New York with Teenagers - A full Review and Plan.
Written by our 16 year old film buff.
The big Apple. The city that never sleeps. New York was definitely a visit to look forward to. But did this famous city really live up to the hype or would it have me packing my bags, leaving today and wishing I wasn’t a part of it?
Around New York
Arriving in a thunder storm was definitely dramatic, like something from a movie! With a 7 and a half hour flight, I just about stayed awake to play some classic New York songs on touch down (like the Frank Sinatra one or Taylor Swift’s dedication to the city). Then it was a taxi ride in a classic yellow cab to our hotel, where sleep was my first priority. The following morning, I saw many things that New Yorkers would find ‘the usual’ that I had only seen in movies (like the fire escapes I’d only seen in Spider-Man, fire hydrants in American set cartoons and even the crossings for pedestrians seemed alien to me). You could definitely tell you were in America and the skyscrapers were something else…
Empire State Building
Onwards and upwards, quite literally, the Empire State Building. Now that did not disappoint. King Kong, Spider-Man and countless old romcom movies and more. Not to mention the view was incredible. Also freezing. The famous 86th floor and view of Central Park, even just spotting the Statue of Liberty. Really good.
Even before you get up the building, there’s loads of interesting and interactive rooms, making the Empire State one of the best things we did on this holiday. Immersive rooms about the building’s construction, how the old school lifts worked and even a whole room dedicated to the movies and stares filming up there. Not to mention a room where you could look like King Kong was grabbing you! Overall, really a really fun activity with much more there than we anticipated.
Central Park
I must start by apologising, as I didn’t have the classic New York hotdog in Central Park as I intended to. But with good reason…
The park itself was massive, therefore I can’t tell you which part we walked around. The view of the skyscrapers wrapped around nature made for some cool photos, and the park had a much more relaxed atmosphere than the city (making it a nice break). Central Park had various statues, the famous zoo from ‘Madagascar’ and even pickle ball courts (a sport more popular in America).
To my surprise, there were also turtles! In each stretch of water, there appeared to be groups of turtles just swimming around. And not just a few, LOADS of them. How or why they are there will remain a mystery to me, but it was not at all what I expected. The famous park definitely being a nice break from the city.
Time Square
The bustling, screen loaded, chaotic Times Square. At fist glance, breathtaking. Just like stepping onto a film set, as I’d always imagined. Even a giant hot dog that lifted up every mid day and launched confetti! Very impressive at first.
After that… chaos. The amount of scams and hustlers was uncomfortable, the countless adverts for musicals such as ‘Wicked’ and ‘The Cursed Child’ along with new movies like the next ‘Despicable me’ was headache inducing. People shoving bus rides in your face and trying to charge you for a picture of a demented Disney character, might have ruined my childhood. Be careful. Times Square is full of scammers, definitely the heart of the bustling city. I wouldn’t spend much time there, overall not a great experience.
Statue of Liberty
Lady Liberty herself, one of the most iconic sights of New York (basically, we couldn’t not see it). In the flesh, surreal! Arriving by boat and getting some postcard shots of the statue was worth it for sure. There was also things to do on the island including a museum dedicated to the statue and you could climb up the base. However, we mainly took some photos and definitely photobombed a few too. I will say that, given the Statue of Liberty is such a big bucket list thing to see, the amount of young school kids on trips around the islands and on the boat could sometimes be chaotic.
The second stop was Ellis island, however our main reason to get off the boat was to get some food. Then, due to the heat of the day setting in, we didn’t look around the immigration museum too much. However, having stopped off, the queue for the only ride back to the city was then extremely long…
For ticket prices see Expedia with the link below.
Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO
So, Brooklyn Bridge. The architecture was incredible, walking over the bridge with roads of cars beside and below me was strange. I got used to dodging the millions of photos being taken all along the bridge (and some accidental photobombing probably took place). However, in the heat of the day with limited shade and the end looking far into the distance, it wasn’t particularly enjoyable.
Then we come onto DUMBO, down under Manhattan bridge overpass (so not the flying elephant). After walking the bridge, we immediately headed for DUMBO. However when we arrived, lots of the area had been temporarily closed because of some kind of event. From what I saw, there was no shortage of places to eat and after walking a lot that day, the only thing I was after was water. However, apart from food and the odd park, DUMBO didn’t have much to offer. I will say that jet lag, heat and a lot of walking did play a part.
On city breaks, you need to pace yourself.
