New York City Travel Tips For New Travelers

So you’re visiting New York City? Nervous about your first time being in the Big Apple? Well, it’s a good thing you stumbled on this article because today I am going to tell you the most important travel tips you need to know before visiting New York City!

Yep, that’s right, so wipe your worries away knowing these tips come from a local New Yorker with a mission of helping you experience the best of NYC (without looking like a tourist)! And even if you still look a little bit like a tourist, that’s totally ok!

1. Get Familiar With The Neighborhoods: New York City Travel Tips

Both in population and sheer geographic size, the city is absolutely massive. Learn about the boroughs and neighborhoods you are visiting before you arrive.

The Five Boroughs Are:

Queens
Brooklyn
The Bronx
Manhattan
Staten Island

Every area has its charms and there are countless neighborhoods in each one. Far too many people spend their whole trip to Manhattan.

While it’s a fab spot, it is not the whole picture. As you are creating a list of things you want to do, separate them by borough then plan your days to minimize commute time.

2. Don’t Be Afraid of Public Transportation: New York City Travel Tips

Taking the subway in New York is a cultural experience. In fact, it is one of my top things to do in NYC if you want to get a sense of the heart of the city.

While it might not be the most comfortable way to get around (especially in the summertime), it’s a melting pot of people.

Everyone uses the subway, and there are even live performances at some of the stations. You will never forget your commutes!

The subway is a major timesaver (hello, NYC traffic) but it’s not a magic portal. You can spend ages on the train if you are traveling to far-flung spots.

3. Flights: New York City Travel Tips

Already being on the East Coast (of Canada, mind you) it helps when it came time to fly (crossing many time zones gets more expensive).

Scoured flight sales like it was your job and you will finally settled on open-jaw return flights.

4. NYC Is Best Navigated By Public Transportation

If you didn’t know, now you know the best way to get around NYC is by good ol’ fashioned public transportation! Traffic in NYC is insane, I kid you not.

You can be stuck at the same traffic light for over 10 minutes and driving through Times Square…kill me!

I think it goes without saying that if you’re going to Manhattan, you can probably do without a Car Rental, unless you have a death wish or are a thrill seeker.

Arrange a pick-up from Newark airport from the place you are staying for, lets say $25.00. All you do is simply ask. You also save money by taking the subway or cabbing it when the distance is too far to walk.

You will also manage to score a sweet limo ride for the same rate as a cab. Cab drivers, although they have rates and regulations to abide by, you shall be more than willing to negotiate flat rates with them.

5. Don’t Rent A Car: New York City Travel Tips

This brings me to number 2 of my NYC travel tips, DO NOT rent a car in New York City! As I mentioned before, the traffic in NYC is horrible, there is nowhere to park, and if you find a garage, it’s super expensive! Also, drivers in the city are crazy!

Additionally, because NYC traffic is so bad, you can usually get to your destination faster by walking or taking the subway.

Besides Google Maps app, you can also use Citymapper for the subway.

6. Avoid Tourist Traps

I’m sure you’re saying to yourself, well obviously I know to avoid tourist traps, but what are they! Some of the most common tourist traps in NYC are people trying to sell you anything on the street.

Whether it be tickets to a comedy show to see Kevin Hart for $10 bucks, “Real” Lous Vuitton bags for $20, free entry to places, it’s likely a scam.

The bags are never real and the tickets are usually fake.

Walking through Times Square and they pull you in for a picture? I can promise you it’s not out of the goodness of their hearts. After the photo, they will harass you for a tip. Just tell randos walking up to you on the street No Thanks!

7. Find a Hotel in a Convenient Area: New York City Travel Tips

Of course, you will save some cash if you book a hotel on the outskirts of the city but it’s just not worth it.

If you are only in town for a few days or a week, you don’t want your time to be eaten up by getting into the city.

Your trip will be much more enjoyable as well if you can stop by the hotel to relax and changes clothes anytime.

