The visit to the USA was scheduled a long time in advance, but due to the pandemic we had to cancel and reschedule everything, but in the end we found the right period and arrived where we intended.
For New York we bought The New York Pass® by Go City for 4 days ($229/person). The card includes entrances to top tourist attractions, cruises, guided tours or discounts at certain shops and restaurants. More details can be found on their official website.
At almost all attractions we had to book in advance. Reservations are made quickly, directly from the app.
For public transportation, we bought a 7-day pass, which cost $33/person. (For details check the MTA website).
We started our day with a walk in Times Square, the hotel being located a few blocks away. Who hasn’t heard of Times Square and the dazzling electronic billboards? It’s something you shouldn’t miss, especially if you’re coming to New York for the first time.
Times Square is the busiest area in the city, located at the intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue. It is where you will find, in addition to huge billboards, bars, restaurants, theaters, museums and a wonderful atmosphere.
From Times Square we headed to Pier 83 to pick up tickets for the Harbor Lights cruise from Circle Cruise Line – one of the New York‘s oldest and best-known cruise lines dedicated exclusively to tourism (established in 1945; had over 80 million tourists), then we went to visit The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex – a museum complex that presents the military history of the USA.
Among the museum’s highlights are the USS Intrepid (1943), which served in the Pacific during World War II, surviving five kamikaze attacks, and the USS Growler (1958): the only American guided-missile submarine open to the public.
Another attraction is the Space Shuttle Enterprise Pavilion – the first space shuttle publicly unveiled by NASA. The exhibit houses original artifacts, photographs, and films that showcase the history of the Enterprise and the space shuttle era. Entrance to the museum was free with the city pass, and normally costs $33/person.
After a few hours of visiting the museum, we headed to the famous Empire State Building, which is among the top 50 tallest skyscrapers in the world.
Located in Midtown Manhattan, the building offers spectacular views from the 86th floor. The Empire State Building was built in 1931, has a height of 381m (443m to the top) and for 40 years was the tallest building in New York. Admission price: $45.73/person. With the City Pass you have access to the 86th floor included, but you can pay extra if you want to go up to the 102nd floor.
From the Empire State we went to Grand Central Terminal, one of the most frequented and well-known stations worldwide. Opened in 1913, Grand Central Terminal is not just a simple train station, but also a cultural and commercial center with over 60 shops and 35 restaurants.
There are so many things and details to see there that you must visit it if you come to New York. For example, did you know that each chandelier in the main hall weighs 1 ton and has 132 bulbs surrounded by carved oak leaves? If you want to learn the history of the station and many other interesting details, you can choose a guided tour that lasts between an hour and a half and two hours ($30/person).
In addition to Grand Central, you can also see other imposing buildings such as the Chrysler – one of the most beautiful buildings in New York from an architectural point of view. Built between 1928 and 1930, the Chrysler Building was the tallest in the world at the time at 318.8 meters and held the record until the Empire State Building opened in 1931.
The first day ended at the One World Trade Center Observatory – the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the sixth tallest in the world at 541.3 meters.
Reaching the 102nd floor in just 47 seconds, the observatory offers a 360° view of Manhattan to the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge or the skyscrapers of Midtown. Price: $43/person.
Day two started with a walk on The High Line – a park opened in 2009 on a former railway above the city. You can enter and exit the park at any time, as it has several access routes. We wanted to get to The Vessel, so we walked from one end to the other and got off at Hudson Yards.
Although we have reservations made at The Vessel, when we arrived we found out that it was actually closed, so we admired the construction outside. It has apparently been closed following the numerous incidents that have taken place there, and there is still no word on whether it will be reopened.
We walked around Hudson Yards a little more, and then we headed to the American Museum of Natural History. The museum has an impressive collection of over 30 million exhibits, making it the largest natural history museum in the world.
To visit all the rooms, you need at least two hours and it is recommended to book in advance. Entrance price $23/person (the museum can be visited for free on certain days: the first Tuesday of every month, except for July and August and every Tuesday from September).
The next stop was in the famous Central Park located right in the middle of Manhattan. It is the largest urban park in New York and one of the largest in the world (approximately 341 hectares).
Located in the center of the island and surrounded by skyscrapers, Central Park attracts more than 25 million people annually. You can spend a whole day in the park without getting bored: you will find everything from running tracks and bike paths (The Park Drive), to extensive meadows or children’s playgrounds, from sports fields to Central Park Zoo (among the largest zoos in the USA) or The Ramble (a place dedicated to bird watching, where more than 30 species can be found), fountains, statues, Belvedere Castle, The Met Art Museum (The Metropolitan Museum of Art – the largest art museum in United States), lakes and many other attractions.
The last stop was at Pier 83 for a 2 hour Hudson River Cruise – Harbor Lights by Circle Line Cruise. Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate with us and it rained quite a lot, so we stayed inside and admired the gorgeous buildings of Manhattan. For cruises you must be at least 45 minutes early, no food or drinks are allowed, but there is a cafe on board that serves sandwiches, salads and other snacks, coffee, juice, beer, wine and cocktails. The price of one ticket is $41/person.
The second part of the visit to New York is coming soon, with other interesting tourist attractions. Below you will find a photo gallery of the objectives presented in this article.
(New York – August 2021)
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