{"id":1806,"date":"2018-12-24T10:30:53","date_gmt":"2018-12-24T10:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelwithanda.com\/?p=1806"},"modified":"2018-12-24T19:57:17","modified_gmt":"2018-12-24T19:57:17","slug":"i-love-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelwithanda.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/24\/i-love-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"I love New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

The capital of the world. Big Apple. The city that never sleeps. Melting pot. The door to freedom and hope for many immigrants. And the city of disappointments for a lot of people who don\u2019t cope with its challenges. New York. You either love it or hate it. But first of all, you need to feel its pulse to have an opinion. So, are you ready to visit New York and don\u2019t know where to begin? How to reach Manhattan, where to book a hotel, how much it will all cost you? And, most importantly, top things to see in New York if you are in the city for 5 days? You came to the right place, I am a New York City addict and I got some helpful tips for you 😉<\/strong><\/p>\n

New York vs New York City vs Manhattan<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all, let us clear the situation with the names: New York<\/strong> is a state, New York City<\/strong> is one of the cities in this state and Manhattan<\/strong> is one of the boroughs in this city. New York City (shorter NYC) comprises 5 boroughs: Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island and Manhattan<\/strong>. So, when people (even me) say they want to “visit New York”, they usually refer to Manhattan, which is the most popular and populated borough. That doesn\u2019t mean that others are boring or not worth the visit, but let\u2019s be honest \u2013 most of the people come to New York for around 5 days and this is not nearly enough to even see everything in Manhattan.\"\"<\/p>\n

When is the best time to visit New York<\/strong><\/p>\n

As for every big city and popular tourist destination my advice is: don\u2019t visit New York during high season,<\/strong> unless you enjoy the crowds and don\u2019t mind high airfare and hotel rates. People, especially families, love to visit Manhattan during summer vacation<\/strong> (July \u2013 August), and around Thanksgiving-New Year holiday season<\/strong> (November \u2013 December), so it is wise to avoid traveling to New York in that period.\u00a0 If you absolutely need to visit New York during holidays, book well in advance but keep in mind that summer in NYC can be hot and suffocating as hell. That said, I believe the best time<\/strong> to visit New York is from April to May and from September to early November when the weather is pleasant but the tourist crowds are not overwhelming.<\/p>\n

Documents and other things to take and not to take with you <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tourists need ESTA<\/strong> and a valid passport<\/strong> for a short term visit to the USA.\u00a0 ESTA is an automated electronic system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the States\u00a0under the\u00a0Visa Waiver Program. You can apply for ESTA online<\/a> (for Slovene citizens it costs 14$), no less than 72 hours before your departure, and it is valid for 2 years<\/strong>. I suggest you print<\/strong> the confirmation because you will need to show it at the airport (you cannot check-in without it). You also need to have your hotel or accommodation address for entering the US. And last, but not the least, make sure you have a good travel health insurance<\/a><\/strong> to cover the costs of medical care in case you happen to end up in hospital. Medical care in the USA is known to be crazy high.\"\"<\/p>\n

Besides the documents and credit cards (Mastercard is accepted everywhere), check if you need a power plug adapter<\/strong> or voltage converter in the USA. Their power plugs and sockets are of type A and B and the easiest way to check if you need one is to click here<\/a>. Apart from that I suggest you travel light<\/strong> because you will probably do a lot of shopping \u2013 my advice is to bring your suitcase as empty as possible. Shopping in the USA<\/a> is much more fun when dollar rate is down (speaking from European point of view), however if you shop for local brands<\/strong> like Guess, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, you will still be able to make some very good deals.<\/p>\n

In the end, let me just warn you that you shouldn\u2019t bring food<\/strong>, especially fruits, vegetables and meat products into the USA. I almost cried the first time I came to New York, when I had to throw away a whole bag of apples at the customs inspection.<\/p>\n