Last updated on April 9th, 2024
Statue of Liberty. from Pixabay / dariasophia
Visit New York – Tourist Stops
- Times Square – the heart of New York and the best place to start when you visit New York. Wander 5th Avenue and Broadway.
- Grand Central Station – don’t forget the lower floor where you can use the acoustics of the roof line to talk to a friend at the opposite corner.
- The Empire State Building and Chrysler Building.
- Wall Street and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum at Ground Zero where the Twin Towers once stood.
- World Trade Center Memorial
- the Edge, New York’s newest observation deck with a glass floor 100 stories above the city.
30 Rock View
30 Rock
Top of the Rock Observation Tower – 70th Floor of 30 Rock – Rockefeller Center, great views, especially at night. Plus the Christmas tree and skating at their plaza in the winter. Skating admission and rentals are both expensive. Skate for free at Citi Pond – a couple blocks from Times Square at Bryant Park, but skate rentals are expensive. See nearbyRadio City Music Hall and St Patrick’s Cathedral when you visit 30 Rock.
Times Square, from Pixabay / randomwinner
Visit New York – Sports
- Yankee Stadium and the New York Yankees in the Bronx.
- Met Life Stadium in the Mewadowland where the New York Giants and the New York Jets play.
- Madison Square Garden – aka “the Garden”. Watch the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.
- Barclays Center in Brooklyn – home of the Brooklyn Nets
Central Park, from Pixabay / 12019
Visit New York – Hotels
- DoubleTree Suites by Hilton – Times Square
- Hilton Garden Inn Times Square
- The Plaza Hotel – facing Central Park
- Days Inn Jamaica – JFK Airport
Ellis Island, from Pixabay / 12019
Get to New York
You can get to New York on any one of three major airports. Most people get to New York through JFK, which is about 40 minutes southeast of downtown. La Guardia (LGA) is 25 minutes northeast of the downtown area. La Guardia handles mainly domestic traffic, but it also handles many flights to Canada. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey is only about 45 minutes southwest of the city center.
Times Square Street Food
JFK Air Train
A train runs in a continuous circle between the various terminals at JFK. One of the stops is Federal Circle, which is where all the hotel shuttles do pick ups. This is also the stop to catch the JFK Air Train out of the airport. You pay an exit fee from the JFK Air Train at Jamaica Station or Howard Beach Station. At those stations you also pay an entry fee to the subway.
New York Subway
The New York Subway is one of the most extensive in the world and provides reliable, low cost access to the sights and attractions. It’s estimated that 1.5 million people commute into Manhattan each day, so a rental car isn’t recommended for visiting New York. The subways are excellent during the day and taxis are a great alternative at night.
Brooklyn Bridge, from Pixabay / monicavolpin
Visit New York – Theater & Museums
- Broadway beside Times Square for plays and shows.
- Central Park with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the American Museum of Natural History on its borders.
- Apollo Theater
- Carnegie Hall
- Metropolitan Opera House – the Met or Met Opera
- Radio City Music Hall
Staten Island Ferry, from Pixabay / skeeze
New York Harbor Tour
Take a New York Harbor Tour. See the skyline. Sail under the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge. Then sail out past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. All the major bus tour companies offer this tour and include shuttles from Times Square. Departs at Pier 83 near the Lincoln tunnel. You will need to book a Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Tour if you want to do more than a sail past. You can also get close to the Statue of Liberty on the Staten Island Ferry
Grand Central Station, from Pixabay / ollguna
Visit New York – Other Sights
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- Luna Park in Coney Island
- Chinatown
- Greenwich Village
- Soho
Get to Times Square from LaGuardia
For only a few dollars, you can get to Times Square from LaGuardia Airport by bus and subway. First get a Metro Card at the airport and catch the M60 bus to Astoria Blvd. Next take the N or W train to Queensboro Plaza. Finally, take the 7 train to Times Square or Grand Central Station. If that seems to complicated, you can take the LaGuardia NYC Express Bus to directly to Grand Central Terminal, but it’s not nearly as inexpensive to do that.
Yankee Stadium, from Pixabay / hellosoyeon
Get to Times Square from JFK
From JFK you start on the AirTrain, which serves the airport terminals. Head to Jamaica Station. You pay when you exit the AirTrain. Then take the Long Island Railway or the E train to Times Square. You can buy Long Island Railway tickets on your phone with the MTA eTix app. Activate your phone ticket just before you board. The Long Island Railway is a few dollars more than the E train, but it is much quicker and easier for luggage too. From Penn Station it’s less than a 15 minute walk to Times Square. Choose Penn Station over Grand Central Station because you don’t have to transfer along your route. Click this link for video help on buying tickets from all three New York airports. Alternately, take a cab downtown, but it’s a very expensive option. Once you’ve arrived in downtown Manhattan, a Hop-on Hop-off bus is a great way to get familiar with the city.
New York’s Finest
Get to Times Square from Newark Airport
From Newark Airport the easiest way to get to Times Square is to take the the Newark Airport Express. You can buy tickets online and download them to your phone. Catch the Newark Airport Express at any Newark Airport terminal. Get off at Bryant Park or Grand Central Station and walk about 10 minutes to Times Square. You can also take the Newark AirTrain, which circles the airport terminals and connects with the subway system to get downtown.
New York Weather
The Atlantic Ocean moderates New York weather and makes it fairly humid. New York weather in summer can be very hot, with average highs in July and August of 84 F (29 C) and average lows of 70 F (21 C). January and February are the coldest months, with average highs of 40 F (5 C) and average lows of 27 F (-3 C). Rainfall is fairly constant throughout the year. Snowfall is possible from December to February. Winter can be just as popular as summer with tourists due to attractions such as the annual Christmas tree and skating at Rockefeller Center.
Visit New York – Background
New York is the Big Apple, a place that you fall in love with once you experience it. Before you visit New York, you might likely wonder why people rave about it, but once you’ve been there, you will understand.
New York is the largest city in the United States, with over 8 million people living there. Its five boroughs are household names – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. New York was founded by the Dutch in 1624 and has kept growing and adapting ever since.
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