You will likely do a lot of walking, so there’s a good chance you’ll want to refresh before going out for the night. Make it easy on yourself!

If you are really trying to keep costs low, downgrade the hotel rather than the location! A cute hostel in the middle of the action is much better than a luxe place in New Jersey.

8. Lodging

This is the area you will save the Most Money. With the power of Google you will be able to rent an apartment for a week (6 nights, 7 days) for $900.00 total.

That’s $150.00/night divided by two couples if in case.

You might have a renovated two bedroom apartment on the upper East Side with full Kitchen/Bathroom/Living Room/TV/Internet.

Given that you have a kitchen you will save a ton on food as well because you will buy a few groceries, eat breakfast every morning and have snacks with you when touring the city.

Also save because Internet/Tv is included, something a lot of midtown Apartments / Hotels will charge a fee for. You will be two blocks from the subway or a $10.00 cab ride into Times Square.

It is also really nice because as much as you love the beat of the city, it is nice to get away from the noise at the end of the day and retire to our little home for the week.

It is through this apartment rental that the owner will arrange to pick you up from the airport for $25.00.

When Renting Apartments Online, make sure they’re a legit organization before sending any deposits and if you get a bad feeling- go with your gut!

9. Real New Yorkers Don’t Wait for Walk Signs

I love taking people to NYC and crossing the street. The usual reaction is OMG what are you doing?! But in NYC, we cross the street at the intersection when no cars are coming no matter what color the light is.

Also, New Yorkers stand a few feet in the street while waiting for the cars to finish passing. No, we don’t have a death wish, we clearly just have no patience!

If you do wait for the walk sign and stand on the sidewalk while waiting, New Yorkers will immediately know you are a likely a tourist.

Of course, if you don’t feel safe, its totally fine to just wait for the walk sign. I would never want anything bad to happen to you!

10. Tipping is Important: New York City Travel Tips

As a girl who was a waitress in NYC trying to pay my way through college, I can’t stress this enough. And I know this can be annoying but, unfortunately, business owners refuse to pay restaurant workers a normal living wage, therefore they have to live off tips.

Traveling through Europe and Asia where there is basically no tipping, it’s a huge change.

Tipping is generally 15-20% of the bill. If the tip was already included, it will say so on the recipe!

11. Sightseeing/Events

The weeks leading up to the trip you get together and make lists of ”Must-See Places” as well as other ”Would Be Nice To See” lists.

Given that you will travel With Like-Minded people we agreed on all points for our must-do’s making it much easier.

You end up buying a ”GO NYC city pass” which is basically a card that gains you entrance to many tourist attractions for one low price.

Had you previously purchased one for a trip to Boston and was happy with it? Check their site out to get a better idea (note: there is no Affiliation here, You just think it’s a great product!). Right!

Use Stub hub for sporting events (NFL and NHL games) and saved a ton of money vs. using direct ticket sales.

If you’ve never been to NYC, you may not know that you can get discounted Broadway tickets in the center of times square at a kiosk, you may have to wait in line for a while but the shows are often 40-60% off!

You also got a discount on seeing the Rockettes Christmas Special by signing up for their e-mail newsletter and being one of the first people to buy tickets to their season opener.

12. See Times Square, but Don’t eat in Times Square

As a first-timer in the Big Apple, Times Square is a must-see, but do not, I repeat DO NOT eat in Times Square!

It’s over-priced for subpar food! Think about restaurants in your hometown city. The biggest tourist attractions tend to have meh food.

There can be some exclusions like Carmines, but overall, I’d choose to eat elsewhere.

13. Beware of Buses, Cabs and the Bike Path

Add buses, Cabs, and bikes to your growing list of New York City travel tips! When I say beware of buses, taxis, or even bikes it might not be what you think!

These people are like drunk drivers swerving down the street! I can’t even count how many times I’ve almost seen accidents with their crazy driving! And you best watch out for that bike path because they will run you over!

