The Ultimate NYC Guide

I love New York. Always have, and always will. I’ve been very fortunate to have been to the Big Apple quite a few times over the last few years, and I feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the city and it’s offerings. Don’t be fooled, despite visiting numerous times, there are always new things to see and places to explore; that’s what makes New York so special. Hope you enjoy these recommendations, happy reading!

How To Get Around

I live in Winnipeg, and fortunately flights are actually pretty reasonable. I usually book on Cheap-O Air, Flighthub, or Expedia and can usually find a good connecting flight for under $450. I usually find that ride-sharing services are the easiest. Most recently, I used Lyft as I had conveniently received an email with 20% off all rides for the two weeks I was there. There’s a newer ride-sharing service called Via that I also used a few times that was very inexpensive; it essentially matches you with a vehicle going in your direction, however you do sometimes have to walk to them, versus Uber or Lyft where they pick you up at your location.With that being said, you can’t visit New York without taking an iconic yellow taxi. Unfortunately, the reality is that they’re more expensive and pricing can be unpredictable in traffic, but I would still recommend taking one for a true NYC experience!The subway is always super cheap and usually quite efficient, however, when I travel I like to be able to watch and experience everything going on around me which is why I prefer taking a car.

Where To Stay

My favourite area to stay is the Lower East Side (LES). The LES is a prime shopping, drinking and dining neighborhood, home to some of the coolest spots in the city. Most recently, I stayed at the Public Hotel which is perfectly placed in between the Lower East Side and Soho. The Public had great public spaces (it is after all their name!) and a few bars that were super cool. The rooms are a bit small, which is to be expected in New York, but they were stunning! I loved the hotel, and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the city.

Where To Shop

I think the real question here, is where NOT to shop! This city is home to the best department stores, tiny local shops, and everything in between. If you’re looking for higher end shopping, 5th Avenue is a must. I love walking through the department stores and seeing all of the beautiful things they’re showing for the season. My favourite places to shop are Soho or the Lower East Side. There’s essentially have every store you can think of, but it’s always fun to be able to walk around and explore the side streets and pop into some of the smaller local stores too.

What to Do

The High Line

Walking The High Line is one of my favourite things to do in NYC. It’s a former railroad that’s been converted to an elevated park that you can walk along; it’s a great way to see the city.

Broadway

Seeing Broadway musicals is one of the most essential New York experiences. Tickets can be pricy, so I recommend checking TKTS day of to see if you can get tickets at a lower cost.

Central Park

This one’s pretty self-explanatory! Central Park is a beautiful place to visit and is filled with acres of green space to explore; it’s a great place to visit if you’re getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of the city.

The Met

I actually visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art for the first time this year, and I loved it! They house some of the most famous art pieces, and always have amazing featured exhibits.

The Oculus and World Trade Center

The Oculus is the transportation hub for the World Trade Center. The building is amazing, and it’s actually a mall inside! The World Trade Center is amazing, and I would highly recommend spending an afternoon and visiting the 9/11 memorial as well.

The Whitney

The Whitney is a smaller modern art museum that is located in the meatpacking district. I’ve been a few times, and they always have really cool exhibits. I find that because it’s a smaller museum, it’s a bit less daunting than the MoMa (which is also amazing and I would recommend it as well!!).

Brooklyn Bridge

Walking over the Brooklyn bridge and exploring Brooklyn is a great addition to your trip if you have time! Brooklyn has quite a few up and coming neighborhoods, with a ton of different things to see. If you’re a foodie (like me!) you should definitely check out the restaurants in Williamsburg!

Where To Eat

Eating is one of my favourite parts about visiting a new place, and the food options in New York DO NOT disappoint! I have a ton of restaurants that I love, but here are a few of my favs! If you want more recommendations, shoot me a message and I can send you a longer list.

La Colombe

La Colombe is one of my favourite coffee shops in the city, and now there are quite a few locations! They have a drink called a Black and Tan which is a mix of their draft latte and cold brew, and it’s delicious!

Russ and Daughters Cafe

This might actually be my favourite restaurant in the city. They serve the most delicious smoked fish, with homemade bagels, potato pancakes, and all of the best Jewish deli food you could ever dream of. Hands down, a must if you’re visiting New York!

Roberta’s

So pizza is quite the thing in New York, and everyone is always out to find the best big slice. Everyone seems to have their favourite spot with the ‘best’ pizza, so I always have a tough time believing pizza recommendations. The pizza here was DELICIOUS and I would highly recommend it! Some might even say it’s the best in the city ;).

Balthazar

Balthazar is a traditional French restaurant that has delicious food. I love to come here for breakfast; their pastries are so delicious!!

Café Habana

Café Habana is located in NoLita and it’s a super cute Cuban-Mexican restaurant. Mexican style street corn has become a favourite of mine, and this is the best one I’ve ever had!

Via Carota

This Italian restaurant in the west village has some of the best pastas I’ve ever had! A lot of my favs were classic and simple dishes done extremely well. I probably could’ve eaten here every night of the trip.

Morimoto

I went to Morimoto, a super cool and modern Japanese restaurant, with one of my friends that lives in the city (shout-out to you Annabelle) and it was delicious! It was actually restaurant week when I was there, so we had a three course meal and I loved it.And there you have it! I tried to narrow this list down as much as possible, but as you can tell, I love so many things about this city so it was difficult. Thanks for reading! xx