New York is absolutely amazing. But even with ample planning, if you have not been to the city before you might encounter some very unexpected things. Or you might be lost in a sea of blogs that are confusing you more than helping. I have compiled my first hand NY newbie experiences you need to know about to make sure your trip goes smoothly! Oh! Please remember to subscribe and send to your friends!
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LOSS: Not having a day that you do not travel
Now I am not saying that this is going to make or break your trip, but if you are in this huge city for the first time, having one full day in the city is crucial. I do not regret it, but Kellie and I did a lot of walking and saw A LOT in less than the 24 awake hours in New York. I would recommend adding a day with no travel so that you can get more out of your trip.
WIN: Getting $1 pizza
This is affordable and delicious. I do not even need to tell you anymore about it but trust me, go experience it for yourself. With all the walking you do, you won't even have to worry about the calories.
Having a nice coat is key in NYC. There is a lot of walking so be prepared! The purse I have on is perfect for the crowded streets and has enough room for the essentials.
LOSS: Going at Christmas time.
Although this has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember, I do not recommend going during Christmas time for your first trip to NY. It is amazing, but it added on so many more things, and I honestly feel it made it more crowded and insane than normal.
WIN: Making a list of your musts
The city is extremely walkable. Make a list of everything you want to see or do and get walking!
LOSS: Trying take pictures in the middle of the day
With how busy it is, if you only have limited time, don’t try to take a lot of pictures. Seeing this is one of our favorite things, it was rough accepting that with the amount of people and limited time, we just wouldn’t be able to get the photos we wanted.
Kellie and I actually loved how this picture turned out. But what you cannot see, is how we waited for people to stop walking in front of the camera and for how much stuff I was holding onto to take this picture. Kellie did approve of her Timberland's as a comfy and stylish option for her NYC trip.
WIN: Seeing the architecture
There is nothing like being in a city with wonderfully historic buildings. Even if you do not go in, make sure to add some architectural sightseeing to your list. I recommend St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Flat Iron building.
LOSS: Forgetting to plan meals
We ended up getting Chick--fil-A, which I'm not too disappointed about, but I would have rather gotten food somewhere local to New York. I did not think about it but it would have been better to plan ahead on somewhere to get dinner. We thought we could just stumble on a place but everywhere we found was way out of our price range… so some research would have done us good.
WIN: Finding a hole in the wall
We did get lucky for breakfast as we wandered around in the morning. Even though we waited in line for quite a while at Johny's Luncheonette, we both a agreed that the food and sitting down for a meal was well worth the wait.
LOSS: Having expectations that TV/movies have set for you
This was less of a problem for me, but Kellie had expectations that were shattered from a few of her favorite TV shows. Make sure you do your research because New York is not like a lot of movies or shows actually display it.
WIN: Going to the High line
The high line allows you to step away from the tourism and get back to nature a little bit. You also get great views of the city without being pushed down and elbowed by angry sidewalk goers. This is the only activity that I included on this list, but this was my favorite thing we did!
All of these photos were taken with my Nikon D3300 AND on the kit lens. You do not need fancy equipment to have fun with photography. If you are planning your first new York trip and have any questions, let me know so I can create content for you! Please like, share and subscribe!