14. Pizza, Bagels and Egg Sandwiches are Life

Now that I’m incredibly hungry you should know that Pizza, Bagels, and Egg Sandwiches are like a religion for us New Yorkers!

As a first-timer in New York City, it is important for you to not leave NYC without having these necessities!

Pizza is generally sold by the slice and there are so many different slices to choose from!

OH, and if you don’t want people staring at you like you are an alien, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, eat your pizza with a fork and knife! Just sayin.

Pizza is meant to be folded down the middle if it’s a triangle slice. If it’s a square slice just hold it in your hands!

Also, we call a cheese slice a plain or regular slice in New York (but they’ll understand if you say cheese).

When it comes to bagels, you won’t find any better than in New York! Enjoy a big giant fluffy bagel with loads of different cream cheese spreads or have an egg sandwich! The secret to NY bagels is actually our soft water.

The most popular egg sandwich is a bacon, egg, and cheese (BEC), however for my vegetarians, I usually get egg white, spinach, and mozzarella cheese. My favorite bagel place in NYC is Brooklyn Bagels in Chelsea.

Some Pizza Spots are:

Joes Pizza – One of the Best
2 Bros (super cheap) – if you’re on a budget
L&B Spumoni Gardens – if you’re in Brooklyn
Ignacio’s – if you crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. They have really good personal pies

15. New Yorkers Aren’t Really Rude: New York City Travel Tips

Hear me out! For some reason, New York has this image of being full of rude people, but that’s really not the case!

If you were to ask for help from a “stable” looking human on the streets, most people will be more than happy to help you!

In general New Yorkers are just in a rush, overworked, and stressed. Kinda sad right? Also with so many people crowded in the city, it’s just easier to not make eye contact with people.

New Yorkers do have some pet-peeves that could bring some rudeness out, but as long as you know these New York City travel tips, you shouldn’t run into any trouble!

16. Finding Bathrooms Can Be Difficult if You’re Not a Customer

If you are in need of a bathroom, it’s best to use one at the next restaurant you eat at. Most places will not allow you to use the bathroom unless you are a customer.

However, some free places you can find bathrooms are at Starbucks and at Penn station in the Long Island Railroad terminal or New Jersey Amtrak. They may not be the cleanest, but when ya gotta go, ya gotta go!

I’ve also heard others recommend just walking into a hotel like you own the place and they likely won’t question you, but I’ve never tried this one!

17. Use Bank ATM’s: New York City Travel Tips

Want identity theft? I think not! Therefore, it’s safest to withdraw money from a bank ATM.

Some of the most common banks you will see around New York City are Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, TD, and Capital One.

Just avoid those random ATMs in the back of a shack of a store! While we are on the subject, credit cards are widely accepted around NYC. It is pretty rare to not have a credit card option in the city.

18. Food

As previously mentioned you save a great deal by eating every breakfast in our little apartment. Along with the GoNYC city pass, we were offered discounts to a few restuants which you will use any time we could.

Also have the famous NYC ”street meat”, a great cheap (not-so-calorie-friendly) lunch.

There are a few places will be not willing to compromise including a trip to the famous Lombardi’s Pizza in Little Italy, a MUST stop if you go to NYC (America’s first pizzeria).

Although you do plan a few nice dinners out, you save money by going to some of the more expensive places for lunch rather than supper.

It is a great trip and you can’t wait to go back! This time you need to convince you collogue to see the Bodies exhibit with you though.

19. Don’t Eat at Chain Restaurants: New York City Travel Tips

This brings me to my next point, avoid eating at a chain restaurant (unless it’s Eataly or a famous 5-star restaurant)!

NYC is known to be a culinary gem with tons of amazing places to eat that are NOT Red Lobster, Fridays, Olive Garden, or Planet Hollywood.

Also if you do plan to eat at a nice restaurant, remember to make a reservation!

