New York is one of the most iconic cities in the world, and even though I travel 100 days out of the year, I’d never been until recently.
I finally took my first trip to the Big Apple in November. As my plane landed, my headphones blared Taylor Swift‘s “Welcome to New York,” and I couldn’t have been more excited to see what was in store for me.
In the end, my four-day trip surprised me — in both good and bad ways.
Riding a hop-on, hop-off bus was a great way to start the trip.
I love riding a hop-on, hop-off bus on my first day in a new-to-me city.
In New York, the bus got me around town with ease since there were a dozen different stops along the route, including near Times Square, the Empire State Building, and Bryant Park.
I appreciated that I could get off as many times as I wanted so I could really take my time exploring.
My day ended with some incredible views of the bright NYC skyline from the bus windows.
I was pleasantly surprised by Bryant Park, which already had its holiday market going.
One of my favorite areas of the city to explore was Bryant Park, which is in Midtown Manhattan near the main branch of the New York Public Library.
The park’s annual holiday market was in full swing, reminding me of a Viking River Cruise I took last year around Europe’s best Christmas-market destinations.
There were dozens of small stalls selling goods from local vendors and restaurant pop-ups serving some of the most incredible holiday dishes.
I especially enjoyed my sandwich with bresaola, onions, gherkins, and raclette from the raclette-cheese stand.
The food scene in New York City lived up to the hype.
Everyone I talked to before my trip praised the food scene in New York City, so I tried everything from authentic bagels and dim sum to classic Italian food and Indian fusion.
Everything I ate and drank was incredible.
One of the best things I did in the city was a Hell’s Kitchen food tour. The neighborhood tour was led by an expert guide, and our small group of six got to try five dishes at five different restaurants.
My favorites were the Georgian cheese boat from the aptly named Cheeseboat restaurant and a chicken-tikka-masala taco from Taco Mahal.
Going to the top of the Rockefeller Center was one of the best parts of my trip.
I loved visiting Rockefeller Center.
From peeking through a window at Studio 1A to see the “Today” show filming to exploring the iconic FAO Schwarz toy store, it ended up being one of the best parts of my trip.
The pinnacle of my visit, however, was going to the top floor of the Rock for 360-degree views of the city — I could see everything from Central Park to One World Trade Center.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy Times Square one bit.
Every New Year’s Eve, I watch the ball drop in Times Square from the comfort of my home in my pajamas. Since it was my first time in New York City, I knew I wanted to finally see this part of the city for myself.
Once I got to the tourist destination, however, I was severely let down.
It wasn’t nearly as big as I expected it to be after seeing it on TV. With all the flashing billboards, shops, food carts, and knock-off mascot characters walking around, the area was also very overwhelming
Since I felt too overwhelmed by local public transit to use it, I found it difficult to get around the city.
Although New York City has a famously robust transit system, I didn’t end up using it.
I live in a part of Florida where public transit isn’t really a thing, so learning how to ride the local subway and bus lines — and figuring out which ones to take and where to get off — felt daunting.
Unfortunately, I quickly learned that rideshares and taxis cost a pretty penny and often take a long time to get from point A to point B because of the sheer amount of traffic in the city.
I didn’t mind walking to some neighborhoods if they were close to where I already was, but it wasn’t always convenient or easy.
Unfortunately, this limited the amount of exploring I could do, so I mainly spent my trip in and around Midtown.
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