Chipotle burritos, and the one place I can’t stop thinking about is Vien. It’s fresh and spicy Vietnamese place near SoHo & it's so delicious.
Besides, Vien, there’s a million places to eat in Manhattan & I recommend trying them all. You can never go wrong with Joe's Pizza or Bagels on the Square. Talk about constipation. New Yorkers be eating bread and cheese all day.
Restaurant Week is a good time to try ZAGAT restaurants at good prices. I also love a good happy hour. Typically, 3 - 6pm restaurants around town offer certain drinks and quick bites for a fraction of the price ($5-12). It's a great time to eat.
Travel to the West Village for New York's best bagel, pizza, and cupcake joints! All $2.50 - $5ish an item. Bagels on the Square offers a variety of spreads to slab between those fluffy bagels or you can have a sandwich. Joe's Pizza is one of the hottest joints in town. Take one look at their Hall of Fame and you'll know you're in a dignified celebrity hot-spot! People like Leo DiCaprio, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sean White, and The Olsen Twins get their slices from Joe's and you can too!
Tips to Save $ Traveling:
Skip a meal, fat ass.
Invest in a good brunch and dinner. If you're hungry, go to bed hungry. It's humbling. Hotel Chantelle has .92 cent drinks destined for diabetes but YOLO!
I love "Happy Hour"s. They're quintessential cool metropolis
& save!
8. GoNYC Bus
See a good portion of New York above ground on a double decker bus. I love doing this in cities around the world the 1st day I'm there because it gives me a good idea of what's where in proximity and direction. In New York, the subways can be disorienting. It's dark/underground and it's hard to gain a sense of direction. On a bus, you can see it all and it puts you right in the heart of all the architecture. For only $100, you can ride the bus, a boat and do a bike rental in Central Park!
7.
The High Line
This place knows how to garden & party. It's cool to walk all hours of the day and night. A fine mix of old & gritty with new age tech and nightclubs. Walk the old "high line" railroad track made by Diane Furstenberg and walk those train tracks like a model or character in Sex in the City.
6.
5.
Broadway
You have to have a unique personality to love Broadway. Both on and off, it's a masterful art conveying an expression of humanity reserved for the rich in taste and rich. If you're looking to save a dime, check out Day of Broadway Tickets
4.
Parks
Central Park
One of my favorite things to do is ride a bike through Central Park in the fall.
All the town square parks are real considerate. I love that NYC incorporated a little patch of green here and there in all their city planning. Battery City Park has a badass view.
3.
Galleries
Oh the arts!
New York City has incredible art. Street art, a thousand galleries, and major museums. The art alone makes Manhattan cool:
Major Museums:
The Met
MoMa
Whitney
Guggenheim
Museum of the City of New York
American Museum of Natural History
Here's a guide to visit the museum on a free day.
I loved living in SoHo because it gave me access to pop in and out of all the art galleries.
My Fav Galleries:
LIK
Eden
Louis Meisel
Kate Werble
Stayley Wise
Anita Rogers
Artists Space
Ronald Feldman
The Drawing Center
Morrison Hotel Gallery
National Geographic Gallery
2.
SoHo
I lived in SoHo so I'm biased. To wake up to a stream of taxis as an alarm clock and run past all the fashion flagships to the subway was a dream come true. We had a rooftop with a cute view of the midtown/downtown skylines and it was all I needed to feel like I was living a dream New York life.
Apple Store SoHo has an incredible calendar of free events! Celebrity panels, classes, cool things! I once walked in to get my iPhone fixed and saw documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman (above).
1. Lower Manhattan
World Trade Center, Wall Street, Trinity Church, St. Paul's Chapel, Staten Island Ferry
Walk the cobblestone streets where George Washington rode his horse. Attend mass at Trinity on Wall St. where Alexander Hamilton is buried. Listen to choral song Sunday evenings in St. Paul's Chapel and walk the nights in awe of the architecture.
Staten Island Ferry
Channel your inner Pete Davidson and travel from Manhattan - Staten Island. It's not as ghetto as he says it is - it kinda looks nice. Kinda. Ride the Staten Island Ferry there and back if you'd like! It’s free and offers awesome views of the Statue of Liberty & Downtown NYC.
I hope you enjoyed this article! Share it with a friend and let me know where you go in the Big Apple!
Click HERE for a free Google Map of Val's Favorite Spots in Manhattan