Some top restaurants to eat at in NYC include:

Catch NYC
Chelsea Market
Carbone (Italian)
Katz’s Delicatessen: Classic Jewish Deli
Stone Street – Nice during summer days
Pietro Nolita: Italian and Instagrammable
Old Homestead Steakhouse in Meatpacking
Tutto il Giorno: Italian in Meatpacking District
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse – Nice during the holidays
Peter Lugers: AMAZING and Famous Steak House in Williamsburg (Only accept cash).

When choosing a place to eat, also make sure to look for an “A” rating in the window. This “A” rating means that the board of health believes this is a clean establishment!

20. Try the Local Food: New York City Travel Tips

NYC is worth it for the food alone! You could literally eat every meal in the city for a year and never have the same thing twice.

It’s impossible to narrow it down to my fave local food, but pizza and bagels are a must-eat while you are in NYC. You will hear so many different recommendations for the best bagels and pizza in town. My recommendation? Try them all!

Places like Joe’s Pizza, Di Fara Pizza, and B Side Pizza are local institutions while H&H Midtown Bagels is another staple. And all over town, there are places where people will gladly stand for an hour to pay $5 for a slice of pizza—and it’s completely worth it!

Markets: Another thing I love to do in any city is sample my way around local markets. Gansevoort Market (they’ve been going since 1884 and having amazing pizza and ice cream) and Chelsea Market are two essential stops for any foodies.

Hot Dogs & Pretzels: Just about every street in New York has a stand selling hot dogs and pretzels. They are the perfect greasy treat to keep you powered as you roam the city. If you are looking to go all out, Katz Deli has been serving up some of NYC’s fave hot dogs for more than 100 years.

Italian: New York City cuisine was heavily influenced by Italian immigrants and they’ve left an indelible mark. To try some of the best American Italian dishes, check out Briciola.

Tip- If you are coming from outside of the US, prepare to tip everywhere except fast-food restaurants. Generally speaking, if someone comes to your table, they are expecting you to leave 15% as a tip.

22. NYC is Dirty

I hate to say it but it’s true. NYC is dirrrtyyy! You will never catch me touching anything without a bottle of Purell! I’d avoid touching rails, especially in the subway!

Also, don’t be surprised if some streets smell like total garbage. Sorry guys, but this is just the reality of a big city.

23. Sidewalks Have Their Own Traffic Rules

So as I just mentioned before, New Yorkers tend to be in a rush and the city is crowded, therefore, sidewalks need to run optimally!

Firstly, never, never, ever just stop walking if you are on a busy sidewalk! You would basically be like a car, blocking all the traffic for no reason. If you must stop, find a place off to the side or up against a wall.

Also, you will realize the sidewalks will have 2 lanes of people traffic. Make sure you stay on your right side, and if you are not walking fast, make that all the way to the right!

If you are in a big group, do not take up the whole sidewalk by lining up next to each other.

When walking the streets of NYC, just strut confidently down the sidewalk and you will blend right in!

24. Avoid Empty Subway Cars: New York City Travel Tips

Picture this, you swipe your metro card, wait at the platform, and see this empty subway car pulling up. You think YES, now I don’t have to bump shoulders with strangers!

But what you actually get is a car with no air-conditioner, smells of a dirty locker room mixed with urine, and has what appears to be an unstable individual.

Now you know why you need to avoid empty Subway Cars! Is this always the case, NO, but its always best to just follow the crowd in this instance!

25. To Lady Travelers – Don’t be Surprised if you’re Cat Called

To all Ladies! Unfortunately, men in NYC think its totally ok to whistle, call you names and try and stop you to talk and it’s totally not ok, however, I haven’t figured out a way to stop it.

Simply put you Stunna Shades on and walk by like Don’t have a care in the world and Can’t hear what anyone says!

If you are walking by a construction site, it’s way more likely to happen.

26. Learn Your NYC Street Terminology: New York City Travel Tips

You can’t visit New York City without knowing some NYC slang and how to not get looked at with 100 heads.

