Come Hungry
Make plans to visit the Museum of Arts and Design on Columbus Circle and grab dinner at Robert on the top floor. Make sure you get there before sunset. You can watch the upper west side of Central Park glow in the sunset and watch the shops and houses light up.
Get a Museum Pass
From Robert, you can look straight up the west side of the park to the Museum of Natural History. From the giant turtle shell to the many dinosaur fossils, kids and adults alike will love this trip.
Directly across the park from the Museum of Natural History is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Again, plan a day. Your brain will get full, so don’t plan too many museum stops on one day.
Visit the Lady of the Harbor
Head to the southern tip of the island and get a ferry to Ellis Island and to the Statue of Liberty. If you aren’t able to sign up for a tour, consider a trip on the Staten Island Ferry. You’ll pass within photographing distance of the Statue of Liberty, and Staten Island is a nice place to stop, go for a walk, grab a coffee and stretch your legs before getting back on the ferry.
Find a Street Fair
On a nice day on the weekend, keep an eye out for street fairs and private artist sale tables. There are many designers living in the city of New York, and some sell online, some have shops, and many sell from the street. Bring cash for these transactions and treat yourself to something memorable and pretty from your trip to NYC.
See a Show
You can get on the shortlist to try to get rush tickets, or you can book your tickets in advance. Part of the fun of traveling in NYC is finding great bargains from a street sale table before heading to a musical, opera, or play. You’ll pay more for the show because you’re paying much more than one artist for a live show.
That being said, a Broadway show can be the gem of your travel experience, so make a night of it. If you’re going to a nighttime show, hire private transportation to get you home from the show unless you’re very comfortable getting on the subway.
The nice thing about having a scheduled pick up from a private transportation company is that you are not at risk of hitting a taxicab desert. If it’s raining after your show, you may have to walk. If you dressed up for the show, there may be heels and slick footing to contend with.
Take a Bus Tour
If the weather looks good, sign up for a ride on one of Golden Class Limo’s bus as a way to view the city. You can enjoy the various regions of the city, hear the languages of each region, and celebrate the intense variety that this region offers.
Be ready to follow your nose in this endeavor. Stop at a hole in the wall restaurant to try something new. Wear a shirt you don’t much care about and have some New York pizza; it can get a little greasy. Visit a falafel cart, get a hot dog, or find someone selling souvlaki on a stick. If you don’t try new food in this city, you may have wasted a trip!
Visit Ellis Island
If you’re a descendant of immigrants in the United States, you may well have a direct link to Ellis Island. You can put your family name into one of the computers on-site and look for a connection. There is a museum exhibition in this building that recalls what the immigrants who came through this facility brought with them. Walk the balconies and study the building that was the first stop for so many families in the United States.
The pandemic has been hard on NYC, but this city has always gotten back on her feet. If you are planning a visit to New York and support the rising of this great city, bring sturdy shoes and be ready to try some new experiences and food. Dress up and see a show, hire a car to get you back to your hotel, put on your sneakers the next morning, and hike the island. Enjoy!
