How to Survive New York

After we had packed up exams and burned our revision notes (except for me, who now has a stack of carefully folded posters under the bed), my cousin Emily and I boarded a plane to New York to celebrate.

-Hold on, just like that?We had planned this trip over six months prior, scouring vacation spots that we would both welcome after a long slog of exams (trust me, even a sit down in front of the TV was welcome after that unsightly marathon). Once settled on New York, we had this as our End Goal, the Final Terminal, Fin, Finito, End of Exams and life at school as we had known it for so long. We were both eighteen and now was the time to take adulthood around like a fluorescent backpack for all to see: look, we are adults like you and we can go to a different country and cope! (Granted, I went to New York previously with my household family, and they do all speak English there, and are very friendly, and our parents combined for us spending money, but the point is we felt like adults.)
After our passports were stamped with the faded ring of declaration into the country, and once we were seated in the taxi - trying not to fall asleep - Emily and I suddenly came to the realisation that we could very easily get lost and not be able to return home and become urchins on the vast street corners. Thankfully, however, we arrived safe and sound back on the baked English soil (the heat wave almost matched the temperatures in America!) five days later, bringing with us a hint of tan and a bundle of stories on how we survived New York.

Look what we found!

Firstly, as every tour guide told us (three bus tours, with a boat and bike tour), New York is on a grid system: no need to hunt for Worthington Estate nestled behind bushes on a long, branching Pepper Street, which takes ten years to find (my house also has a name instead of a number, and trust me, it is as annoying for us as for anyone trying to actually find it). Instead, you give coordinates and navigate a real pavemented map under your feet.
Now, everyone harks continuously about how easy and simple and completely delightful this grid system is, and true it is very useful, if you understand it. Which of course, Emily and I didn't, at first. This became apparent on our first morning, where we awoke at around 5 in the morning and decided to head to Central Park for breakfast. The very minute trouble with this, however, was trying to find the place! We actually discovered it is literally a straight walk down the ‘avenue’, but we became meerkcats, constantly questioning every sign and street that we passed. However, as our hotel was planted straight in the middle of Times Square, we could have stopped the faff and just wandered there. So, the number one survival tip to the Big Apple is know the grid system: avenues are long, such as 7^th Avenue slicing through Times Square; Streets go across and there are over 200. The best advice is to know the street and avenue your hotel is on, so you can always find your way back – for us, this was made easier with the huge M&M videos screened above the vastly popular M&M store, which was in front of our hotel: instead of searching for our coordinated, Emily and I just hunted for M&M World, Hershey World and Juniors. (The winding road that does not apply to this rule is Broadway, which cuts through the neat grid: it was originally used by Native Americans and was kept and paved over, to still be used today).

Bright lights, big city!

Further, a map is really very useful and I would have one in your mitts at all times: you may look like a helpless tourist, but everyone is more than happy to help you. Also, if you do get lost, ask for help. Unless they’re power-marching businessmen (who you could spy a mile away, with their shark eyes fixated on their target of getting to work, then to lunch), everyone is more than happy to help out such helpless tourist. A  kind lady even asked us if we needed directions when I audibly grunted at not being able to find Hollister – always in my heart, lovely lady.

Emily and I decided that for our first trip to New York together, we would do as many of the typical tourist attractions as possible, that would not completely implode our budget; and that is what makes this little island so unique, as the tourist attractions are actually very good! One that I would recommend are the Big Bus Tours (however other bus companies are available too), which go on four separate routes around the New York streets, with a guide announcing all of the famous and little-known attractions in their amazing accents. Not only can you passively view the great and historic sights, but you can also ‘hop on and hop off’ – as their slogan goes – wherever you want, so is the perfect mode of transport! For example, if you were right up Central Park way, but wanted to visit the 9/11 Memorial, the bus could whisk you there, all the while filling your mind with fascinating facts and many jokes you can use on your family, to make you appear like a new-sprung comedian too.

Also, the less well-known tourist attractions were some of our highlights, from a vast trip filled with neon happiness: instead of elevating above the city in the Empire State, we opted for the Rockefeller, offering as much of the view as half the price, and you saw the Empire State from it too, without having to peer over a tsunami of heads (or jump, if you are short like me). One of the best experiences Emily and I had was hiring quaint rowing boats to gently drift down the lake in Central Park, hired outside of The Loeb Boathouse (the place for expensive and exquisite dinners, or in our case, cheap and cheerful breakfasts). Not only do the waters submerge an abundance of adorable turtles, but also allow you a new angle on some beautiful sights. Just do not tell too many people – let’s just keep it our little secret, or the waters will transform into a concert of crashing boats.

My first time in a rowing boat and I did not even crash - are you proud?

The penultimate instruction for all budding explorers of Manhattan is: do your research! Almost every hotel has free Wi-Fi and some eateries do too, which you should use to Google and Trip-Advise the best attractions, restaurants and things to do. Through this, we found the route to walk to the High Line – a beautiful nature walk along a disused railway track – to the Brooklyn Diner, for a delicious final breakfast, to the directions towards Soho for a spot of shopping (admittedly, we went the wrong way countless times, but we got there eventually). Additionally, research allows you to budget, meaning you can spare enough for a little shopping spree - when in New York, this is another must!

And, finally, drink lots of water, try to use those lithe legs of yours and walk around – we found some great cafes while strutting the streets, and walked off our enormous dinners too – and take as many pictures as your storage will allow. And be prepared for massive meals – enjoy!

And these were just two starters! (At Juniors)

A brief summary of our best of the best:

Attractions

· Bike tour in and all around Central Park (shout-out to Damien, the most flamboyant and engaging cycling tour guide we could have wished for)

· Boating down the manmade lake in Central Park (basically, Central Park is one of my favourite places of all time)

· The views and poses pulled at the top of the Rockefeller

Food

·  Junior’s cheesecake (it is known for these slices for a reason), breakfasts and everything in between

·  Trattoria Trecolori, for homemade pasta that is genuinely the best I have eaten, outside of Italy

·  Breakfasts at the Loeb Boathouse, munching on pastries, overlooking the lake

Other

· The friendliness of everyone we came into contact with, from waiters in restaurants to people in the street
· Weaving around the intricate streets of the Big Apple itself