Your Ultimate Guide to New York City

You can never go wrong with New York City. You will find things to do at every corner. This concrete jungle not only has a lot of things to do, but it also has a lot of different food places you can try.

Today, I want to take you all through a helpful guide about New York City which includes topics from where to stay to where to eat the good food, including sites to see.

Given that we were traveling during the pandemic, it was limited on things you could do but we were still able to do the majority of the things we had on our itinerary. We just had to make sure we were wearing masks, social distancing, and using hand sanitizer. Before we jump into the details, here are some facts about New York City you should know:

Facts about New York City:

• New York City is the most populus city in the USA, the population is a little over 8 Million people!
• More than 800 languages are spoken in New York City!
• The famous boroughs of New York City are named after famous Dutch villages. New York City has a rich Dutch history.
  • Here is something to read upon on that Dutch history: https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/dutch-heritage-new-york

Before you go:

• Best times to visit New York City:
  • 🗽You can visit New York any time of the year but if you want to avoid the freezing tempreature, the best months to visit New York City would be between April and June and September to early November. New York City is so popular and populus, there is no way to get around the crowd. Regardless of what time of the year you go, you will encounter a good amount of people everywhere.
  • 📅 We went January 5th, 2021 – January 9th, 2021 (3 nights, 4 days, Tuesday – Sunday)
  • 🚘 We also drove to New York City from Chicago which is about 16 hours.
  • 🥶 From experience, I would highly recommend going at a different time. Although we had a lot of fun, it was COLD.

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1. ✈️ Airport: LGA, JFK, or EWR

New York City is so big that it needs 3 major airports to tackle its air traffic problem. The air traffic above New York is probably one of THE busiest airspaces in the world. It’s the most eastern hub for all international arrivals & departures to & from Europe and the Middle East.

LaGuardia Airport (LGA): If you’re flying domestic, there is a high chance you will be landing in LGA. Other airports also serve domestic flights but LGA is primarily a domestic airport.

Newark International Airport (EWR): It’s technically in between two states New York and New Jersey but it still serves a majority of New York City Traffic.

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): Busiest international air passenger gateway into North America. It’s the 20th busiest in the world, the 6th busiest in the United States, and the biggest in the New York City airport system.

🦠 COVID Guidelines: Currently all three airports are doing on-site COVID tests for travelers but if you’re flying somewhere that is requiring proof of a Negative COVID Test then you of course you will have to schedule it in the time frame.

2. 🚍 Public Transportation

• It all depends on where you are staying in the city but these routes from each of the airports will get you to the city center.
  1. LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
     • LaGuardia is probably the only airport out of the three that does not have a direct train/bus line going to the airport right from the city center.
     • You can get to LaGuardia from New York City in a mixture of buses and metros. One of the most popular routes is Q70 SBS.
       • You can take this bus from the airport to Queens and then hope on a metro to the city.
       • The whole trip form LaGaurdia to New York City should take you about 45-50 minutes.
     • A private cab will cost you about $30-$45. You can check Uber/Lyft also.
  2. Newark International Airport (EWR)
     • Neward International and New York City are pretty well connected.
     • Jump on the Northeast Corridor train from the airport and get off at the New York Penn Station. This will bring you right in the heart of New York City.
       • This transit will take about 60 minutes
     • A private cab can cost you up to $70 from Newark International.
  3. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
     • Surprisingly, John F. kennedy Inernational or JFK, has the easiest way to get you connected to New York City. The most easiest and cheapest option is taking the AirTrain from the airport to the subway (metro) to Jamaica station. From there you’ll be able to board a metro line that connects you to the city.
     • AirTrain is about ($7.75) and the metro is ($2.75)
       • This route will take you about 60 minutes
     • A private cab can cost you between $50-$60 from John F. Kennedy to New York City.

3. 🏨 Where to stay in new york city

Booking.com

4. Things to do in New York City

1. Bethesda Terrace, Central Park 🏞

💰 Free

It’s located right in the heart of Central Park looking over a lake. It also has a fountain called “Angel of the waters” at the very end of the terrace on the bottom floor.

