A travel guide to NY from a lifelong NY teen

Oct 17

Oct 17 A travel guide to NY from a lifelong NY teen

New Yorkers are harsh on the visitors to their home, probably more than anywhere else in at least north america. We don't always say it but we usually are rolling are our eyes.

Rules to the city from a NY teen:

1. Walk fast.

There is nothing that bothers almost any New Yorker more than a tourist standing in the middle of the street taking a picture or blocking the whole sidewalk but walking SO slow.

2. Think positively to come into a city that is thought of negatively.

OK, despite our annoyance at tourists and MANY other things, New Yorkers can actually be nice. And it bugs me when people have a preconceived notion about the city. While some people are just rude, I don't come by them that often even though there are many out there. But I think people just don't think we are nice because we aren't all greeting each other and asking about how life is going. We usually all have somewhere to go so we just keep our heads down and walk FAST.

3. Try new things.

Never come to NY and just go to a chain in Times Square. There is so much amazing food in NY. GO OUT AND TRY IT.

TIP: New Yorkers J walk, because we aren't gonna wait while no cars go by. So just make sure to look if you're gonna follow by example.

TIP: Never take the basic, acting candid photo in front of the Times square billboards. Just don't.

MY FAVORITE THINGS IN NY:

FOOD:

Food from any country can be brought to your door in the middle of the night in New York so it's no surprise that there are so many options.

A cute little cafe:

Bakeri in Brooklyn

There are two Bakeri locations that are both in Brooklyn and they are so cute. I live close to the Williamsburg location. They use the cutest plates and cups and they have a little outside area. I love their iced chai latte, it's probably my favorite one I've ever had. And their sandwiches are SO good. I love their prosciutto & baguette sandwich but they don't always have it. For baked goods I love their skol bread and the chocolate coco nibs.

On the go:

Joe's pizza

Joe's pizza is my favorite pizza place in New York. It is pretty well known, they opened in Williamsburg recently and they also have a location in Manhattan. I love their mozzarella slice.

Sit down:

The Meatball shop

At the meatball shop they give you a menu with options of what kind of meatball or pasta you want and you check off boxes next to what you want. I love their chicken meatball, it is SO good and their ciabatta bread is really good.

SHOPPING:

New York is known for their shopping and I love shopping so I have tried many stores. These are my favorites...

Vintage:

Awoke vintage in Williamsburg

I love this place all of their stuff is so cute. It is all picked though perfectly and it not too overwhelming like most vintage stores. Also a lot of their clothing is international, I recently got a shirt there from China.

Fitness:

Outdoor Voices in Soho

You might have heard of this company before, this is definitely the coolest fitness brand EVER. I could never easily find fitness clothes that I loved but everything in Outdoor Voices looks perfect together and makes you the coolest girl at the gym.

All around cute:

Aritzia

Aritzia is pretty well known, there have quite a few locations and a couple of them are in New York. The people working there are so nice and they have so many different lines so it is easy to find something suited to you.

LANDMARKS:

Obviously when visiting the city people go to see some of New York's most famous buildings or locations. A lot of New Yorkers have never been to the top of most of the famous buildings, just cause they never bother. I have been to quite a few landmarks and these are my favorites.

One World Trade observatory:

This is definitely the coolest observatory in New York. Because the Freedom Tower is the tallest building in New York, you can see everything. It is also very cool if you're a New Yorker cause you can look out and see your house or your neighborhood. You are able to walk all around the floor with windows on all sides, so you can see New Jersey, the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn and of course all of Manhattan.

The view from the One World Observatory.

Bethesda Terrace:

The Bethesda Terrace (AKA: Chuck & Blair's wedding location) is so beautiful it overlooks the Bethesda Fountain, and it is so photogenic and their are so many photogenic locations around it. The Naumburg bandshell is just across the path and the Cherry Hill fountain is super close along with the Bow bridge.

Grand Central Terminal:

There are two large Train station or terminal in New York. Grand Central and Penn Station, Penn station is disgusting. Grand Central is so beautiful, the ceiling was cleaned a while ago so you can see the beautiful mural on the ceiling. There is also a great place for food across the street with a lot of options called Urbanspace Vanderbilt.

MUSEUMS:

Guggenheim museum:

A lot of museums are so overwhelming, the guggenheim only ever has one show going. So as you walk up the ramp and get closer to the top of the building you go through the art that is perfectly curated so that as you go up you go through the artist's artistic life or curated as the way it should be seen. It is also such a beautiful building, I love the art deco style and era its from and it is so photogenic.

The Whitney museum:

The Whitney is a really beautiful modern building so it is also great for photos, also they have the colorful chairs on the balcony that everyone takes photos in. The art in the Whitney is more modern which I usually like more. Also the neighborhood around the Whitney is cool.