A trip to New York…or three

By Hannah-Safiyya Awan, York University, Toronto, Canada

Who knew that going from Toronto to New York could be so easy!

I’d always wanted to visit New York, but I didn’t know how it could happen. Then, once on exchange in Toronto, I realised it was only an hour’s flight away

Planning and Costs , and getting around

You do need a separate ESTA to enter the US, even from Canada, but the application only takes around 10 minutes to fill out and costs only 21 dollars (£17) and should be approved within a few days.

I had a Wise card, which was great for spending money in different currencies.

The flight from Toronto was £130 return, though they do add tax… so just be aware of that as it amounted to £180. You can find cheaper flights on Google Flights or Skyscanner. From the airport, you can get the AirTrain to the subway, which is the cheapest option

The first two times I went to New York, I stayed in Times Square (at M Social and Doubletree by Hilton); due to its location, the hotel cost was around $150-180 (£120-140) per night during October and February, though it gets more expensive during busier months. Staying in Times Square immerses you in a vibrant and bustling atmosphere, and it is quite safe as there are many tourists in this area; it is also close to a few subway stations.

The subway fare is $2.90 per ride, and a 7-day pass is $34. I also walked a lot (I even did over 30,000 steps in one day), and this helped me explore the city. There’s an app called City Mapper, which can help plan journeys by all modes of transport and has information about subway times. The Transit App also helps with planning subway journeys.

If you’re going for a short time, you can get the Big Bus Tour tour, which shows you around all key destinations (Times Square, Empire State, World Trade Centre and more). Depending on which tour you take, this costs around $58-$77, and you can hop on and off wherever – this allows you to quickly tour Manhattan.

I mainly ate street food like pizza, the halal food trucks, and in fast food places, so this wasn’t too expensive and was nice. Tax is added to most items at the till, and tips are expected in restaurants (of 15-20%).

I’d say 3-7 days is enough to see New York if you plan everything you want to see/ do and map out where they are. There are also online itineraries available if you need any ideas.

Activities

This is everything I planned out to see/do when I went with my brother, sister and mum all at separate times and which is mainly based on Gossip Girl:

• Times Square
• Broadway

We watched the film Fall Guy in Times Square and got the classic dollar slice from both Joe’s Pizza, which is quite famous (though not a dollar anymore) and has a wall full of famous actors/ celebrities who have visited, and another place around the corner which was equally as nice and actually a dollar. We also watched the musical Back to the Future on Broadway, which was amazing. I booked this in advance, but the musicals and plays are highly recommended. You can find plenty of souvenirs in this area and can sometimes get freshly made doughnuts for free at Krispy Kreme too.

• Rockefeller centre
• 5th Avenue
• St Patricks Cathedral

We saw the Rockefeller Centre as people were ice skating outside. We also went to the shops around here and to Magnolia bakery to try their famous banana pudding (there was actually a separate queue just for this). We passed by Radio City and 5th Avenue and as we were walking, we were invited to watch the Kelly Clarkson show and ended up being in the live audience for the show!! so we saw the actors from the show Shogun, Kelly Clarkson singing, and more guests.

We got some bagels and sat outside the cathedral, admiring its architecture as people passed by.

• Central Park botanical garden
• The Met Museum

It’s easy to spend hours in Central Park, from the Zoo to the botanical garden; it is so peaceful and a must-see. The garden is a hidden gem, and the park makes for a nice walk or chill.

To get to the Met, we walked across Central Park and ate Levain cookies on the steps, which was a Gossip Girl moment. The museum is huge, and we ended up going twice as we didn’t see everything the first time around. There are also quite a few famous paintings there, including Van Gogh’s self-portrait. The dresses from the Met gala were on display but we just missed it, though there was still plenty to see from all different cultures and eras.

• Brooklyn bridge

We got up early to see the sunrise at Brooklyn Bridge. As you can see, the Manhattan skyline from here, and it wasn’t too busy at this time. If you have time, you can walk all the way across and, of course, we took lots of pictures.

• Summit One Vanderbilt
• The Edge
• The Vessel at Hudson Yards

These are both amazing places to see the skyline of Manhattan. Summit One is close to the Empire State Building and has a mirrored art installation, while the Edge is an outdoor sky deck that is higher up and gives you a chance to stand on the edge. I enjoyed both and would recommend going to see the sunset.

The Edge is located in Hudson Yards, a quieter area that’s also home to the Vessel. We passed Madison Square Garden, where a sports game was happening, and could hear the cheers from outside. When we got to the Vessel, there was a projector showing the game, which added to the lively atmosphere and we spent the rest of the evening watching it and enjoying the vibe.

• Statue of Liberty

The Staten Island Ferry passes the Statue of Liberty and is free. We took it just to see the statue and returned straight away since Staten Island is mostly residential.

• 9/11 Memorial
• World Trade Centre
• Oculus

The architecture of the Oculus is unique from both the outside and inside, and the memorial fountain is a moving tribute. This area is the Financial District, where Wall Street is. We also got a slush from 7/11 and a hot dog from a food stand to keep us going.

Some more things we saw or wanted to see..

• Empire State Building
• The Upper East Side
• Roosevelt Island Tramcar
• Little Islands
• Grand Central Terminal
• The Flatiron
• MoMA
• Museums (American Museum of Natural History, Guggenheim, etc)
• NYU
• Washington Square park
• Garment district

What we ate:

• Levain Bakery
• Magnolia Bakery
• Halal food trucks
• Joe’s Pizza
• Pizza – dollar slice
• Liberty Bagels
• Dave’s Hot Chicken
• Diner pancakes
• Hot dog stands
• Birria Tacos

New York is always vibrant with activity. While walking around, we stumbled upon a pop-up booth for The Voice and got free hot chocolate. We also explored a few museums and were there for the opening of the portal to Dublin, which was exciting. I even ran into some family friends at The Edge and met up with my brother, who was on holiday there. Seeing famous film and TV locations while being surrounded by skyscrapers made it an unforgettable experience

It’s an iconic destination, unlike anything I’ve seen before. If you’re nearby, it’s definitely worth a visit!