How New Yorkers Give an Address

When New Yorkers give an address, generally give the cross streets instead of a full address unless its a super popular destination like Times Square or Rockefeller Center.

So for example, if at the Fashion Institue of Technology they would say I’m on 7th and 27th street or I’m on 27th between 7th and 8th ave. Once you look at a map, it will make more sense!

New York City is called “the City”!

Another one of favorite New York City travel tips is when people ask you where you are, you say the City!

We don’t call “the City” NYC or Manhattan, just plain and simply the City!

Learn the Way the Streets Run

The City basically runs on a grid North and South and East to West. There aren’t many curving streets.

Also, just about every street and avenue are one-way streets. They switch directions every other street/avenue mostly.

For the most part, it’s all numerically numbered. The further up you go, the higher the numbers. The further down you go, the lower the numbers until you get downtown and it turns into street names.

On the West Side, the Avenues will be the highest, and going towards the East the Avenue numbers will go down.

East Side, West Side Uptown, Downtown

Speaking of navigation, there’s the Westside, Eastside, and Downtown or Uptown.

There’s no North and South when explaining where you are or going. For some reason, we couldn’t make it simple and needed to change up the lingo.

The Meaning of a Block

When a person tells you your destination is a couple of blocks down, blocks are streets. So if you walk down from one street, 28th to 27th, that is one block.

27. Diners are Best for Breakfast and Lunch Food

You cant visit New York City without going to at least one diner. Believe it or not, Diners cant be found in many places around the USA.

So when you sit down at the diner, it’s important to know while diners serve dinner food, diners are best for breakfast and lunch foods!

Another cool thing about dinners is that the menu is pretty customizable! You can switch from regular eggs to egg whites, change any of the fillings to your melted, the sides, or even cheese!

However, they may charge additional for the substitutes but at least you can get exactly what you want.

And Diners are usually open 24/7 for those midnight snacks!

28. Shoe Game is Important

I get you to want to look stylish while walking the streets of New York City, but this might be one of the more important travel tips. I urge you to wear comfortable shoes because you are going to be walking A LOT!

If you want cuter shoes for photos, I’d suggest throwing them in your bag to change out!

29. Make Sure to Get Outside the City: New York City Travel Tips

When people travel to New York City, they forget there is more to New York than just the city so my tip to you is to get out of the city!

Whether you hang out in Williamsburg Brooklyn for Shmorgasburg, Dumbo, Brooklyn after crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, go wine or hit the beaches in Long Island, it’s worth getting out of the city!

While there is really no place like the City, New York does have tons of other awesome things to do!

30. Check Out at Least 1 Sky Deck

This is probably more of a tourist thing to do, but the views on a Sky deck are really incredible! As a local, I can’t believe it took me so long to go to the Top of the Rock (my fav!).

So yea, make it to a sky deck whether it be Top of the Rock, One World Trade, Empire State Building, or The Edge (very new and exciting)!

31. Visit at Least One Museum

I know museums can be expensive but if you travel to New York City, my tip is to make it happen! Whether that be the MET, the MOMA, etc, it’s worth it. Sometimes museums even offer free entry.

32. See a Broadway Play: New York City Travel Tips

If you have time in your itinerary, make sure you hit Broadway! It’s a spectacular experience and sometimes you can even get a discount on the tickets!

Now if you want to see the top plays, getting a discount is rather hard, but you can always show to the box office early or checking with a TDF location.

33. Take Advantage of Free things to do in NYC

And finally, one of my favorite New York City Travel tips is to take advantage of all the free things the City has to offer!

Food alone can cost you an arm and a leg so this is your chance to save your budget a little while still seeing tons of the City!

34. Additional Travel Tips to Know in NYC

With all of this being said, one of the most common things people wonder about New York City (especially first-timers) is if New York City is safe. Just like any big city, it is important to watch your surroundings.