This year, we flew to New York, and I have to say - this city left me in absolute awe. I found the streets to be much cleaner and friendlier than anticipated, but what did shock me was the current conversion from the Australian to the US dollar… Alas, our two weeks in New York were filled with some incredible experiences: from parks, to museums, shows and sky high glass balconies - in no particular order, here are my top reccomendations for NYC.

5. Explore the Financial District (FIDI)

Being in the financial district felt like a completely different city to Manhattan. After doing a free walking tour of FIDI, we learnt that the Algonquin Indians resided in this area, when the Dutch colonisers arrived and tricked the native people of this land to sell it for what would equate for $24 in today’s world. We also learnt so many different facts about New York during this tour. For example, the name ‘Wall Street’ comes from an actual wall which the Dutch built when defending themselves against the British (you can still see the remnants of the original wall on the in the ground of Wall Street).

I would highly recommend to take a free walking tour as soon as you get there to get the basic layout, and then further explore on your own. So if you find yourself in FIDI, make sure to check out the below.

6. Museums Galore

If you’re going to New York, it is absolutely illegal not to visit it’s incredible museums such as the MoMA, the MET and the Whitney (If you go, check out the Henry Taylor exhibit!).

My favourite one was the Museum of Modern Art - not the biggest, yet the most incredible collection of paintings and installations. Of course, you can’t go past the famous artificial intelligence installation ‘Unsupervised’ on the first floor of the museum. This work synthesises over 180,000 works of art and transofrms them into mesmerising shapes and colours.

If you want to go to these museum, I would highly recommend to purchase the tickets online as it does get very busy. With MOMA in particular, the museum opens at 10am and you will notice that the line begins to form around 9.00-930, and by the time the museum opens, dozens of people are usually waiting to come in.

7. Discover Dumbo

Unfortunately we didn’t get to visit the Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass (DUMBO) area until our very last day in NYC, but what a cool area this was!

The famous street seen in the picture below, was littered with tourists trying to take the same photo (one of those pesky tourists being myself), but it is definitely a spectacular view. The neighbourhood offers an escape from the busy streets of New York while still getting to feel like you are in the city. It is a great area to walk around, get lunch, drinks or dinner and do some vintage shopping. We ran out of time, but you can also take the ferry back to Manhattan, instead of taking the subway.

8. Vintage Shopping

New York has to be the Holy Grail of vintage shopping and thrift shopping. The prices are going to vary significantly depending on which kind of store you go to, but my favourite by far was L Train Vintage as it offered a huge variety of clothes for a reasonable price. Inever expected to spend so many hours in a vintage clothing store, but time just passed by and it was so much fun trying on different outfits. We ended up walking away with two incredible leather jackets for only $65 each.

Some of the other vintage shops that came recommended include 9th Street Vintage, Cure Thrift, 10 ft Single by Stella Dallas, Ludlow Flea and Procell.

9. Explore the Parks

I know it comes as a cliche, but Central Park was one of my favourite parts of New York. Whether you go running or walking, make sure you check it out really early in the morning when the air is fresh, and some mist lingering over the water. NYC is the city of runners so it is absolutely full of people, and you feel like a part of a community, even when you’re alone.

I also loved Hudson River Park, which we stumbled upon by pure chance. This park is constructed on a floating barge, and huge pillars on the Hudson River, and it includes a skate park, amphitheatre and a beautiful lookout to the financial district and the Statue of Liberty. It’s the perfect place to go on a nice sunny day or on a balmy evening to have a picnic and look out over the water.

10. American Sport

If you want to experience the heart and soul of American culture, it’s worth making your way to an NBA or NFL game while you’re there. This is not something I would’ve chosen myself, however, attending the games with my partner gave me a new appreciation for these sports and really gave me a new perspectives on the American culture. You can experience things like tailgating, watch half time entertainment like dogs chasing the frisbee, and gorge yourself on greasy food.

We went to watch the New York Jets play against the Philadelphia Eagles at Metlife Stadium. The tickets cost around $100 each, and the bus fare was only $15 (for a round-trip) from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in the city. Due to traffic, the trip did take about 50 minutes, so do go in early.

Another tip for non-US citizens - you are not actually allowed to buy alocohol at Metlife unless you bring your passport, and even then you have to fill out a special application in order to get served.