The Ride
‘The Ride’ was a less chaotic way to get a good view of Times Square. It’s basically a bus that’s converted so it’s got one massive window on one side and roof with the seats facing sideways and staggered like a theatre. Run by actors between Broadway shows could be awkward at times, however they did know a lot about New York while traveling through it.
The Ride also included street performers, dresses like normal people, who would give mini shows which was extremely fun (especially how nobody blinked an eyelid when someone randomly started street dancing in the middle of the street). That’s New York for you. Even though our ride broke down, the time we did have on it was really good and worth the time.
Hudson Yards & The Edge Observation
The edge, something when I first saw it I nicknamed the Avengers’ tower, was incredible. The view from the top of that platform overlooking NYC was amazing, especially when we went at sunset to just sun down, giving us a new look at the city. There was also a small section of glass flooring where the brave could step out above the skyscrapers of the Spider-Man swingable city, looking directly down. Yes, I did give that a go and I loved it! That may be because I’m pretty good with heights though… Definitely a highlight of the trip!
Hudson Yard I wasn’t aware of when I planned my New York Bucket list but it was surprisingly good. For keen shoppers, the yard has you covered with high fashion brands and restaurants and the biggest building made of chocolate I had ever seen, all leading up to the entrance to ‘the edge’ on the 4th floor. Though, I preferred the outdoor area with ‘the vessel’ (a strange stair structure) and an outdoor screen where we watched the tennis. A very good place to sit and chill as on a city break, you do a lot of walking…
Ghost Busters Fire Station
And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for… The Ghostbuster fire station!
Despite being a small attraction, if even that, it was a must do for me from day 1! It was surreal to see it in the flesh and worth a few pictures too. However, there is another reason to be lingering around this area…
The Cronut (croissant and a doughnut) created in New York and one of the only places you can find them in the unsuspecting ‘Dominique Ansel Bakery’. A short walk from the fire station but absolutely worth a try. Even though the flavour for that month was not one I was particularly fond of, it was surprisingly delicious. A great thing to try and plan some exploring around the less iconic part of NY.
The Highline & Little Island
The Highline connects two locations I have mentioned here, it’s a short walk from the ‘Dominique Ansel Bakery’ and ends at the Hudson Yard.
I would say that at the time, I was very jet lagged, tired and it was quite hot so I didn’t enjoy it that much. More walking in that heat wasn’t really something I wanted to do. Most of the walk was shaded however, I didn’t take that much in so can’t comment. I will say that it’s probably a morning activity, but not for very long and not when it’s too warm.
Again, for Little Island I was quite tired. Although it looked impressive architecturally, there wasn’t much to do on the island accept walk (again, not really a highlight).
Overall Rating Card
Top Tips to save money and time
Save on Flights –
- Book early BA or Virgin
- Book flights without luggage just pay for what you need at the gate. ( saving £260 )
- Transfer from JFK with a Yellow Cab from the official line only for safety. ( Its a standard price saving over £100 compared to private transfer )
- Make use of the Jet Lag and visit major attractions early. Empire State, Statue of Liberty etc.
- Visit the Edge for sunset and Empire State in the morning for a very different high rise view experience.
- Walking the Brooklyn bridge with rested legs in the evening in the direction of DUMBO for a great end to the day. Lots of food options in the food market in DUMBO.
- Statue of Liberty – if you want to go up the you will need to book months in advance otherwise you can walk around the base.
Typical 4 Day Plan
Day 1 –
The flight, leaving UK at 14:00 helps with the jet lag ( flight time 7.5hrs ) Taxi Yellow Cab 50 minutes ( Bed )
DAY 2 –
Breakfast ( early start with jet lag ) Times Square, Walk to the Empire State Building, Walk Down 5th Ave, visit Central Park.
DAY 3 –
9:30 am – Taxi to Ferry Port for the Statue of Liberty. ( advance ferry tour booking required ) Lunch, Brooklyn Bridge walk and DUMBO for tea
DAY 4–
Slightly later start, “Times Square” then we experienced “The Ride” followed by lunch in “Bryant Park” Chilled back at the hotel and visited “Hudsens Yard” and “The Edge“ in the evening for sunset views over Manhattan.
DAY 5 –
Tube to see the ” Ghost Busters Fire Station ” then walk to get a “cronut” Walked through to the ” Highline” and visited the ” Little Island” before returning back to the hotel for the Taxi back to JFK.
Taking a late flight home made the most of the last day with minimal jet lag.
Useful links
Find more great photos of all the places we have visited in our Instagram page.
Book your next adventure with Expedia.
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