New York City: Top Five Visiting Tips

My Five on Friday is a bit different this week! I got back from an amazing trip to New York City with my best friend and roommate Emily this past week. We planned this trip back in June and were able to get great flight deals because of how early we booked. Emily and I visited so many places in our short five day trip... Day One Post {here}, Day Two Post {here}, Day Three Post {here}, Day Four Post {here}, Day Five Post {here}. We definitely learned the city as we went, which is why I wanted to post my top five visiting tips! 

{one} Transportation is key in the city. My number one recommendation is public transportation! There is no need to spend money on cabs when it could be better spent eating out and going shopping. You can even ride the M60 bus from LaGuardia Airport to 125th Street and take the 6 train downtown to Grand Central at 42nd Street. I would definitely purchase the $30.00 weekly MetroCard because $2.50 fares add up quickly. 

The key for learning the subway is that DOWNtown is down towards the Financial District (numbers get lower) and UPtown is up towards Central Park and the Upper Eastside (numbers get higher). You'd think this makes perfect sense but sometimes you can't access both uptown and downtown from the same entrance so it is important to read what station you are going into before you swipe! 

We took the 6 train everyday, it takes you from the Upper Eastside to Grand Central where you can transfer to the S which is the Times Square shuttle or we would ride to 14th Street Union Square Station where you can transfer to trains to take you anywhere in lower Manhattan.

{two} Broadway tickets are a tricky business. Emily and I had our hearts set on seeing Wicked but it is a very popular show and it's tickets hardly ever are discounted. Broadway has an understated discount process that does not involve the long lines in Times Square at the TKTS red booth. A majority of the shows have something called Rush Tickets and some even have Student Rush Tickets. 

These tickets range from $20-$40 and are available in the morning when the ticket booths at each show's specific theater open. We were able to get $40 rush tickets to Annie! They generally reserve the first few rows for rush tickets so its not the best view but we were so wrapped up in the magic of the musical it didn't matter. Click {here} to see which shows have Rush Seats Available!

{three} Walking the Brooklyn Bridge was one of the standout memories from the trip. It was absolutely incredible. The views from the bridge are remarkable! We took the 4 train downtown from 14th Street Union Square Station and got off at Fulton Street. From there we transferred to the downtown A train and got off at High Street in Brooklyn. We walked down to the water and devoured a whole pizza {here}. If you have a day to give to Brooklyn definitely take the subway there, enjoy pizza, gawk at the waterfront views, and walk the iconic Bridge back to Manhattan.

{four} Restaurants are where we spent the majority of our money. We didn't go anywhere that would completely break the bank but an average low price meal in NYC still costs between $10 and $20. For breakfast we mosly ate breakfast bars we brought with us along with a Starbucks Coffee... they are on almost every block and they make you feel like you need one haha! Here are some of our favorite places:

Penelope

159 Lexington Ave New York, NY

We went to Penelope on our last night and it was by far our favorite! It is such a southern comfort food restaurant with great prices, atmosphere and food. The water is served in old milk jars, how cool is that?! {here}

The Little Cupcake Bakeshop

30 Prince St New York, NY

Whatever you do, EAT HERE. Emily and I shared an enormous piece of pumpkin spice cake with maple cream cheese icing... my mouth is watering just remembering it! The cakes and cupcakes are incredible, I wish we had made it here more than once to indulge. {here}

Chelsea Market

75 9th Ave New York, NY 

We went to the Chelsea Market twice during our trip. I have decided this market is where all good smelling things reside... IT SMELLS DELICIOUS! All of the fresh bread, pasta, spices, cheese and everything else mix beautifully together. It definitely makes actually picking one place to eat really difficult. Be sure not to miss the free samples from Rana {here} (I recommend the Spinach and Ricotta Girasoli with Butter, Parmigiano Reggiano and Fresh Baby Spinach) and Friedman's {here} also has HUGE sandwiches you can split and still fill up on. {here}

The Smith

55 3rd Ave, New York, NY ‎

Katie took us here for dinner one night, it is a delicious comfort food restaurant with a young, "hip" atmosphere. If the great food doesn't sell you they have a photo-booth downstairs, yep sold. {here}

Shake Shack

original location: Madison Square Park

Great burger/hotdog/milkshake place to grab a quick bite! {here}

Ignazio's

4 Water St Brooklyn, NY

Be sure to enjoy mouthwatering New York pizza with an incredible view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline. It is right on the water and there is an ice cream place right across the street!

McGee's Pub

240 W 55th St New York, NY

I am a HUGEE How I Met Your Mother fan, so visiting the pub that started it all was legend...wait for it...dary. It is a classic bar with great pub food and of course drafts. {here}

{five} Different neighborhoods other than the traditional NYC 42nd street area are where we spent most of our time. Don't get me wrong we still visited Times Square numerous times, walked Fifth Avenue's designer shops, and went to Rockefeller Center but we also explored so much more of New York City than I ever had before. 

We walked the streets of Greenwich Village, West Village, SoHo, Garment District and the Meat Packing District. The High Line is in Meat Packing District and it is a great stroll above the streets. It is an old railway that the city turned into an above ground park and trail along the Hudson River.

And if you have time on Sunday, you should MOST DEFINITELY head to Hillsong Church NYC {my post here}. They hold service at Irving Plaza which is right beside 14th Street Union Square Station at 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 5pm, 7pm, and 9pm!

Hope you enjoyed my top five tips for visiting NYC! Please feel free to ask any questions:)

New York City: Day Three

On our third day in the City, Katie {my friend we are staying with} walked us around West Village, Meat Packing District, Chelsea and SoHo. We took the 6 train downtown to 14th street Union Station and from there we walked to Washington Square Park.

This park is so beautiful and has been featured in many movies... It is surrounded by NYU's campus and it is where we saw the first glimpse of One World Trade Center.

West Village is a beautiful walk...There were so many dog boutiques that even had puppies for sale in the window!

The High Line is incredible and a must see if you visit lower Manhattan. It is an old railway that was recreated into an above ground park! It is a beautiful place to stroll on a pretty day.

Love these girls!

When we left the High Line we headed to Chelsea Market... Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures because I was to busy smelling all the INCREDIBLY amazing fresh food smells. They had fresh cheeses, breads, pasta, spices, cupcakes, seafood, donuts and the list could just go on and on.  After we left the market we headed to SoHo to do some shopping! Emily and I both had saved up for one expensive item on the trip... hers at Kate Spade and mine at Frye or Tory Burch.

The boots were all so gorgeous... it was a hard decision to walk away. C Wonder is also such a fun store, full of pink, green, gold and monograms... can't go wrong with that!

I ended up investing in a pair of black and gold Tory Burch flats! I decided they would be more worth while than another pair of boots:) and Emily purchased a beautiful gold bow ring from Kate Spade.

We celebrated with a HUGEE piece of pumpkin spice cake with maple cream cheese frosting {devoured it to quickly to take a picture}... hoping to visit the Little Cupcake Bakeshop again before we leave!

Katie took us to a delicious restaurant for dinner, The Smith. It was such a southern comfort food place... Em and I split fried green beans and a massive chicken pot pie. Also if that doesn't sell this place... they have a photo-booth downstairs... yep perfect restaurant.