I thought I’d start the series off with my most recent holiday, in November 2019 I visited New York with one of my closest friends for her birthday! The week was nothing short of amazing, we had such a blast and I can’t wait to visit the city again one day. It reminded me of London so much, it’s so cliché to say but it’s literally London on steroids! Everything is so fast paced, the buildings are huge and the people lol, think Londoners x10.

While in New York, I stayed in Central Manhattan opposite Madison Square Gardens as well as a bit further Downtown in Greenwich Village, not too far from Union Square Park. Manhattan is amazing, an island connected to the rest of New York by 21 bridges. It’s separated into different areas, like the Upper East Side (for all my Gossip Girl fans out there), Little Italy, Soho (yes Londoners, they have a Soho too!), East Harlem and Tribeca to name a few.

I didn’t just spend my time in Manhattan though, we travelled around and visited The Bronx, Brooklyn & Ellis Island where the Statue of Liberty is. Thankfully, my friend had family out there and I have a friend who I met while out in Thailand (there will be a Phuket travel guide coming!), so we had some locals to show us the low key non-tourist spots.

In terms of tourism, we purchased The New York Pass (Official New York Pass® | #1 All Inclusive Sightseeing Pass including Empire State Building) an all-inclusive sight-seeing pass which literally has everything you need and more! For a one off fixed price, you can visit pretty much all of New York’s best attractions. I would highly recommend; this saved us so much money and let us skip the queue in a lot of places.

So, let’s kick off this Top 10 Things You Have To Do When You Visit New York!

10. Take in the lights at Times Square

You absolutely cannot go to New York and not visit Times Square; if you thought Piccadilly Circus was impressive, wait until you see this. During the day, it’s busy full of street performers (naked guitar man is pretty famous), people trying to get to/from work and of course, tourists trying to get the best picture. It’s really impressive during the day and you can get some really cool pictures with the hustle and bustle in the background. At night time however, wow, the lights are amazing. It’s even more picturesque, if you manage to snap the perfect picture without the lights becoming distorted, you’re in the game! The ideal picture is really in the middle of the road haha, but please do not put yourself in danger just for the gram! It’s also not just a spot for pictures, there’s so many shops surrounding Times Square, including the famous huge Disney Store which you have to go into if you’re a Disney fan like we are. Make sure you get the best view of the square from the top of the stairs that are literally right in the middle, they’re red so you won’t miss them.

9. See Manhattan like a bird from Top Of The Roc

I know when everybody thinks of New York, you think of the Empire State Building and going to the top. Now, by all means do this, I did and the view was obviously amazing and after all, when in New York. BUT, the view from the top of the Rockefeller Building, now that’s a view!!! On one side, you get the most amazing view of Central Park, it’s so perfectly centred in the middle of Manhattan; it’s quite satisfying to look at actually. On a nice clear day (which I thankfully got on a cool November morning), the view is breathtaking. Then you walk around to the other side of the viewing tower and boom, the Empire State Building in all its glory in the middle of what can only be described as a concrete jungle. Surrounded by skyscrapers that all of a sudden look so much smaller than you and the water that surrounds this crazy little island, it’s definitely a view you need to see when you visit.

8. Try the Tacos at Los Tacos No.1

For all my foodies out there, I’ve got something for you! Thankfully the friend I went to New York with is a big foodie, she always find the cutest spots to fill our belly’s. When she said tacos to me, I was sold before she had to say anymore. Less than a 5 minute walk from Times Square, you will find Los Tacos No1. If you want some authentic Mexican tacos, this is the place to go. Started by 3 close friends and using traditional family recipes, they have created one of the most renowned taco joints in Manhattan. I ordered a grilled steak ($4.25) and grilled chicken taco ($3.95) and my mouth was bursting with flavour. You can even get yourself some horchata to sooth your mouth if the spice starts to get too much.

7. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge

This was such a fun experience, we walked a lot but it was worth it! We started off in Manhattan and done an extremely long walk through different areas (Little Italy, Chinatown, Columbus Park) so we could knock out some exploring too, then we headed to the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge itself is just over a mile long (about 2km) and it takes about 30 minutes to walk over IF you’re not stopping to take pictures, take in the views etc. You get an amazing view of the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. I’d recommend crossing the bridge about an hour before sunset, you want it to be dark when you’re in Brooklyn. Once you do get over the bridge, if you bear right you will end up in Brooklyn Heights. Now here you will find the Brooklyn Heights Promenade where you will now get to see the Manhattan skyline at night. You can sit on a bench by the water, clear your head and enjoy the views. If you explore that area (of course we did), you may find a park that’s situated a bit higher up than the promenade, which also has a great viewpoint.

View from Brooklyn Heights - play Power theme tune. — View from Brooklyn Heights - ***play Power theme tune***.

6. Whisper some secrets into the Whispering Walls at Grand Central Station

This was such a cool thing to do and it’s still weird how it worked! Tucked away in the beautiful Grand Central Station you’ll find the Whispering Gallery. The arches that create this gallery, are curved to the utmost perfection that any sound, even the softest whisper, can be heard from across the room. Here’s what you need to do! You and a friend need to stand in corner-to-corner spots in the gallery and turn to face the wall. As you begin whispering into the wall, the sound waves will travel along the arch to the corner your friend is standing in. They will hear your whisper clear as day, as if you’re standing right behind them. At one point, I actually had to look behind me to make sure my friend wasn’t actually there! While you’re in the station, don’t forget to take a look around, there are shops, cafes and some cute places to take pictures. Try to recreate some of your favourite movie/tv scenes which have taken place inside, think Serena van der Woodsen returns.

