Man, where do I even begin?!? There is so much that I want to talk about that I find it rather hard to structure this post. Maybe I should start by saying that it was amazing and by that I mean soul nourishing, relaxing, adventurous and so much more. We went on a three week trip to the US where we spent 2 weeks on the East Coast and about a week in the Bay Area on the West Coast. We had a little over a week to explore New York City and this post is all about our experience there!

General Tips

Transportation

We like to take a taxi when we first arrive in a new city. We discovered it to be very helpful with all the luggage but it also saves us from having to figure out public transport right after a long time of travelling. The first ride also often helps me get a feel for the city, to realize where the sketchy areas are and what traffic looks like.

We ended up using the subway for everything after that though. Cabs obviously are convenient but they also get pricy plus you do get stuck in crazy NY traffic often. We bought a seven day train pass and really liked how easy it was to get around with the subway.

Accommodation

Our hotel was in Astoria right next to a subway stop which was very convenient. The place itself was okay, but not amazing. So I am sure you can find something a little more worth the cost. If you are planning on using the subway though, make sure your hotel is near a stop and either in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Greenpoint, West Astoria or Williamsburg.

Things to see and do: (You can find all the photos at the end of the post)

Manhattan (Uptown to Downtown)

Central Park (We just went on a few strolls through the park and sat down to read, which is very nice when you’ve been exploring for a few days. You can also rent bikes or sit on a carriage if you wish to do so. Umpire Rock is a fun place to go to as you can see the contrast of the sky scrapers in the background and the park in the foreground.)
American Museum of Natural History (If you are a history and animal fan, this is a great place for you to go to. They have all kinds of real stuffed animal collections. (Okay, we just spent like 5 minutes trying to figure out what you guys call those animals in exhibitions)
Grand Central Station (A fun place to stop by and go down the memory lane of how life used to be in the city.)
Rockefeller Center (There is a bar at the top of the Rock where you can get a drink and enjoy the amazing view over the city for free)
Times Square (A lot of people say they don’t think it’s worth going to Times Square. For my European eyes this was something stunning though, since we tend to have old buildings that are never as high, and we definitely don’t have such huuuge billboards.)
Chrysler Building and Flatiron Building (Both fun buildings to look at)
Empire State Building (I mean does this need any explanation?)
Chelsea Flea (The flea market is open on Saturdays and Sundays)
Maman (A super cute cafe right next to Chelsea Flea)
Strand Book Store (Huge bookstore in the city)
SOHO and NOHO (Boutique shopping)
China Town (We just briefly walked by it at night but I liked the lanterns above the street)
Color Factory New York (A fun experience to be in a museum with lots of ways to interact and take photos. You don’t necessarily learn a lot about color and how it work but it lets you be a child again in a fun way. Plus you get to take lots of colorful photos!)
Financial District (I was hoping to see a little more than just tall sky scrapers, but I guess for security reasons they can’t let every curious tourist into the Wall Street Stock Market buildings)
World Trade Center (It is impressive to see the place of tragedy and how big the twin towers were.)
Brooklyn Bridge (We got out by an exit near the bridge and then walked across it. Due to Covid it was pretty empty but I’ve heard it can get quite crowded normally.)

Brooklyn

Brooklyn Heights (From Brooklyn Bridge it is very fun to explore Brooklyn Heights and just walk through the neighbourhood. There are a lot of very fancy town houses with nice gardens. You can also enjoy a nice view of Manhattan)
Brooklyn Flea (Saturdays the flea market is in Williamsburg and on Sundays in Dumbo, we enjoyed this one more than Chelsea flea)
Manhattan Bridge (This was probably my favorite experience in New York and we discovered it by accident. We were on the subway passing over the bridge at night, as I realized how amazing the view was from the bridge. We quickly took the next exit and walked back over the bridge taking about a thousand photos of the view over East River, Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan.)
The Brooklyn Strategist (If you like board games you should definitely check this place out. It’s a board game cafe where all the locals hang out)

Williamsburg and Greenpoint

We have two friends who live in Williamsburg and they both took us through the area. I liked that it is so close to down town but it has the full on “small town” vibe with local shops and restaurants and the small streets.

Other

New Jersey City (We took the PATH from Ground Zero to Newport (it is inside that white, crazy looking building) and from New Jersey you get a great view across the Hudson River and Manhattan. There were a bunch of benches right at the waterfront and we ate our dinner there)
Statue of Liberty (You can pay to get a boat ride to the statue itself. We went for the budget version here and took the Staten Island Ferry from Whitehall Terminal which is free. It doesn’t bring you to Liberty Island but you cruise right by it.)
Coney Island (If you are trying to experience the cheap American way of life, you can enjoy lots of classic food (Nathan’s, Funnel Cake, Corn dogs, huge sodas…) here as well as rides on the rollercoasters right at the beach)

Food (A collection of places we enjoyed)

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer (Delicious burgers but the main reason why we went were the massive milkshakes!
Shelter (Fancy Pizza place with really cool looking decor)
Ramini Espresso Bar (Coffee Place of a friend from Israel)
Chick-fil-A (I have to write this, since we don’t have them in Switzerland and it was just sooo goood)
Hummus Place (Delicious, vegetarian Israeli Food)

Bildschirmfoto 2021-09-06 um 19.54.49.png

Best of NYC in 10 Days