Travel Tips: New York - Part1

Manhattan graphic I created in Illustrator.

Day 1

After we checked in at the hotel and got settled, we headed to Little Italy for dinner. We walked to the 33rd Street Metro Station, purchased our 7-day passes, and rode the Subway to Spring Street. After eating at Lombardi's Pizzeria we walked around Little Italy and then south to Chinatown. Chinatown is the best place to buy inexpensive NYC souvenirs.

It was later in the evening by the time we started our shopping and many places were closed for the night. We did find a few good shops south of Canal Street on Mott Street. The women in these shops don't bug you as you browse (which I consider a plus), but are set on their prices and not willing to haggle. If you're wanting to talk down the price, stay on Canal Street between Broadway and Mott Street. We discovered on the last day of our trip that during the daytime, both sides of the street are lined with shops and shop owners that will do almost anything for your business. I found them a little intense, but they would always lower their price as you tried leaving their shop. Feel free to shop around first because the same bag could be $20 in one shop and $10 at another.

That evening we had originally planned on going to the Manhattan LDS temple (read more about our beliefs here). We fell asleep, however, and conked out for the rest of the night. Normally I would say to spend as much time explore and the least amount of time in your hotel as possible, but sometimes you just need a break so you can hit the last days of your vacation full-force.

Day 2

First thing that morning we made our way to Times Square. First stop was Foxwoods Theater in an attempt to buy same-day rush tickets for Spiderman on Broadway. We were too late and they were already sold out, so we headed over to Madam Tussaud's. I found this super entertaining, but it was really crowded and Travis was a little bored.

This is where I should mention that previous to this vacation Travis and I had purchased 3-day New York Passes. We ordered them and had them shipped to us, but you can also pick them up when you get to NYC. This grants you Fast Track access to over 80 attractions. This means you can skip the lines and see as many places within the time frame that you purchased. My friend Jackie bought the New York CityPASS, which is cheaper and also gives you the ability to skip lines, but only allows admission to New York's top 6 attractions. If you're only going to be in New York for a day or two, the CityPASS might be the way to go. If you have more time, I'd recommend the New York Pass.

Next we went to Discovery Times Square where we were able to see some Terracotta Warriors and some really cool stuff. I love Asian history and Travis thought the exhibit was really cool. At the time I was obsessed with the TV show "Cake Boss" so I had to try some treats from the Cake Boss Cafe inside Discovery Times Square. Delish.

Next we got lost trying to find the entrance to the Top of the Rock Observatory. We eventually made our way in, however, and got lost in the massive crowds. There is one line after another. Even though you are given Fast Track privileges with the New York Pass, this only rushes you through the first line where you spend forever waiting in line to go up in an elevator, wait in another line for 20 minutes, etc., and then finally gain access to the observatory. Note that there are two levels of the observatory and the top level (which took us a couple minutes to figure out how to get up to) was much less crowded than the main level. The views are spectacular, so I'd say that it's a must-see, even despite the lines.

That evening we explored Grand Central Station and ate at Junior's restaurant.


Travel Tips: New York - Part 2
View this post for other tips from this trip.