Being a girl who likes to stick to a budget but also loves to travel it can be a bit tricky, especially when you’re visiting larger cities like NYC. However, there are a few tips and tricks that I’ve learned in the past that have helped me to stick to my travelling budget.
First, is do your research. Expedia.ca offer a ‘Things To Do’ list on their website that can help you to plan what you want to see in NYC. The list includes all the major attractions as well as discounted tickets for multi-passes. If this is going to be your first time visiting NYC, I highly recommend picking up one of these passes. They allow you to put your wallet away for the day and enjoy the many major attractions of NYC.
Day One:
Adam and I arrived in NYC early Saturday morning and left early Monday and as they say, it’s the city that never sleeps, so we just kept going. Although NYC has an amazing subway system, we opted to walk. I won’t lie my feet were dead by the end of the weekend but I found that we were able to see more hidden gems of NYC and really take in the city.
We stayed at the Sheraton in Times Square which was obviously super close to Times Square as well as Central Park. After checking into the hotel we headed to the streets of NYC. I won’t lie we didn’t waste any time and found a bar that offered flights of beer. It was after 11 am, so it’s acceptable right?
Next, we walked around Times Square and spent a lot of time in the massive M&M’s store. It took so much willpower to not pull every one of those M&M containers and empty the full contents into a bag or purchase the M&M onsies. Check the video to see it. The walking continued as we headed to 5th Street to see all the expensive shops, Rockafeller Centre, Central Park and then up towards The MET.
Tip: If you’re looking to fully explore Central Park, I would recommend renting bikes. The city bikes have stands all over the city and offer rentals for $12/day.
After all the walking, a pizza was in order. The staff at the Sheraton were super helpful and recommend a local pizza joint. Check out my NYC Travel Diary video to see it! After dinner, we headed back to Times Square to people watch and then headed back to the hotel.
Day Two:
Day two was my favourite! We purchased a Liberty Cruise that took us all around Manhattan, under the Brooklyn Bridge, to The Statue of Liberty and more. This tour is a MUST for NYC, at only $30 per person, you can’t really beat it. The 1.5-hour cruise was filled with NYC history, amazing views and more. Tip: Get in line early for the cruise to get a seat at the top of the boat on the edge.
After the cruise, we continued our walks around the city, hoping to different local bars for snacks and drinks. With 18 degrees weather, it was a crime if we didn’t. We quickly realized that 9th street was filled with amazing local places.
Towards the end of the night, we headed to one of the many rooftop patios in NYC. As mentioned, we picked the perfect weekend to visit NYC. A majority of the rooftop patios opened up for the day because of the 18 degrees weather. The roof top bars offer amazing views of the city and no matter where you’re staying in NYC, you’re bound to find one around the corner from your hotel.
Have you ever visited NYC?
My New York City Travel Diary
Special thanks to Expedia.ca for sending us to NYC! #BigWorldTraveller