THINGS TO DO IN NYC
Empire State Building, when crowds get smaller, they tend to head up to Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. If lunch time is getting closer, and you stomach is rumbling, grab lunch at Rockefeller Center or Grand Central Terminal, then cut across the bottom of Central Park and pop into Carnegie Hall. Check out the architecture around Columbus Circle and make you way down into Times Square, where you can take all your selfies making you friends jealous, while trying to figure out how much electricity this place generates every hour. Finish your day off with dinner and drinks at one of the Thai or Mexican restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen.
DOWNTOWN
Downtown is an area filled with landmarks and sites of interest to tourist. It is also considered to be the oldest in the city, which is taken for granted by many people. Take a moment to admire the old Dutch-style architecture which is around Stone Street, William Street and Wall Street. Make sure to pay your respects at the 9/11 Memorial. City Hall Park and the buildings found around it are also a fresh change from the skyscrapers which are stacked high somewhere else. A word of advice is that you should take your Statue of Liberty pictures from the Staten Island Ferry. This ferry is free for everyone to ride. Once you get to the Staten Island, you then get to check out “the Forgotten Borough”.
ABOVE 96TH STREET
New Yorkers will also tell you not to go above 96th street unless they live there, making this part of town one of the most legit and laid back. Parks namely Marcus Garvey Park are not as crowded, and restaurants like Rao’s and Patsy’s are considered to be restaurants which are very local and thy have been there for years, which make them top restaurants in New York. Some pretty dope exhibitions are put on by the Hispanic Society of America, and if you really want to get back into nature and develop an appreciation for what Manhattan used to be, Inwood Hill Park provides the oldest, most preserved piece of New York history in its forests, caves, and salt marsh.
WILLIAMSBURG AND BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN
A trip on the L train brings you to Hipster Promised Land which, at first, may feel a bit like a circus but checking out the cute jewellery from Catbird, or catching a snow at the Music Hall of Williamsburg can easily make you feel like you’re part of the city. Further out you will find Bushwick, which is Brooklyn’s quickly-growing “it” neighbourhood, and one in the midst of a cultural revolution. Before heading to Pearl’s Social and Billy Club, grab a Famous Original or a Bee Sting Pie from Roberta’s. If you’re feeling adventurous, get insulted by the salty barmaids at Boobie Trap.
ASTORIA, QUEENS
Venture into this part of Queens and get more of an easy going neighbourhood feel. The row houses make it feel sort of like your suburban hometown packed up and headed for the big city, but there is still a lot to do. Check out the Greek food at Stamatis, together with the Bohemian Beer Garden which offer beer and card games all day long. Enjoy also a number of films and cool movies memorabilia at the Museum of the Moving Image, together with breath-taking views of the skyline at the Socrates Sculpture Park. The places mentioned above are a few places to visit in New York for great food and entertainment.
THE WEST VILLAGE AND SOHO
This is what New Money in New York is all about. The cheapest thing you will afford here, if you are visiting New York on a shoestring budget is a cup of coffee at FIKA. Stepping into weird boutiques namely The Little House, or taking pictures at the Ghostbusters Firehouse are totally free. Make sure to check the Stonewall Inn, which is now an official Landmark in New York City, ice cream at Big Gay Ice Cream shop together with people watching in Washington Square Park. Make your way up to the Meatpacking District, and party on the rooftops of The Ganservoot hotels of The Standard.
THE EAST VILLAGE AND THE LES
From roach-infested, tenement-style apartments, to where all the rich artists now hang out, this part of town has seen a complete design-focused revolution. Try and work your way through crowds of college kids heading to the Crocodile Lounge and past the vintage shops to find Sake Bar Decibel which is a little Japanese Speakeasy which you will probably walk past the first time. Relax with the hipsters who will be chilling in Tompkins Square Park before finishing you day off at Mehanata, which may or may not feel like what Communist Bulgaria would be if hip-hop existed in 1970.