New York, New York!

Navigating through the city that never sleeps can be overwhelming at times and the sheer volume of things to do and see is immense! Trying to tick everything off your bucket list can be a challenge (as well as expensive). Therefore I have collectively compiled all my top tips for travelling around the concrete jungle which will help you see the top attraction in New York on a budget!

Times Square

New York is a vibrant city filled with as I can only describe as the most diverse and amazing groups of people I have ever met! When you're a young child letting your imagination run wild and dreaming of who you wanna be and what you want to do when you grow up, you are practically dreaming of NYC!! Here you are surrounded by like-minded individuals who stand tall and proud, living the life they've always dreamed of, it is amazing!! There is a reason the US has been called 'The Land of Opportunity' in the past!

Ms Liberty Herself!

Statue of Liberty

The iconic Statue of Liberty is a must-see attraction when in New York City. As with many iconic attractions, there are many different tours and packages you can avail of and it can be quite overwhelming and pricy!

However, for those on a budget, backpacking, or families travelling with children it can be extremely expensive to visit the island to get an up-close look at Miss Liberty.

The Staten Island Ferry on the other hand provides transport past the statue completely free of charge! It does not dock on the island but you still get to travel past it and get you legendary picture.

Central Park

Central Park

The setting for many famous movies such as 'Home Alone 2', 'When Harry Met Sally', 'Enchanted', 'Serendipity' and 'Friends with Benefits'. Central park is a little oasis thriving in the midst of the madness that is New York. It provides a safe haven for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. I found when life in the big apple got a bit hectic and overwhelming, Central Park was a place I could come with a picnic and my thoughts and just relax. The lush greenery reminded me of home (with the addition of the fab weather you can't always get in Ireland!), and weirdly provided me with a sense if comfort. Green spaces like this are amazing to find in built-up areas and not only does it provide space to watch the world go by, (as this is New York after all) there is always something going on! Central Park's website contains a page filled with upcoming events which I will link so that you can check out what there is to get involved in when you arrive (oh and the majority of them are free)!

For Food Lovers - Little Italy and Chinatown

Little Italy

No matter where you go in New York food will always follow you! Both Little Italy (Piccola Italia) and Chinatown are next door neighbours located in Downtown Manhattan which are both must-sees when in New York! Both neighbourhoods serve authentic cuisine that are honestly mind-blowing!! If you're a foodie like myself then there is no question, you NEED to visit them!!

When in Chinatown looking for somewhere to eat I was told to look for the oldest restaurants filled with the most locals and if I couldn't read the menu then BINGO, I was in the right place! This might seem like a bizarre tip but as tourists we are nearly subconciously programmed to gravitate towards the shiny new building with all tourists lining up outside it because we saw it was on all our FYPs on TikTok! However, this is not the case, and when you're wanting to experience the real taste of a countries' cuisine, then you need to think like a local and not a tourist.

For the life of me I cannot remember the name of the restaurant I visited but if I think of it I will update this post and you will be the first to know because oh my goddddd it was INSANEEE!! I honestly felt ecstatic ordering from a menu I could not understand (there was no English version which I LOVED as it shows the restaurant had not been completely Westernised!) and waiting cheerily for my unknown dish to arrive and I was certainly not disappointed! I've never had anything like it before in my life! I wish I had taken a picture to show up but I guess now you'll just have to go to Chinatown and find out how good the authentic Chinese food is for yourself!

REMEMBER: Some authentic Chinese foods to look out for are...

- Knife cut noodles (dao xiao mian, 刀削面)

- Char Siu Bao (BBQ pork buns, 叉烧包)

- Dumplings (饺子, e.g. soup dumpling - Xiao long bao, 小笼包)

- Peking Duck (In the windows of most restaurants in Chinatown, 北京烤鴨)

- Chinese Hamburger (Street food, 肉夹馍)

- Kung Pao Chicken (The authentic version is spicy, fragrant and slightly mouth-numbing, 宫保鸡丁)

Empire State Building - Overrated??

View from Empire State Building

Okay don't get me wrong, it's an impressive building with an insaneee view! However, I'm just gonna put it out there that I think it might be a little bit overrated? At $44 for entry to the 86th floor observatory ($77 to get to top deck which is what I got) for a few pictures of the city that you could potentially get for free from Brooklyn Bridge, Belvedere Castle, Brooklyn Heights Promenade or maybe even the Staten Island Ferry which you're getting anyway to see Ms Liberty! ;)

I don't think it's worth it especially if you're on a budget, you'd nearly be better off just going up to a nifty little rooftop bar and spending that $44 on a cocktail or two at sunset with the view being that added bonus!

Take a Trip Upstate - Kaaterskills Waterfall & Kayaking!

Kaaterskills View and Kayaking

I took a little trip upstate and stayed in Tivoli, Dutchess County with a family friend and wow oh WOW it was amazinggg!! I honestly was so ignorant of knowledge and didn't realise the sheer size of New York as a State let alone NYC!

When upstate I went kayaking on the Hudson River as well as hiking up the Kaaterskills waterfall which was insaneee! The kayaking you can do all along the Hudson and I would definitely recommend as it's a cute experience I still remember to this and it was super spontaneous and not at all planned! (but aren't all the best memories made spontaneously :))

Thanks so much for reading my second little blog post I still can't believe I'm actually writing a blog wtfff hahaha it doesn't seem real at all but thanks so much for all the support!

See ya on the flip,

Laura😜

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P.S. There are sooo many places to visit in NYC but to keep this post short and to the point I only discussed a few in detail but there are so many others e.g. Times Square, Brookyln Bridge, Grand Central etc.

Feel free to shoot me an email and I can give more info and recommendations!!😄