New York is somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit, so in May last year I took the plunge and booked a five night stay with a friend. After waiting for what felt like a lifetime, we finally jetted off at the end of January. As our stay was short, I wanted to make the most out of every minute and I therefore did quite an extensive amount of research prior to the trip. In my opinion, even if you lived in New York for a whole year, you would not get to experience everything this city offers, however, a lot can be achieved in four and a half days.
Sightseeing
Times Square – Potentially one of the most famous areas of New York is Times Square. When travelling from the airport to our hotel, we took a taxi; all yellow taxis have a flat fare in New York, so we found this the most convenient way to travel around when places were not in walking distance. The taxi ride takes you through the suburbs of New York, then, after around 25 minutes you start to see the Empire State Building come into view as you approach Manhattan. Once in Manhattan, we found ourselves very quickly and very unexpectedly in the middle of Times Square. For me this was both overwhelming and amazing at the same time, New York really is a place like no other. We couldn’t wait to get checked in at the hotel and return to explore Times Square. We also used this as a central point for the rest of our trip, a lot of things are walking distance from Times Square if you don’t mind a bit of exercise; but if it does get a bit too much, there are hop on – hop off busses all over Times Square that run throughout the city. Whilst Times Square is 100% a must visit in New York, it was very touristy (lots of gift shops selling tacky goods etc) and once I had experienced the sights a few times, I was happy to stay away from this area and explore the delights that the rest of the city had to offer.
Statue of Liberty – Again, it goes without saying that the Statue of Liberty is a must when in New York. For this, there are three options: 1) The Staten Island Ferry – This is a free ferry that runs every half an hour allowing you to get great views of the Statue of Liberty on a budget. I was assured by various friends that had previously visited, that this was a great option to choose. 2) Paid Boat Trips – This is the option my friend and I chose, from seeing photos that friends took on the Staten Island Ferry, I do feel that this enabled us to get slightly better photos as the boat took us much closer and our views were not obstructed by windows. Both ferry options also give you a fantastic view of the New York Skyline. 3) Helicopter Rides – We didn’t enquire about the price of these, however, I was a little jealous when leaving the harbour and seeing people getting out of one of the Helicopters. I would assume that these are quite pricey, but a fantastic way to make the trip that little bit extra special and unforgettable. The Helicopters circle right around the statue, giving you a 360 degree view.
Rockefeller Center – This was again something that I put quite a lot of research into. New York is famous for its skyscrapers and to get some really amazing views of the city, you have two main options; The Empire State Building or The Rockefeller Center, both providing unforgettable and breathtaking sights. Due to the fact that you get a view of The Empire State Building from The Rockefeller Center, we opted to choose the latter and this did not disappoint.The NBC Studios and Radio City are very close by, if you are taking the time out to sight see.
Grand Central Terminal – I will be honest, we only paid a visit here for the photo opportunities, although if you opt to travel by Subway you may find yourself here quite a lot. We travelled here by foot, from Fifth Avenue and it took about 20 minutes. There’s also a Shake Shack in here and we found it less busy than the others around the city.
Broadway – There are so many Broadway show options in NYC, being the biggest Disney fan – I chose to see Aladdin. I’d actually never really seen a West End / Broadway -esque production before and I really was blown away. Our tickets were quite expensive, the show was a sell out and we didn’t pre-book, therefore we purchased these through our hotel concierge who used a broker, so there was obviously a small fee attached. You can que at the famous red TKTS office, located in the middle of Times Square to get some great discounted deals, however the queues can provide you with rather lengthy waits and as it was January, we didn’t really fancy standing in the icy cold weather for that long. That being said, the price we paid was most definitely worth it. The costumes were amazing, there was so much colour and sparkle – I couldn’t take my eyes away. 
Radio City – Another great photo opportunity. This is located a few blocks away from The Rockefeller Center, so I would advise that if, like me, you are only visiting for a few days – you opt to do all your “sightseeing” in one, we found that this worked for us.