5. Grab a pizza slice from Joe’s Pizza

All over New York, you’re going to see pizza places: $1 pizza, $2 pizza, $2.50 pizza, you name it. But if you’re going to try any, head on down to Joe’s Pizza. There are 3 branches in Manhattan, with the original being in Greenwich Village and has been operating since 1975! Fun fact, it even featured in Spider Man 2, it was the pizza shop that Peter Parker worked in. For I think about $2/$3 a slice depending on your toppings, you’re getting a huge tasty slice of pizza! You can also add extra chilli, garlic and cheese which are just in shakers around the store for you to use at your disposal.

4. Take the classic tourist pic with the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO

Before going to New York, I saw so many pictures in this spot and I needed to track down where it was! If you head on down to Brooklyn and bear left after the bridge this time (take the stairs down which lead to Cadman Plaza East) you will find yourself in DUMBO. Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass or DUMBO is a cute neighbourhood by the water in Brooklyn. Where you really want to be is Washington Street. If you look down the street, you get such an iconic view of a classic New York street with brownstone houses on either side and right at the end you see the Manhattan Bridge. Beware though, as much as it looks like cars can’t come down this road because so many people are taking pictures, they can, so be careful! I had to run out of the road a few times haha.

3. Enjoy the nightlife

During my time in New York, I only went to an actual club once. On the same night we landed in JFK, we headed on down to Up&Down club in Greenwich Village for Fat Joe’s single release party. We bought tickets online ahead of time but ended up jumping the queue thanks for 2 girls we met in our Uber Pool! When in the club, can’t lie, the drinks were expensive. But we ended up getting on a promoter table & all was good after that! The club itself was fun, music was lit & the crowd was cool! Aside from that, we went out to a Shisha/Hookah bar for some cocktails another night, this place was in the East Village (my friend from NY took us, sorry I forgot the name!) and was Moroccan vibe, cute interior and strong cocktails. Prices here were actually pretty reasonable, I didn’t complain! As well as that, we enjoyed a night at TAO New York which I’d say if you can, you must try. The ambience, the venue, the drinks and the amazing food, all combined was an overall amazing dining experience. Just make sure you book in advance and you’re not late, otherwise you’ll be waiting a while and it can get pretty expensive at the bar!

2. Head down to Ray’s Candy Store for the best deep fried Oreos.

Guys, I haven’t been able to get these Oreos out of my head since the day they touched my lips. Ray’s Candy Store, located in the East Village (we went here after a few drinks at the shisha bar!), is a 24/7 deli which serves a mixture of food and sweet treats; but we were there for the sweet stuff! Owned by the much loved local “Ray”, the store has been around since 1974 and has had an interesting run since being open! It has become famous in NYC and definitely somewhere you must try if you want a little bit of New York culture. My friend recommended that we try their best selling deep fried Oreos and a vanilla egg cream (which is similar to a milkshake, but different), both were just what we needed after however many cocktails. But when I tell you, these Oreos were so special. The batter was sublime, the warm Oreo was just out of this world and the sprinkle of powdered sugar on top was just perfect. I’ve also been told their beignets and fried bananas are amazing! This place is even loved by some of our favs, both Kendall Jenner and Kim Kardashian West (accompanied by her Food God bestie Jonathan and LaLa) were spotted at Ray’s Candy Store on separate occasions last year! If it’s sweet treats that you like, another place to check out is Junior’s in Brooklyn. They do the best cheesecake. The cheesecake is so good, Diddy once made his band (during Making The Band days) walk from Manhattan all the way to Brooklyn just to get him a slice!

1. Bike ride through Central Park

We’ve come to the end of my list and my absolute favourite thing I did while I was in New York, bike riding through Central Park. With the NY Pass we bought, we were able to rent a bike from a store close to the park and off we went. We had such a long day beforehand that we ended up only having an hour on the bikes until the store was closing, but we weren’t going to let that stop us! The lady in the shop said it would take us 1.5hrs to cycle round the whole of Central Park... we managed to do 3/4 of the park in 45 minutes! I don’t know why it was the most simple thing like riding a bike in a park that I enjoyed most, but it really was just dreamy. The park itself is huge and beautiful, there’s a lake, a castle and so many little spots that you can take a rest. You might even bump into a horse & carriage on your ride. It genuinely just feels like you’re in your own movie, riding to the sound of your own theme tune while taking in the views that the park and the surrounding skyscrapers have to offer. I would definitely definitely definitely recommend.

Something that isn’t making the top 10 but is something I feel like I should mention, shopping! I didn’t find that the prices in their standard retail stores were much different from ours in the UK (especially because they add tax), but one thing I will say is they have outlets galore. We didn’t get to visit an outlet park, but one of my other good friends was in NY at the same time as me and she found some bargains! But you don’t need to go to an outlet park for good deals, all over the city they have outlet versions of their department stores. Nordstrom Rack was our favourite, their TK Maxx (which is TJ Maxx there) is also way better than ours in London.

New York is such an amazing city with so much to offer, I can’t wait to go back one day. There are so many other things we did/places we visited that didn’t make the top 10 but we’re still great nonetheless. If you do want a full list of what I did in New York, send us a DM on Instagram or email and I can send it over. If there’s anything you would’ve put in your top 10 that we didn’t, let us know!

The city that NEVER sleeps!

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