Exit To New York

New York is a classic, a powerful city that never leaves indifferent. We love it or we hate it. New York is the world on an island, you can find anything here, it is all here. Generally it feels so well that there’s no great difficulty to feel home.

From my own experience, I'll tell you New York, first as a tourist, what to see, what to do; then as a resident of the Big Apple, tips, issues and alternative lives.

Intro

Passport:
To enter the US, European passports automatically have a 90 days tourist visa. Simply carry more of an electronic travel authorization (ESTA) to complete, download and pay ($ 14), all online on the official website: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

For non-EU passports, you should apply for a tourist visa at the US Embassy in your country, the price and the duration of the visa varies depending on your nationality.

Sleeping :
The city offers a wide choice of accommodation easily found on the net and there is absolutely no need to be in the center of New York to enjoy your stay.

There are things to see everywhere in NYC, and ways to get there are very easy.

I used to live in Harlem, Brooklyn and Queens, all very different areas and very easily accessible by Subway (10-15min to Times Square).

Then, prices are very varied, hostels are for me a very good solution, around $ 20 for the least expensive bed for the Jazz on the Park hostel on Upper West Side. I always recommend hostels because, as a solo traveler, this is the best way to meet people in the same spirit. Otherwise, as worldwide, AirBnB and Appart'Hotels sites might be cheaper if you’re traveling in group or family and if you want some comfort. Couchsurfing obviously remains the least expensive solution, however, requires to see reviews on whose receiving you ! For these reasons, I let you be master of your choice for this point!

1- Visit New York
To enjoy New York and its five boroughs, we need at least 10 days to visit and chill around the city which constitues in streets, avenues and blocks, really easy to navigate (see Subway map right here).

On your "To Do List" you already can check the following sites I have categorized by zone.

** TIPS **
Before leaving, make sure you got the New York City Pass, a carnet of tickets giving access to the main attractions of New York (on a 9-day deadline):

1 Empire State Building

2 American Museum of Natural History

3 Metropolitan Museum of Art

4 Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) OR Guggenheim Museum

5 Visit the Statue of Liberty OR a boat cruise making the tour of New York

6- 9/11 Memorial & Museum OR Sea, Air, Space Museum.

It will save you valuable time in queues and a good economy on the inputs of each proposed monument.

Times Square - Musical - MoMA - Empire State Building - Top of the Rock
Perfect introduction to the Big Apple, Time Square slap you when you land there for the very first time! Time 2 if you arrive here by night! Everything is oversized, buildings, advertisements, the crowd. Make it in all directions, hot dog in hand, souvenirs and other shop in every corner and musicals to book for later! Not far away, on 53rd Street, you will find the MoMA, great contemporary art museum created in 1929, which constantly renews their collection. I also recommend its annex Museum, PS1, which offers much more experimental exhibitions. This one is located in Queens, Subway 7 - Hunters Point Avenue.

On 49th Street, you will find the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Tower) which offers breathtaking views of Central Park and Uptown NY as well as Downtown NY.

Further south on the 34th, Visit the Empire State Building that offers a view of the top of the rock, New Jersey and NY Downtown.

Try one of these two towers in the evening to see the sunset or a night view of the city that will illuminate gradually. From a monument to another, take the opportunity to pass by Broadway and 5th Avenue during your walks. Remember that NY should be done in long, wide and across! Further south, at the intersection of Broadway and 23rd Street, you will find near the Madison Square Park, the famous Flatiron Building, built in 1902 with its triangular shape is reminiscent of irons. Epic !

Central Park - Natural History Museum - MET - Guggenheim
From the 59th to 110th Street, the heart of the city offers to its inhabitants a place of rest and relaxation. People do running, baseball, football, relaxation on the grass, skating in winter, swimming pool and concerts in summer, horse drawn sleigh rides. The perfect place to get away from madness urbanism.

On both west and east sides of the park you’ll find the Natural History Museum, the MET and the excellent Guggenheim Museum. Take the opportunity to wander around Upper East Side and West Side neighborhoods if you have time. Strawberry Fields, John Lennon’s memorial is located at 72nd Street and Central Park West.

** TIPS **
MET and Natural History Museum: Entrance is by donation, you can leave $ 1.

MoMa: Free Friday from 4pm.

Guggenheim: Free Saturday night from 6:30pm

Wall Street - Battery Park - Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island - Brooklyn Bridge.
Downtown, the famous Wall Street district, its huge towers, the 9/11 memorial and its "Bull". Stroll through this area to reach Battery Park and the starting point for the ferry ($ 17) for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. These two monuments are free, however you must book to get on the crown of the statue.

For a more distant view of the monuments and Manhattan, there is also a ferry that connects Staten Island with just your Subway pass. Departures every 30 minutes.

Going up Manhattan, you can head this time to the Brooklyn Bridge, another emblem of NYC, where here too, view is incredible and bette while walking away from Mahnattan.

Hoods : SoHo - Little Italy - Chinatown - Tribeca - East Village - Chelsea -Greenwich - Harlem - Williamsburg ...
I think the most important in New York is to wander the streets and neighborhoods that we already know from movies and series. The charming Little Italy stuck to the mad Chinatown, Soho and its shop and The Highline sidewalk, this ancient railway turned into a higher park of the city between 14th and 30th street.

Harlem for his sunday morning Gospel where a multitude of church will receive you (be discreet for your photos by respect for the faithful). Soak up the African vibe that represents this district, passing the legendary Apollo Theater.

In Brooklyn, sail between Williamsburg hipster, punk/rock side and ballads along Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo, but don’t forget have good time on Coney Island beach. New York is a huge organized mess, a city of artists, musicians, painters where all styles are there. There is a different heat from a street to another, every 'hood got its smell, a vibe to feel. Between each monument, lose yourself, have a seat, in a park or an alley, a coffee shop or a street corner, a gospel or rock bar. New York does not sleep, so do not sleep!