Fifth Avenue – For me, as I feel it probably is for most shopping obsessed girls like myself, Fifth Avenue is one of the most famous attractions of NYC. I almost felt like I was in a film when I was walking on Fifth Avenue, it was one of the highlights of the trip, it was pure shopping heaven. I will go into more detail on some of the shops I visited below.
Shopping
Sephora – Simply amazing, a makeup lovers paradise. These stores can be found at almost every corner you turn and cater for all budgets. I could have spent all afternoon in here, I’m hoping they bring one to the UK very soon.
MAC Cosmetics – Being a qualified makeup artist, I am obsessed with MAC cosmetics. There are MAC stores in almost every main area of NYC, I don’t feel that you’d struggle to find one. The collections were no different to what we have over here in the UK, but I did find that the products were slightly cheaper in America, about 10%, so worth stocking up on if you’re a fan.
Hershey’s Chocolate World – The Hershey’s store is situated in Times Square, near the TKTS’s booths. Whilst this is a particularly touristy thing to do, I felt it had to be done. It’s fairly priced and worth it to see the giant Hershey’s bars on offer. They also sell products that aren’t available yet over here. Plus, you get free chocolate when you visit.
Bloomingdale’s – The main Bloomingdale’s store wasn’t very central to where we were visiting, so we took a trip to the smaller of the two stores, situated in Soho. If you mention that you are a UK resident, they also waiver the New York City sales taxes, combined – I believe this is just under 9%. As I was purchasing Marc Jacobs sunglasses, this was a fantastic saving for me. I did visit the standalone Marc Jacobs store in Soho, however the range of sunglasses on offer was much bigger in Bloomingdale’s.
FAO Schwartz – This is the toy store that holds the giant piano that is featured in the film “Big”. I actually never made it upstairs to try out the piano, even though this was my reason for the visit, as I was too consumed in the sweet section of the store. This, in one word is breathtaking. They sell almost any American candy you can think of and also sell everything in gigantic sizes.
Bergdorf Goodman – Or “Bergdorfs” as it is more commonly known. This is directly opposite FAO Schwartz on Fifth Avenue and for me, was one of the main reasons I wanted to experience Fifth Avenue. We did have a booking for afternoon tea in here, but unfortunately due to attempting to squeeze lots in, we never made it. Although, we did return that evening and had a fun 45 minutes browsing in awe.
Saks Fifth Avenue – This was somewhere I just had to visit, basically to say I had been in! This is also situated on Fifth Avenue, it was well worth the visit for me, as I am shopping obsessed; but, if you are pressed for time, I wouldn’t say it’s that different to Bergdorfs, so maybe just stick to the one department store.
Dash – Yes, the Kardashian owned shop. This is also situated in Soho. Soho is a shoppers paradise and contains lots of quirky little boutiques, as well as your more mainstream stores such as Victorias Secret and Abercrombie. I’d read really bad reviews about Dash before coming here, and it almost put me off the visit entirely. I’m pleased to say I still took a trip inside. The store sells lots of Wildfox type clothing, which is very much my style; but these aren’t always the most moderately priced brands. Nevertheless, if people are on a budget there are lots of Dash themed products such as key rings and make-up bags which are very pretty and fairly priced. Ignore the reviews, I found the shop very spacious and the staff couldn’t have been more pleasant towards me.
The Disney Store – This is situated in the middle of Times Square, I was particularly excited about visiting this place. I recommend taking a step inside even if you have no intention of purchasing anything, as it really is an experience in itself.
Vosges – Another Soho find. This is a unique chocolate shop and the decor is stunning. That said, so is the chocolate. I purchased a box of caramel toffee, which turned out to be one of the nicest sweets I have ever eaten, and I have tried a lot of sweets and chocolate, and a bar of bacon flavoured chocolate. The bacon chocolate was absolutely a taste sensation, one that’s quite hard to describe. Whatever it was, it got me on the website looking at UK shipping charges to order some more!
