Life is short and always busy with the same routine, which can get exhausting for some folks. I don’t know about you? But I like breaking out of the routine whenever possible.
New York City is known for being a one of a kind place in the world with Central Park, iconic neighbourhoods, the Brooklyn Bridge, the food, the culture and jaw dropping skyscrapers.
After being in the city and trying not to be an average tourist, I found interesting spots around the city that surprised me.
If you take your time while travelling and going with the flow, you will start living and not living an illusion from the internet. With this way of living, you can see the uniqueness of many places. From an intense domino game in a neighbourhood park to gazing off into the NYC skyline, then casually chatting with locals about the city’s history and culture. This city has it all for anyone looking for a quick getaway, which can be done affordably on a budget.
I feel the urge to just share the coolness of this city and what it has to offer. The fact that I didn’t take the “touristy path,” that everyone takes but I was seeking for a more authentic adventurous outcome.
So, I will share: tips learned along the way, ups and downs, and some insight of an affordable NYC getaway plan, which I didn’t think was possible.
Why do a short or last minute trip to New York?
A New York city getaway can be an exciting trip if you plan to do many excursions or just flow around the city. When journeying to a new place filled with creativity like NYC, your mind seems to open up and you’re able to see a different perspective on life; which for me led to a mind filled with “innovative thoughts.”
NYC is made up of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island. I had the opportunity to visit Brooklyn, Manhattan and visit Queens for a short moment. There are plenty of neighbourhoods that are rich in diversity, history and culture. There is also a lot of outstanding architecture to look at all around the city. The fact that these places are all unique and have plenty of worldwide cuisines to taste, I tried some delicious Mexican, Italian and Colombian dishes that were all tasty.
This city where dreams supposedly come true is known for being expensive to live and travel depending if you do it correctly. Staying at hostels, taking public transit (I really love the transit system in NYC it can literally take you anywhere), visiting free attractions, eating at places that serve great food but are not Tik Tok approved aka hyped expensive places; and don’t forget going to a local grocery store to get some snacks/water for the day. These are ways that can make your money go a little further, but keep in mind this is the capital of the world.
One day out of the blue, the idea to visit the big apple came to me. I decided to do a short three day trip during the week knowing there would be lower prices and less crowds. I planned the trip with very few details on where I would go, since I carry this belief: “planning every step in a trip will lose its surprise.” This is why when I travel, I try to have a small understanding of the location, to not spoil the destination, and save the dopamine rush for later.
Note: There is no such thing as the right time to travel or do anything in general in life. I don’t believe in the whole work life balance concept. Opportunities come and go, take advantage of travelling whenever possible.
Now you’re probably asking yourself, “travelling is too expensive or I’ll do it when I have a higher salary, etc.
Journey It Out blog will give users tips and tricks on travelling the world, despite not breaking the bank or putting a two week paycheck down, for a one week long vacation.
A three day trip to NYC may sound like a rushed or too short trip, but remember this is a last minute go with the flow adventure. I believe in finding beauty everywhere I go, living the present moment, and living life if it were the last day on earth. Also, it seems to be that the unplanned moments in life are always the finest.
Arriving to NYC
This city has two major airports JFK and LaGuardia plus Newark Intl airport just across the hudson river in New jersey. JFK and LaGuardia are inside NYC. JFK airport operates mostly international flights and domestic, but LaGuardia can offer better airline fares due to being primarily a domestic airport. However, it can all be a hit or miss type of thing when finding affordable flights to the big apple.
I flew into JFK, this airport is massive and has a convenient air train that goes from one terminal to the other. Which then finally arrives to Jamaica station in Queens, all for a price of $8.75usd. When you are in Queens you can choose your next move. LaGuardia airport has free airport shuttles that can take you from the airport to Jackson Heights, Queens.
Once I got off the skytrain at Jamaica station, I was feeling hungry plus I was missing my phone charger and my phone was almost dead which made me buy an overpriced charger from Wallgreens. There are many places to eat near the Jamaica station and grocery store. Grocery stores are great to get snacks and ready to go meals at a decent price, it will be cheaper there than convenience store or hostel. New York in the summer can be very muggy, so it’s a good idea to carry water around.
