Top Ten Things to Do in New York City

1.Statue of Liberty

Visiting the Statue of Liberty is a must, seeing it on television or pictures of it really doesn’t it justice. It is humongous in person. You take a nice little ferry ride to the island that it sits on and if is open you can walk up the stairs to her crown and see the city. Fair warning though, there are a lot of stairs to climb 154 steps to be exact. Here is a fact for you, the Statue of Liberty’s has a waistline a 35 foot waistline.

2.Central Park

Central Park is beautiful especially during the fall, so definitely strap on your sneakers go for a stroll and grab a snack in the park. There are several tour companies that you can schedule to do a tour of the park with, some are even free. Check out the company Free Tours by Foot. I have done several tours with them and they just ask for a tip in exchange for payment.

3.Steak House

New York has so many great steak houses, while you are here you must treat yourself to a nice fancy dinner. Do your research and find ones that offers the sides that you prefer, most of the steakhouses are ala carte so don’t be surprised when the menu comes and everything is priced separately.

4.Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is a 102 story building located in Midtown, you can take an elevator to the top and view the city from the observation deck.

5.Subway

Since my first visit to NYC, I have moved here from Chicago and we have underground trains there but the NYC subway system just feels like a completely different type of system with so many more train options and routes. Make a plan to maneuver your way around the city for at least one day on the train.

6.Grand Central Station

This is one of the major train stations in the city and upon first look it’s just a large station with some stores and a food court, but they offer tours at the station and it has a very interesting history. You get to hear about its benefactors and learn the conditions of the subway trains and stations when they were first used and built. If you are interested in history, I think that this is a stop worth your time.

7.Plaza Hotel

Are you a fan of the character Eloise in the books and movies? If so, you will get a kick out of having afternoon tea at the Plaza Hotel. It costs approximately $55 per person and the dress requirements are business casual. Be sure to make a reservation to make sure you will be seated.

8.Yellow Cab

While we now have the convenience of Uber and Lyft, you must have the experience of hailing at least one Yellow Taxi.

9. 9/11 Memorial

The 9/11 Memorial is a memorial and museum observing the attacks that occurred on September 11th, 2011.

10.Times Square

I haven’t been anywhere before that is like Time Square at night. It is completely lit up from the electronic billboards and buildings. It is always packed with people and street vendors selling roasted nuts and custom pictures. Definitely have one of the street artists create a souvenir for you in form of drawing your name and drawing a cartoon caricature of you.

These are just a few of things that I think are must do when visiting NYC but there is so much more to do. I didn’t even mention going to Tiffany’s or Wall street. What are some of the things that you did on your first visit to New York City?