This fall, I visited New York City for the first time and I am super excited to share this experience with everyone. NYC is one of the most multicultural cities in the world and this was the reason I have always wanted to travel here. First of all, I love trying different cuisines and this seemed to be the best place to get a taste of the entire world in one trip! For me, that reason can stand on its own haha!

I love the city in theory so much that this is one of the places where solo travel, which I totally do not mind doing, is out of the picture. If I’d ever have the chance to go, I want to share that experience with family or friends. But as fate would have it, this trip is meant for me to enjoy my own company and make new friends along the way!

Spontaneity is my game so my itinerary is very flexible and much of it is some variation of the word ‘food’. But I believe in planning too so I have a priority list for this trip and my itinerary is divided by neighbourhood so that I do not spend a lot of time commuting between places. In real life though, not everything works according to our plan that’s why we should be ready to adjust when necessary. In my case, it rained on the first few days of my trips so I had to finish my museum-hopping then.

Let’s go travelin’! I might as well start in Brooklyn since it is very close to home, literally.

Brooklyn Bridge

Times Square

Times Square is notorious for being New York’s ultimate tourist trap. It’s overly crowded and touristy that some locals avoid this area at all costs. It’s not known as the Crossroads of the World for no reason! I personally enjoyed coming back night after night. The billboard lights has a certain allure to them and watching people fascinates me.

I saw a Broadway show, watched street performances, checked the big stores, queued at Los Tacos No.1, even lounged at the red stairs. However, it’s good to be mindful of the tourist traps. You may ran into the Statue of Liberty or your favourite cartoon character, but don’t get too excited, a photo of you hugging them may cost a pretty penny.

Central Park

It was a lovely cold day when I finally was able to go for an early morning walk at Central Park. The park is huge and so easy to get lost at, but I don’t mind being lost anywhere this beautiful.

When travelling, try not to leave the outdoor activities at the end of the trip in case Mother Nature decides to make a dramatic change to the weather. Personally, I go as soon as the weather is ideal. In this case, the sun showed up so beautifully the day before I leave. Better than never! And as someone said, it comes late but it’s worth the wait!

Soho

I’ve wandered around Soho for too many times during this trip. I love cobbled streets and unique architectures and this neighbourhood is just charming in general. Besides, there are a lot of good food in this area! You might just bump into a high-profile celebrity or model too. I did… not notice if I did! I was too busy window shopping. Doesn’t matter if you’re into big names or thrift shops, everyone’s sure to find something that suits their style here.

Empire State Building

Rockefeller Center

I could already feel Christmas at the Rockefeller!

Chrysler Building

I had hoped to view the city from the Top of the Rock at sunset but the queue to get a schedule for my pre-booked ticket was so long, I felt that time could be better spent elsewhere. I decided to have a little stroll down 5th avenue from 50th to 34th street to see the Empire State instead. Surely 16 blocks couldn’t be so far away? It is not, as long as you enjoy walking.

One of the good things that came out of that self-organized walkathon is stumbling upon this beautiful skyscraper which displays the amazing Art-Deco design.

Grand Central Station

The ceiling is a mural of constellations!

Oculus at the World Trade Center

This is not your traditional train station. Yes, it is a train station. Firstly, the open space here is massive, secondly, it’s surrounded by high-end shops, thirdly, it’s 4-billion dollars!

One of the things I feel privileged of is having the opportunity to see amazing art wherever I travel. New York being the cultural capital of the world just makes me 10000 times more excited to my visits to the museums! I was really looking forward to see my favourites, from Van Gogh to Pollock, this time.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The MET is big so it is recommended to prioritise in advance the galleries you want to see. You may check the museum website to find where the collections are located. I was so happy to find many of my favourite Impressionists paintings here – Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Degas, and many more! The Egyptian collection is also impressive, so are the Roman sculptures! I also saw my most favourite abstract from Pollock!

Museum of Modern Art

How lucky am I to be among the firsts to see the new MoMA!! It reopened in October after closing down for renovations. I marvelled at Vincent Van Gogh’s The Starry night here and it was indeed very special. I could just wish that Van Gogh’s art was appreciated during his lifetime the way it is now.

Guggenheim Museum

Modern art lovers will enjoy this. I saw a number of Picasso and Kandinsky’s paintings.

High Line

It was a foggy day when I strolled at the High Line, nevertheless the view here is so relaxing. Around it are some of the coolest buildings I’ve seen in New York. The Vessel is one of them.

Chelsea Market

I am actually in Chelsea for the food but there are many interesting shops here like the Artists & Fleas which sells handmade crafts and vintage items.

I don’t really have photos of food since I normally dive into it soon as it reaches my table. Los Tacos No.1 comes highly recommended for tacos and other Mexican bites and it truly is that good! One bite of the adobada and I am a fan. It’s a street-style set-up and the queues are always long but the service is fast.

Another favourite in Chelsea Market is the Lobster Place where I had the biggest Small-size lobster of my life which I finished standing.

And whatever you do, please do not leave New York without eating as much pizza as you can. I’ve never had a pizza half as good. Regrettably, I haven’t taken one good pizza photo because you know…

The following might be helpful!

Airport Transfer

While taxi and Uber is undoubtedly the easiest way to get to my Airbnb in Brooklyn from the airport, I decided to commute this time as it looked pretty straightforward from the app and the Uber trip to my destination costs $70. Though I soon regretted this decision. Haha!

There’s an express bus from Newark airport with drop-off at these locations in Manhattan:

• Grand Central Station (41st Street between Park & Lexington Avenues)
• Bryant Park (42nd Street & 5th Avenue)
• Port Authority Bus Terminal (41st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues)

I got off at Port Authority Bus Terminal and transferred to the subway. The trip costs $17. There is a slightly cheaper option which is taking the Airtrain to Newark Liberty International Airport AirTrain station and from here connecting to the NJ Transit train bound for New York Penn Station.

The real challenge came when I transferred to the subway as not all stations have lifts. I had to carry my 23kg luggage up and down stairs while figuring NYC subway for the very first time. Beat that!

Getting Around

I believe everyone looking for an authentic experience should take the subway – this is NYC unfiltered guys!

The fare for a subway ride is $2.75. I bought the unlimited ride Metrocard and totally maximised its value. The 7-day unlimited rides is only $33 so I’d have to make only 12 trips to get its worth. I did in just 2 days. This can be topped up once the validity of the unlimited rides expires.

Navigating the subway is no walk in the park but there are apps that we can use to make our commuting journey easier. I used the Citymapper app and it was accurate and helpful. I probably looked so confident on the subway I’ve been asked for directions too many times hahaha!

Accommodation

I travel on my stomach so I thought it best to stay at Williamsburg as many of the restaurants I planned to eat at is located in Brooklyn, Downtown Manhattan, and Soho. I also found accommodations in this neigbourhood of better value than Midtown, especially my trip is within a week of the NYC Marathon. It is normally convenient to take the subway so wherever you stay, as long as it is close to a station, you will be fine.