I sat by the Queens’ Supreme court eating some of the food that I bought, trying to grasp an idea where to go next. I came across a Colombian restaurant called Nutripan Bakery 2, they had delicious empanadas and I got a bowl of chicken, rice, beans and ripe fried plantain to go for later which wasn’t too expensive but a good price for the value.
I decided to take the subway and seek help from there. A lady that worked at the subway station gave me a subway map, the map was too big and wasn’t too helpful. But it did make a nice souvenir as a wall poster for my bedroom.
I don’t remember what subway station I took first, but I took the J line and randomly decided to get off at Bowery station. This subway cart that I was on had an outlet to charge my phone. I started walking with no indication due to the low battery still. It turns out that I ended up in Little Italy which was a complete win, that was a location that I was hoping to see for myself. There was no coincidence to all of this, God allowed this to be, praise Jesus.
Little Italy was neat to see and it had a somewhat Italian feel to it. While crossing the couple of blocks that make up Little Italy, I couldn’t stop imagining the thought of Italian immigrants arriving to America for a better opportunity in NYC. There are lots of busy restaurants and souvenir shops. Right before you know it, I crossed continents and entered Chinatown.
The contrast of culture is very prevalent. In Chinatown I decided to have a seat under a shady spot at Columbus park. The park was busy, and I found it fascinating how seniors got together and played Chinese chess.
The next place that I wanted to go was the Brooklyn Bridge that is somewhat near Chinatown. The humidity was getting to me after walking for a while, but the walk to Brooklyn is worth it. On the Brooklyn Bridge there are street vendors selling beverages and snacks. A good thing to note is that there was a nice breeze that either came naturally from the East River or the cars underneath the pedestrian walk. While walking through the bridge, I was able to have a whole glimpse of the Manhattan skyline and took a photo shoot of the surrounding scene.
On the other side of the bridge, I ended up in the other borough of the city “Brooklyn.” So if you move your head from one side to the other you will see the distinct skylines. To this day, I don’t know if someone was truly close behind me trying to access my bag or the guy just had a suspicious look on his face. Pickpocketing is not common to witness in NYC like some places in Europe. But always remember to have some precaution and watch your belongings travelling. Apart from that experience, I felt pretty safe that day and always throughout my time in the city.
Don’t forget to just be grateful of being in a new environment. Good or challenging times, it’s all part of the experience and will stay with you as memories for life.
Good moments= great stories, Bad moments= great stories too.
In Brooklyn, there were restaurants and green areas along the harbour. I didn’t do any ferry rides. If you do think of doing ferry rides there is the Dumbo station, the ferries that are there don’t go to Liberty Island but to the different boroughs. If you choose to go to Liberty Island you would have to go to Battery park in lower Manhattan.
I decided to go to a peaceful park with lots of greenery and views of the One World Trade Center at Brooklyn Bridge park. My mind zoned out as soon as I took a seat from all of the bikers passing by. Then, all of the sudden I see Mark Consuelos jogging by while having some interview on the go. I gotta say New Yorkers are always on the move to get somewhere.
Even for myself, that first day being in the city I did roughly 30,000 steps. Don’t know how accurate that could be. That’s a whole cardio workout!
Brooklyn Bridge park has many spots to walk around if you’re in the mood to be adventurous or to just relax on the grass. I walked through a trail that led to a busy road which I crossed over to Joralemon st.
Joralemon st. leads right into the Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood. If you want to see those traditional charming New York city homes, this a great place to walk around and take photos for the gram. If you keep straight on this street, you will end in downtown Brooklyn. Then go to Dekalb market where you will find a wide range of food selection. Right before entering Dekalb you will notice a cool looking building, the Brooklyn Tower which looks like a cave at the top of the structure.
I was recommended that I should go over to the Manhattan Bridge and watch the sunset, but sunset wasn’t until another 3 hours. I still went and checked it out, and got a pic of the Brooklyn bridge and Manhattan’s skyline in the background. Just FYI, there is a subway line on the bridge which makes the whole bridge shake and gets surprisingly loud for a few seconds.
