5 things you need to know while planning your travels to New York

After my trip to New York with some extensive planning on my itinerary, I noticed some things that I wish I could rewind time and relive some moments or just planned my trip to explore the broader parts of New York. Whether it's a detailed, 11 day planned trip like me with your excel spreadsheets and notepads or a spontaneous trip for work or with friends, here are the things you need to know when you plan.

1. The most popular tourist attractions are within walking distance.

If you like to see the sights and lights and aren't in a rush, walking around New York is pretty ideal in comparison to the dull subway. If the Grand Central station, Chrysler building, Rockefeller Center, New York Public Library, Radio City, and Times Square is part of your itinerary, you could walk. If you're going during Christmas time, stop by Bryant Park for their famous Holiday Market. In addition to this, you can also take a trip to the United Nations headquarters if you're interested. So the ideal route is to either start from Times Square or end in Times square in a linear fashion to see most of these in a day.

Ideal routes:

Times Square > Radio City > Rockefeller > Bryant Park > NY Public Library > Grand Central Terminal > Chrysler Building > UN HQ (optional)

or for something more linear and no divergent routes:

Times Square > Bryant Park > NY Public Library > Grand Central Terminal > Chrysler Building

(Vice versa for both routes)

Grand Central Station interior

Grand Central Terminal Ext.

Times Square at night

Rockefeller Tree at an angle

You can see the crowd here

2. Do not go during Christmas or New Years Eve/Day

Going to New York in Winter is, after all, a dream goal, though it can only remain a dream unless you're rich or have more money to spare. Best not to go during the said dates or between them if you plan on staying long. There are other days for you to go during the season. The Rockefeller Christmas Tree gets propped up from December 4th and taken down on January 7th; go anytime but Christmas day or Christmas Eve. The crowds are insanely massive and almost immovable around the Christmas tree, especially in the area with the junction between Saks Fifth Avenue, where an outstanding light display gets held outside the main building. Times Square gets barricaded for about 10-15 blocks. The access in and out of their subway station during New Year's Eve gets blocked as well, so there are no shortcuts. The crowds are also insane as well as the line if you want to see the ball drop. Many locals advise to avoid checking it out at all costs, but my friends insist on going which was honestly a waste of time. The crowd was far too overwhelming that we could only see the ball drop by a giant screen. The heavens have blessed us to relocate elsewhere because it began to drizzle a few hours before the clock strikes at 12 am. Opt to go to Belvedere's Castle in Central Park to see the good old fireworks up close instead.

Most decent/fancy dining establishments and bars usually require advance booking, months in advance I assume if you wanna check it out since walk-ins aren't really acceptable on these festive days. Most tourist attractions and restaurants close on the day of or shorten their opening hours. At one point I wanted to go to Dolby SoHo during the day of New Years', but they shut their doors on the day of which sort of ruined my plans (and other factors that affected it).

Saks 5th Avenue light feature

R.I.P ball drop journey

Ball drop from giant screen

NYE Times Square crowd

Belvedere Castle @ Central Prk

Fireworks from Central Park

3. Do not limit your travels around Manhattan and Brooklyn.

I've read countless blogs stating this but I underestimated and overestimated the size of the city. I also realized that there's so much more stuff to see and indulge in especially food and specifically, Asian cuisine in Flushing, Queens, and Jersey City. Limiting myself to only the central city really wasted my time, I ended up going to the Grand Central Station and Times Square more than 5 times. Did you know you could gain access to this secret garden called the MET Cloisters if you purchase a ticket to the MET Museum? the MET Cloisters is a little far off from Midtown, but it's worth checking out during the Spring or Summer where the garden is in full bloom. I also stayed in Jersey City which wasn't too bad but I'd rather stay in Brooklyn or Queens because apparently the PATH station really spiked up our budget. If you're tight on time, stick to Manhattan and save up and come back to New York another time.

MET Cloisters

Somewhere behind MoMA

Check out the Lincoln Arts ctr

4. There's so much more than just going there in Winter

Chances you'll see snow in New York is rather unlikely unless you're either lucky or go sometime in early December or mid-January or later. Winter is also a time where most tourists would flock due to the long seasonal holidays around the world and it's also overhyped. This varies of course since I went up to the Top of the Rock and the Empire State observatory during Christmas day and eve, the crowds up there were just insane and the lines were very long, wasting a good chunk of our time. Summer, Spring, and Fall are great seasons to explore the outdoors like Central Park, it also makes walking around much more pleasant as there's no wind chill; Fall is apparently really beautiful there as the seasonal colors come in full bloom. Spring is great to explore Washington Square Park if you want to see Cherry Blossoms (though going to Washington DC is more ideal).

Washington Square Park

5. Plan your stay ahead.

If you're tight on a budget and time, do not stay in Jersey City or anywhere that requires a ride with the PATH station. The PATH station is a separate line where you're required to pay separately and has a different card pass. What you're looking for is the MTA station which is the main New York City Transit. It depends on how you plan your finances and stuff though, Airbnb's and motels/hotels can be rather pricier in areas that are closer to Manhattan in Brooklyn and Queens and they're obviously much cheaper in the outskirts, but they're at least connected to the MTA line.

PATH Station pass details

PATH stop in the WTC line

Since COVID-19 came by a few months after my 2019 Christmas trip there, things right now are probably much different. I believe the Rockefeller Tree is limiting crowds and letting in a number of people in on certain hours to see it real close. I could be wrong so best to check out the updates. My trip overall was rather marvelous still! The city that never sleeps was such an adventure and lessons are learned indeed. The city always has something to offer, be it something new to sightsee in every corner, in every alley my sense of exploration seems to tingle every time I leave my Airbnb. I'll definitely come back another time.

Let me know what was your experience like in New York or somewhere similar!