New York’s a concrete jungle where dream are made of, at least that’s what Alicia says. I think what she’s saying is you’ve just got to go to New York and I’ll tell you what, I 100% agree. New York has so much to offer so if your travelling to the US, you’ve got to go to New York. Below you’ll find my “Must do’s’ when in New York. I’m not saying there isn’t more to see. What I’m saying is that we’ve done and experienced the following and can recommend them.

My must do’s when going to New York

Free ‘Must do’s’

  • Visit Central Park. It’s just like you see it in the movies. Stroll around, let the kids play in the park, lay on the grass, take some family snaps. Enjoy!
  • Times Square. Just go! Make sure the camera is fully charged as you won’t stop taking photos!
  • Staten Island Ferry. Great thing about the ferry is that it’s a free ride to Ellis Island and the bonus is you can take some great pics of the lady (Statue of Liberty) on the way. We did that on our first trip as the queues going out to Liberty were quite long. We rode the ferry across to Ellis Island and back again. We took some great picks and enjoyed the trip! Click ‘Here‘ for more info on the Staten island ferry.
  • Flatiron Building, a New York City Landmark. Great photo opportunity and when you finish there, you can stroll down to Madison Square Garden
  • Brooklyn Bridge is another landmark you need to visit. You can either take the bus or ride the subway to get close to the bridge and then there’s a little walk down to the bridge from there. Once there. you’ll take around 45 minutes to walk across. There are vendors and toilets close by.
  • Visit Wall street and take pictures with the ‘Bull’, another famous landmark.
  • Go and see the ‘Naked Cowboy‘. Take some pics. Tipping is encouraged
  • Radio City Hall. Photo opp. or you can always do a back stage tour (Cost involved). Plenty of touring artist perform as well. Check out all the details ‘Here‘
  • Visit the ‘Chrysler building‘. Again a great photo opp at one of New York’s most famous landmarks

Must Do’s

  • Ride the subway. Just be wary of people trying to hustle you. We almost did! A guy helped us buy tickets then withheld  of the tickets asking for more money. We managed to get the tickets and jump on the train! We didn’t do Grand Central Terminal but if you have the chance do it. We certainly will on our next visit
  • Climb the ‘Empire State Building‘. Great views and great photo’s to be had. There are quite a few ways to get tickets. You can check out the best ways to buy tickets below.
  • Visit the ‘Statue of Liberty‘. Definitely got to do this. If you don’t want to spend money going there, ride the Staten Island ferry. Great views from the ferry and the ride is free however i do recommend you visit Liberty Island and see Liberty up close. You’ve traveled all that way so just do it! There are a few ways to get tickets. Click above to find out prices directly from the Statue of Liberty reserve or click below to look at other options. ‘Hot Tip’ if you plan to go up to the crown, you MUST book it early (The crown has the best views). They sell out quickly as there is limited availability each day. We didn’t know this and almost missed out. Luckily, we had a quieter day and was able to get access to the crown but don’t leave it to chance.
  • Catch a show or 2 on Broadway! Get last minute tickets at times square or you can book ahead. This website has all the shows and discount tickets on line – Discount Broadway Tickets
  • Ride the tour bus around town. These are hop on, hop off tours and take you to all the major tour sights around town. You can buy tickets on the street. Don’t be afraid to haggle the price a little.
  • Visit the monument memorial at One World Trade Center – Visit the memorial, a tribute to the people who lost their lives in 9/11. Touching and beautiful, something you should do. Also visit the observatory in the One World Trade Center.
  • Take a carriage ride around Central Park. Don’t be afraid to haggle the price. A great experience and highly recommended.
  • Madison Square Garden. The biggest names in the music industry perform here so check out who’s touring and attend a show. You can also catch other things like the ‘Nicks’ playing or the wrestling.  Click ‘HERE‘ for all the latest info from MSG.

Other things you may want to do include

  • visiting a few of the museums that are in New York. There are 83 so there is sure to be something for everyone. We visited MOMA and saw a lot of vintage clothing. Interesting!
  • Why not catch a game of Baseball, Basketball, Soccer or watch the NFL depending on when you are there. Make sure you book as early as possible as many games do sell out or you will find only single seats available.

There are 2 sites you can get great value sightseeing passes. ‘New York pass‘ and the ‘New York City pass‘. Both have great deals on all the attractions in one pass. Highly recommend using one of these. you’ll save time and money and you can pick and choose to suit.

Enjoy New York, we did!

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