A place that you should visit if you’re looking for some art to look at and a city freebie is the New York Public Library- Stephan A. Schwarzman. This is located in midtown Manhattan, two blocks west from the Chrysler building and the Grand Central station. Grand Central Station has a wonderful mural on the ceiling which I thought was worth checking out.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art was something that I was planning on doing but I showed up on Wednesday and that is the only day of the week which they are closed.
Now let’s talk about where I stayed for the two nights in NYC.
When I mention the thought of hostels to people they freak out or even feel disgusted. Despite these opinions I stayed at Hi NYC Hostel in northern Manhattan aka Harlem. I also got criticism of staying in Harlem “maybe unsafe.” But for being the first time staying at a hostel, I had an excellent experience. The hostel was clean, staff was nice, a great location (close to subway station, 103 st), and Halrem felt safe to be in. Plus this was the cheapest place I could find for being in Manhattan for only $60 the night.
Hi NYC Hostel had comfortable beds, had a spacious kitchen and a nice patio in the back. The hostel is 10 minutes away from Central Park and there is a delicious pizza place just across called Bosino. Maybe it is not dirt cheap like other pizza spots around the city but the place serves authentic Italian food.
Staying at a hostel left me with memorable experiences. You meet people from all around the world, interchange stories with one another and recommendations. The people that work at Hostel are usually chill and easy going. Also, they were attentive to answer any questions or concerns.
Right beside the hostel you can rent a city bike which I did. I highly recommend getting the $25 day pass over being charged $4.99 per every 30 minutes. With the day pass you can hop on and hop off any rental bike around the city, this is convenient to do if you choose to tour the city on the bike. There was a morning that I woke up at 6:30am, thinking I was going to be able to see the sunrise but I was late. I was still able to do a bike ride around Central park and be a part of many New Yorkers morning jogs while cycling.
Central park is such a calm and peaceful place in the midst of the hustling and bustling city, something to note is how massive this park is and I could’ve spent an entire day if I wanted to.
If you go to New York city and don’t eat pizza or a bagel this would be an incomplete trip. I came upon Pick a Bagel and got a bagel sandwich with an iced coffee for breakfast and took that with me to Top of the Rock.
I’m glad I chose to go to the Top of the Rock observation deck, it’s completely outside and you see the whole city since the building is aligned in the middle of the whole view. From the south side facing view you can see the city and the north side you can see all of Central Park and the Bronx in the very back.
There are many observation decks in New York city like the Edge similar to Top of the Rock regarding being open outside but newer and with slightly different views.
The Top of the Rock observation deck was just closer to the places that I had in mind such as the St. Patrick Cathedral. Later I took the city bus and pretended I was on a tour bus staring out through the door. The bus ride was 25 minutes from St. Patrick Cathedral to One World Trade Center. Once there you can witness the 9/11 memorial fountain and the museum.
If you’re interested in the world of money, I suggest you take a walk down to Wall Street. Note, there is no access inside to the stock exchange, what I did was just see for myself from the outside lol.
Do not forget that travelling to a new place is a learning moment, which means to explore and create your own route as well. What matters is that you’re giving travelling (leaving comfort behind) a chance. Getting lost is part of the journey, when unexpected things come into play, remember it’s just part of the process and that there is hope for better later.
New York really is an amazing place to step foot on, you won’t get bored here! If you ever go off the itinerary path you’ll discover something interesting. New York city can be a fascinating destination to visit for a day or a whole week. All I can say is take your time to discover a few neighbourhoods around the city, and not just be jumping all around from one tourist attraction to another. Cheers.
Top things to do:
- Little Italy, Chinatown, Columbus park
- Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge park, Dumbo Manhattan Bridge view
- Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Dekalb market
- Views from Manhattan Bridge, New York Public Library, Grand Central Station
- Where I stayed: Hi Hostel NYC
- Central Park, Top of the Rock observation deck, Time Square
- One World Trade Center, 9/11 memorial, Wall Street.