It was also conceived of as the Park’s most prominent display of art and architecture and one of its few formal landscapes, providing a contrast to the more naturalistic design of the rest of the Park.

Bethesda Terrace was intended as a gathering space for Park visitors.

There are lot of opportunities for photographs here. You can go early in the morning while the sun is barely coming up and catch the sun rays peaking through the terrace. You can also go at night to catch how it lights up after dusk.

2. Wak across the Brooklyn Bridge 🚶‍♂️🌉

💰 Free

If you are visiting New York City, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge has to be on your list. Trust me, I am not trying to get you into doing some cardio because of all the food I’m going to talk about later 😊 but I’m recommending this becasuse it’s an experience in itself.

Mrshutterup would recommend going around sunset time to catch how the city skyline looks in sun, during sunset and after dark. This is also a great place for you to stand and just take it all in.

3. Visit the St. Patrick’s Cathedral

💰 Free

This Cathedral will make you feel like you are somewhere in Europe.

We obviously had to keep our masks on and social distance but I was able to walk in and take in how quite and peaceful it was.

When you get tired of how busy and loud New York City is, just come and sit inside this cathedral, you won’t hear a thing.

Mrshutterup highly reccommends visiting the St. Patrick’s Cathedral when in New York City.

4. 9/11 Memorial Fountain

💰 Free

The memorial is located a the World Trade Center Site, the former location of the Twin Towers that were destroyed in the September 11 attacks. It is operated by a non-profit institution whose mission is to raise funds for, program, and operate the memorial and museum at the World Trade Center site.

There is a swamp of White Oak Trees with two square reflecting pools in the center marking where the two twin towers stood.

This is one of the most surreal spots in New York City. As you walk around the fountain, you will see names of the individuals that died in the attacks carved into the foundation of the fountain.

5. Times Square

💰 Free

This goes without saying. Times Square is a must when you’re in New York City.

Its a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment center, and neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue.

If you’ve been to London, it’s sort of like the piccadilly circus and if you’ve been to Bangkok, then it’s got the Khao San road vibes except the bars in middle of the street and street vendors selling balloons 😂.

5. 🌮 Food

Now that we’ve talked about everything from the airport to things to do in New York City, let’s talk about the food scene. New York City has SO MANY food options. I mean, you will literally get tired of figuring out where to eat but here are some of the food places you should try when in New York City:

1. Flippers 🥞
   • This place has the fluffy pancakes that are very famous in Japan! There is an authentic shop called Taiyaki, NYC but when it was closed for some reason so flippers was the next best option in New York City.
   • I would highly RECOMMEND you check this place out.
2. The Kati Roll Company
   • “All rolls are available in a choice of hand-rolled flat-breads. Paratha which is the traditional choice. Layered and lightly fried on a cast iron griddle or Roti, made from whole durum wheat. Rolled and roasted on a grill or griddle.” Is it bad that I’m craving it right now?
   • It’s an Indian fast food restaurant and they have Indian style tea or Chai as we like to call it. Definitely worth trying it out when in New York City.
3. BAR BAR
   • One of the best Indian restaurants I’ve been to.
   • They have some amazing drink options. All tweaked to have some kind of an Indian flavor to it. I ordered their Kairi Mule (Mango Mule) along with some Butter Paneer and Naan.
   • 10/10 recommend trying this Indian restaurant in New York City.
4. Junior’s Cheescakes
   • Junior’s New York City style cheescakes are sooooo good. I can’t emphasize this enough.
   • I didn’t get a chance to have it during my whole day but when I was leaving to go back home, I hopped in real quick to take a slice for the road.
   • Red Velvet Cheescake.

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6. Photos

I hope you enjoyed reading my itinerary for New York City and I also hope that in one way or another, I’ve helped you plan your trip to the city that never sleeps. If you liked this, please check out my other city blog/itineraries and leave a comment! Also, let me know what else you would like me to cover on my next city blog in the comment below. I would really appreciate it. Lastly, check out my most recent blog post about DUBAI, UAE 🇦🇪

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