7 Things to Do in New York

It was about a month away from my 28th birthday when Rell, my husband, suggested we take a trip to New York. I’ve always dreamt of going to New York as a little girl and we finally had the opportunity to make it happen. I wanted to create a list of things to do in New York since I’ve never been. We decided to go one week after my birthday, which is the middle of May and in my opinion one of the best times of year to go. It was not too hot and not too cold. This would have been Rell’s second time going, but the first time he went he was on a business trip and didn’t get much time to explore as he wanted. So I honestly thank God for the opportunity. This time around, we definitely wanted to experience more of the city in the four days we would have been staying. So here is my comprehensive list of multiple things to do New York.

1. Stay At The Pod Hotel

Before you can do anything in New York, you will need a place to rest. Our trip was very spontaneous and we were only a month out from booking a hotel. At this point, AirBnB was booked and all the good deals were nearly gone. However, we found this unique hotel on Booking.com called The Pod Hotel in Midtown East, New York. This hotel features multiple types of rooms and it’s perfect for resting and showering. It even had a rooftop deck with an amazing view of Manhattan skyline at night! Not to mention, it was about a 15-minute walk to Central Park and a very short walk to subway access. Like most hotels and apartments in the city, these rooms are microscopic but you will have so much to do in New York you will barely be in your room. The Pod Hotel has three different locations – Times Square, Midtown East, & Williamsburg-Brooklyn.

Book Your Next Trip at The Pod Hotels

2. Take the Subway

What better way to experience the fullness of New York by taking the subway. We decided we didn’t want to spend a fortune on Uber and opted for public transportation instead. If you are looking to spend less, you can take the subway for about $2.75 per person a ride on a MetroCard that you can get at the subway station. In my opinion, if you plan on walking or using the subway I would recommend getting the 7-day Unlimited Pass for $33. You’ll be surprised how much your fares add up. You can find out more information about the New York City Transit here. Don’t be intimidated by the subway. In our time in New York, we took the subway everywhere and became pros at navigating the transit fairly quickly. If you follow the signs you’ll be just fine but if you are unsure, Google Maps helped a lot as well.

3. Eat Pizza!!

One of the best things to do in New York is eating Pizza! New York is known for its cheesy gooey slice and of course, Rell and I had to make the quest to find the best. We actually ate at FOUR different pizza restaurants and all of them were no short of amazing. Do your research for the best slice and make an effort to go there. The experience is like no other. We watched The Strictly Dumpling’s best pizza in Manhattan, New York review video before our trip and decided to try a few pizzas that Mike Chen recommended. We wanted to visit Rubirosa which was by far the BEST slice New York has to offer. The sauce was savory, the mozzarella was fresh and it was all around delicious. We also ate at Little Roma, which was a few steps away from our hotel, a famous slice from Joe’s Pizza, which you may have seen in Spider-Man, and a small Italian vendor in Little Italy.

4. Visit Lower East Side

We spent a lot of our time in the Lower East side of New York, which includes SoHo, Little Italy & Chinatown. SoHo has a variety of shopping and things to do. I enjoyed SoHo because it didn’t seem as busy as the other tourist spots in Manhattan. It was a very chill and didn’t seem overwhelming with Tourists. Little Italy & Chinatown have so much culture as well, from fresh vegetable and herb stands to authentic Italian food and delicacies.

5.  Go to a Museum/ Exhibition

New York is bursting with many things to do that include Art & History museums i.e The American Museum of Natural History, 9/11 Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Aart. We decided to go to The Color Factory, an Art Exhibit in the lower east side. The color factory is an interactive exhibit which is a collection of artists and designers who celebrate with color and creativity. The Color Factory offers colorful sweet treats along the exhibit to awaken your taste buds and free photo booth stations where the photos are sent right to your email. The exhibit was one of the cool parts about our trip, we were able to see New York through the lens of an artist and be more open to creativity.

Purchase Tickets to The Color Factory here.

6. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge

This was a beauty to see. We took the subway to the Brooklyn Bridge City Walk and was greeted with dancers right before we made the hike up. We walked up to the bridge and got an amazing view of the Financial District and overlooking Brooklyn. It wasn’t very a long walk but was really a great sight to see.

7. Take a stroll through Central Park

In New York, there are so many people and can honestly get a little overwhelming if you are an introvert like me. Taking a stroll through Central Park was a breath of fresh air. With the birds chirping, fresh grass and flowers, you could actually step away from the noisy streets and relax in the park. It’s a huge park, so Sheep Meadow is the perfect spot for resting. & you might find some musicians and dancers along the way.

New York State of Mind

New York, was a dream. I am so very thankful that God put it in my husband’s heart to go. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamt of seeing the city. This was definitely not our last trip to the city. The energy of New York is contagious and if you are dreaming of going, trust me you will get there. If it happened to me, it will happen for you. Never stop dreaming. I’m learning that this life is short lived and we need to take more time doing the things we love with the ones we love. This doesn’t necessarily mean traveling but it could be spending more time with family or achieving a goal. As we embark on the halfway mark of 2019, take the rest of the year and do more of what you love.