Visiting New York City

Are you thinking about visiting New York City in the near future ?

Some ask when is the best time to visit New York and that will depend a lot on you - your preferences to what weather you like .

Some love going at winter time to see New York in the snow to see the special decorations as well as go iceskating in Central Park while a lot of people feel the only time to visit is during warmer weather so work out when a visit to New York suits you and your budget.

I spent an enjoyable fast paced few days in New York with my daughter and we really enjoyed our experience from walking up the narrow stairs of the Statue of Liberty - taking the free ferry to Staten Island , buying a New York Hotdog to strolling through part of Central Park.

One thing you will notice about New York as you are strolling along or while you are looking at the map below is the street names in New York.We found it fascinating at the way the streets are numbered rather than names like we are used to !

Before you leave home check to see if you need a visa to enter the USA if you are not from there .

Check for New York passes- travel passes to save money for other activities such as New York City Pass or the Explorer Pass.

Watch out for free movies and free concerts in the city !

Be aware of the diference in power plugs for electrical goods . You will most likely need a converter for your laptop / mobile phone etc.

Be aware of your surroundings and belongings especially at night .

If you are a smoker be aware of the public places you are unable to smoke in.

Make sure you have travel insurance to cover you for anything that might happen while on holiday.

There are plenty of flights in and out of New York so watch out for special deals .

My daughter and I flew in to Newark airport and found it very easy & peaceful getting thru and out of the airport and to our accommodation .

The bus and taxi service was easy to locate and we were soon at our accommodation unpacking for our stay.

There is a lot of choice in accommodation however we chose to stay at a youth hostel so we had more money to spend on explring New York as we love sightseeing .

It does pay to book ahead so you can have the accomodation to suit your budget needs from a youth hostel up to a 4 star hotel .

We walked around New York a lot as everything was so close to our accomodation . We also enjoyed using the the subway to reach places further away like the Statue of Liberty.

Our highlights were

Statue of Liberty

Empire State Building

Staten Island

Central Park

Times Square

Wall Street

And shopping everywhere !

As our stay was only for 3 days there is so much that we missed out on and sadly the twin towers was one place we didnt get to see .

Next time I am in New York I will visit Ground Zero as we were shocked and saddened at the loss of life on 9/11 .

There are shops in New York to suit all budgets however a visit to New York it is well worth having a wander through Bloomingdale's just out of curiosity !

As well as your souvineer stores- clothing etc be sure to visit the Lego Store !

However if you are after a bargain then The Bronx’s Little Italy is worth the trip. Pasta, sausage, bread, cheese, fresh fruits and vegetables—the food here is delicious and at a good price . There are other products for sale as well.

Dining out in New York would have to be one of the most amazing places to try pick out a restaurant with such amazing choices on hand .

Being such a multicultural city you could spend months dining out here and still not get to try all that is on offer .

From Greek - Australian ! - French - Scandinavian - Russian - Austrian and many more - even American there has to be something here to appeal to every tastebud !

Make sure you try a variety of restaurants while you are on holiday in New York City.