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Since I created this site in 1999, I suggest you to submit your schedule on the forum for the New York fan community and I to give you our advice and advice. And, for all these years, I can clearly identify the 5 big classic mistakes. Here they are so that you in turn avoid falling into them:
1 / An intense program on the day of arrival
- Unfortunately, we don’t go to New York like we take the subway… And the arrival time indicated on your plane ticket is far from the time when you will be at the top of the Empire State building! Too often, future travelers plan plenty of sightseeing and activities on the day of arrival. It means forgetting the possible delay of the plane, the right time in the immigration queue, the long minutes to wait for your luggage, the transfer time, with possible traffic jams when approaching bridges and tunnels. that lead to Manhattan. In short, even if your flight lands at 2 p.m. or 4 p.m., do not plan anything specific and plan a quiet start.
- On the day of arrival in New York, a good plan is to take possession of your hotel room and take advantage of the rest of the day to explore your new neighborhood. If you live near Times Square, you will already have plenty to do!
2 / Plan too many museums on the same day
- I have already seen programs that followed, on the same day, the MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum and the Guggenheim Museum. The grand slam! Even if you adore works of art, such a program will quickly induce paints indigestion. The best solution is to plan only one museum per day. Thus, your attention will remain alert and you will fully enjoy the place and the works of art.
- Also avoid planning to visit museums on weekends because there are always more people than during the week. New Yorkers are also going to see the exhibitions in droves ????
3 / Plan to walk too much
- To visit New York, you will have to walk, walk a lot. Because that’s the only way you can discover the city and its every nook and cranny. But that doesn’t prevent you from saving yourself! For all these years, unfortunately, I have seen programs that referred to the marathon as a fitness walk, so much the person had planned to walk in one day. And what must happen happens: you risk catching blisters and having to seriously reduce your pace of visit.
- To avoid getting there, think carefully about your program in advance by estimating what your route involves in terms of daily walking. Plan to take advantage of transportation to avoid unnecessary walks. Also consider adding tours that are just as attractive but do not require walking: this is the case of the New York Bay cruises which allow you to discover the Big Apple from the sea, while resting your feet. Same thing with a helicopter flight over New York, the Hop-on Hop-Off buses or a visit to an observatory: you can then sit down while contemplating New York at your feet.
4 / Wanting to plan everything …
- By dint of wanting to make the program as complete as possible, some people make the mistake of wanting to plan everything down to the smallest detail. On the forum, I have already seen programs which were timed to the nearest quarter of an hour. Yes Yes ! I still remember this member of the forum who then replied with humor: “all you need is the pee breaks”.
- Making a program for New York is good, but you also have to know how to leave room for the unexpected. A program should guide you to keep in mind what you absolutely want to see in New York City. Then, let yourself be carried away by your desires of the moment, your discoveries and your meetings. Don’t hesitate to turn your days upside down depending on the weather. What’s the point of climbing to the top of the Empire State building on a rainy day? Or why absolutely shut yourself up in a museum when the sky is blue outside?
5 / A last day too busy
- Just as you should be careful not to plan too much activity on the first day, you should also keep a light program on the last day. Why ? Because you’ll definitely want to do some shopping, send postcards, or go back to a place that has you so much more. The last day can also be used to remake a place that you would have seen in the rain.
- My advice for the last day is to leave nothing at all, just to have an open day. And you will see that, even with nothing planned, you will end up running!
The other big mistake that I could already see on the last day is to plan an activity outside New York or in a remote corner of the Big Apple, for example Coney Island. Do not forget either that, unfortunately, you have a plane to catch and that it will be necessary to allow the margin to return the keys to your room and to reach the airport. If you feel like you haven’t been able to do everything you wanted to do, this is a great sign: it means you loved New York and will come back! It is also the precursor sign that you are going to catch New Yorkitis… ????
Internet users’ opinions
- Amelia Billon : « Mistake of walking too much for us!
We were doing about 20 km per day (yes that’s too much !!!). So I had blisters !!! But that I knew in advance. And we were too tired to visit New York by night which is the regret of this trip !!! Conclusion: moderate walking and fatigue during the day in order to enjoy a little more in the evening !!!! “ - Christelle Guiony : « I made mistakes 2 and 3. The MET and the National Museum of Natural History on the same day is too much. We did the MET in the morning, we took our time well then when we realized the late hour, we ran to the National Museum of Natural History which closed 2 hours more late. Result, we did not take advantage of it and we no longer had the head or the legs to that. In my opinion, after the MET (select only a few sections), you need to plan something cool, like exploring Central Park or the Empire State building. And 3rd mistake, in really wanting to discover the city we walked a lot to avoid the metro but suddenly in the evening we were dead and therefore we hardly went out by night and I came back with tendonitis in my heel. ‘Achille (because obviously Manhattan in ballerinas is more elegant than in walking shoes ????) It is better to do less but better and for that you have to be really well organized. You do not visit New York hard, otherwise you waste too much time… ”.
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