8 mistakes I made visiting New York City: what I WISH I had known!

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I spent a long weekend in New York, and while you are there you can definitely feel that “New York magic.” The yellow taxis, skyscrapers, different boroughs, and the overall energy makes New York feel like more than just another big city. While I did enjoy my trip, I made mistakes visiting New York that caused not-so-enjoyable moments. To help you out, here are the 8 mistakes I made visiting New York, and what I WISH I had known before going.

1. Can’t see everything

You’ve probably already heard this (I know I did before going) but you can’t see everything in one trip.  You just can’t.  New York is massive. You could live there your whole life and still not see everything.

Before I went on my trip, I wrote down all the places I wanted to see, and things I wanted to do.  But getting to each location took more time than planned, and visiting each place took A LOT longer than planned.  My original itinerary was so full compared to what we actually did, simply because we ran out of time.

Learn from my mistake:  When you go to New York, don’t try and jam everything into one visit, because you will end up feeling rushed.  Give yourself a lot of extra free time.  My sample itinerary of what you can do (realistically) in four days is here.

 

2. You will need to wait in lines to see popular attractions

Depending on where and when you go, you will run into lines. We went to the “Top of the Rock” at around 5pm expecting to be able to go up right away, but they told us to come back at 7pm.  When we came back at our starting time, we still had to wait in a line to go up. Once we got to the top, it was probably closer to 8pm, which was a lot longer than originally planned (and I didn’t get those sunset photos I had planned…oh well!). When we finally got to the top, it was a lot more relaxed and didn’t feel busy. The views of New York, even at night, were really beautiful.

 

3.  Don’t walk everywhere

There are all sorts of ways to explore New York:  walking, taxis, subway, Uber, and the Hop on / off bus (to name a few).  While we were there, we  ONLY walked!  By the end of the day our feet were killing us, and we were pretty tired.

Learn from my mistake: If I were to go back to New York, I would take advantage of Ubers, taxis, a bus, or the subway.  It will save time, and your feet!

 

4. Use offline maps 

Before I went to New York, I thought I could depend on wifi.  This was one of my mistakes visiting New York City.  Wifi was sometimes really hard to find.  Before going, make sure you either get a SIM card so that you can use data, or download an offline map of New York on GoogleMaps so that you can still navigate your way around the city.   

If there’s an area or restaurant you want to go to, make sure to save the location on your map so that you can find your way there.  

 

5. Have Reliable Airport Transportation

When we arrived in New York, we landed at JFK airport and at the last minute decided to take the subway to our apartment. It was actually pretty easy and saved ~ a lot ~ of money.  To learn about the different options and instructions on how to get from the airport to your hotel, Check out this really helpful post here.

However, one of the biggest mistakes visiting New York City (that I made) was getting back to the Airport from New York. 

First, it was hard to find an available taxi.  When we finally saw one that was free (the light on top of the taxi was on which meant is was available), I raised my hand the air and it pulled over for us. Success!! Or so I thought. We sat in the cab, and while we were in the taxi I told him we would like to go to Airport. Well, he refused. He probably wasn’t allowed to do this, since we were already sitting in the cab, but we got out and tried to find another way there.

We ended up taking the subway to get to airport.  If I were to go back to New York I wouldn’t do it again. Construction was happening on one of lines, which changed the routes and made it more complicated. Luckily, there were a few helpful people on the Subway that told us where to go!  We also had to do a transfer in a really sketchy area and it didn’t feel safe there at ALL (there was a person there walking around literally screaming at everyone at the top of their lungs).  If I was a solo female traveler in New York, I would have been even more scared during this situation.

Learn from my mistake:  Long story short, if I were to go back to New York I would book a taxi, car service or Uber in advance so that I knew I had a reliable (and SAFE!) way back to the airport.

 

6. Bathrooms are hard to find

If you find a bathroom, use it! There were so many times where I would be walking for ages just so I could find a bathroom.

 

7. Don’t stand out as a tourist

It can be easy to stand out as a tourist, whether it be by taking photos or just looking at the tall buildings.  For whatever reason, they just know.  I think I know why a lot of locals wear headphones!  Sticking out as a tourist can cause people to approach you on the street.  This happened to me by the Empire State Building and at Central Park. 

To prevent them from approaching, avoid eye contact with them, look confident, and walk quickly with a purpose.  If they approach you just say a firm no and keep on walking.

 

8. Don’t Stay In Times Square

Before the trip, I thought I had to stay close to Times Square so that I would be safe (since it’s busy, surely no one would rob me, right?!). I wanted to stay right IN Times Square, but the hotels were way too expensive for my budget. and I am SO glad we didn’t.

We stayed in an apartment in the Hells Kitchen District. This was still located pretty close to Times Square (because that meant I wouldn’t get robbed, right?!), but it was more local. It was lovely. On almost every corner there were flower shops, tons of restaurants, and it wasn’t overwhelming busy (but still felt safe).

To get back to our apartment each evening, we happened to walk through Times Square. The first night it was planned, but after that it just seemed to happen by chance. On the second night it was annoying to walk through, and by the third night we avoided it altogether.

As a tourist, Times Square is great to experience, take pictures, and see the performers on the street. But that’s about it.  The lines for the restaurants are out the door, and the shops are extremely crowded. I couldn’t imagine fighting through the crowds every night to get back to my hotel.

It’s so much nicer to stay (and eat!) in a more local area. And it doesn’t even have to be close to Times Square to feel safe.

 

 

 

Would I go back to New York?

The opportunity to explore someone new, sometimes only happens once.  My trip to New York was a great learning experience.  The mistakes visiting New York  helped me with planning my future trips, and how to make the most of them.

I would love to go back to New York, but next time I’d do it differently.  I won’t feel like I HAVE to do all of the main tourist attractions, so that I can experience and enjoy New York’s local hangouts.

Have you traveled to New York before?  I would love to know what your experience was like, and if there’s anything you wish you would have known before you went.

 

 

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