Our Trip to New York {The Basics}

Holy moly what a summer. I mean, I knew it was going to be busy but I had no idea just how crazy it would actually be. I have completely neglected the blog but I promise I have thought of you guys every single day. I knew awhile ago when I decided to not be so hard on myself when it came to my blogging schedule that times like this would happen, I just hate being too busy to blog. So hopefully now that things have calmed down (ok does that ever really happen?) I think I will be getting back on the bloggy track.

So, this summer we have been to Mississippi, Texas, Arizona, California, New Jersey, and NEW YORK! It’s been a busy summer for travel and the best trip of all was our anniversary trip to New York City. I’ve had several requests to share our tips and tricks from our trip and I can’t wait to share our trip with everyone.

OUR HOTEL:

First I’m going to start with where we stayed. We booked our hotel room at The Comfort Inn Chelsea. I will start off by saying this hotel is not overly fancy. We choose it because it is in a good location and the price was great for what we got. The hotel is pretty much located in the middle of lower Manhattan which made it super easy to get just about anywhere. The rooms aren’t huge and there are the basics….but it’s clean, they have free breakfasts, and the view is awesome!

Ok maybe it’s not the best view in the city….but in our opinion it was wonderful. We had a beautiful church outside our hotel and an awesome view of the Empire State Building. At night they light up the ESB in different colors that we got to enjoy every evening.

HOW WE GOT AROUND:

We purchased a week long Metrocard for $29 each. This is the most effective and affordable way to get around the city, minus walking everywhere but you’ll still be doing a ton of that. A one time use Metrocard costs $2.50, so if you plan to ride the subway a lot the week pass will really pay off. I brought a small pocket map of the subways with us to help us know which trains we needed to take to get somewhere. We also used the app Citymapper. It was a HUGE help and I highly suggest it. It will give you the quickest routes to anywhere you want to go in the city along with a much time it will take to get there.

TICKETS:

In my opinion it’s better to buy tickets to some of the attractions that you will want to attend before you go on your trip. In some cases it’s pretty much necessary to purchase tickets well in advance or they may be sold out.

If it’s your first time to visit the city chances are you will want to head to the top of the Empire State Building. It’s such an iconic place. We decided to purchase the Express Pass tickets that took us to the 86th and 102nd floors. I’ve been to the Empire State Building twice now but this was my hubbies first time. The express pass takes you past all of the lines of people waiting to get to the top. Granted you pay a little more, but in my opinion I would rather pay more and get on with our day. No matter the method of how you get to the top, it’s a pretty amazing view!

In my opinion visiting  the Statue of Liberty is a must. I’ve been to the island twice; once I went to the crown and on this visit we bought the pedestal access tickets. Either way it’s amazing to get up close to lady liberty. Going to the crown was definitely an amazing experience, but it’s not for anyone who is claustrophobic, has trouble with stairs, or tight spaces. No matter which tickets you decide on make sure you buy them in as much advance as you can. The crown tickets especially sell out in further advance.

We were lucky enough to have the 9/11 Museum open just before our visit to New York. The last time I was in NY (5 years ago) it was all just a huge construction zone. Now the Freedom Tower is standing tall, the memorial fountains are beautiful, and the museum is overwhelming. It was one of our top priorities to visit the museum while we were there so we purchased our tickets ahead of time. I’m not sure I can fully explain the emotions and feelings that we experienced going through the museum and memorial. I think everyone should experience it at some point.

When people think of New York one of the first things they may also think of is Broadway. We knew that seeing a Broadway show was absolutely a must do.  There are SO many amazing shows to see and honestly it’s a hard thing to try and decide on one. So we choose two. One show was my pick and one was my hubbies. Obviously some shows have been on Broadway for longer than others and some are more in demand that others, but I suggest buying your tickets ahead of time. That way you can guarantee you get in to the show you really want to see and get the seats you want as well.

Okay, those are the basics! I’ve gone over where we stayed, how we got around, and what we bought tickets ahead of time for. I am going to have two more posts sharing our daily activities and where we ate during our trip. I hope you find these tips and tricks helpful and that you may be able to enjoy an equally awesome trip to New York City!

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