By Lauren Wise
Planning a trip to
New York City is exciting and promising, as there a myriad of different options and activities to do on any type of budget. After you decide what type of vacation you wish to have, it is easy to weed out the activities you want to do in a city that has never-ending choices. This article is centered around a sight-seeing vacation to experience New York.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Things You'll Need:
- Computer
Pen and paper
Telephone
Travel books/guides
Map of New York subway lines
- Computer
- Pen and paper
- Telephone
- Travel books/guides
- Map of New York subway lines
Step 1
Plan your trip during non-peak times to New York City for less expensive hotel and airline rates. Tourist season is the most busy, which includes times during the holidays (such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years), and travel and hotel rates are at their highest. If you are planning on going to New York City for a specific reason, such as fashion week, book your travel as far in advance as possible. If you are not going for a large event, the best time to go is in the fall, and late January and February through the spring.
Step 2
Check out different boroughs and areas of New York City for booking hotels, such as Chinatown or Queens, since these can have less expensive rates. It also provides you with an area that you might have otherwise not visited. If this does not appeal to you, popular, high-end hotels right in the middle of the city include the Ritz-Carlton, Trump Towers, Waldorf-Astoria and the Plaza. If you are wishing to stay in a more hip, young atmosphere, the Soho Grand, the Sofitel, and the W are popular. If you are on a budget, try the Hilton Garden Inn and the Milford Plaza. Starwood hotels include the Westin, the Sheraton and the St. Regis. Starwood is always known for great customer service, rates and value.
Step 3
Decide how you are going to get to New York. Depending on where you live, you can travel by plane, train, bus, or drive yourself. Train tickets are usually a better value if you live on the east side of the country. Check the weather currently in the city, and pack your wardrobe accordingly. New York can become humid during the summer, with average temperatures in low 70s to the 90s, and make sure to bring light clothes and sunscreen.
Fall brings beautiful color changes, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s, dipping into the 50s in November. Bring a light jacket and pants. In the winter, it becomes cold with icy winds, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s. Heavy jackets, scarves, gloves and boots are smart to bring. Spring brings temperatures of 30s in March, rising to the upper 60s in May. The season's best for layers are fall and spring.
Step 4
Map out what you want on your trip into days, sectioning off the activities that are close to each other. If you are adults traveling as a couple or with friends, must-sees include Radio City Music Hall, the Empire State Building, Yankee Stadium, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, Little Italy, Rockefeller Plaza, the Cloisters, Wall Street, Apollo Theatre, Guggenheim and the observation deck.
If you are traveling as a family with children, must-sees include the South Street Seaport, the Bronx Zoo, Children's Museum of Manhattan, FAO Swartz, Barnum and Bailey Circus and the New York Aquarium. You can obtain a New York Attractions Pass, which lets you choose from three, five or seven attractions in the city, saving up to 40 percent off what you would spend visiting them on your own with separate passes (see Resources).
Step 5
Visit Central Park or Bryant Park with a picnic lunch. This is a good break in between sight-seeing, and you can sit shaded from the sun and out from the busy traffic and sidewalks.
Step 6
Visit a museum. This all depends what you are interested in again, but the most popular and fascinating include the Guggenheim, the American Museum of Natural History, Museum of Modern Art, the Met, and the Rubin Museum of Art to be up to date on the most current art trends. It is important to experience all the different types of culture New York has to offer through art, knowledge and music.
Step 7
Consider taking a tour of the city. There are numerous tours that have specific focuses, such as cuisine, sports, art and celebrity. Many themes are available and it will provide you with a large chunk of your sight-seeing, including the cost of transportation. Popular tours include the Shoppers Delight (taking you throughout the best shopping districts in New York), New York City Pub Crawl tours, The Big Apple Helicopter tour, Planet Hollywood Kids Tour, Sex and the City Hotspots tour and the All Around New York tour (see Resources).
Resources
About the Author:
Lauren Wise has more than eight years' experience as a writer, editor, copywriter and columnist. She specializes in food, wine, music and pop culture. Her writing has appeared in various magazines, including "Runway," "A2Z," "Scottsdale Luxury Living" and "True West." Wise holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Arizona State University.
