Sights to see in NYC!

NYC is one big city that’s for sure, with not only so much to do but lots to stop off and see that you simply can’t see anywhere else in the world!  In this post I will run you through all of the No:1 sights to see in The Big Apple.

Let’s start with the 843 acres of nature sat in the centre of Manhattan, Central Park.  I don’t think the size of Central Park is truly imaginable until you start walking through it and realise the true distance between different landmarks within the park.  It’s definitely not just a one day stop, we continued to visit different areas and pin points of the park every day of our trip and every day it became better and better.  Check out my central park blog to find out all the individual spots in the park to visit.

Next up is the one and only Times Square.  It is exactly how it looks in the pictures; bright, colourful, busy, exciting, loud and gives off the most special feeling the moment you see it.  In the night time it comes alive with street artists, dancers, music and so many people that moving around isn’t fast but it gives you time to just take in the moment and follow the crowds, safely!  If you’d prefer to avoid the busy crowds but still feel some atmosphere, early afternoon is a great time to go.  Lots of restaurants will be open for lunch so there’s still lots of people around and all of the big screens are on so it’s just as bright and colourful!

The 9/11 memorial and museum is simply incredible and I felt is something that whilst in the city we had to pay tribute to.  The memorial itself is the most beautiful tribute and puts into perspective the true size of the World Trade Centres.  It also pays tributes to the victims by placing roses on their inscribed names for their birthdays, it is truly unforgettable.  Something that stood out to me was a mural created by Spencer fitch titled “Trying to remember the colour of the sky on that September morning”, which is created with 2983 individual tiles, one for every victim, all in various shades of blue which represent a collective memory of how blue the sky was over Manhattan that morning.  It’s a simple but incredibly effective mural showing what a beautiful morning that fatal day started as.

A couple of iconic skyscrapers to keep an eye out for include: The Empire state building, famous for being in the movies King Kong and Elf, was originally built to break the record of being the first building with 100+ floors and is named after New York itself as the Empire State.  Rockefeller Centre, located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, is an historic skyscraper that is most famously visited at Christmas time and also has a year round opportunity to go to the “Top of the Rock” and see NYC from above.  The Flat Iron building, one of New York’s first skyscrapers has an iconic slender shape that stands out from all New York Skyscrapers and is located near Washington Square Garden.  And the Plaza NYC which is the famous hotel where they filmed Home Alone is right opposite the south entrance of Central park.

Washington Square Gardens was a lovely quiet district just a short subway from Midtown Manhattan.  It has a park with a beautiful arch structure and fountain, surrounded by buskers and performers to keep you entertained on your visit.  The surrounding area to Washington Square park, Greenwich Village, is home to NYU so it is full of beautiful buildings and much more residential than Midtown Manhattan.

A famous NYC spot to visit is Brooklyn Bridge, a 0.3mile bridge connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan.  We decided to attempt to walk the bridge but I have to admit, it wasn’t easy.  Mostly due to the amount of people on the bridge, it was very difficult to move and didn’t really allow for much room to see the bridge and it’s structure.  In my opinion it was much better to see Brooklyn bridge from a distance on an Hudson river ferry.  While on the ferry you can also see the Statue of Liberty which is a must, Brooklyn and the skyline of Manhattan so it’s a great option for seeing a lot at once.  Linked below is a booking company for a Hudson river tour that would allow you to see all of the above.

A less talked about hot spot to visit in NYC is Hudson Yards.  A new, modern neighbourhood on Manhattans west side with lots of culture, restaurants and places to visit including the ‘Edge’, ‘Vessel’ and the ‘Highline’, which is a park built on a historic railway line, elevated over Manhattan.  Hudson Yards is definitely worth a trip to experience a new culture and side to New York City.

One of my favourite places to visit in New York was Grand Central Terminal, the largest train station in the world (also famous for being the opening scene in Gossip Girl)!  It’s the most amazing piece of architecture inside and out, located near 42^nd street, that not only is used for a train station but has shops and restaurants inside too.

Finally, for a little touch of shopping on your trip, 5^th Avenue is the place to be for all the best high end shops, restaurants and the famous Trump Tower.  Just a short walk from Central Park it’s a great way to split up the day and to see the luxury of NYC. Check out my other NYC posts including my What to do list, where to stay and Budgeting top tips!