Welcome to the Big Apple New York Travel Tips for First-Time Visitors

Whether you grew up in Times Square, or on the other side of the world, there’s a good chance that every time you step foot in New York City, it’s going to take your breath away. As one of the biggest, most exciting, and energetic places on the planet, the city that never sleeps is truly spectacular.

However, if it’s your first time visiting, then you may very well end up becoming overwhelmed. After all, there’s so much to take in and so much to go to. Luckily, we’ve got a handful of great New York travel tips to make sure that your vacation goes as smoothly as possible.

So if you plan on joining the sixty million people who visit NYC every year, then continue reading and we’ll walk you through everything you need to know!

1. Know the Neighborhoods

New York City is made up of dozens and dozens of neighborhoods. No, you don’t have to be familiar with all of them, or even most, before you visit. But you should know the main areas before you arrive.

First off, know that New York City is actually made up of five boroughs. These boroughs are:

• Manhattan
• Brooklyn
• The Bronx
• Queens
• Staten Island

Normally, when people say that they’re going to the city, they mean Manhattan, which is where Times Square, the Empire State Building, and Wall Street are.

Within each of these boroughs are many smaller neighborhoods. So once you figure out where you’ll be spending most of your time, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the surrounding neighborhoods.

2. Stay in a Convenient Area

Because New York City is so varied, so are the prices for hotels. So, what is the best hotel in New York? Ideally, you’ll be staying in a hotel that’s fairly close to where you plan to spend most of your time. However, this might not be possible if you plan on hanging around one of the more luxurious and pricey neighborhoods.

Thankfully, New York has an extensive metro system. However, if you plan on spending all of your time by Central Park, then it’s probably best to find a play in Manhattan to sleep as opposed to Queens or Brooklyn. This is going to save you on time and transportation costs.

3. Use Public Transportation

As we just stated, New York is famous for its public transportation system. For people who really want to see the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple, then you should definitely use the subway. Here, you’ll find high-level financial executives riding next to street artists and schoolchildren.

It’s truly a great way to experience the melting pot that is New York.

With that said, you definitely want to do your research in advance and have your subway map on you at all times. It can be easy the first few times to get on the wrong train and end up in a completely different borough.

Some other helpful subway tips are to always take a big backpack off your back when you enter a crowded train and always let people off the train before you step on.

And never step onto a train car that’s completely empty. At first, you might think you’ve struck gold but you’ll soon realize that there’s a reason no one else is in this car. Either the air conditioning is broken, there’s something gross in that car, or there’s some other issue.

4. Utilize Luggage Storage Services

Have you just arrived in New York and still have several hours before you can check-in? Are you about to leave the city but want to do some more activities before you head to the airport? Are you visiting in the summer and just can’t carry that heavy backpack around with you any longer?

If you’re lugging a lot of bags around New York and want to drop them off somewhere, then you should definitely consider using a luggage storage service.

There are luggage storage places in many of the most popular places in New York City. From John F. Kennedy Airport to Penn Station to the Museum of Modern Art, there’s bound to be somewhere where you can keep your bags.

5. Try the Local Food

If you’re a foodie, then New York may very well become your Mecca. You can find food from every culture and nationality in New York. But no matter what, you first have to make sure that you get yourself some authentic New York pizza and New York bagels, compliments of the city’s abundant Italian and Jewish culture.

You can even find quality slices of pizza for only one dollar in Manhattan!

You should also check out the food stands. Practically every corner in the city has a stand selling hot dogs, pretzels, hot nuts, and donuts.

And if you’re coming from outside of the United States, prepare to tip a lot. Generally, you should tip everywhere other than fast-food restaurants. 15% tips are the norm here.

Using These New York Travel Tips to Improve Your NYC Experience

New York is one of the greatest cities on Earth. You could live there for years and still uncover new treasures and experiences. But if you only plan on staying for a few weeks, or even just a few days, then it’s crucial that you follow the New York travel tips listed above. They’ll help make sure that you get the most out of what will hopefully be the first of many expeditions to NYC.

Are you looking for other helpful travel articles like this one? Then check out the rest of our blog today!