Food
Shake Shack – I was quite keen to do the typical American burger and fries food visits on this trip and Shake Shack was one of the names that came up a lot in my research. To be honest, I wasn’t actually that hungry when we got here, due to having a huge breakfast (New York really is all about the food), but I forced myself to get a single burger and some cheese fries. I ate the lot. This was honestly the best burger I have ever had in my life. I’m aware that there is a Shake Shack in London and I am now extremely keen to visit and see if it lives up to the American expectations. I would really have liked to try a shake with my meal, being at “Shake’ Shack, but I honestly was just too full, so opted for a soft drink instead.
Ellens Stardust Diner – This is a great pre-broadway place to visit for dinner. It’s such a unique experience. All the staff members are looking to get parts on Broadway and therefore work here whilst waiting. The main meals we had were okay, but I wouldn’t say they were outstanding, although you really visit this place for the entertainment. The staff take turns singing well-known musical songs whilst you eat. I thouroughly enjoyed my visit, mainly for the entertainment. However the real star of the show was the chocolate “Wicked” cake I had for dessert. This cake was amazing, if you only order one thing in here – make it the Wicked cake.
Momofuku Milk Bar – I stumbled upon this place in Soho, but I was that impressed by it I had a look on the website when we got back to the hotel to identify other locations, turns out they are situated all over the city. I chose a cereal milk soft serve, with a crushed cornflake crust. Yes, this really is flavoured like the leftover milk from your cereal bowl, sounds strange… but it was so so good. I also purchased a pack of the “birthday truffles”. These are made from leftover bits of birthday cake and I can only describe them as having a cookie dough type taste. Albeit, they were that amazing I went back and purchased five more packets to bring home with me.
Southern Hospitality – This restaurant is owned by Justin Timberlake, we went on the recommendation of a friend. Great atmosphere, great food – with extremely adequate portions, and extremely boozy cocktails. I would really recommend coming here. As there was too much on the menu that I wanted to try, I made a meal of three different starters; tater tots, mashed potatoes and gravy and macaroni cheese. This place is situated in Hells Kitchen, an area that is very well-known for its variety of restaurants. I’d say if you’re a big food lover, you really do need to take a visit to Hells Kitchen.
Vynl – My friend and I were adamant that we wanted to try a real “New York style breakfast” by this we meant stacked pancakes and sugary waffles. We were recommended to try Vynl, another Hells Kitchen gem. The breakfast here was so good, we came twice. The portions were huge and the prices were very justifiable. Some items, such as the pancakes and French toast are only served on a weekend, however the waffles are served all week-long.
Magnolia Bakery – This bakery was often featured on Sex and the City. I went with the “blackout cake” and it didn’t disappoint. I got the cake to take out and almost everywhere I went, people were commenting when they saw the box saying how good the place was. I did get asked a few times if I’d gone for the red velvet cupcakes, so I think next time – I’d also want to try these. These stores are also situated all over the city and wouldn’t be hard to come by, we went to the one in the Rockefeller Center.
Maze by Gordon Ramsay – We wanted to make our final stay in New York extra special and so we made a booking at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant which is part of The London NYC, situated in the heart of the city. Honestly, I was rather disappointed with this place. I eat out a lot, I enjoy food and I’m happy to pay high prices for high-end food; but this I didn’t feel was worth the money. The menu was extremely limited and in my opinion, over priced for the quality of the food. I ordered a pre-dinner cocktail priced at $20, this had to be sent back to the bar as it had been made incorrectly; nonetheless this was done quickly and apologies were given, so I couldn’t fault the service. I chose the scallops for starter, which were adequate but not memorable and the butternut squash for main, this was a complete let down and lacked any real flavour. If I returned to New York again, I would probably save this kind of experience for London and instead stick to the unique food culture that New York has to offer.
I found that you can make New York as expensive, or as budget friendly as you’d like. Although, it does pay to be aware that it’s custom to tip everywhere you go in New York so I’d recommend budgeting for that. Everyone I spoke to in NYC seemed interested to know if it was my first time visiting the city, when I replied that yes, it was; they always replied with the same thing “you’ll be back”. As I mentioned before, I feel that it would be impossible to cover everything that this city has to offer in one trip and on that basis, they were probably right.
