Tips for a First-Time Visit to NYC Vacation Mavens

We have talked about the Big Apple before from a local's perspective and the borough of Brooklyn, but what do you do on your very first visit to NYC? Tamara and Kim talk with Claudia from The Travelling Mom to get her advice (and share their own) about what to do, where to stay, what tours to take, and where to eat for NYC first-time visitors.
ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Talking with Kim and Tamara about NYC
03:14 - Talking with Claudia Laroye
06:15 - Planning your stay
10:30 - Traveling into and around the city
14:44 - Favorite hotels
19:12 - Must see attractions
24:40 - Tours
27:48 - Food locations
32:30 - Broadway tickets
37:12 - Final tips
37:45 - Claudia’s favorite travel gear
38:50 - Coming up next for Claudia
ABOUT CLAUDIA LAROYE Claudia Laroye is a travel writer and editor living in Vancouver Canada. She is the founder of The Travelling Mom, editor of Twist Travel Magazine and writes freelance articles for print publications around the world.
Follow Claudia Laroye on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
TIPS FOR VISITING NYC When you are planning to visit New York City you must think about how long you want to spend there. There is so much to see, even locals probably haven’t seen it all! Whatever you plan on doing, try not to over book yourself. Give yourself time to just walk around not rush from one location to the next so that you can fit it all in. Try to only choose five to ten activities if you plan on spending a long weekend. This is more than enough to fill your time. You should also plan on using the subway system, it can really help you get places without traffic or tiring yourself out walking to the other side of the city. Make sure to wear good comfortable shoes. You will be logging a lot of steps on your days in the city. Depending on what you plan on visiting in the city you should really look into getting a CityPASS. This might just save you some money on your visit. It can also save you some time too as the CityPASS allows you to skip the line at some attractions like the Statue of Liberty. Depending on which airport you are flying into, you can catch a train into Penn Station. You should keep in mind though that depending on the time of your flight and when you will be getting on a train, these are commuter trains so during rush hour they will be very packed and may have standing room only. Depending on the time of year you plan on visiting, hotel stays can get pretty pricey. January is usually pretty cost effective in terms of hotel prices. You should also keep in mind that rooms in NYC are usually compact. With that in mind you can figure out the best options for you and your family. The Best Western Plus Hospitality House is a really great place for families to stay. The location is great, plus they have some areas inside that offer great space to hang with the family. The rooms offer ensuite kitchens that you can stock up on food and snacks, that is great for late night and early morning hunger. These are must see locations for first time visitors to the Big Apple. Empire State Building - this is a very iconic place to visit and the views from there are just stunning. Time Square - it is free and a great place to walk around both during the day and night. Walking The High Line Walking through Central Park See a Broadway show Visiting some museums The MoMA The Natural History Museum The Guggenheim The Metropolitan Museum Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum For those that really love art there are some other smaller museums around the city. 9/11 Memorial Statue of Liberty Rockefeller Center - with the skating rink in the winter months If you want a great introduction of the neighborhoods in NYC, the hop-on and hop-off tours are great for first time visitors. But other than that, depending on what your interests are there are tours for almost everything. If you really want to see a Broadway show when you are visiting you should look into booking through the theaters ahead of time. I