Activities for first time visitors to New York

There’s no place on earth like New York City. It’s a little bit of everything, really - iconic, fun, exciting, thoughtful, busy, and, to the people who live and work there, just home. Living a quick train ride away, my first time there was a long time ago, but for a lot of people in all the excitement, it can be easy to get a little lost and confused during the first couple of days of your first trip. It’s big and there’s so much to do. If you’re planning a trip, here are some essentials:

Just Walk
One of the best things to do in New York doesn’t cost a cent, and also shows you much that you need to know about the city. It’s called: walking! The area below Central Park in Manhattan is a walker’s paradise. Neighborhoods flow into one another, especially in the southern part of the borough. This is what I spend most of my time doing when I visit. From Chinatown to Wall Street, onto Greenwich Village, and beyond. For a more educational experience or if you don't feel comfortable walking where you don't know, check out a walking tour.

The Big Hitters
There are some attractions that make nearly every To Do in NY list, and if you've read here a while you know I consider myself a touron and I always hit the tourist spots. To get a good view of the city, heading up to the Top of the Rock is my pick over going up to the top of the Empire State Building because you can get a view of the Empire State from the top of Rockefeller Center. The Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge (which I only did for the first time last year after going so many times), and the city’s most important museums (MoMA, Met, Guggenheim, Whitney, New, 9/11 Museum,Cloisters, so many smaller ones too) are also top first visit attractions.

New York Life
It’s not just iconic and historic buildings that define New York. Millions of people choose to live there, and part of the reason for that is there are more cultural events going on than you can even begin to imagine or name. And not just any old events: some of the best entertainment in the world can be found in New York. Check out the Broadway shows, concerts, and theater performances going on during your trip, and see a show if possible. The quality of the production and vibrancy of the atmosphere is amazing.

Central Park Afternoons
New York can be a pretty full-on place. You can spend all your time in the city on the move, running from one attraction to the next, but you might love it more if you make time to relax. To me, one of the most relaxing activities in New York is also a must-do: grabbing a coffee and strolling through Central Park, enjoying life and hopefully the sunshine...even though one of my favorite Central Park strolls was rainy and foggy and I loved it just the same.

I'm not even getting into all the eating I like to do there and all the carousing I've done there in my 20s and 30s. What are some of your New York must dos?