Most of you who follow me over on social media will know that I recently went to New York on a girls trip for a few nights. We had the most amazing time and I wanted to share some of it with you, in the hope that if you ever chose to visit then you'll have some tips and tricks to help you on your way.
This post is the first in a series that I will be sharing over here so keep your eyes peeled and stay following if you want to read more. First up; 5 Free things to do in New York
(1) This is not only free but it was actually my top thing on our itinerary, I absolutely loved it. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. You should expect the walk to take about an hour (two hours round-trip) as you will be stopping along the way first to get the gorgeous views of Brooklyn but then central Manhattan behind you. Don't forget to take your camera along to capture some nice views of the Manhattan skyline that you obviously wouldn't get from within the city.
One thing I would note is that if you decide to start on the Brooklyn side and walk toward Manhattan, be sure you know how to actually get on the bridge, it can take some time. Failing that ask someone :)
Once we were there we headed for a rooftop bar to soak up the sunshine and watch over Manhattan. Definitely a highlight for us!
(2) Ride the Staten Island Ferry. This actually something we had planned to do after being given the tip numerous times. However the day we were due to do it it was so foggy that we wouldn't have seen good old Lady Lib anyway so gave it a miss. We were very lucky to have a helicopter ride planned over the weekend so didn't feel too hard done by but it was definitely something we would have done had we had the time and weather for it.
The trip between Staten Island and Manhattan takes about 25 minutes, and doesn't cost a penny. You'll get views of Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and the skyline of lower Manhattan.
(3) Another of our favourite things to do was to head to Grand Central Station. This was pretty much on our doorstep and we visited numerous times. Our favourite time was first thing in the morning (usually pre-7am thanks to jet lag!) and we would head downstairs under the cavernous pillars for coffee and a croissant. It has such a lovely feel about it and feels somewhat nostalgic, no doubt from the endless films that feature it. Grand Central Terminal is one of the world's most famous train stations, and also among the busiest apparently at rush hour time, we didn't experience this as we loved the quietness.
(5) The area around Ground Zero. This is a different side to New York, one that will make you stop and reflect for a while. Where the Twin Towers once stood,a beautiful pool structure has been built in their footprints, with engraved names of all the victims of that awful day. It is a beautiful yet heart wrenching site but one I would urge all tourists to head to if they get chance.