New York Tips

I'm not a New Yorker, not even close. I was born on the west coast and I'm living in the midwest. I'm also not a seasoned New York traveler, the ones that vacation in NY every year or maybe several times a year. Since Andrew loved it so much, I might become one of those people.
But for now, here are some New York City travel tips from a non-expert traveler.

1. Prepare
There are those people out there that do things on a whim, travel to an unknown location and just "wing-it". I'm not one of them. While I am known for diverging from the plan or the plan falling into a million teeny tiny pieces, at least I have a plan.
I research what I want to see. How much it will cost. How I get there. Plan B. If I get there and don't like what I see, what else is there?

That way, when my Type A personality arrives, I'm at least somewhat prepared for everything.

2. Get a Map
And for the love of all things holy, learn how to read it. Amazingly enough people managed to get to point A to point B without the use of Google Maps or a GPS on your phone.

We picked up a highly detailed map from Barnes and Noble before leaving and I spent some time finding our hotel location and points of interest. This map even had cool touristy spots included on the map.

3. Don't be Afraid of Public Transportation
I'm not talking about taxis. I mean the Subway and buses. They are so cheap! Your hotel might have a subway map available(ours did) or you can find them at touristy stores. It's really easy to figure out where you're going. Or just ask the ticket sales person.

4. A Smile Goes a Long Way
You might find people aren't very nice in the big city. But I find if your general demeaner is happy people are nicer. I had several people come up to me and ask for directions. Because I am so friendly(and I studied my map) I was able to give those people directions.

5. People Watch
This might only be for Andrew and me. Some of the most fun we had in NY was watching people. It was so much fun seeing so many people, some of them dressed funny, some were hardly dressed at all. There was lots of interacting going on, try and slow down long enough to watch it.



I'm not sure if anyone will find this helpful. Anyone without a personality like mine, but oh well. I think that's all I have, most importantly would just be to have fun. I find that these things help me do that.