Situated on a tiny island in the East Coast in the United States lies one of the world’s most colorful and liveliest cities in the world – New York City. Five boroughs occupy this island each with its own distinctiveness. From Staten Island to Manhattan, each and every borough is unique from one another.
However, when people think of New York, what they usually imagine is Manhattan. So you may ask why may that be? Well it is mainly because it houses many recognizable sites along with its famous districts like Wall Street to Chinatown to Greenwich Village. Whatever your taste may be, Manhattan has something to offer to everyone.
When I first arrived in the city, I was struck by the constant hustle and bustle of it. Everything was a buzz, people were always on the go and sometimes even shoving each other, and cars were speeding and constantly honking for no reason. I’m a city person myself however; Manhattan was nothing like from what I was used too. It was like as if this city was on steroids, constantly moving, and never taking a break.
If you’ve ever heard the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York (1977), in which the song goes “the city that never sleeps” – which is of course referring to New York City, and this statement can’t be denied as even at 4 in the morning, you’ll still see some sort of activity going on, people going to restaurants or coming back from bars or clubs. There’s just always something to do there.
With that being said, if you’re a first-timer in the city and you really don’t have anyone to show you around, the tendency of ending up doing nothing is so very high despite it being so busy. Frankly, it took me by surprise and left me stumped for a while because it was so busy! The thing is, sometimes it has the ability to overwhelm you with so many choices that eventually you end up doing nothing due to the confusion. I know right, talk about first world problems.
So below I’ve compiled a list of essentials where every newbie should try out when they decide to visit this vibrant city:
– Times Square & Hell’s Kitchen
Location: Midtown (West Side)
One of the most well known sites in New York City, Times Sq is a tourist heaven. From its flashy billboards to its plentiful souvenir shops to its famous Broadway musicals (Rest in Peace CATS). Street after street, avenue after avenue, there will always be a new shop or restaurant to try. If you walk and look around the area enough, you’ll definitely spot a few local characters there like Elmo or the Naked Cowboy.
– Grand Central Terminal
Location: 87 E 42nd St
This is the destination that acts as the center for the thousands of commuters each day, but it’s not just for that purpose only. If you look past the busy people that crowd this terminal and look up, you’ll notice the tiffany blue adorned vaulted ceilings with beautiful paintings on constellations on it, and in the middle of it all stands n opal clock at the information booth located at the Grand Concourse.
– Rockefeller Center
Location: 30 Rockefeller Plaza between 48th to 51st St between 5th and 6th Ave
Another tourist populated site in New York, this iconic building housrs the Bronzr Atlas statue as well as the Today show place in the middle of the ice skating rink (open during winter time due to obvious weather reasons). The lobby of the Rock alone is impressive enough with the stark black marble floor and wall tiles with gold accents. But one of the biggest highlight especially for myself is knowing that I’d be walking in the same halls as the past and present cast members of Saturday Night Live.
–The Empire State Building
Location: 350 5th Avenue between 33rd and 34th St
This iconic building was built in 1931 and stands tall at an impressive height at 1454 ft tall. It’s also one of the most famous landmarks in the city, and even in Hollywood where many films where many films/shows were shot on it (An Affair to Remember, Sleepless in Seattle, and Gossip Girl to name a few…). Its lobby was recently restored back in 09’ to its initial Art Deco design, and if you pay close attention to the final top three tiers of the building you’ll see it light up to nine colors at a time.
– Metropolitan Museum of Art
Location: 1000 5th Avenue near 82nd St
With 17 and counting curatorial collections that varies from different eras and cultural perspectives, this Manhattan establishment requires one to spend literally an entire day in it in order to cover at least a few of the museum’s collections. If you’re a history buff, anthropology enthusiast, or just a curious little thing in general, then you’ll relish in this museum’s extensive collection of costumes, photography, artifacts, weapons, and much, much more.
– Central Park
Location: From 59th to 110th St and 5th to Central Park West Ave
Situated in the middle of this concrete jungle lays 843-acres of greenery balancing different elements within the compound. From pastoral to formal to picturesque, this park attracts millions of people seeking to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city for a few hours. Catering to different needs during different seasons, there’s always something for everyone to do. From picnicking to people watching to catching free concerts (usually in summer), it’s oddly one of my favorite places in New York City.
– Chelsea Market
Location: 247 W 29th St between 7th and 8th Avenue
An enclosed but urban food court, this place offers everything hailing from different parts of the world. From wine to coffee, or pasta to cakes, everything is here. It’s essentially a “neighborhood market with a global perspective”. Apart from food, they also sell art, vintage/hand-made clothing, jewelry and many more unique items. Also, fun fact: The Food Network is located here as well.
– Flatiron Building
Location: 175 E 23rd St between 5th and Broadway Avenue
Built in 1902, this 21-storey building that used to stand tall in Midtown. However, its triangle shaped monolith is quintessential to modernism. This is probably the least friendly tourist spot in the city since it is quite tight to begin with to get around in general (forget about visiting to office break hours), but just the outside of the building alone is already magnificent enough to admire.
So how to get to all these places?
1) Walking: this city is laid out strategically (it’s East or West, Uptown or Downtown), so bust out your comfy walking shoes because you’ll be doing a lot of that!
2) Subway: don’t be intimidated by the complex routing system. The subway is actually pretty simple to understand, it’s either you’re going uptown or downtown. From there just follow the line color. Also, read up on the options available on Metrocards so that you don’t have to spend too much for commute.
3) Taxi: personally, the cab is my last resort due to the high cab fare rates. Avoid taking a cab during rush hours if you plan to save money on your trip, you can thank me later.
Lastly, don’t forget to enjoy the city and have fun!
*all of the recommended places above are based on previous experiences based on personal visits
Good luck!
Till then,
