Having booked the trip back in August last year, I recently had the opportunity to visit New York with my immediate family. We’d never been to the USA before, so we were all excited at the prospect of visiting the big apple. Booking so far in advance, we were fortunate to have found a great deal on Virgin Atlantic flights from Manchester and used a local independent travel agent to coordinate our accommodation.

We flew from Manchester on a Saturday lunchtime which arrived into New York mid-afternoon. We spent 4 nights and 3 full days in New York sightseeing, before heading off on an early flight to Savannah on the Wednesday morning.

For our America trip, we split our currency into part cash, part Monzo. Monzo is an online bank account that works in partnership with MasterCard. Having a Monzo card on our trip was a great way to keep track of our spending, without the worry of having unwanted dollars at the end of the trip. 

American culture is much more tip-focussed than the UK, meaning that we were still keen to take cash with us for this purpose and to be able to secure our currency at a better rate ahead of time. I thoroughly recommend Monzo .

Getting to the City

Once we landed in New York, a flight that lasted just over 6 1/2 hours, we headed to the city centre in a yellow cab. In the international terminal, these are very easy to spot as they have a specific dispatch terminal to coordinate tourists and catch a cab easily. The great thing about getting a New York yellow cab is that they have a fixed rate to the city centre. Taxi rides from JFK to Manhattan cost a flat fee of $52 + tip. So you're looking at approx. $65 for a one-way trip. If you are travelling on a budget or as a couple, I’d suggest finding alternative transport, however, as a family of 4 with 4 large suitcases, travelling by taxi made our transfer to the airport much smoother. On our return journey, it was easy to flag down a yellow taxi from the roadside. It’s worth making sure, however, that despite it being a fixed charge, that you ensure that the taxi driver sets the meter accordingly, as the driver on our return trip did try to overcharge us over the flat rate. 

Where to Stay in New York

We stayed in the Upper West Side at the Hotel Beacon, 75th Street on Broadway. We stayed on a room-only basis and found the hotel was quiet and away from the hustle and bustle of central manhattan, whilst still being a stones throw from central park.

The hotel was approximately 20-30 minutes walk from central manhattan but a 5-minute walk from the nearest subway station should you wish to use this instead. Although breakfast wasn’t included, there were a handful of breakfast shops or bagel shops en route to central manhattan for us to grab a quick bite to eat. 

Sights and Attractions

When in New York, there is an abundance of things to see and do. If you are travelling on a tighter budget, many of the buildings in and around New York are as beautiful outside as they if you would pay to view them inside. Travelling as a family of four, we limited our paid attractions to the Big Bus Tour. We thoroughly enjoyed the BigBusTour and opted for the deluxe package which included 3 days use of the hop-on hop-off bus, a ticket up the Empire State Building and a boat tour around the Statue of Liberty and a night tour.

If you are interested in investing in BigBusTour tickets, I’d highly recommend booking these ahead of time online as you will make considerable savings this way, versus buying them from the totes scattered around the city. Our tickets cost £58.20 each online, versus the on-street price of £64.70. Considering the cost of the Empire State Building is $38/ £31 and the Circle Line Liberty boat cruise starts at $31/ £25, meaning that you if you were to pay for these attractions anyway, that you are only paying a couple of extra pounds for the privilege of using the hop-on / hop-off bus. 

Sights we visited:

As part of the BigBusTour, we were able to cover a broad area of New York, including Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn and Harlem.

Upper West Side & Central Park

Central Park - the most visited urban park in the United States, covering 843 acres. 

Strawberry Fields - a memorial dedicated to the memory of former Beatles member, John Lennon

Lincoln Centre - visit here to source discounted theatre tickets for broadway/off-broadway shows. We bought our tickets for the off-broadway show ‘Sistas’ and loved it.

Midtown

Times Square - Great to visit day or night, Times Square is a fantastic and buzzing heart of Manhattan where many high street brands, fast food and restaurants can be found.

Grand Central Terminal

Empire State Building - The views from its 86th-floor observation decks are unmissable. This was the highlight of my trip to New York.

Lower Manhattan & The Financial District

Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island (Circle Line Liberty Cruise) - An express cruise to the Statue of Liberty that sets off from the midtown pier that gave great views of the NYC skyline, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Brooklyn Bridge - As part of our BigBusTour we were able to drive beside the Brooklyn Bridge and explore Brooklyn in the comfort of our seats.

One World Trade Center - One World Trade Center is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex. It’s currently the tallest building in the United States and the sixth-tallest in the world.

911 Memorial - The memorial is located at the World Trade Center site, the former location of the Twin Towers. It’s a truly moving memorial to commemorate the September 11, 2001 attacks, which killed 2,977 people, and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six. 

Food & Drink

When in New York, there is no shortage of places to eat and drink. We took the opportunity to eat at Ellen’s Diner to experience the singing waiter experience and were not disappointed. It’s pricy but well worth it for the atmosphere and talent in the room.

We also took the opportunity to eat at Junior's. Juniors are famous for its cheesecake, and the Red Velvet Cheesecake is something not to be missed! 

You would also be daft not to try a New York bagel whilst in NYC. There are bagel shops everywhere, but I’d recommend checking out ‘Black Seed’.

Trip Highlights

I thoroughly enjoyed my 4 nights in New York and would highly recommend a visit to Central Park, the Empire State Building and of course, investing in a BigBusTours pass.

Have you been to New York? What was your highlight?